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Buy 3 tires, get 1 FREE! Hurry though -- this offer expires Friday!

Buy 3 tires, get 1 FREE! Hurry though -- this offer expires Friday!

Get the coupon here: http://on.fb.me/10xvHiE

Memorial Day Fun Fact!

Fun fact: Waterloo, New York, which held its first celebrations of the day in 1866, was named the birthplace of Memorial Day by the federal government.

Thank you to all the veterans and service men and women. Have a great weekend!

Tire special: Buy 3 tires, get one FREE!

 

Tire special: Buy 3 tires, get one FREE!

Get the coupon here: http://on.fb.me/10xvHiE

Toyota Wants to Increase Lithium-Ion Battery Production to 20,000/Year

The lithium-ion batteries will likely replace the nickel-metal hydride batteries that Toyota currently uses in its hybrid cars.

Toyota announced that it would up its lithium-ion battery production, ending its reluctance to use the technology in its mainstream hybrids.

Toyota and Panasonic plan on building a new production line for about 20 billion yen ($194 million USD) in an effort to increase lithium-ion battery production to 200,000 per year.

The lithium-ion batteries will replace the nickel-metal hydride batteries that Toyota currently uses in its hybrid cars. Lithium-ion batteries are lighter, smaller and offer greater driving range.

Some of Toyota’s competitors – including Ford and Hyundai/Kia – already use lithium-ion battery packs in vehicles like the Fusion Hybrid and Sonata Hybrid.

It's also likely that the lithium-ion batteries will be used in Toyota's Prius gasoline-electric hybrid cars, but the company declined to mention if the next generation Prius will get some li-ion action.

According to Reuters, Toyota's Prius line accounted for 70 percent of the 5 million gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles the company has sold since they launched in 1997.

In January of this year, Toyota's Prius was named the best-selling vehicle in California with 60,688 units sold. 

Courtesy of Daily Tech.

Learn how turbo works! Check out this short video.

Figure Out Your Monthly Car Payment Using our Calculator!

Want to figure out an estimated monthly payment for a car? Use our Payment Calculator!

Check it out on our website here: http://bit.ly/12veoRF

Toyota's 'model' eco district gets solar-powered EV charging station

Toyota, looking to further boost the "shiny, happy" quotient of the model eco-district it's built in Japan's Toyota City, has installed a charging station specifically to be used for its single-passenger electro-mobility vehicles.

The Smart Mobility Park charging station, located in Toyota Ecoful Town (yep, that's what it's called), will be used as a Ha:mo1 Ride2 ("Harmonious Mobility" Network) station starting in the fall, allowing folks to rent EVs to speed their voyage to the nearest public-transport station. Specifically, the station will serve three single-passenger COMS vehicles and five Yamaha PAS electric bikes.

The station will also have solar panels so the vehicles draw less (or, in some cases, no) juice from the grid, and will come equipped with general household outlets, making it potentially useful on blackouts by homes in this shiny, happy land. Check out Toyota's press release below.
Courtesy of AutoBlog.

Tips to Stay Awake When Driving

According to Drivers.com, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that approximately 100,000 police-reported crashes annually involve drowsiness and/or fatigue as a principal cause. Those crashes result in an estimated 1,500 fatalities and 71,000 injuries each year, costing approximately $12.5 billion.

Here are some of the best tips to avoid falling asleep while driving.

Before a trip, do the following:

• Get adequate sleep the night before (7-9 hours).  When you don’t get enough sleep, your body will try to make it up somehow.
• Schedule breaks every 2 hours during long trips.
• Arrange to travel with a companion -- someone to talk with and share the driving.
• Avoid driving between midnight and the early morning hours -- this is usually the time I have the most trouble, especially driving home after a late night flight.
• Avoid alcohol and sedating medications -- check your labels or ask your doctor.
• Avoid having a large meal and then setting out to drive.

