Maintenance Tip Monday: Safe driving tricks for when the roads freeze

The tranquility of winter landscapes makes it easy to relax on a weekend outings. It also means increasing awareness of your surroundings to prevent weekend fun from turning into disaster.

Nowhere is that more important than icy climates, which change the way your responds. Mark Cox of the Bridgestone Driving School offers some guidelines for your next visit to the mountains.

"If you go through a corner to fast you can lose control," Cox said. "Vehicles take four to 10 times longer to stop in icy conditions than under normal driving situations."

According to Cox, people who regularly drive through ice and snow should consider winter tires. Tread on standard or all-weather tires can become hard and fail to grip under extreme conditions.
"Snow tires are design to remain pliable in conditions as low as zero or even 10 below," Cox said. "Vehicles respond better when you keep the greatest amount of tread in contact with the road. That means checking your tire inflation is critical."

Here are some Cox's favorite tips for driving in icy conditions:

• Identify problems early. Look far down the road to give yourself more time to react to potential problems. Some studies show that having one more second of reaction time can reduce traffic accidents by as much as 80%, Cox said.
• Easy does it. Steer gently. "The smoother you can be, the less chance you have of losing traction."
• Check tires before traveling. Good tread depth is important for stopping. A snow tire with half the original tread depth is no better than having an all-season tire, Cox said. And an all-season tire with half the original tread depth is like having a standard tire.
• Avoid sharp braking. Remember, ABS brake systems prevent the wheels from locking up when you brake hard. The system doesn't improve grip or prevent sliding on icy roads.
• Accelerate slowly. Quick starts cause tires to spin on icy roads, even if you have the kind of traction control systems common in today's vehicles.

"ABS brakes don't create more braking and traction control doesn't create more traction," Cox said. "The technologies were designed to prevent wheels from locking up when you apply too much braking or to keep wheels from spinning when you give the car too much gas. They don't allow you to drive faster or corner better in icy weather."

***Courtesy of chevyworld.com 

Congratulations to John for earning this amazing review!

"John was awesome to say the least. He was super helpful and most important he was HONEST!" - Rollins

We appreciate the testimonial Barry!

"Very easy and great. I was told what they (you) were going to do and how much and it was and it was exactly that." - Barry D.

Chevrolet partnered with MOFILM to enlist filmmakers around the world to make a new commercial for the Chevrolet Cruze.

Check out some of their impressive work by watching the video below!

2014 Chevrolet Silverado tows in new configurator, microsite

Judging by your continued enthusiastic response to configurator notices, dear reader, you enjoy speccing out new cars as much as we do. Better still, there tends to be even more ways to personalize, configure and bloat theoretical MSRPs on full-size trucks as there are with more ordinary passenger cars. In addition to trim level, engine and transmission choices, truck buyers usually have to specify items like cab configuration, bed length, number of driven axles, tow packages, gear ratios and all sorts of bits and bobs.

That's why we're pleased to see the DIY specification utility for the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado come alive so soon after this week's Detroit Auto Show debut. While the configurator lacks pricing (General Motors hasn't announced numbers yet) and full options, you can still spec out your half-ton rig, and even print it out or email it to your friends. Beyond the configurator, the new model-specific site is pretty cool, too, with various videos and closer looks at the truck's new features.

The new Chevrolet pickup range won't be on dealer lots until sometime this summer, so whether you're a building contractor, an avid sportsman or just a guy or gal that loves full-size trucks, you might want to check out the link below to keep your appetite whetted. If you're more of a Sierra fan, well, it looks like you're going to have to wait a while – GMC hasn't updated its site yet.

***Courtesy of Autoblog.com

Kudos, John, on earning this five-star review!

"John is very personable and made my car buying experience easy and fun from the time i walked into the dealership." - Wrightstuf

Way to go John! You've earned us another great review! Kudos to you for all your hard work!

"John Miller is one of the best car salesmen I have ever met. Friendly, knowledgeable, courteous and had a good sense of humor." - bwbuff69

Thanks for writing this five-star review, Stephen!

"Each time we have gone to Chris he had done nothing but work with us and made the whole car buying process easy." - Stephen J.

