by L Baures | Nov 24, 2017 | Trusted Auto Pros
What are studded tires?
A studded tire is a winter tire designed for snow and ice that has metal studs embedded in the tire. The idea is that the metal studs dig into the snow and/or ice to give better traction, handling, and braking.
Are studded tires legal in Wyoming?
Yes. Wyoming is one of the few State in the U.S. where studded tires are legal without restrictions. The only other States where studded tires are unrestricted are; Colorado, New Mexico, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Wyoming Title 31
“315956. Tires; restriction of travel under hazardous conditions; penalties.
C (iii) Pneumatic tires having studs designed to improve traction without materially injuring the surface of the highway. Pneumatic tires having studs must be approved by the superintendent.”
Advantages of tires with studs
In icy conditions, even AWD (All Wheel Drive) or 4WD (4×4 or Wheel Drive) vehicles have a difficult time. Sure they have ABS which will pump the brakes and aid in stopping, however, sometimes it’s inevitable that in solid ice the vehicle will continue to slide. The metal studs placed in studded tires will somewhat penetrate ice and hard packed snow, allowing for much better grip, handling and stopping.
Disadvantages of studded tires
Due to the metal studs placed in the tire, road noise is going to be a lot worse. You can’t use them all year round. Driving on paved roads without snow and ice will wear down the studs. Studs may come loose and fall out. Some studded tires may cause road damage, although some tire manufacturers are no creating studs that reduce road wear and are less noisy.
Do you really need winter tires with studs?
In ice and snow, having studded tires could be the difference between holding your breath on the way to work or having a relatively normal drive. If the roads are kept plowed or are mostly wet, then a good non-studded winter tire might be a better option.
Studs can also be placed in brand new tires.
For more information on snow tires, check out our article, “Do I need Winter Tires in Wyoming/Nebraska”
You might also like, Winter Vehicle Care Tips.
This Mini has some!
by L Baures | Nov 21, 2017 | Trusted Auto Pros
What is, ‘Toys for Tots’
Toys for Tots is a program where the U.S Marine Corps Reserve aims to collect and distribute toys every year. The toys are collected at various locations throughout the months of October, November, and December. The new toys are then delivered to less fortunate children at Christmas time. The Toys for Tots website states that, “The objectives of Toys for Tots are to help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation’s most valuable resources – our children”. This literally gave me a lump in my throat.
Fremont Toyota Sheridan
The Fremont Toyota store in Sheridan Wyoming has a Tundra truck in the showroom that needs filling with toys for the program. There are some pretty nifty reindeer on the truck too! The Tundra pickup truck has a 5’7″ bed that will gladly store unwrapped toys for less fortunate children.
Santa will be visiting the Toyota store in Sheridan (whilst getting his Tundra sleigh serviced) around mid-December either the 15th/16th at 6pm. He and his trusty elf will have some teddys and trinkets to hand out for children. Call Andre for more information (check date) and let him know you’re coming!
What can you do to help?
Stop by the Fremont Toyota or Ford dealerships on Coffeen Avenue in Sheridan. The Ford store has a cardboard box in the showroom and the Toyota store has the Tundra truck. Place your unwrapped gift in the box. The toys will then be collected and distributed appropriately. Don’t have time to visit a showroom but still want to help? There is a link right here to the Toys for Tots website where monetary donations can be made online. There are no guidelines as to what to donate, just a new toy that is not gift-wrapped. Consider what you think would be appropriate for less fortunate children. If it were me, I’d probably choose something educational or something the child can hang on to. (Insert trying-not-cry emoji).
More Toyota articles:
Toyota 4Runner Crawl Control Video
C-HR Review
Toyota 86 On the Tack Review
by L Baures | Nov 20, 2017 | Trusted Auto Pros
Fiat Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM
Heated and Vented Seats
Remember when?
You might remember back in the days when heated seats were just becoming an option. People were wary at first because it might have felt like you had an accident more common with potty training toddlers.
Now that we’ve gotten used to them, heated seats are pretty much standard on most mid-trim level vehicles. Heated and ventilated (cooled) seats can be found on higher trim levels. Living in Wyoming, the temperatures fluctuations throughout the year can be anything from -40°F to +100°. This means that those auto-on comfort heated and ventilated seats can be well used.
