RPMGO Car Blog |
| Posted: 20 Nov 2010 08:08 AM PST The latest Honda model, the Crosstour, is an addition to the Accord line. The design isn't bad, but it looks a bit more aggressive than the Accord. The Crosstour is wider, longer and taller. The thing that disliked about it is the back, the way the design compromise the utility of the wagon. It is quite a large car, and usually people with large cars want a lot of storage space. With the seats up, this design offers 25.7 cu-ft. and 51.3 cu-ft. with the seats down.  Honda Accord Crosstour The engine of this Honda is unanimous loved. It has an energetic, consistent response ready throughout the power band. But you need to know that this is a 4,000 lb car, so it is better you have enough strength for it. It has 18-inch alloy wheels, and a big front grille. The six cylinders bring the gas mileage up to 18/27 mpg city/highway or 17/25 mpg. The car transmission is five-speed automatic, with rev-matching downshifts. This rev-matching can be almost too quick for some people, but you'll get used to it very quickly and the result will be very pleasant for most Honda owners. The four-wheel-disc antilock brakes are very firm and predictable. As for the interior, the extra pieces of leather and wood make it very nice. Even the brushed metal looks good. The interior is very inviting, and the over-sized buttons are easy to press even in cold periods, when wearing gloves. And the trunk area is very interesting, with a bin with handles in the floor, making it easier to take it all out and wash it. Also, the lid flips, so you can keep that part of the carpet clean.  Honda Crosstour rear view Thinking about the climate control, Honda Crosstour has a sophisticated dual-zone climate control system that allows the driver, as well as the front passenger to choose the temperature they want. Also, a single temperature can be chosen for the entire cabin. The Honda provides a Satellite-Linked Navigation System with voice recognition, with a huge database with many points of interest, including ratings and reviews for some places. The rearview camera has guidelines that will help you maneuver when you are in reverse position. Also, this model has a Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, so you can take any call you want and still being able to drive safely.
And because space is important, you can easily create the cargo space or seating configuration that you want with the easy fold-down 60/40 split rear seatback feature. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Winter Tires Improved With New Designs And Compounds Posted: 20 Nov 2010 06:10 AM PST When winter comes, the first thing that people think about, when preparing their vehicle, is getting the battery tested, installing new wiper blades, and buying enough windshield-washer fluid. Those things are good when you start preparing your car for winter, but you also need to consider buying a special set of winter tires. Those types of tires have compounds formulated to remain pliable in cold temperatures, as well as dedicated tread designs that are able to provide optimal traction, cutting through elements. For this season, these are some tires available: Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 The last winter tire provided by Bridgestone is Blizzak WS70. To ensure better pliability and traction on snow and ice, this model has dual tread compounds, with a new multicell silica top tread with RC Polymers. Under this layer is a standard winter compound. For a better cutting through snow and ice, the new tread design has four main grooves and deep treads. And for dry conditions, the tread blocks include 3D sips, to increase block stiffness. These tires were designed for coupes, minivans, sedans and crossovers vehicles. Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT The first dedicated tire for winter from Goodyear is Ultra Grip Ice WRT, which stands for Winter Reactive Technology. These winter tires have two different tread designs, one for light trucks and another one for SUVs. For enhanced winter traction, both treads have a combination of 2D and 3D blades, to ensure additional biting edges. Both tires can be optionally equipped with studs: number 12 on light-truck tires and number 15 on SUVs. This tire is formed from Goodyear's Winter Grip compound, created to deal with cold temperatures.
Michelin Latitude X-Ice Xi2 The next winter tire is from Michelin, designed for SUVs and crossovers. For a maximum grip, this tire design was improved with Cross Z-Sips with a 3D design and micro-pumps. These improved features go through the full depth of the tread for better winter-weather longevity. Also, the new compound of the Michelin tread easily deals with extremely cold temperatures. The manufacturing process helps to keep the road noise and vibration down by the computer-optimized design. Michelin LTX Winter Another winter tire from Michelin is LTX Winter, for the commercial industry, with a winter compound which is more aggressive for snow and ice. This tread design has 3D active sips with over 1,000 biting edges that ensure improved reliability. The Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT and the Bridgestone Blizzak W965 were tested at the McKinley Climate Laboratory from Florida, in a chamber with 15 degrees and the ground covered in snow. The result was that the Bridgestone understeered a lot more during the quick figure eights around cones, while the Goodyear provided much grip and hasn't understeered as much. And as for the low-speed breaking tests on ice, the Goodyear Ultra Grip also outperformed the Bridgestone Blizzak W965. Outside the controlled-climate chamber, on a half wet road, the Goodyear was better with the quicker bites on turn-in, compared with the vehicle with the Bridgestone tires. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
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