2014 Corvette Chevrolet Stingray Walkaround

Watch as Tadge Juechter, executive chief engineer, walks us around the all-new 7th generation Corvette to show us the perfect balance of technology, design and performance that makes it worthy of the iconic Stingray designation.

The Seventh Generation Corvette has Arrived: The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray!

It’s the sports car that comes along every decade or so, and brings with it unprecedented innovation, provocative design, advancements in engineering, revolutionary development processes and intelligent technologies that break the paradigm. With years of experience, the time has come to unleash an all-new, world-challenging seventh version for a new sports car generation.

Introducing the 2014 Corvette Stingray. Nothing will be the same.

FAST FACTS

The Next Generation

• The all-new 2014 Corvette represents such a dramatic change that it deserved a new name — Stingray

• Corvette Stingray is designed and engineered for the new sports car generation and leverages all-new advancements in lightweight materials, electronics and engineering

• Corvette Stingray will deliver the fastest 0–60 acceleration, the most cornering grip, the most track capability, the best braking performance and the best fuel economy ever for a standard Corvette

• Corvette Stingray incorporates technologies and aerodynamics transferred from the track and the Corvette C6.R racing program

• Corvette Stingray offers three trim levels — 1LT, 2LT and 3LT — for easy ordering

Exterior

• Corvette Stingray has an all-new exterior design that’s technical, functional, sophisticated and elegant — and instantly recognizable as a Corvette

• Corvette Stingray offers new state-of-the-art HID Xenon (low and high beam) and LED lighting (DRL/ park/turn)

• Corvette Stingray incorporates race-proven aerodynamics for improved high-speed stability

• Every square inch of the Corvette Stingray exterior is designed for performance — all five air vents are highly functional and contribute to cooling or reduced lift.

Interior

• Corvette Stingray has a completely new, richly appointed interior design that’s driver-centric with real carbon-fiber, aluminum and hand-wrapped leather materials, custom amenities and two new seating options with magnesium frames for exceptional support

• Corvette Stingray provides a smaller 360mm steering wheel (unique to Corvette) for optimal feel during performance driving

• Corvette Stingray includes an advanced, tablet-inspired Chevrolet MyLink® infotainment system with two 8-inch display screens

• Corvette Stingray has a highly customizable instrument cluster and available Head-Up Display in color

Driving Experience

• Corvette Stingray is powered by a new LT1 small block 6.2-liter V8 engine that offers advanced technologies that include Direct Injection, Active Fuel Management™ and Continuously Variable Valve Timing

• Corvette Stingray has been designed with technologies that optimize any driving situation, including a Driver Mode Selector, Launch Control and 7-speed manual transmission with industry-unique Active Rev Matching

• Corvette Stingray is the most powerful standard Corvette ever with a GM-estimated 450 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft. of torque (final numbers will be released closer to start of production)

• Corvette Stingray will be the most fuel-efficient car on the market to offer 450 horsepower and achieve 0-60 mph in under 4 seconds (GM estimates)

• Corvette Stingray will achieve more than 1 g in cornering grip

• Corvette Stingray utilizes an all-new aluminum frame structure that’s lighter and stronger than the previous steel frame

• Corvette Stingray will deliver a perfect 50/50 weight distribution

A NEW CORVETTE STATEMENT 

The newly designed Corvette Stingray reflects high-speed stability and efficiency. It’s a prestigious statement of technology, functionality and driving mastery — and still instantly recognizable as the sports car innovator in the global automotive landscape.

***Courtesy of GM Confidential 

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Check out the Spark EV Reveal at the 2012 LA Auto Show!

Congratulations team on earning 9 amazing reviews!

"Great group of guys, had the car I wanted at the right price. No problems anywhere along the way, the way buying a car should be." - James H.

Check out the latest APR special on the all-new 2013 Sonic

Just click on the following link: http://on.fb.me/WF7jZ9

Congratulations on earning two 5-star reviews on DealerRater team!

"You were interested in what I wanted, why I was in the market and were genuinely concerned that I find the best truck available." - Michael H.

 

Anatomy of the Camo C7 in Gran Turismo 5

Thanks for the three amazing reviews Bmono, Dcaron1211 and Seedhunter1!

"From the minute we walked through the door until the time we drove off with our brand new car we were treated like royalty." - Seedhunter1