Posts Tagged ‘functionality’
Real Classic Cars Have 8-Track Tapes – Remember Those?
When it comes to real classic cars, there’s always the question of functionality versus antique authenticity. If you have a classic car and you modify it in any way other than to manufacturing specs then it is no longer factory original. At a classic car show you will be judged by originality and you will lose points, and there isn’t a chance you can’t with the show. Everything matters, the tires you use, the paint, and even the instruments in the dashboard including any entertainment devices such as stereos, GPS, or CD players.
If you have a docking station for your iPad in your 1959 stingray then obviously it is “out of time” and you probably can’t win best of show, even at the small local car shows. Just as if you can’t put the latest model steel belted radials, drive your car to the car show, and get the ultimate of accolades, no matter how cool your car is. The real classic cars have eight track players, they do not have cassette players, as those didn’t happen until much later. The radios were AM/FM with pushbuttons, not XM radio with the satellite antenna on the back trunk.
If you want to buy a car with all the bells and whistles, that’s fine, but if you modify your classic car with all the bells and whistles you’ve ruined it in many people’s minds, especially those who judge the car shows. The obvious option would be to get a satellite radio handheld version, which also had a CD player, and lay it on a towel, on the dashboard or get an iPad, and lay it in the tray in the center console, of course you will still have to be cognizant of the fact that you shouldn’t play with it while you drive.
How to Choose the Perfect Tires for Your Car
Car tires are things we tend not to think about too often unless we need a repair or it is time to replace them. Many times we ignore them but in fact, they can have a lot to do with safety, functionality, and even aesthetics. For instance, you wouldn’t want a Z-rated race tire to pull a travel trailer with your diesel pickup truck any more than you would want a knobby off-road tire on a Ferrari! If you have a powerful truck and plan on hauling heavy payloads or towing large trailers, you might want to add the strength of a thicker wall tire. If you own a Corvette and want to be able to carve the corners and make long sweeping turns on rural highways, you may want to get a set of car tires with a little bit better grip.
Having a low profile tire on a big wheel may look very attractive but it can hurt the comfort of your ride. The taller the sidewall on your tire, the more flex it will have. This will allow it to absorb more bumps and irregularities on the road before they get transferred to the wheel and ultimately, through the suspension. Wide tires with a very soft rubber compound may be expensive but they often have the best grip. This will allow you to take turns at a higher rate of speed as well as accelerate more quickly without spinning your tires or losing control of the vehicle.
Truck tires are a little different compared to car tires in a way that they usually have a taller sidewall for a softer ride and to help support the weight of heavy loads. Large knobby tires that are meant for an off-road rig may look great and work well in the mud but they may also make a lot of noise when going down the highway at 70 miles per hour.
