Category Archives: Autos

Car Maintenance Basics

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All car engines experience normal wear and tear due to friction. And while it’s true that some car engines will give you several hundred thousand miles of carefree driving with minimal maintenance, other cars can be riddled with problems from the very day you drove it off the lot. Regardless of how old your car is, basic car maintenance, which includes regular oil changes and air filter replacement, will add years to the life of your engine.

Regular oil changes are the most essential aspect of car maintenance. Failure to change the oil, and the oil filter, at regular intervals will result in excessive wear and tear as the oil becomes increasingly dirtier and loses its lubricity. Dirty oil is sticky and abrasive, and if left unchecked, the dirty oil will cease to lubricate and eventually cause engine failure. Oil changes are best done by an oil change service center, like Jiffy Lube, for example. Reputable oil change service centers often offer free inspections as part of their service, checking your air filters, fluid levels, battery, wipers, tires and lights as well as changing your oil and oil filter. Continue reading →

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Finally! A Lamboghini That Stands Out: The Aventador LP700!

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Lamborghini recently unveiled the LP700-4 Aventador, which replaces the Murcielago as the Company’s flagship model. If I’m honest, I believe that it is the best and most extreme looking Lamborghini ever made. This super sports car has a greater presence than any other Lambo ever made and its performance figures are just breathtaking.

Like prior Lamborghinis, the Aventador name was chosen for its symbolic connection to the world of fighting bulls, sharing a name with the legendary Aventador, who was a trophy-winning bull in the world of Spanish bullfighting. Bred by the sons of Don Celestino Cuadri Vides, the bull that bore the number 32 took part in a notably spirited, bloody and violent battle with a torero in the town of Zaragoza, Spain that earned him the “Trofeo de la Peña La Madroñera” in 1993. Gotta love the way these Italians choose the name.

Just when you thought horse power in a production car cannot get any higher, Lamborghini busts out with an engine that produces 690 hp and 509 lb-ft of torque. The power comes from a highly engineered 6.5 liter V12 and is transferred to the road via a 7-speed independent shift rod transmission (with dual synchronizers) supplied by Graziano Trasmissioni Group. The gearbox can execute a shift in 50 milliseconds, which is the same as the cycle time for the lowest audible tone, 20 Hz. To put that into perspective, a gear shift takes approximately 100 milliseconds in a high-performance Ferrari Enzo FXX. The LP700-4 Aventador also features a Haldex all-wheel drive system which helps distribute all that power to the road.

The LP700-4 has a curb weight of just 3,472 lbs, which is down 4.6% from the Murcielago, but still 15.4% heavier than Ferrari’s Enzo flagship model. Some of the weight reduction was due to the LP700-4 having a carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) monocoque structure which weighs only 324.5 lbs and partially to the light weight 505lb body.

All of the above combined will propel you to 60 mph in 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 217 mph. The Murcielago base model and Ferrari Enzo would hit 60 mph in 3.5 and 3.1 seconds, respectively, and reach a top speed of 205 and 220 mph. This is a vast improvement over the Murcielago, but the Enzo still beats it modestly in the top end.

All this will cost you only $379,700, not a bad price considering that an Enzo will cost you over $800,000.