Tips for Transporting Your Christmas Tree

The holiday season is here! Families are out chopping down Christmas trees and bringing them home to decorate every branch. Before you can think about decorating the tree though, you have to get it home. This can sometimes prove to be a difficult task, especially if you don't have a transportation vehicle. Check out some of these tips from Kicking Tires for how to safely get your Christmas tree home with the vehicle that you have.

Vehicle-related road debris is estimated to cause more than 250,000 crashes a year and claim 81 to 90 lives, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. 

What's the best way to keep your tree from becoming a statistic? Rick Dungey, National Christmas Tree Association spokesman, recommends trusting the experts. "If someone at the farm or lot where you buy the tree offers advice on the best way for you to transport your tree, take it. Those folks deal with thousands of trees per year and you deal with one," he told Cars.com. 

To make sure your Christmas tree makes it all the way home, the National Christmas Tree Association helped us compile few tips about getting your tree home in one piece: 

•  Get your Christmas tree netted before leaving the lot to make it more manageable. If it's going on the roof, the trunk should be facing front. Doing both these things will help reduce wind damage to the foliage.
•  Make sure to select a tree that will either fit inside your cargo area or, if you have a roof rack, on top of your roof properly. Also ensure that you have enough rope or cord to wrap around the tree and secure it to the roof rack or to cargo hooks.
•  Place a tarp or blanket over the cargo area to protect the interior from loose needles. If you're going to place the tree on the roof, place a tarp, plastic sheet or blanket between the tree and the rack to protect the roof from scratches.
•  If you are transporting a tree in the back of a pickup truck, keep in mind that there could be hot spots in the bed—from the exhaust pipe, for example. This can damage the tree's foliage, so put something under it like an old blanket.
•  Before leaving the lot, give the tree a good tug to make sure it's secure.
•  Drive slowly and avoid the highway, especially if you're not used to hauling heavy objects on your roof. The extra weight affects your vehicle's center of gravity and consequently emergency handling.  

We don't recommend tying a tree on your car's roof without a roof rack. If you don't have the proper vehicle to take your tree home, find a friend with a more capable vehicle. Even better: Some Christmas tree lots deliver.  

Once home, Dungey recommends getting the tree out of the wind and sun as soon as possible. Even if you're not putting it in the stand right away, he says putting it in a bucket of water will minimize damage to the foliage. 

When all else fails, there's always an artificial tree!

Click the link to read the full article from the Kicking Tires blog: http://bit.ly/1bhyIqJ

The History of Cars

Cars have been moving Americans for more than 100 years. How has car transportation changed since the Model T in 1908? Take a look at the history of all things cars with this infographic. Some of the history may surprise you.

Click the link to see the full screen infographic: http://bit.ly/8uCOc

Transporting Food to Holiday Parties in Your Vehicle

Now that it's December, friends will be having holiday parties  that you may be required to bring a dish to. Sometimes transporting your homemade dishes in your vehicle can prove to be a difficult task, especially if you're bringing a hot dish, or your food is in a container that could easily spill. The Kicking Tires blog has come up with a great list of tips for how to easily transport your delicious creations from home to your final destination for the holidays. Feel free to comment  with your own tips!

Casserole Dishes
Piping-hot casserole dishes can literally be a pain to the person holding them in their lap in the car. The heat from the dish itself can burn your spouse's lap — not to mention the damage that could occur if it spills and your hubby is left with 350-degree green-bean casserole drippings on his, well, you get the idea. Placing the casserole dish on the floor rather than on someone's lap isn't much better. Do you really want to be cleaning oyster stuffing out of your car's carpet and floormats for the next three months? 

Instead, invest in a travel casserole dish. I purchased one from Target recently for just $14. It comes with a Pyrex casserole dish, a secure rubber lid, a microwaveable gel pouch to help keep the goodies hot on the road and an insulated carrying case. You don't, however, want it to be loose on the car's floor. If you have to brake quickly to avoid another holiday road warrior, the casserole dish could become a dangerous projectile. 

Instead, try securing your travel casserole dish in your car's trunk, safely away from the passenger compartment. You can borrow a grippy drawer liner from your silverware drawer to help keep the travel casserole dish from sliding around in the trunk. It also doesn't hurt to wedge it in with other larger, less messy items. 

