Ford Escape - Smart, Green and Beyond Expectations

In winter, the condition and performance of your tyres is extremely important. Winter tyres have a specially designed tread and composition in order to provide the most effective grip, handling and safety for drivers. It's an excellent idea, therefore, to change to specialist tyres to improve your winter driving, increase your fuel efficiency and ensure the safety of you and your passengers during the winter months.

Winter tyres are made from special compounds that work best at temperatures of 7 degrees or less. Most of the UK experiences temperatures below this between December and February, and we can usually expect frost on almost half the days of winter. With this type of tyre, your stopping distance can be shortened by up to 11 metres on icy roads, and your vehicle's handling will be greatly improved, reducing the risk of skidding, sliding or aquaplaning.

Safe driving is really important during winter, and in addition to fitting winter tyres to your car, there are other ways to improve your driving during the colder months:

Clear any snow and ice from your windows and mirrors, and fully demist your windscreen and windows before setting off.

Check the weather and traffic reports for your route before you leave to check for severe weather warnings or problems on the road.

Reduce your speed when driving on icy or snowy roads, using as high a gear as possible.

Keep well back from other vehicles to accommodate for increased stopping distances, and take care when overtaking.

Avoid sudden actions, accelerating, braking and taking corners slowly.

You can check how well your tyres are gripping an icy road by braking gently on a safe straight section. If your steering feels unresponsive, your grip may be reduced.

Tyres make almost no noise when travelling over ice.

Keep an emergency bag in the boot of your car that includes a torch, ice scraper, de-icer, warm clothes, jump leads, first aid kit and a snow shovel in case of breakdowns in bad weather.

When changing to winter tyres, it's advised that you change all four tyres at once, ensuring that each has the same speed rating and load index. Winter tyres may seem like an unnecessary expense to some, but when you consider that a decent set of winter tyres can last you through two or three winters, they are really quite cost-effective. Additionally, because you are swapping them for your summer tyres for at least a quarter of the year, you are also saving wear on your other set, prolonging their life too. The best place to buy cheap winter tyres is online, from a mobile tyre fitting company.

Keep yourself safe during winter, and maximise the efficiency of your car by fitting winter tyres.

Buy cheap car tyres online from the UK's friendliest tyre company!

At Grippy, we believe that saving money on tyres shouldn't mean sacrificing on quality. We believe in good old-fashioned tyre service, which means a fast, efficient response, high-quality tyres and an easy-to-use booking system. Rely on Grippy to provide the best prices for UK tyres online and keep you on the road.

The Latest Updates on the 2013 Ram 1500

Chrysler has recently announced some of the latest updates that were implemented on the 2013 Ram 1500. This announcement was released a few months before the Ram 1500 hits the US automobile market and this is intended to inform the potential buyers of the upgrades that were currently offered on the vehicle.

Aside from revealing the upgrades that were conducted on the 2013 Ram 1500, Chrysler has also confirmed that the price of this pickup truck as well as those of the other models included in the 2013 lineup have increased. Based on the information provided by the car maker, the price of the upcoming version of the Ram 1500 will start at $23,585. Such figure includes the destination charge of $995.

Given this starting price, it is quite obvious that the upcoming version of the Ram 1500 is about $470 more expensive than the outgoing model. According to the calculations from Chrysler, the latest cost of the new model reflects a 1% increase since the outgoing model which is the base version of the 2012 Ram 1500 SRT is sold at a starting price of $23,115 including the destination charge of $995.

Fortunately, the increase in the price of the 2013 Ram 1500 came along with significant improvements on the vehicle's fuel consumption. The latest edition of the Ram 1500 which is powered by Chrysler's 3.6-liter V-6 engine mated to a new and standard 8-speed automatic transmission is expected to obtain the estimated fuel economy ratings of 18 miles per gallon in the city and 25 miles per gallon on the highway. These ratings are approximately 20% higher what the outgoing model has posted.

Thus, Chrysler is quite confident in saying that the version of the upcoming Ram 1500 would most likely become a top option for buyers who are in need of a hardworking yet fuel-efficient truck.

But aside from the improvement in its fuel economy ratings, Chrysler has also stressed out that the 2013 Ram 1500 will also be offering a more lively and comfortable ride. This is because the company's engineers tweaked the vehicle's design to reduce the drag produced when the Ram 1500 is running.

In addition to this, the vehicle could also be had with the optional Ram Active Level suspension which is sold at a price of $1,595. This suspension makes the Ram 1500 more agile and resilient in dealing with challenging road conditions.

The updated and improved version of the Ram 1500 is scheduled to hit the company's dealerships and showrooms in the last quarter of this year. This simply means that the buyers will have to wait for a few months from now.

Lincoln Dominated the American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey

Lincoln has recently dominated the annual survey that was conducted by the American Customer Satisfaction Index or ACSI. The result of this survey reflects the degree of satisfaction that car owners obtain from their vehicle. Thus, getting the top spot could be considered as a great accomplishment for every car maker.

Based on the result of the current survey, Lincoln has received the score of 90 out of the 100-point index and this is equivalent to a rating of 90%. By garnering this score, Lincoln beat Cadillac, Toyota, and Lexus. These three car makers occupied the top spot of the previous year's survey by garnering the top score.

The second and third spot of this year's survey were also occupied by luxury carmakers. Lexus secured the second spot with the score of 89 while Buick came in at third with the score of 87. However, Buick was not alone on the third spot since Subaru has also obtained the score of 87. Thus, Subaru and Buick share the third spot of this year's ACSI survey.

