NorCalCars

Spotlight on the Honda Civic

Dwayne — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:37:37 +0000

The Honda Civic, one of the most used cars in the United States, has been in production since 1972 – second oldest only to the Toyota Corolla. In Canada, the Civic has been the top selling car for 10 years in a row! Few complaints have been made about the Civic, most regarding transmission problems. Victims warn about the Civic’s transmission spontaneously dying without any prior warning. Honda has not acknowledged any flaw in the design so it is assumed by most of the community that these transmission problems are the fault of the driver and not the company.

Economy to Luxury
Officially the Honda Civic has gone through eight generations; early models of the Civic were classically equipped with a simple AM radio, an elementary heater, foam-cushioned plastic trim, two-speed wind-shield wipers and painted steel rims with a chromed wheel nut cap. The most contemporary generation of Civics have become considerably more luxurious (more…)

Inspecting Your Next Used Car

Timm — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:02:07 +0000

Buying a used car instead of buying a brand new car can save a great deal of money, but the condition the vehicle appears to be in is not always the condition it is in. If you buy a car that was abused by a previous owner the amount of money saved from buying a used car can dwindle very quickly.

That is why a careful inspection of the vehicle is so important. Much can be learned about a car’s past by what you see, hear and smell. (more…)

Replacing your stock tires and wheels

Dwayne — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:59:03 +0000

Often when choosing new tires and wheels for your car or truck the first factor that comes to mind is how they will look, and if the size you want will fit your vehicle. However there are many other factors that should be considered. Some of these others are how they will affect the performance of the vehicle, the road conditions that you will encounter, will a change in hight affect the safety of the vehicle, even will your speedometer still be accurate after the change?

Sidewall information
While researching for this post I came across a few other things you should be consider, like the age of the tire, tires do have a shelf life. In as little a 6 years the rubber can start to deteriorate, check the tire before they install it. You can find the DOT code on the side of the tire indicating it’s manufacturing date.

If you live in areas of more extreme temperature (Like the Redding heat), it’s good to check how well the tire will withstand heat buildup. With “A” being the highest rating and “C” being the lowest. (more…)

Making Your Car Last Longer

Timm — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:23:05 +0000

With gas prices on the rise, more than ever it is important to save money in other areas. A great deal of money can be saved by reducing repair costs and making your car last longer.

Changing the oil and air filters on a regular basis can greatly increase gas mileage and cut down on the wear and tear of your vehicle. If your filters are clogged then your engine will not work at its optimum and will wear out quicker. (more…)

Nitro Nationals

Timm — Thu, 29 May 2008 22:13:40 +0000

For those interested in flashy boats and high speeds, Red Bluff’s annual Nitro Nationals is the place to be.

With high-powered boats gliding across the water at well over 200 MPH the Nitro Nationals continues to be a huge success year after year. Two years ago the world record of 264 MPH was set at the Nitro Nationals.

There are 13 unique classes and 150 boats making it an all day event and a site to see. The Show and Shine on Friday May 23rd gave us the chance to see the boats up close and hear their engines roar before seeing them in action on Saturday (postponed).

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Will The F-150 Keep its Throne?

Timm — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:06:22 +0000

For the last 31 years Ford’s F-Series has held its place as the nation’s no. 1 truck seller, but 2009 is bringing bigger challenges to Ford’s position as no. 1 truck seller. Companies like Chevrolet, Dodge, Toyota and Nissan are all trying their hardest to knock Ford out of its position.

Improvements in the area horsepower, interior and fuel efficiency are making 2009 competition all the more challenging. Each manufacturer has unique features that make their particular truck special.

With gas reaching close to $4 a gallon, fuel efficiency is something that ways heavily on most people’s minds. Dodge has taken advantage of these concerns and created the new 2009 Dodge Ram that is 4% more fuel-efficient. (more…)

W.E. Rock, Parris Raceway

Kristin — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:30:10 +0000

W.E. Rock
Perris Raceway Perris, CA
Round 1 April 12th-13th

Team DP4×4 arrived at Perris, CA on Friday April 11th for the 1pm Tech Inspection. Team Dp4×4 passed inspection however would be busy repairing a few items that caught the attention of the inspector. Team DP4×4 would need to create a fire barrier in the lower feet area of the buggy. No problem a few minutes on welding wouldn’t keep this buggy from competing.

After tech inspection we arrived at Perris Raceway which is well known as the oldest and largest motor cross raceway in California. This would be the first rock crawling event ever held at Perris Raceway. The Pit area was well marked and roped off for competitors to set up camp and for those needing to make adjustments or start their tech work.

4 Different Classes would be competing at Perris Raceway

F-Toy (Formula Toy)	12 Teams
Mod Stock (Modified Stock)	12 Teams
Pro Mod (Pro Modified)	26 Teams
Unlimited	13 Teams

Team Dp4×4 runs in the Pro-Modified Class and would be competing against 26 other teams. (more…)

Injury-Proof Car?

Timm — Fri, 02 May 2008 00:12:54 +0000

We all want a safer car, one that we are less likely to get hurt in. Car manufactures are giving people just what they want, safer cars. And they are going to great lengths to do so. We hear about new features all the time, bizarre placement of airbags and manufactured crumple zones.

All these features work with one common goal, to make the road less likely to hurt you, but Volvo is trying to go above and beyond. Volvo is currently working on car that will guaranty that you walk away from the crash. (more…)

The Worst Gas-Guzzlers

Timm — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 23:58:55 +0000

With Gas prices at an all time high, the thought on many people’s minds is “what car will give the best gas mileage?” That however, is not the subject that is going to be discussed in this entry. We are going to the opposite end of the spectrum; we are going to talk about what cars get the worst gas mileage.

The Audi S4 Avant makes the list with 21 miles to the gallon on the highway and 14 in the city. That totals out at to $3,352 a year for gas. (The 15,000 miles a year, 55% in the city and 45% on the highway is based off of the EPA’s estimations).

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Redding Kool April Nites 2008

Dwayne — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:25:30 +0000

Once again the guys at Kool April Nites put on an awesome show! Just about every Classic, Vintage, Antique car and truck you can imagine was there. As usual there was also a large showing of highly modified cars and trucks.

The weather was great this year, no clouds, not too cool, for the entire event. We showed up for the cruse and the main show on Saturday and took a ton of shots of some great cars and trucks. Don’t forget to stop by our 2008 Kool April Nites gallery.

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