The founder of Honda Automobiles, Soichiro Honda, was born in 1906. He grew up helping his father repair bicycles in the little town of Komyo. At 16, he headed to Tokyo, 270 kilometers away, to take an apprenticeship at an automobile repair shop. He took up racing and, after a violent crash, he was convinced by his wife to retire from the sport. The repair business alone was not enough to keep him occupied. This restlessness led to his venture into piston ring manufacturing in 1937.

By the early 1950s, Honda had developed into an engine manufacturer. Honda’s inventive spirit led the company to develop class-leading engines for Japan’s motorcycle industry. Honda met Takeo Fujisawa by chance in 1948. The two men shared a desire for long-term investment, a rare trait in post-war Japan. They agreed to work together; Fujisawa invested his money and took on the marketing responsibilities and Honda continued on the technological side of the business. The Honda Motor Company was born in 1948.

Soichiro Honda did much of the market research for his products. This research went as far as traveling to races all over the world and examining the competition’s motorcycles. Once a benchmark was set with a competitive product, Honda would take this information home and strive to top that mark. Honda’s racing successes converted to sales successes. In 1959, Honda had topped the Japanese motorcycle sales chart with 285,000 units. Two years later, Honda was selling at rate of 100,000 units a MONTH!

Honda announced its intention to enter automobile production in the early 1960s and introduced the S360 sports car. When it was decided to begin exporting the Honda products, the United States was chosen as a key target. The first Honda motorcycles were introduced into the United States in 1959. By 1963, Honda was the top-selling brand of motorcycles in the United States. Today, Honda stands as the largest motorcycle manufacturer and the 9th largest automobile manufacturer in the world. With cars like the Civic S Hatchback, Prelude and Civic CRX, Honda became the first car maker to finish first, second and third in the Motor Trend Import Cars of the Year selections!

Here’s a peek at what they have in store for the model year 2007:

2007 Honda Accord

The changes to the seventh-generation Accord will be most noticeable at night, when the multiple LEDs in the taillights and center high-mounted stop light (CHMSL) are readily apparent. The CHMSL has been moved from the rear window to the rear edge of the trunk, where it acts as a small spoiler. The rear fenders are changed slightly from earlier models, as has the grille and front bumper. Improvements to intake and exhaust airflow have enabled Honda to find a few more horsepower in both Accord engines. The silky-smooth 3.0-liter single overhead camshaft, 24-valve V6 is up four horsepower, for 244 at 6250 rpm, with maximum torque 211 lb-ft at 5000 rpm. Honda’s VTEC variable valve lift and timing system ensures optimum performance at all engine speeds, and there is a very healthy midrange surge of torque that is best taken advantage of by the six-speed gearbox.

2007 Honda Element

The 2007 Element is available in two versions, the LX and the EX. Both the Element LX and EX come equipped with the same 166-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and new Drive-by-Wire electronic throttle control system, as well as a handy Maintenance Minder organizer whose name speaks for itself. With this seventh generation version, Honda will deliver a face-lifted SUV that features additional 10 horsepower, new five-speed automatic and a new set of standard safety equipment.

2007 Honda Fit

The 2007 Honda Fit is a triumph of creativity, proof that good ideas don’t have to be expensive. Both trim levels for this front-drive, five-door hatchback (the Fit is offered in base and Sport trim) feature a 1.5-liter, 109-horsepower VTEC four-cylinder engine. Delivering 105 pound-feet of torque at 4,800 rpm, it posted a 9.3 second, 0-60 mph sprint. As if anticipating safety concerns from U.S. buyers, Honda has provided two key features standard on both the base and Sport models. Both trim levels now come with four-wheel antilock brakes and side curtain airbags.

2007 Honda Ridgeline

Honda’s pickup truck is a compact, five-passenger 4-dr crew cab with a 5-ft long cargo bed and standard all-wheel drive. Ridgeline has several design features unusual to pickups, including independent rear suspension and unibody construction. The tailgate drops down or swings out. The sole powertrain is a 255-hp V6 and a 5-speed automatic transmission
. ABS and traction/antiskid control are standard. So are front side airbags and curtain side airbags that cover both seating rows and include rollover deployment. All models have front bucket seats and a 60/40 split rear bench with cushions that flip up to increase in-cab storage.

Soichiro Honda’s unique leadership has allowed the Honda Motor Company to become a world power in the automotive fields. Mr. Honda’s views went counter to the direction of his own government and yet his company has prospered. With innovation developed by Mr. Honda as a basis, the Honda Motor Company has become a technological force in the motorcycle and automobile industries in Asia, Europe, and North America.
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A short summary of auto insurance terms and their meanings to help you decide the coverage’s right for you. Contains information on Policy Basics, Liability, Medical Payment, Underinsured Motorist and Uninsured Motorist as well as Personal Injury Protection (PIP), Collision coverage and Comprehensive Coverage

Have you ever wondered what coverage’s you actually crave in your student auto insurance and what all those technical terms exactly mean? Here is a short overview that might help you to determine what coverage’s to decide and to understand your car insurance policy better.

