Christmas Gifts For Car Enthusiasts

Do you have that special someone in your life that's a real car enthusiast? There's no better time than now to find amazing gifts for those important gearheads in our lives. There's always the option to purchase service giftcards or new tires but Askmen.com has a great article showcasing 10 gifts every gearhead will love.

Check out the 10 and let us know what you think of them in the comments section below! Visit: http://bit.ly/1i7yeMu and our website: http://bit.ly/18GI2I0

Common Mistakes Drivers Make In Snowy Conditions

Do you know what to do in order to drive safer in snowy road conditions? You'd be surprised to know so many drivers do the opposite of what they should do when driving in snowy conditions. Here are some of the biggest mistakes drivers on the road make when snowy weather conditions begin.

1. Thinking Your Four-wheel Drive Makes You Invincible
The biggest mistake a driver can make is to think four-wheel drive allows them to race down the road at top speeds. Remember, while it can help you get through difficult conditions it won't give you the traction you need to brake when it matters most.

2. Not Being Prepared
Many drivers find themselves caught off guard during the winter's first snow. In fact, the most dangerous day to be on the roads is the day after the first snowstorm. Drivers haven't prepared their cars for the weather, and they've probably forgotten their snow driving techniques from last year.

 To ready your car for the winter, check that each of your tires has at least a 6/32-inch (4.8-millimeter) deep tread. All-weather tires can handle most driving conditions, but if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, you should consider purchasing snow tires.

3. Following Too Closely

Many people inexperienced with driving in the snow make a bad habit out of tailing the vehicle in front of them too closely. Like driving too fast, this lessens your reaction time if there's a problem with the vehicle ahead of you and you need to slow down suddenly.
It's recommended that you double your normal distance between cars, giving yourself a minimum braking distance of six seconds. Put another way, for every 10 mph you're traveling, you should give yourself four car lengths of space.

4.  Slamming On The Brakes

When you feel your tires start to slip, it's easy to panic and slam on the brakes. Don't do that as it removes traction from your tires, taking away your ability to control your vehicle.
Once you've lost traction and your wheels are locked up, slamming your brakes won't change the situation. What you should do when you feel yourself begin to skid is ease off the accelerator and let the car slow down on its own. A moving tire means that there is still some traction, which is what you need to steer yourself out of a collision.
 

5. Driving Too Fast

Driving too fast is the biggest snow driving error. Drivers have a bad habit of thinking that once they've reached the highway they're fine to drive at their usual high speed. They couldn't be more wrong. When your car starts to slip and you're heading for a crash, every second counts. Driving too fast reduces the amount of time you have to react and increases the severity of any collision. It also takes four to 10 times longer to brake on icy or snowy pavement than it does on dry asphalt.

Snow Season Has Arrived! Enjoy These 8 Interesting Snow Facts

Winter weather means snow will be falling in many areas of the country. But, what do you really know about snow? Check out these eight interesting facts that we bet you didn't know! Know any other snow facts we may not have added? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

 1.  The world’s largest snowflake was reported to be 15 inches across and 8 inches thick. The Guinness Book of World Records states that this giant snowflake was found at Fort Keogh, Montana on January 28, 1887.

2. Snow is actually clear and colorless.
“The complex structure of snow crystals results in countless tiny surfaces from which visible light is efficiently reflected. What little sunlight is absorbed by snow is absorbed uniformly over the wavelengths of visible light thus giving snow its white appearance.” - National Snow and Ice Data Center

3.  The most snow ever recorded in a 24 hour period in the USA occurred at Silver Lake, Colorado in 1921 and was 76 inches of snow. (#2 = 63 inches was registered in Georgetown, Colorado on December 4, 1913).

4.  Mt. Baker ski area in Washington State has the world record for snowfall at 1,140 inches of snow in the 1998/1999 winter season.  Mt. Baker ski area is located near but not on the real 10,781’ Mount Baker.  You can just imagine what the snow totals were on the real Mount Baker that year…

5.  80% of all the freshwater on earth is frozen as ice or snow.  This accounts for 12% of the earth’s surface.

6.  A blizzard occurs when you can’t see for 1/4 mile. The winds are always 35 miles an hour or more. The storm must last at least 3 hours to be classed as a blizzard. If any of these conditions are less, it is only a snowstorm.

7.  The USA averages 105 snow producing storms per year.  A typical storm will have a 2-5 day lifetime and drop snow in multiple states.  This is annoying as we’d prefer it was 305 per year and lifetimes of a week or more.

8.  All snowflakes have 6 sides.