Off to The Road Less Taken – How to Prepare Your Car for an Off-Road Adventure

Britons have a rich history of off-roading. From Land Rovers and Range Rovers to backyard builds, car owners in the UK have always found this alternative style enticing, to say the least.

However, a lot of people consider off-roading can only be done with a dedicated off-roading vehicle. It is always better to have something tailor-made for this purpose, but you can also tune your car to prepare it to traverse the beaten path outside the comfort of the highways. Let’s take a look at how.

1. Tune the engine –

First and foremost, you need to tune your car engine to help it generate more torque. You don’t want high speeds on mud; you want more power so that it can pull itself out of a sticky situation.

Cars like a Rover, Mercedes G-Class, Suzuki Jimny, or Toyota Land Cruiser come factory-equipped with different drive modes and high-low gear settings. But instead of relying on its factory settings, you should change the power band according to your requirement. Take your car to a dyno and adjust it there, try tuning it to bring the max torque in a lower rev range, and you will see the difference while on track.

2. Change the tyres –

Normal road going car tyres are vastly ill-equipped to acquire traction in mud or sand. Get a set of 4x4 tyresLoughborough or any other place you live in the UK. Their extra-large grooves and flatter contact patch will bite down on loose soil and keep your car moving.

Companies like Dunlop, Continental, Goodyear, Bridgestone, etc. manufacture excellent quality 4x4 tyres. They are available in almost every car garage in the UK. Reputable garages like Loughborough Refurbs stock a vast range of products that you can choose from. They also offer services like tyre fitting, alignment and balancing check, along with general car repairing at affordable rates.

3. Consider fitting a snorkel –

A snorkel can do wonders if you are traversing a waterlogged part of the track, or even on an extremely muddy path. It will help your car breathe effortlessly and will drastically reduce the chances of a blockage in its air intake.

4. Invest in accessories –

You should also buy some accessories to keep in your car while off-roading. There is a long list of things that you can get; let’s take a look –

• 4x4 recovery kit – If your vehicle doesn’t come with a winch, a recovery kit will help you take it out of a sticky situation.
• Traction mats – Extremely helpful in loose sand and mud, providing your car with all the traction it needs to move.
• Tyre inflation and deflation device – Ensure you have optimum air pressure to drive through mud. Pair it with a suitable pressure gauge to help you get a correct reading.
• Shovel and hi-lift jack – Both can be used in a multitude of ways; clamper, hand winch, spreader, these 2 fulfil all those roles.

Other than these, don’t forget to keep a good quality toolkit, medical kit, flashlight and extra battery, and a fire extinguisher in your car.

Tune the engine, get the correct off-road tyres Loughborough and keep the necessary equipment handy; all these will make your off-roading more enjoyable and safe without taxing your budget at all. So, what are you waiting for? Explore the unknown in your kitted vehicle.

A Quick and Effective Brake Fade Prevention Manual for Beginners

Driving your car on the busy streets means you are responsible for the safety of your co-passengers, others on the road and for yourself. Brakes are a crucial component in that regard as they are the fundamental safety component of any car. Therefore, it’s paramount that they work flawlessly and follow to your command to the T.

The late reaction of brakes can spell doom for everyone concerned. This phenomenon where a brake reacts late is known as brake fade.

In its most basic sense, brake fade is the reduction of car braking system’s efficiency in stopping the car. Most of the times, excessive heat produced when you apply the brakes is the reason behind this fade. The consequences are dangerous as it may rattle the whole car and make you lose control of it. It’s also harmful to the wheelalignment and wheel balancing Loughborough.

Types of brake fades

Pad fade: Excessive heat can lead to the damage of the brake pads, creating a lubrication effect on the rotor. It significantly reduces the brake’s capability to stop the car.

Fluid failure: The brake fluid can leak through vapour vents when heated beyond a certain temperature. It causes the brake to soften and reduces the brake’s power to stop the vehicle.

Green fade: It’s a common phenomenon that most drivers go through after replacing their brake pads. The new pads need some time to settle in, before which they are prone to fading.

In any of the cases, take your vehicle to the nearest servicing and repair centre like Loughborough Tyres for a thorough inspection of the brakes. The technicians at this garage are well-versed with the nitty-gritty of the brake system and will provide you with quick and accurate solutions for the same.

Now, on to the prevention! How can you prevent this from happening?

Follow these preventive measures to avoid a critical brake fade.

Cautious driving

Applying frequent brakes can overheat it easily. Responsible driving and applying brakes sparingly will give time for the brake system to distribute this heat. Resultantly, it will reduce the temperature.

Use of right brakes

Brake pads for regular cars and racing cars are made differently. The ones in racing cars or other adventure sports cars can bear more heat than the ones in regular street cars. If you need to brake heavily on your regular sedan, go for a brake pad upgrade.

