How to Keep Your Kids from Driving You Crazy During Road Trips

Road trips are long. Kid’s in the back of the car asking, “Are we there yet?” every five minutes can make them even longer. If you can keep your kids occupied and happy you’ll be able to stay sane for the ride, as well as remain less distracted. Howstuffworks.com came up with a list of the top 10 things you can do to keep your kids happy on the road. In this blog we discuss some of the highlights:

·         Set Expectations – It’s almost so easy that you wouldn’t even think of it. Make sure before you leave for your trip your kids already know how you want and expect them to behave. Make sure they are prepared for a long ride, and give them incentive to be good, for example: allow the kids to bring their two favorite toys with them as long as they promise to behave during the ride.

·         Bring along plenty of toys – Some kids like dolls, some like sports balls, some even like books. Whatever it is they like, let them bring it. If it is something that can be played with inside the car it will give them something to occupy their time with. If it’s something involving an outdoor activity, like a Frisbee or a soccer ball, set aside 15 minutes during rest stops to let them play with it. It’ll even give you a chance to play with them and ease some of the travelling tension.

·         Reward good behavior – If things aren’t going well give kids an incentive to clean up their act. Good behavior means they get to choose where you eat that night, or else it warrant a stop at the next ice cream stand you go by. You can also use this tip in reverse. For example if your child won’t stop complaining tell them they won’t get to swim at the hotel pool that night.

·         Let the kids have a say – If you allow the kids to make decisions for certain parts of the trip it’ll keep them happier and give them less things to whine about! Let them choose the road music for an hour or two or allow them to pick a few road games to play while you drive.

·         Don’t skip the pit stops – This one is important. Too much time in the car will make anyone unhappy, kids and adults alike. Make sure to stop every two or three hours to go to the bathroom and stretch a little bit.

 

Click the link to read all ten tips: http://bit.ly/X1DJik

Top 10 Improvements in Engine Design

Imagine your car only having 22 horsepower!  Sounds insane, right? 100 years ago, 22 horsepower was top-notch.  The engine has come a long way and this blog breaks down the biggest engine improvements.

Released in 1908 and known as the first affordable automobile, the Ford Model T was an amazing technology for its time. But the car only had a 22 horsepower engine! Incredible right?  And that’s even better than the horsepower of the first ever automobile – the 1885 Benz Patent Motorwagen, which had a single piston engine and ran with only two-thirds of a single horsepower!

Cars have come a long way since the first automobiles. Engineers are always finding ways to improve our vehicles. Here we take a look at the benefits and drawbacks of the top 10 improvements in engine design during the 150 year process of making vehicles what they are today. We can only imagine what the future holds!

10.          The Four –stroke Engine Cycle

                Benefits: More fuel-efficient, less polluting

                Drawbacks: More complicating, more expensive to manufacture

9.            Forced Induction

                Benefits: More power without an increase in engine size

                Drawbacks: Fuel consumption and turbo lag 

8.            Fuel Injection

                Benefits: Better throttle response, increased efficiency, & more power

                Drawbacks: More complexity and potentially expensive repairs

7.            Direct Injection

                Benefits: More power, better fuel economy

                Drawbacks: More expensive to make, relatively new technology

6.            Aluminum engine blocks

                Benefits: Lighter weight leads to more efficiency and better handling

                Drawbacks: Can warp at high temperatures

5.            Overhead Camshafts

                Benefits: Better performance
                Drawbacks: Increased Complexity

4.            Variable Valve Timing

                Benefits: Fuel economy, more flexible power delivery

                Drawbacks: Greater cost to produce

3.            On-board Engine Computers

                Benefits: Fuel economy, better diagnosis of problems
                Drawbacks: Cost, complexity

2.            Clean Diesels

                Benefits: Torque, fuel economy, cleaner emissions

                Drawbacks: Cost of fuel, low RPMs, higher initial cost

1.              Hybrid Engines

Benefits: Fuel Economy

Drawbacks: Higher initial cost, complexity

To read the full article and find out more about the Top 10 Improvements  in engine design click the link: http://bit.ly/174ZaHM.

The Car of the Future

What does the car of the future look like? We have all wondered it at some point. Will it drive by itself, or communicate with other cars to avoid accidents? The infographic below from InsuranceQuotes.com paints a picture of what the car of tomorrow may possibly look like. Take a look and see how it compares to today’s cars.

Click the link to read the original article from Mashable: http://on.mash.to/107IRat