Author: Eric Peters

Ever wonder why the biggest market for pick-up trucks (that’s us, the U.S.) has so few trucks available? Yes, yes, there are the big ones – mostly made by the Big Three. But how come the others – smaller brands, smaller trucks – have been so reticent about cashing in on this most lucrative (highest profit margin per vehicle) segment? Could it be the “chicken tax”? Never heard of it? It’s the tax – the tariff – that makes it much more expensive to bring a truck to market in the U.S. that was not made in the U.S. It … Continue reading →

A bullet-proof vest does not mean you’re bullet-proof. It just means most bullets won’t penetrate the vest. But some will. Same with radar detectors. You’ll be less vulnerable – but you won’t be able invulnerable. Probably the greatest threat – the one radar detectors are least able to protect you from – is so-called “instant- on” radar. The problem isn’t that your detector won’t detect that you’ve been targeted. The problem is not detecting the radar in time to do much about it. Here’s how it works: Revenue collector parks on the shoulder or some other such place where – ideally, from … Continue reading →

Some of the news is good news. It’s not all shrapnel-spewing air bags, annoying buckle-up buzzers and engines that shut themselves (and the AC) off at stoplights to “save gas.” Here are some new features you’ll find in new cars that won’t make your teeth ache: * In-car WiFi – Did you know you no longer need to find a Starbucks to find WiFi when you’re on the road? Several new cars offer (or even come standard with) in-car “hot spots.” Wireless Internet – to go. Or, when you’ve stopped. GM’s system – which is standard in the new Chevy Impala … Continue reading →

How much do you know about cars? It’s not just trivia, either. Knowing some things about cars – or at least, some car lingo – can help you come across as more car-savvy, even if you’re not a gearhead. And that can help you avoid getting ripped off by a bad apple car salesman or service advisor. The bad ones are looking for marks – and if you appear to know something about cars, probably, they’ll save the shuck and jive for the next guy. Anyhow, back to the lingo: *OBD II – This acronym refers to the Onboard Diagnostics … Continue reading →

Licenses are chicken and egg. To qualify for, say, a road racing or heavy truck (commercial) license, one must already have attained the necessary skill. The license is a kind of after-the-fact “yep, he can do that.” But the fact is he could already do that. Was he any less able as a road racer or heavy-truck driver the moment prior to the state’s conferring of its seal (and permission slip)? Does possession of the permission slip make him more able? Of course not. Learning – and acquiring additional skills – that’s great. Whether we’re talking reading more books or … Continue reading →

We’re told it’s not safe to text while drive because that’s a distraction. But how about all these buzzers and flashing lights and (yes, it’s true) suddenly vibrating seats and steering wheels? Many new cars comes equipped with some – or all – of the following: Blind Spot Detection Lane Change Assist Lane Departure Warning Cross Traffic Alert Brake Assist/Collision Mitigation Park Assist Drowsy Driver Warning Pedestrian Detection Warning Plus air bag sensors so sensitive they sense a “person” in the passenger seat when all you’ve got riding shotgun is a footlong from Subway. Each with a buzzer/beeper and light show. … Continue reading →

Did you know that some (and soon, probably many) new cars don’t rely entirely on an alternator to generate the electricity needed to run accessories and – critical thing – keep the battery charged? And that these are not hybrid cars? BMW and Mazda were the first to graft hybrid-esque regenerative braking technology onto non-hybrid cars. The idea being essentially the same: To recapture (and convert) some of the kinetic energy of motion into usable energy (electricity). Rather than an engine-driven alternator (which places a load on the engine; more on that in a moment)  the energy of deceleration (braking) that would otherwise … Continue reading →

Probably the most interesting thing about the (can’t help myself) exploding Takata air bag scandal is the doublethink it exposes. On the one hand, we are told – in the literal/parental sense – that we will have air bags in our cars (like it or not) because not to have them is an unacceptable risk and “unsafe.” Notwithstanding that when air bags were being developed back in the ’70s (and rejected by consumers, when consumers still had the freedom to choose) the manufacturers of air bags told the government of the very real risks to people’s safety that air bags … Continue reading →

Wouldn’t it be easier if they just hit us all with another once-annually additional “fee” (that is, another tax) that would be due Jan. 1 and otherwise left us alone on the roads unless we actually caused an accident? Instead of cops lurking in cutouts on the highway, radar guns at the ready, fleecing people at random – why not just cut ’em a check every year and end the dog-and-pony show that goes on countless of thousands of times every day by the side of the road – and later on, in a court? It’d be so much easier … Continue reading →

Gas is cheaper than it’s ever been. Well, it would be – if we were just paying for gas. But it’s artificially more expensive because of the taxes – and regulatory costs – tacked on to the cost of each gallon. The taxes are disproportionate (nationally, they account for about 50 cents of the cost per gallon, which works out to a tax rate of appx. 25 percent or 2-3 times the ordinary sales tax in most states) as well as hugely regressive (most of us have to buy gas – unlike meals out  – and the tax hits the … Continue reading →

You’ve no doubt heard the term, “checks and balances.” It’s usually mentioned in the context of government – of the American form of government (well, its theoretical form) in particular. The idea that the legislative branch acts as a check on the powers of the executive, while the judicial balances the legislative – and so on. It’s a sound concept that maybe ought to be applied to police work. Something’s got to be done. On this point, almost everyone’s agreed. Because it’s obvious that cops are increasingly out of control. Literally. But not surprisingly. Because there are few – if … Continue reading →

Well, maybe hate is too strong. But they sure seem not to like them very much. As evidenced by the fact that a record-high percentage haven’t even got a driver’s license – and have no intention (according to what they tell researchers) of ever getting one. How high? Pushing 30 percent (and upticking each year) of present-day 19-year-olds. As contrasted with almost no 19-year-olds back in the ’90s and before. They are opting out. Of the hassle. Cars – and driving – are no longer a ticket to ride, for teenagers or otherwise. But especially for teenagers, who’ve been singled out for enhanced … Continue reading →

New cars lack a certain something. But what is that something? What’s changed that’s made them less emotionally involving – and more appliance-like? Herewith some thoughts along those lines: * Liters vs. cubic inches – Engines seem more interchangeably anonymous today, in part because of the way they are identified. Which is by liters of displacement – like bottled water – rather than cubic inches, which is a more viscerally mechanical way to measure cylinder volume. The metric system ruins everything. Yes, of course. It is more precise. But that just the point. The metric system does not convey the same thing as, say, … Continue reading →

The invention of the wheel was a pretty big deal – rolling stuff being a lot easier than carrying (or pushing or dragging) it. The invention of tires was the next great leap forward. Rubber tires allowed wheels to travel more smoothly on rough/uneven surfaces and at faster-than-walking pace without shaking themselves – and the cart or carriage or (eventually) car to which they were bolted to pieces. They also much improved traction – getting you going on slick/slippery surfaces, laterally (in the corners) as well as when you want to slow down (many people do not realize that a set … Continue reading →

The government wants to control your car – how it’s made, what it comes equipped with and (of course) how you’re allowed to drive it. Now comes the other half of the pincers: The car companies want to prevent you from working on the thing. Modifications – performance enhancements – and even routine maintenance are to become illegal via the application (and enforcement) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to cars.    They are claiming propriety rights to the software embedded in the computer – technically, the Electronic Control Unit or ECU – that pretty much runs a modern car.  They … Continue reading →