Even with the best intentions, you may still find yourself falling asleep while driving.  If you do, watch for the warning signs:

• Yawning
• Heavy eyelids, frequent blinking, watery eyes and rubbing the eyes
• Cannot keep your mind focused
• Trouble remembering the last few miles driven
• Drifting from the lane, hitting the rumble strips
• Head bobbing

If you do find yourself getting drowsy while driving, here are some countermeasures to prevent an accident:

• Take a nap -- find a safe place to take a 15 to 20-minute nap.  Again, I cannot emphasize enough that this is the only guaranteed way to combat drowsy driving.  Taking a rest may get you to your destination a little bit later, but as the video says, think of it as the "rest" of your life. 
• Stop driving and find a place to sleep for the night.
• Consume caffeine -- 2 cups of coffee or equivalent can increase alertness for several hours.  Remember that caffeine may take some time to take effect.
• Try consuming caffeine before taking a short nap to get the benefits of both.

Courtesy of BlogHer.

Throwback Thursday! Who can guess the year of this Toyopet Masterline Van?

Car tip: Lighten up your key chain

Does your car key share a chain with a dozen or more other keys? That’s a pretty heavy load hanging off the car key when it’s in the ignition.The weight, combined with bouncing while you drive, can wear out the tumblers inside the ignition and eventually lead to ignition switch failure. To add years of service to your ignition switch, purchase a lightweight key chain that allows you to separate your ignition key from the others. Drive with only the ignition key in your ignition. If your ignition key “sticks” when you try to turn on the car, it’s a warning that your ignition switch is about to fail. Replace it before you get stranded.

Courtesy of Reader's Digest.

Wallpaper Wednesday! Here's a cool abstract of a Toyota Supra.

After Auction, the 1967 2000 GT Is Now the Most Expensive Toyota in History

It received little more than passing mention in the Lavishly Expensive Roadster Edition of Wheelies, but something significant happened a couple of weekends ago. It wasn’t earth shattering, but it was noteworthy: RM Auctions sold a 1967 Toyota 2000 GT for nearly $1.2 million. It ended up being one of the higher priced cars in a batch that included Ferraris, Porches and one-off concept cars like a 1954 Chrysler GS-1 Special that sold for $616,000.

According to the figures David Kinney – publisher of Hagerty’s Price Guide – came up with, the yellow ’67 is not only the most expensive production Toyota in history, but also the highest-priced Asian production car ever.

“I believe it to be a double highest price ever achieved, both for a Toyota production car and for any Asian car,” he wrote in an e-mail. “I have looked for anything higher and have been unable to find it.”

Another 1967 2000 GT sold for $650,000 in March 2011.

But 2000 GTs were never cheap cars. An article in the February 2009 issue of Automobile magazine puts the list price of one when new at $7,230, which is more than $50,000 in today’s dollars. By comparison, a Chevrolet Corvette sold for $4,663 and a Jaguar E-Type for $5,559. Even a Porsche 911 was only $6,190.

The 2000 GT saw only limited production. Although the exact number of cars built varies from source to source, RM Auctions claims Toyota built 351 of the curvaceous little sports cars from 1967 to 1970. Toyota did not build enough cars to have established an American presence sufficient to be heard over the big block din of the muscle-car era, but it also means 2000 GTs are highly collectible now.

A technologically advanced car for its age, the 2000 GT featured a dual overhead cam 2-liter in-line 6-cylinder engine, fed by three Solex 2-barrel carburetors. It produced 150 horsepower at 7,000 r.p.m., and the engine was mated to a 5-speed manual overdrive transmission. In its description of the car, RM Auctions said it was capable of reaching a top speed of 135 miles per hour.

Although the 2000 GT was a short-lived nameplate, it left a lasting legacy. It was the car that showed Japanese car manufacturers that they were capable of building more than just stodgy family cars that many considered knock-offs of European designs. Toyota, and later other Japanese automakers, knew they could do sporty, and they knew they could do beautiful.

Courtesy of The New York Times.