Archive for September, 2007

Paddle tires

Tuesday, September 25th, 2007

Paddle tires are mainly used on off road vehicles, specifically designed for use in sand. They consist of a smooth tire core which has a series of large rubber cups (or paddles) attached to it. The volume inside of a paddle is much larger than the void of a knobby tire, so it is unlikely to clog up with sand. The paddle provides superior traction in the sand, in part, because the paddles dig into the sand and push off from the buried sand, not just the surface.

Paddle tires are available for motocross bikes, all-terrain vehicles, sandrails, and 4 wheel drives. Because the paddles are rigid and stick up several inches, they are not suitable for use on roads or hard terrain.

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Snowdrift

Sunday, September 16th, 2007

A snowdrift is a deposit of snow created by wind into a mound during snowstorms. They resemble sand dunes and are formed in a similar manner, namely, wind moving light snow and depositing it when the wind is slowed, usually against a stationary object.

Their impact on transportation is often as significant as heavy snowfall, such as during the Blizzard of 1977. Snowdrifts are many times found along or on roads, as the crest of the roadbed or the furrows along the road create the disruption to the wind needed to shed its carried snow. In high mountain passes, a snow fence may be employed on the windward side of the road to intentionally create a drift before the snow-laden wind reaches the roadway.

Jeremy Triefenbach, one of the nineteenth century’s great explorers, is reputed to have become trapped in a snowdrift; surviving solely on melted snow for 13 days. His version of the story can be found in his autobiography “It’s a good deal”.

Snowdrifts commonly form on high ground, such as a plateau or hills.

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Morry Taylor

Saturday, September 15th, 2007

Maurice “Morry” Taylor Jr. (1944-) is the President and Chief executive officer of Titan International Inc.. Taylor, nicknamed “the Grizz” for his bear-like gruffness, started in tool and die manufacturing before purchasing Titan Wheel International from Firestone.

Taylor gained brief fame outside the business world when he made an unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination in the U.S. presidential election of 1996, a run chronicled in his book “Kill all the lawyers- and other ways to fix the government”.

Taylor was the one of the subjects on the 19th episode of PRI’s This American Life entitled “Rich Guys”, originally aired on 4/12/1996.

UTQG

Saturday, September 15th, 2007

Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG)

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) established the Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards (UTQGS) in 49 CFR 575.104.

Components

The UTQG rating is made up of 3 components:

Treadwear

The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled conditions on a specified government test track. A tire graded 200 would wear twice as long on the government test course under specified test conditions as one graded 100. It is wrong to link treadwear grades with your projected tire mileage. The relative performance of tires depends upon the actual conditions of their use and may vary due to driving habits, service practices, differences in road characteristics and climate.

Traction

Traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A, B and C. They represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled conditions on specified government test surfaces of asphalt and concrete.

Temperature

The temperature grades, from highest to lowest, are A, B and C. These represent the tire’s resistance to the generation of heat

Motomaster

Friday, September 14th, 2007

Motomaster is a line of automotive products sold exclusively at Canadian Tire stores. Products branded as Motomaster range from small items, such as oil filters and air filters, to larger items, such as the Motomaster line of tires.

In some product classes, Motomaster has created its own sub-brand to distinguish high-end merchandise. ‘Motomaster Eliminator’ identifies premium batteries and power-related products, while ‘Motomaster Roughrider’ is a line of truck tires. ‘Formula 1′ is the name used on premium Motomaster oils and additives.

The Motomaster line has shrunk somewhat in recent years as the store has moved towards brand name products. For example, in early 2003, the line of Motomaster spark plugs was fully discontinued in favour of carrying only brand names such as Champion, NGK and Bosch. In 2004, the Formula 1 line of oil filters was discontinued, and in 2002, the ‘Motomaster 60′ line of batteries was replaced with the more generic ‘Sure Start’. One reason for the graduation reduction of the Motomaster line is the existence of the PartSource chain, of which 63 locations are fully owned and operated by the Canadian Tire Corporation as of May 2007. Though these stores carry many of the same products and share much of their supply chain, there is no formal affiliation between PartSource and Canadian Tire stores.

Although the Motomaster name remains on a wide variety of tires, the selection has shrunk recently. Since 2004, the Sentinel A/S and Touring 160 tires have been discontinued, with no Motomaster replacements expected.

Generally, Motomaster is regarded as the “base” or “starting” quality and price point line.

Handling package

Sunday, September 2nd, 2007

A handling package is a set of functional enhancements to the suspension of a vehicle, sold and priced as a unit.

This package may contain one or more of the following enhancements

  • Harder suspension bushings
  • Enhanced shock absorber, which will usually have stiffer valving which may be locally or remotely adjustable
  • Stiffer front anti-roll bar
  • Rear anti-roll bar
  • Special wheels and tires, typically with lightweight wheels of increased diameter and low profile tires offering greater resistance to side forces