If you don't have a travel casserole dish and don't want to invest in one, you can use a casserole dish with a lid and secure the lid to the dish's handles with two rubber bands. This can then be secured inside a tote basket or laundry basket lined with towels. The basket can be stashed snugly on the floor behind the driver's seat or even better yet, secured in your car's cargo space using a few bungee cords and the tie-down anchor points in the cargo floor. If the dish happens to have a leak during transport, the towels will soak up any messes. If you don't have a leak, your kids can roll the towels up after dinner and use them on the drive home as pillows to sleep off that turkey-induced fog. 

Slow Cookers
By some estimates, something weighing just 20 pounds (a turkey, a slow cooker or whatever) can hit a person with 600 pounds of force if involved in a crash while the car is moving just 35 mph. Slow cookers with locking lids are the surefire option for transporting food in the car and will help keep any leaks or spills from getting on your fabric upholstery. I purchased one recently from Amazon for just over $30. Again, you want to keep slow cookers out of the passenger compartment if possible. 

Portable 12-Volt Heater/Coolers
If you're really serious about keeping your sweet potatoes at the perfect temperature while on the road, a portable 12-volt heater/cooler is the way to go. This plugs into the 12-volt outlet in your car, can be switched to heat or cool, and keeps your marshmallow-laced sweet-potato puree inside it at a consistent 140 degrees. While you're limited as to where you can secure it in the car based on where the outlet is located, you still want to secure it safely. Again, getting creative with bungee cords is a great option. 

Pies
Tinfoil is your best friend when transporting pies. If you're transporting just one pie, take an extra metal pie tin, flip it upside down and use it to tent the pie. Then seal the edges of the two pie tins together with a strip of tinfoil. Just to reiterate: You don't want a pie to hit you in the back of the head if you get in an accident, so secure it in the trunk. Use the grippy-drawer-liner technique to keep the pie from sliding around, or better yet, stash it in the laundry basket next to your casserole. 

To transport two pies, place them side by side on a baking sheet, wrap tinfoil around the pies and baking sheet, and then secure the tinfoil around the baking sheet's edges. Store the baking sheet in your trunk with a grippy drawer liner under it to keep it from sliding around.
All Those Yummy Leftovers 

If you're going to take some goodies back home, be prepared and arrive with your own plastic storage containers and zip-close plastic bags rather than having your granny dig some up for you and the rest of your finicky family. Pack a load of disposable plastic containers in a reusable fabric bag. You can pack the containers full and have a convenient tote at the ready to carry them to the car. 

Use the bungee-secured laundry basket you used earlier to transport your pie and casserole dish to dinner to then get your leftovers home.

Click the link to read the full article from Kicking Tires: http://bit.ly/1fCAlHp

The Car of the Future

What does the car of the future look like? We have all wondered it at some point. Will it drive by itself, or communicate with other cars to avoid accidents? The infographic below from InsuranceQuotes.com paints a picture of what the car of tomorrow may possibly look like. Take a look and see how it compares to today’s cars.

Click the link to read the original article from Mashable: http://on.mash.to/107IRat

Driving With A Broken Muffler

No good can come from driving a broken muffler. Not only is the loud engine noise annoying, but exhaust fumes can be dangerous, and you'll pay more for gas. Learn all the downfalls of a broken muffler here.

In Your Ear
The muffler on most stock exhaust systems lives up to its name quite capably -- hushing engine noises to almost imperceptible levels. The sounds escaping from a broken muffler may upset your neighbors, but a more serious outcome could be permanent. While neighbors may glare and stew, vehicle occupants are the ones subjected to conditions that are known to contribute to hearing loss and tinnitus. Close proximity and reverberations from road surfaces amplify the dangers for the driver and passengers encased above the racket. Extended periods of exposure increase the chances of irreparable hearing losses. 

Up Your Nose
Carbon monoxide is only one component of exhaust fumes, but it may be the most toxic in concentration. When fumes exit the exhaust system prematurely, this odorless gas can enter the cabin of the vehicle. People hidden in a car trunk to sneak into a drive-in movie, or bundled under a blanket in a rumble seat, were often sickened and in some cases killed. The onset of carbon monoxide poisoning can seem like a trivial case of the flu. Headaches and dizzy spells can precede profound confusion, but impaired driving is an immediate result that can be just as deadly. 