By sharing the third spot with Buick, Subaru was the only non-luxury car maker that was able to make it to the top and this particular trend has somehow broke down the luxury nameplate's dominance on the ACSI survey. The other car makers who were able to make it to the top-ten list were BMW, Hyundai, Cadillac, Volkswagen, Toyota, and Mercedes Benz.

Based on this information, it is quite notable that only a few of the Japanese car makers emerged as leaders in the current list. This is probably because some of the Japanese car manufacturers especially Honda and Toyota were recently confronted with recall issues and this has reduced the degree of satisfaction that buyers obtain when they buy the vehicles produced by the two car makers that were mentioned earlier.

The results of the survey has also revealed that Chrysler has been catching up with other car makers included in the list and this is marked by the increase on the score that the car maker has obtained for the past two years. Unfortunately, such increase is not yet enough to raise Chrysler's position. Chrysler and Dodge are still positioned in the bottom of the list and this signifies that both brands have obtained the worst scores for this year.

Aside from Chrysler and Dodge, Kia and Mazda are also located in the bottom of the list, hinting that the vehicles they sell failed to neither exceed nor meet the customer satisfaction average set by ACSI for the automotive industry.

Are Part Worn Tyres Really Cheaper Tyres?

Everybody loves a bargain, and motorists frequently hunt for cheap tyres online as it is easier than calling round all the local garages. Some may decide that part worn tyres would be an easy way to save money. Part worn car tyres may seem like a valid option if you are looking for cheap car tyres, but the truth is that you don't really know what you are getting. While they may simply be tyres that another careful motorist has changed for whatever reason while they still have plenty of wear left, part worn tyres don't come with any history.

Frequently, tyres bought as part worns will have come from an accident where the car was written off. This could easily mean the tyre has thinner patches where the driver slammed on the brakes to try to avoid the accident. Uneven wear makes blow outs more likely. Tyres are also brought in from other countries that have cast them off. Not ideal.

Part worn tyres are always a risk. Some of the obvious potential dangers are:

    There could be damage you can't see - stress points resulting from previous impacts that could lead to blowouts.
    By their very nature part worn tyres will be older, and like many things, tyres have a shelf life.
    If it turns out that there is something wrong with your tyres which leads to an accident, your car insurance will be invalidated.

While many people choose partworn tyres hoping to save money, the fact is that in the long run they are likely to cost you more. As they have less tread remaining on them, you will need to make more trips to have tyres fitted, costing you more in fuel and in the cost of tyres. The part worn tyres are more likely to suffer blow outs, which at best would cost you a replacement tyre, and at worst could lead to an accident.

Finally, as part worn tyres will usually only have 3mm tread left on them, leaving only 1.4mm left before they are illegal, they will naturally need to be replaced more frequently, and as tyre performance essentially falls off a cliff below 3mm, your stopping distances will also be longer. At only 50mph on a wet road, worn tyres will add as much as two car lengths to your stopping distance. That could easily be the difference between an accident and a near miss. There are easier ways to save money on tyres - searching for cheap car tyres online can save you money without compromising your safety.

Buy cheap car tyres online from the UK's friendliest tyre company!

At Grippy, we believe that saving money on tyres shouldn't mean sacrificing on quality. We believe in good old-fashioned tyre service, which means a fast, efficient response, high-quality tyres and an easy-to-use booking system. Rely on Grippy to provide the best prices for UK tyres online and keep you on the road.

Slight Increase in the Price of the 2013 Honda Accord

Honda has recently increased the price of the 2013 version of the Accord sedan and the price hike was also extended towards the other car models that are included on the current lineup.

Based on the information provided by company, the 2013 Honda Accord sedan will be sold at a starting price of $22,470 including the destination charge of $790. The vehicle's current starting price reflects a $200 increase over the previous year's model.

Due to the slight increase in the vehicle's price, a lot of car experts firmly believe that the 2013 Honda Accord might have received a number of additional features that were not offered in its predecessor.

Just like the sedan version, the 2013 Honda Accord Touring has also obtained a slight increase in price. This vehicle is currently sold at a starting price of $34,220 including the shipping charges. Fortunately, the price increase in the Accord Touring has allowed the vehicle to avail of some of the latest technology that Honda is trying to use in some of its upcoming vehicle models. This includes the adaptive cruise control and the first headlights made of LED that Honda has decided to use.

The 2013 Honda Accord Sport which is also considered as the newest member of the lineup was priced at $24,180 including the charges for shipping. This model is powered by a 2.4-liter direct-injected 4-cylinder engine mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or to a CVT which is an acronym for the continuously variable transmission.

Aside from its powerful engine, the 2013 Honda Accord Sport is also loaded with a long list of standard features such as the 18-inch alloy wheels, deck lid spoiler, 10-way seat for the driver, foglights, paddle shifters for the models with the CVT. Aside from those, the Sport model is also equipped with the dual exhaust finishers, stiffer strut bar, and the exclusively designed steering as well as the steering tuning.

Given its current starting price, the 2013 Honda Accord is cheaper compared to some of its competitors in the segment such as the 2012 Toyota Camry, 2013 Ford Fusion, and the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. The Camry which is currently sold at a starting price of $22, 850 including the destination charge of $795 is $380 cheaper than the latest version of the Accord.