Annual replacement of brake fluid

Brake fluids need replacing every year. As the fluid ages, it absorbs moisture and starts losing its effectiveness. Filling a fresh batch of brake fluid will bring back its optimum heat absorption capacity.

Keeping your car safe from any brake failure is essential. So, go for regular car servicing and maintenance. Any issue with your car brakes, wheel alignment and balancing or tyres in Loughborough should be detected before it is too late.

Brake fade can be a costly affair. Taking preventive measures to stop your car brakes from fading will help you stay away from that. As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure.”

Ultimate Checklist for Buying a Second-Hand Four-Wheeler

More than 70% of people in the UK purchase used cars every year. That’s because buying a second-hand car comes with numerous benefits in comparison to a new vehicle. A second-hand vehicle brings with it one significant drawback; i.e. the value of new cars depreciate very fast. Also, maintaining a new car is much more time intensive than an old one.

On the other hand, a pre-owned car from a certified reseller comes with higher mileage, and you have a history of its performance.

So, what are the factors you must investigate before buying the second-hand vehicle?

From where should you purchase that car?

These questions are the first to pop up in anyone’s mind while deciding to buy a used car.

Things to look out for:

1. Signs of any damage

Buying a vehicle whose damages are externally visible on its body will not be a right investment on your part. So, check if there are any dents including bubbles or filler in its paint. Also, scrutinise the door panels and see whether they are of the same size or not. Check whether all its windows, doors and the boot shut properly.

2. Checking car components

Test the gears; stiff gears mean there’s a problem with the clutch. If that’s the case, then clutch repair Northampton is vital from an auto shop such as Jackson’s MOT Centre that has expert professionals. The garage also provides services for all the other essential components of a car. It’s necessary to do a thorough check of these parts as well.

To make things easier for you, let’s jot down all that you need to examine before buying a second-hand vehicle:

• Any crack or split in tyres along with a tread depth of less than 1.6 mm indicates that you need to replace them. So, either ask the owner to deduct the price of those tyres or tell him/her to fix new ones.
• A broken suspension is a big no-no. Check it by pushing down the vehicle’s corners and then letting it go. An accurately working suspension will enable the car to bounce back to its previous position and let it stay that way in one go. If there’s a problem with the suspension, the car will keep rebounding to and fro for quite a few times.
• Broken headlights, scratches on those windshields, and slack seatbelts are indications that you shouldn’t go for that car.
• Loose steering means there’s a fault in the system of that car’s power steering.

3. Smoke Emission

If the four-wheeler emits smoke of blue or black hues, it indicates problems in its engine or exhaust system. The problem can also be related to ignition or fuel injectors. There’s no point spending money to buy a car with a faulty engine or exhaust. Engine or exhaust service in Northampton can cost you a fortune!

From where should you buy the second-hand car?

Three options are available – private seller, dealer, or online. Private sellers offer a great deal; and, if you can get a genuine seller who’s selling you a good product, then it’s a good buy.

Buying from a dealer has perks like a demonstration, and you may get its resale value as well. You can also be assured of a car that has been properly checked for any damage.

The last option is buying it online. It may be a bit tricky because what you see is not always what you get. So, be careful while dealing with online vendors.

Keeping these few pointers in mind while buying a used car will enable you to make a more informed decision about the purchase. Don’t rush through it. Scratch beyond the glitter to see if it's really gold.

For more information please visit here: Tyres Northampton

Check Out These Must-Have Falken Tyres for Your 2018 Mercedes G-Class

The 2018 Mercedes G-Class, as the company claims, is “built like no other SUV”. Mercedes says that it takes more than 40 hours to construct a G-Class entirely by hand.

The company provides buyers with their designomanufaktur program enabling the latter to customise both the interiors and exteriors. Not only design, but the G-Class is a power performer on-road as well as off-road. 

Fitted with a V8 Bi-turbo engine, the G-Class can go from 0 to 60mph in 5.9 seconds. 

If you are a proud owner of this stunner, then all this information will undoubtedly be of incredible help to you. However, do you know anything about the car tyres in the Mercedes G-Class?

Falken is the original equipment supplier for the Mercedes G-Class and provides two different tyre models for this beast.

These two car tyres are outlined below in details:

Model 1: Wildpeak A/T3W 

The Wildpeak A/T3W is designed for off-road performance and can deliver exceptional control in uneven and rugged areas. It is a winter tyre that’s built for use on dangerous snow-covered roads. Falken provides a limited tread life warranty of 55,000 miles with this tyre.

Some of the features of this tyre include:

I.        3D Canyon Sipe technology

The 3D Canyon Sipe technology reduces wear and improves stability and control by interlocking this tyre’s shoulders.

II.      Heat Diffuser technology

The Heat Diffuser technology keeps all the internal components of this tyre cool by eliminating heat fromits lower sidewall. Thus, you get more stability even when you carry heavy loads.