Auto-on comfort
Chryslers, Dodges, Jeeps, and Rams have a feature available called, “Auto-On Comfort”. Usually available in higher trim levels where, at certain detected temperatures, the heated or vented seats will automatically start. At 40° F outside temperature or colder, the drivers heated seat will kick in along with heated steering wheel (if equipped). At 80° F or hotter, the drivers vented seat will automatically start to cool. This happens upon starting the engine of the vehicle, whether that be from inside or via remote start. Heated and vented seats are only available with perforated leather. The perforations (tiny holes) are to allow the cold air to come through. You might think that you’d be safe with a beige colored leather in the summer.
Let me tell you, the other day I went out to a vehicle that had beige leather. The temperature was around 96° F and the car was sitting in the sun all morning.
I won’t go into great detail but what I can tell you is that I either should have worn pants (not shorts) or remote started the vehicle and the let the AUTO-ON COMFORT feature do its thing. The blower will also start to either cool or heat up the vehicle.
Why it is such a great feature?
I really find this a great feature when used in conjunction with remote start. Not just for my own comfort but for the safety of kids and/or babies! It means that I can either cool or heat the vehicle to a more normal temperature before even putting the kids in there and not have to worry about going out to the vehicle and using the key to start the vehicle, risking theft or the doors locking the keys in there etc.
Using the remote start feature on the Uconnect smartphone app will also enable AUTO-ON CLIMATE.
What if you don’t want auto heated/vented seats to automatically turn on?
On the 8.4 in Uconnect ® touch screen, select APPS, then go to SETTINGS then scroll down to AUTO-ON COMFORT.
You will then have the option to turn the automatic system completely off, only on remote start or keep it on for every start. The menu also gives you the same options for the heated steering wheel.
by L Baures | Nov 13, 2017 | Trusted Auto Pros
Child safety seat ratings
All child safety seats rated by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) have to meet strict federal guidelines ( Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 213, Child Restraint Systems) when it comes to crash testing and safety. There is, however, another test that the NHTSA conduct to help guide parents on child safety seats. It’s called the Child Safety Ease Of Use Rating.
Not all seats and vehicles are a good match
As a parent, I can tell you first hand that moving car seats is not my favorite past time. If I remember one time having to use a rental vehicle and it took me probably a good 30 minutes to get the car seat in. I was almost to the point of tears in frustration that I couldn’t get the latches to click in or the car seat to sit in the right position in the mini van seat. This is where the NHTSA ‘s rating might have come in handy. Although I will point out that not all seats in vehicles are created equally and whilst one child safety seat might fit well in one car, doesn’t mean it’ll fit well in another.
How is the ease of use rating calculated?
Factors taken into consideration when rating the child safety seats are;
- Instructions – content and clarity of the instruction manual with the seat
- Vehicle installation features – how easy is the car seat to install into a vehicle
- Labels – content and clarity of the labels on the car seat
- Securing the child in the seat – How easy is it to buckle up/secure the child in the seat
The NHTSA then uses a star-based rating system depending on how good the seat scores in each of the above categories.
- 5 Stars = Excellent features on this child restraint for this category.
- 4 Stars = Above-average features on this child restraint for this category.
- 3 Stars = Average features on this child restraint for this category.
- 2 Stars = Below-average features on this child restraint for this category.
- 1 Star = Poor features on this child restraint for this category.
- N/A = Does not contain any features that require a rating ¹
So, given this information, I have compiled a list for you, of the top-rated child safety seats that scored 5 stars for ease of use on the NHTSA chart. This does not mean that these seats are any safer, it merely states that they are easier to use.
The first column is the brand and name of the seat. The second column is the model number and manufacture date. The third column is harness type and the fourth is the weight/height of the child that the safety seat is designed for. RF means rear facing, FF is front facing, B is for booster.
Infant seats that scored 5 stars overall for ease of use
Surpised by this list as much as I was? Yeh, if you are a parent and are familiar with car seat brands, you’ll likely have noticed there are some big names not in that list. Want to see how they did, check out the full list here.
Convertible seats that scored 5 stars for overall ease of use
There are over 100 child safety seats in this section of the list and only the above 7 seats had over 5 star ease of use rating. Worryingly, quite a few seats that were evaluated on the list had only 1 star for installation features.
Combination seats that scored 5 stars for overall ease of use
3 in 1 child safety seats that scored an overall 5 stars for ease of use
Booster seats that score an overall 5 stars for ease of use
Find out if your car seat has been tested for ease of use, here.
Before purchasing a new vehicle, I highly recommend that you try your child safety seats in there first. It is not always the case that a ‘family friendly’ vehicle is easy to put car seats in.
