When we look at buying a car, we usually check out the gas mileage, the odometer, the standard equipment and, of course, the price. We rarely spare a thought for braking systems, because we presume (correctly, as it turns out) that the law requires manufacturers to engineer vehicles to stop within a certain safe distance.
There’s more to driving safety than counting car lengths or timing a 2 – 3 second following distance. Brakes have feel and balance. They work differently in warm, cold, wet or dry conditions. They fade over time. Nothing can substitute for knowing the distinctive braking characteristics of your vehicle. Do you know yours?
Giving your own brakes the once-over may seem daunting, but if you have eyes, hands and feet, you already possess the tools you need to catch some major problems before they spin out of control. In this article, I’ll show you how to use your body’s onboard equipment to inspect your fluid, pads and indicators, and take you on a quick tour of other tools you’ll need to check your fluid, bleed your brakes and test your proportioning valves.
Whether you’re looking to pick up a high-end ride, or you just dig chrome dubs and alloy mags, chances are you’ve caught the chatter over brake dust covers. What are they? What are they for, and do they do what they claim to do? In this Question of the Day article, I dig into the dirt surrounding these wheel shields.
To friend or not to friend; that is the question. It’s a delicate one, too — but not nearly as tricky as managing the interactions among your various social networks on Facebook. Add coworkers to the mix, and you really have your work cut out for you (unless you’re okay with your team knowing that your “sick day” was really a “hangover day”).
Whatever your attitude, given Facebook’s more than 500 million active users, each averaging 130 friends, chances are you’ll bump into a coworker there eventually. Clearly, you need a plan; in this article, I’ll give you one.
As of 2009, about 2.5 million of the world’s 1.57 billion Muslims lived in the United States, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. According to National Public Radio, at least 100 mosques dot New York City alone and 1,000 more are spread across the country. Yet, to many of us, the inside of a mosque, and what goes on there, remain a mystery. In this article, I’ll take you on a virtual tour.