Out of Pocket
As any novice hot-rodder soon discovers, removing all exhaust restrictions is an ineffective method of improving engine performance. Engines need exhaust back pressure for everything from basic air flow to reducing air pollution. Computer sensors reliant on proper pressures can blindly increase fuel consumption to no avail. Solids from unburned fuel can combine with rain and adhere to body surfaces. Not only does the poor fuel economy burn a hole in your pocket, but caustic compounds eat through the vehicle body panels as well. 

Losing the Race
While a new muffler might seem expensive, the cost is minimal in comparison to potential losses. Whether you subscribe to some scientific theory or not, it remains a fact that air pollution adversely affects our planet and our persons. The exhaust converter of an automobile with a leaky muffler never gets enough heat or time to convert and reduce the poisons entering our atmosphere. If preservation of the human race is not a convincing reason for responsible motoring, perhaps a trip to the police impound lot would be.

Click the link to read the full article from ehow.com: http://bit.ly/19zwLJU

Preparing Your Car For Winter

Winter weather is right around the corner. Preparing your vehicle for colder weather in advance is the best way to avoid breaking down or sliding off an icy road. These tips will inform you on every way you can prepare your car for winter.

Clean Your Vehicle Inside And OutExterior surfaces are particularly vulnerable to winter's charming qualities, such as snow, ice and road salt. It's ideal if you can use the fair fall days leading up to the frigid months to thoroughly wash your vehicle. To start, undertake a complete do-it-yourself detailing of your car. Be sure to include a car wax that coats the body panels before the first snowfall -- specifically, before temperatures drop below 55F. This preventative measure will shield paint surfaces from snowy bombardments, and it will also make snow and ice easier to brush off. 

On the inside, remove any garbage before vacuuming the seats and floor. After vacuuming, additional attention with an upholstery cleaner will have your cockpit looking spick-and-span and more welcoming for passengers. To rid your car of that stale, climate-controlled atmosphere that the colder weather brings, try an air-freshener -- even a man's car shouldn't smell like a gym locker. Finally, it's also a great idea to swap out your carpeted floor mats with a set of water-resistant vinyl or rubber mats. 

Test Battery And Electrical System
Cold weather is a vehicle's electrical system enemy -- especially the vehicle's battery. Combine this with the increased power demands of defrosters, windshield wipers and heating systems, and a car battery really has to be ready to meet the brutal winter challenge. A simple battery test means running your vehicle's headlights before starting the engine. If you notice that the headlights get brighter once you start the engine, more elaborate battery tests might be needed.
Metering voltage with a voltmeter or measuring electrolyte levels for an unsealed, low-maintenance battery are two examples of such tests. If your tests show the voltage lower than 12.4V or if electrolyte-specific gravity resides below 1.225, a recharge or replacement of the battery is likely required. 

A well-insulated cabin offers much needed shelter from frigid winter winds, so ensuring your heating system is functioning properly should be a top priority. Run your heating system to ensure its operation before the actual time of need -- trust us, you do not want to be trapped in a cold car in the months to come. Also check the window defroster system by testing the defroster strips in the windshield and rear windshield using a voltmeter. Another major electricity consumer is the vehicle's lighting, which will be running longer due to the much shorter days. Make sure your headlights, taillights, back up lights, and signal lights (including your hazards) illuminate with a visual check during a dark day or at night. 

Maximize Winter Vision
Darkness and blizzard-like snowfalls, coupled with shorter periods of sunlight, dramatically reduce a motorist's vision during the winter. A working set of windshield wipers and an ample supply of winter washer fluid are the best ways to optimize limited visibility. Ensure that your wipers have a clean wipe across the windshield -- if you replace your wiper arms, also make sure that they don't lift from your windshield at higher speeds (some larger, Teflon wipers tend to lift with higher winds). 