Auto insurance coverage’s you require to have
Liability This is the one coverage you require to have by law no matter which state you live in. It covers the cost of damage and injury to others due to an accident caused by you.
To accomplish this, liability combines two policies, bodily injury liability and property damage liability.

Medical Payments Coverage
This coverage is intended essentially to cover medical expenses for people other than you in your vehicle that suffer bodily injury in a covered accident. Insurance companies encourage the prompt use of such coverage to ensure that the injured person is cared for as soon as possible reducing them from wanting to sue the driver at fault. Depending on the policy, there may be compensation for lost wages also.

Underinsured and Uninsured Motorist Insurance
Though most frequent put together, these are two distinct policies. They are necessary for those incidents where the driver does not have any state auto insurance company or his or her insurance covers only part of the expenses. Uninsured motorist insurance covers your expenses when the other driver has no liability coverage.

Underinsured motorist insurance covers the part of your medical expenses that is not covered by the other driver’s coverage (due to a maximum coverage that is too low).
Most states do not require either of those policies, but some require one or the other and yet others even require you to have both.

Auto insurance coverage’s you might want to have Personal Injury Protection Coverage (PIP). PIP covers such things as lost wages, childcare expenses, pain and suffering and funeral expenses due to injury or death in a car accident. These are usually not covered by medical clear ments coverage (see above).

PIP is required in most “no-fault” states as well as in Maryland, Delaware and Oregon. (None of these states use a pure no-fault system, which would mean that every driver is covered by their own average car insurance rates and nobody could ever be sued for damages. Instead, lawsuits are permitted in certain cases).

Collision Coverage
This coverage clear s for repairs or replacement on your car after an accident for which you were at fault. Depending on your policy, you might be required to clear a deductible.
This coverage is not required by law in any state but is recommended for newer cars and may be required if there is a lien on the car.

Comprehensive Coverage
If your car is damaged due to collision with an animal, fire or theft by an un understandn party or damage is caused by what is generally referred to as an “act of God”, repairs will be paid for if you have this kind of coverage. Depending on your policy, a deductible may apply. Just as collision coverage, comprehensive coverage is not mandatory in any state but may be required if a lien is on the car and recommended for newer vehicles.

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Tires play a critical role in the handling, maneuvering and braking of any motor vehicle. No matter what the type…RV, SUV, utility vehicle or commercial truck, tires are the only thing that contacts the road. Obviously, there is much more than just the vehicle resting on those tires…its overall safe operation is as well. By following some basic tire safety practices, you will not only drive with a greater degree of security, you will extend the usable life of your tire investment considerably.

Tire Manufacturers Agree

It is commonly agreed that a primary cause of early tire breakdown and poor tread life is under-inflation. Low tire pressure not only causes excessive heat build-up in the tire, creating dangerous driving conditions, but also shortens tire life. Unwanted heat will rapidly increase tread-wear and can even tear down retreads and destroy tire casings. As much as 90% of all tire breakdowns is the direct result of tire under-inflation

The Low Pressure Problem

Under-inflation of tires is a serious safety concern because it forces excessive flexing on the sidewalls. This additional strain on the tire can build up more internal heat, resulting in the aforementioned hazards and premature tire failure. Research completed by the U.S. National Traffic and Safety Administration shows that one in three cars or light trucks are being driven with at least one significantly under-inflated tire. These improperly inflated tires wear out more quickly because they put more drag on the road (rolling resistance). This also leads to a reduction in fuel economy, something most individuals and fleet owners definitely want to avoid.

Pressure Influences Tread Wear

Maintaining proper tire pressure levels improves tread mileage as indicated below:

• A continuous 10% over-inflation reduces tread wear by 5%

• Tire Life will be reduced by 30% if constantly under-inflated by 20%

• For every 10 PSI (pounds per square inch) under-inflated, fuel consumption is increased 0.5%

• A continuous 20% under-inflation decreases tread wear by 25%

By example, consider at an average price of a $250, a 20% under-inflated commercial truck or RV tire costs about $50 each in lost usage. Add in the costs of downtime, repairs and service fees; the picture becomes even clearer.

Fuel Efficiency Impact

Tire inflation also has a direct impact on fuel efficiency, since under-inflated tires can consume a greater percentage of each gallon of fuel just because of rolling resistance. The US Department of Energy advises that tires can account for as much as a 3.3% difference in fuel efficiency. The Department of Transportation’s (D.O.T.) studies have shown that the United States could save over 4.2 million gallons of fuel per day… just by keeping tires properly inflated!

Managing Fleet Maintenance Costs

Tires can account for as much as 36% of a vehicle’s maintenance cost. Yet this essential maintenance procedure, of regularly checking tire pressure, is one of the most difficult to enforce. Even the best preventive maintenance programs will discover truck drivers and even maintenance personnel will often short cut this time consuming procedure. In certain cases some tires are skipped, assuming if a few are good, the rest are as well. In other cases, this extremely important procedure is ignored entirely. With tires usually being the highest maintenance expense, can any fleet afford to ignore the direct cost consequence of poorly maintained tires?