¹“Car Seat Ease-of-Use Ratings.” Www.safercar.gov, NHTSA, www.safercar.gov/parents/CarSeats/Car-Seat-Ratings-Ease-Of-Use.htm?view=full
by L Baures | Nov 11, 2017 | Trusted Auto Pros
Drew Porter
Sales Manager at the Fremont Ford and Lincoln store in Sheridan, Drew served in the Navy for 7 years. After 9/11, Drew said he felt like he had to something. That was his driving force to join the military. As well as working on C130 aircraft, Drew mentioned that he had so many deployments, he actually couldn’t remember them all, he’d been all over the world. Some that he did mention though was the middle east, Sicily, the Bahamas. He is just one of many veterans that now work within the Fremont Motor Company in Wyoming and Nebraska.
VA Hospital
1898 Fort Rd, in Sheridan Wyoming, sits the veterans hospital. Sheridan has had a VA medical center since April 1922. To find out more about the VA medical center history, click here. The hospital website says it was used for soldiers who fought in WWI that had ‘battle fatigue’ or now known as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). According to ptsdunited, “An estimated 8% of Americans − 24.4 million people − have PTSD at any given time. That is equal to the total population of Texas”. Today, the facility said they treat nearly 12,500 veterans a year with a wide range of health services.
Veterans Day
Initially named Armistice Day. November 11th has been the day to remember veterans for 98 years (2017 will be the 99th year). In 1954, the day was renamed Veterans Day. To read more about the history of this special remembrance day, visit this page. The Veteran Day National Ceremony is held at Arlington National Cemetery, starting at 11 am.
From a veteran to other veterans
Drew Porter understands the sacrifices that his brothers, sisters and military family have made. Veterans, active military, and family members all have a special place. If you are considering a change of vehicle, you may want to talk with him. Drew said he would match Ford’s rebates on new vehicles, up to $1000. He also said there are offers on pre-owned vehicles too. Military ID will be needed. For more information give him a call on (307) 675-1658 or go stop by for a coffee in the Ford store at 1658 Coffeen Avenue Sheridan, WY 82801.
by L Baures | Nov 9, 2017 | Automotive News
Available this fall, the award-winning 2018 Chrysler Pacifica gets a sporty looking trim package. The Chrysler is the most awarded minivan for 2016 and 2017 so far. Now you can stand out from the crowd with a mean looking black package. Almost every piece of the car is blackened. Check it out.
Chrysler Pacifica S
The ‘S’ appearance package will trick out the vehicle with black accents on both interior and exterior. It’ll have;
Exterior appearance features
- Gloss black grill surround
- Headlamp eyebrow accents
- Daylight opening molding and rear valance molding
- Black 18″ wheels standard (20″ black wheels available as an optional extra)
- Black badging
- Roof rack in black as standard (optional on Touring Plus model)
Interior appearance features
- Black seats (with light diesel gray accents, ‘S’ logo and stitching)
- Piano black steering wheel accents
- “Anodized Ice Cave bezels on the instrument panel and door trim
- Overhead console is black
- Headliner is black
- Visors are black
- A-pillar trim and center console are also black
So, pretty much everything is black.
Availability
The ‘S’ appearance package is available to order from now on the 2018 model year. Manufacturers suggested retail price is $595 U.S. It can be added to the Pacifica Touring Plus, Pacifica Touring L, Pacifica Tour L Plus, and Pacifica Limited.
Awards
Just one of the most recent awards the Chrysler minivan won “Highest in its segment of the J.D. Power IQS”. IQS is Initial Quality Study. It also won, “Best New Family Car for 2017″ by Cars.com, and North American Utility Vehicle of The Year. It won “Best Buy Minivan” from Consumer Digest and Kelley Blue Book 2017, “Best Buy”.
The 2018 model year Pacifica gets AppleCarPlay and AndroidAuto with the upgraded Uconnect 4 systems.
Experience
During a press event, I got check out the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. 7 of us journalists piled into the minivan and took a trip to Estes Park for ice-cream. 3 average sized adults sat in the 3rd row (ok I might be a little bit smaller than average so I sat in the middle back seat). The middle two passengers played games on the back of the front headrests whilst the rest of us exchanged road trip stories. The car was extremely easy to get in and out of, it was comfortable and pleasant to ride in as a passenger.
If you’d like to check it out for yourself, click here to arrange a test drive.
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