Similar to the theme of tires, windshield wiper varieties are predominately featured for all-season use. While a high-quality windshield wiper is the way to go, wiper performance can be affected by snow and ice buildup along the wiper springs. For optimal winter visibility investing in special winter wipers equipped with protective shields that protect the wipers' mechanism is an excellent idea. Summer washer fluid must be replaced heading into the colder months since it is not made for the colder temperatures and may become frozen and useless. When buying winter washer fluid, look for a brand with a deicer agent. 

Be Equipped For The Road
While it may be a given, it's still extremely important to mention the basics in winter car equipment: You will need a snowbrush and an ice scrapper. Remember, a soft-bristled snowbrush is less likely to damage your paint and plastic scrappers won't scratch your windshield and windows as easily as metal ones. Other tools suited for unpredictable winter conditions include a collapsible shovel, a well-stocked emergency kit and a set of jumper cables. 

For mountain regions, add a set of tire chains to your trunk as it may be the only way you'll be able to drive. As well, in case your vehicle becomes immobilized in deep snow you can either buy of set of traction pads or use some scrap pieces of carpet to help you escape those arctic traps -- but make sure you read the instructions carefully prior to using the traction pads as they often have spiked bottoms and can be quite dangerous. 

When taking a long trip (a common practice during the holiday season) include items such as a blanket, a flashlight, candles and a lighter, flares, and an extra bottle of windshield washer fluid in case of unplanned circumstances or roadside stops. 

Understandably, this winter gear might represent a burden for trunk space, but your preparation may be a relief for you later on. 

 Tires are an economical and practical choice for many motorists it took recent tire technology advancements to recapture consumer interest for winter tires. And even then, some drivers swear by all-seasons even though their winter performances are scarcely up to par with that of the winter treads. The reality is that winter tires are the way to go. 

If you opt for winter tires, store your summer tires in opaque plastic bags. To reduce moisture from damaging the rubber, press as much air out of the bags as possible or use a vacuum to suck out the air before sealing the bags with tape. For storage, find a place that maintains a cool, but stable temperature, such as a basement or heated garage. 

Whichever tire you choose to use this coming winter, make sure you conduct regular visual checks on the tires tread surface, and monitor the tire pressure on a monthly basis as well. Remember, every 10 degree drop equals 1 PSI lost in your tires' pressure and that means loss of traction and control on your part. 

Check And Change Fluids
Check the coolant system. To determine whether or not your vehicle is operating with a proper coolant level, it sometimes only requires a small visual check at a marked level indicator on a semitransparent overflow reservoir. For North America, a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze coolant is typically recommended for year-round driving (check your car's owners manual for specifics or go by the indications on the antifreeze). After checking the coolant, proceed to examine coolant hoses for leaks or wear -- visually inspect all the connections and use clean rags or paper towels to ensure there are no leaks. Make sure you also search for leaks around other reservoirs in the engine compartment, such as your brakes and oil. 

The change in seasonal temperatures may also dictate a change to a thinner viscosity engine oil to more efficiently lubricate moving parts in colder conditions. Since this is not the standard for all vehicles, check your vehicle's owner manual for fluid requirements.

Click the link to read the full article from AOL Autos: http://aol.it/HHFqiu

Defensive Driving

The scariest part about driving is usually other drivers. You never know what someone else on the road might do. That's why when you're behind the wheel, you always need to drive defensively. Here are a few tips on the best ways to be a defensive driver.

Following Distance
When driving, following distance is crucial. Many drivers tend to tailgate, which can easily lead to one car rear-ending another. A tip is to check your speed, divide it by 10, and then keep that many car lengths between you and the car in front of you. For example, if you are driving 40 miles per hour, keep the distance between you and the car ahead 4 car lengths. 

Distractions
When driving, 100 percent of your focus must be on the road and what's going on around you. Avoid distracting activities when driving, such as talking on the phone (even hands-free), eating, shaving and especially texting. 

Changing lanes
A lot of drivers when changing lanes will slow down and not signal. It is important to keep consistent speed when changing lanes to avoid being rear-ended and it is important to use your turn signal to give cars in other lanes notice that you are changing lanes. 

Space Cushion
It is hard to control cars around you, but safely try to move yourself around so you are not driving directly next to anyone or directly behind anyone.

Read the full article from ehow.com here: http://bit.ly/16qLmD5