Make Checking a Habit

To guarantee the greatest tire life, keep them properly inflated at all times. For smaller vehicles driven locally, check the tires at a minimum of once a month. If you travel longer distance for work or play, check the tires more often. If you’re a truck driver accustomed to “thumping tires,” consider that this practice is unreliable and unsafe. An under-inflated tire is extremely difficult to detect by visual inspection or by thumping. Utilizing either of these methods is an accident waiting to happen. Don’t guess, don’t thump, measure with a quality tire gauge or a real-time tire monitoring system.

Dealing with Duals

Vehicles with dual tires have a hidden tire (inner tire position) behind the outside tire. They are more difficult to reach and easier to neglect. Checking the air pressure of the inside tires is an utter necessity. Even if an inside tire is completely flat, it will be supported by the outside tire, making it appear properly inflated. In the case of a flat inside rear tire, which appears properly inflated, the outer tire is doing all the work. The result is a tire at major risk to overheat, rupture or if a retread, the possibility of the tread releasing from the casing…something that leads to major highway accidents.

Wireless Tire Pressure Monitoring

In the case of multi-tire motor vehicles such as commercial trucks, RVs, fire trucks and EMS vehicles, there are many tires to monitor. This in itself makes for time-consuming work, plus these tires need to be checked much more often. By the nature of these types of vehicles, they are often in consistent use, over longer traveling distance, in demanding environments and isolated travel areas. To help with the task of supervising tires, there are products called Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems, sometimes referred to as TPMS. Utilizing a wireless sensor (which is either screwed directly onto the valve-stem or mounted internally in the tire) each individual tire on the vehicle can be monitored in real time. The actual pressure levels and temperature are then displayed on a small unit in the cab.

If you are considering investing in a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), at a minimum look for these feature and capabilities:

• Alerts when tire pressure is too low
• Alerts when tire pressure is too high
• Alerts when the tire temperature is too high (heat is what destroys tires!)
• Alerts driver with both visual and auditory warnings
• Capable of monitoring both the vehicle and a trailer

Other things to consider when evaluating TPMS solutions:

• Are the wireless tire-sensors internally or externally mounted? - External mount tire sensors are easier to install, easily removable in case of a tire change and can be moved to a spare if need be. The more tires you have, the greater the savings; it is costly to dismount/remount internal type sensors, as apposed to external.

• Does it monitor the tires continuously, even when parked? - Tire pressure is most accurate when the tire is cold, before the vehicle is moving. Knowing the pressure level before setting out on a long trip can prevent uncertainty later on down the road.

• Are the pressure (high and low) and the tire temperature alert levels adjustable by the user? - Setting the trigger levels can be advantageous for applications with varying loads, such as a truck/trailer combination. Some vehicles experience tire cupping after a load change that can also cause uneven and excessive wear.

• Does it monitor tire temperature? – For safety reasons, it is very important to know tire temperature. A tire can be as much as 30% under-inflated and still appear to be normal (rolling resistance increases the heat, which in turn expands the tire). This is the same reason we measure pressure when the tires are cold.

General Tire Safety Recommendations

• Follow inflation guidelines indicated on tire sidewall, while making sure they are rated to support more than the gross weight of the vehicle

• Commercial trucks, trailers and RV’s require an accurate reading (of the fully loaded weight) for proper tire inflation to carry those loads. These types of vehicles are usually weighed to obtain an accurate reading.

• Check the pressure on all tires including those on the tow vehicle, trailers, 5th wheels, etc.

• Check pressure when the tires are cold, prior to driving the vehicle

• Replace tires every three to 5 years (regardless of mileage)

• Visibly inspect tires for blemishes, uneven wear and tire pressure at least every 30 days.

By monitoring your vehicles tires, you will increase their life, reduce fuel consumption and provide unprecedented value in improved handling and ultimate safety.
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More information can be found on automotive equipment such as car lifts on Garage Gadgets Inc.
or view many different make and models of car lifts on Affordable Automotive Equipment, Inc.

Garage Gadgets Inc.  has been selling tire changers and other related equipment products for many years. We proudly handle products to meet all your needs such as Hunter Tire Changers, ProKar Tire Changers, as well as Ranger Tire Changers; along with used tire changers.

In todays market with the influx of larger wheels and lower profile tires, it has caused the tire changer industry to produce models with additional Pnuematic Bead Pressing arms to properly change many current tire and wheel assemblies. With that said, we cary models ranging from t he basic tire changers to the more advanced style units.

Please check out our web site to see the various tire changers, wheel balancers, 2 post lifts, car stackers, and the many more items we offer.

As a large equipment distributor in this business for over 20 years, you will always find us to be very aggressively priced and 2nd to no one in service of our products. Most tire changes and wheel balancers are in stock and ready to deliver.

More information can be found on automotive equipment such as car lifts on Garage Gadgets Inc.
or view many different make and models of car lifts on Affordable Automotive Equipment, Inc.