III.    Outer apex sidewall

The Outer apex sidewallhas an additional bead apex that also contributes to keeping the internal components of the tyre cold.

IV.   Rigidupper sidewall

A rigidupper sidewallprotects the tyre’s surface from sharp objects and also delivers more traction in off-road.

V.     Aggressive tread blocks  

Aggressive tread blocks contribute significantly to eradicating stones stuck in the grooves and also increasing vehicular stability. 

VI.   Silica tread compound

Silica tread compound present with these tyres extends its longevity and performance in wet roads.

Model 2: Euroall Season AS210A

The Euroall Season AS210A is an all-season tyre and an upgrade of the AS200. According to Falken, these cheap car tyre sat Loughborough provide better wet performance than their precursors.

Some of the features of this tyre include:

I.        Improved tyre sipes 

These car tyres come with improved sipes that position themselves towards the direction of traction, thereby increasing grip on all road conditions.

II.      Enhanced braking performance 

The multi-directional sipes also contribute to reducing the braking distance,especially on snow-covered roads.

III.    Advanced 4D Nano Design

The Advanced 4D Nano Designnot only increases tyre grip but also increases fuel efficiency by around 10%.  

IV.   V-shaped tread pattern

Thanks to the V-shaped tread pattern, aquaplaning has been reduced by 8%,andbraking distance on wet roads has been brought down by 6%.

These are the two models of Falken tyres that your Mercedes G-Class comes with. Whenever you require a replacement, check the collection of Loughborough Refurbs Fast Fit Centre tyres in the UK.

TerraClean – Ushering in a Revolution in Engine Cleaning Technology

If you have recently taken your car for a service, or for a clean-up of the fuel system or engine, you must have noticed your technician talking about something called a ‘TerraClean’. You must have ignored that then, thinking it is just another marketing gimmick, but TerraClean is a new service promising an optimised and efficient engine cleaning. In this article, let’s discuss why it is changing the age-old engine cleaning process, and how you can benefit from it.

TerraClean, what is it?

TerraClean is a North American brand which offers a whole host of equipment for ‘carbonizing’ car engines. It works in two stages. First, it cleans the injector units and the inlet valves so that they cannot contaminate the insides of an internal combustion engine. This process also helps regain the actual amount of fuel that goes inside the pistons. Over time, a significant amount of carbon build-up occurs inside various parts of your car engine. TerraClean agents target these and clean them thoroughly.

The second stage is when a special fuel is sent into the combustion chamber to clean it from inside. This works on a principle known as Coulombic fractionation. That special fuel is charged passive-negatively, which changes the molecular structure of the fuel and turn the accumulated carbon inside the chamber into carbon-dioxide. That gas then comes out of the tailpipe. 

 

If you know about engine carbon cleaning, you know how efficient your car becomes once it is clean. The ECU stays stress-free, gets a proper reading of the fuel-air mixture that comes in your car’s engine and reacts faster while changing the mix from time to time.

 

So, is it only for petrol cars?

The good news is TerraClean is for both diesel, and petrol engines. TerraClean diesel services offer a much better cleaning of the Diesel Particulate Filter. A DPF captures all the soot and fine particles a diesel engine generates, and after filtering it, sends it through the exhaust. However, in that process, the filter itself becomes extremely filthy, and after a point, it gets chocked. 

 

The moment it’s blocked, your car will go into a lifeless mode. As the exhaust is not venting outside, your car’s engine will choke with the smoke that keeps coming back inside the combustion chamber.

Terra Clean services have become especially popular for these reasons only. A regular Terra Clean diesel cleaning includes removing the clogged bits from the filter. It uses a unique penetrative maintenance process to clean the DPF. And, if it is incredibly filthy, you can ask the car service garage for a complete Terra Clean DPF service. They will use a unique tool to sanitise the DPF and help it regain its functionality. 

 

It is far better than an ordinary DPF cleaning, or a complete overhaul. A replacement DPF for a family car can cost north of £900, and sub-standard after market models are just not up to the mark. Terra Clean cost is not only lower, but it also helps reduce your carbon footprint.

The future of efficient and clean cars

Research says that TerraClean far more efficient than ordinary pour-in engine cleaners, and hundreds of testimonies of satisfied users all around the UK is proof of that. Take Lough borough Refurbish Fast Fit Centre for example; their Terra Clean services attract customers from every neighboring town who are looking for a better option than the age-old engine cleaner oil. 

 

With over 500 TerraClean service locations all over the country, you will have no trouble finding one for the clean-up. They make it a policy to include trained technicians in every single service station. With a better clean-up, not only you will restore your car’s efficiency and improve its mileage, but you will also reduce harmful emission and get a longer service life from your vehicle. So don’t forget to discuss about it next time you visit a service garage.

Have a safe drive!