Why Should I Consider a Hybrid Car?

More and more people are turning to hybrid cars these days because of their promise of lesser fuel consumption and environmental friendliness. Hybrid cars, because they run on both fuel and battery-powered engines, eat up less fuel, thereby sparing the consumer the pain of falling prey to price pressures in the world oil market. In addition, it also emits significantly less smog pollutants in the air, compared to traditional fuel-operated cars. Indeed, there are a lot of advantages to owning hybrid cars. This is why even the US government is starting to show support by welcoming more models into the country and by encouraging American auto makers like General Motors and Ford to make more units.

Here are some of the advantages of hybrid cars:

1) Efficiency - Hybrid cars are electrically operated and are thus able to function well and consistently at any motor speed. This is in contrast to conventional gas-powered engines, which tend to produce less power in low revolutions per minute episodes. Hybrid cars do not need to use transmissions to make their engines run at full capacity even at reduced speeds.

2) Economy - One of the advantages of hybrid cars is that the feature called "regenerative braking". Since a hybrid car works using both electric power and fuel power, each can function by itself or conjunction, depending on which is stronger at the time of use. This means that both engines complement each other and do not simply bog one when one of them becomes weaker.

3) Convenience - Because hybrid cars are part battery powered, they do not create huge holes in the pocket, compared to users of traditional cars who feel the pain of the continuing oil price increases. Most hybrid cars, particularly the ones that are made in Japan, are also more compact and lightweight, making them easier to maneuver on the road. Other models, particularly those by American and European car makers also do not deviate from the stylish designs their regular counterparts adopt, so users don't have to feel they are being left out in the style department.

4) Sustainability - Sure, hybrid cars are fairly new, so their immediate impact on the environment cannot be foreseen in the short term. However, over the course of time, the next generations will definitely be thankful for having a clean, pollution free world, thanks in part to hybrid vehicles.

Some critics say that it is not the time to buy hybrid vehicles because they are expensive. However, when you consider the advantages, you really shouldn't think twice. While you must be discerning in choosing the right model for your needs, this doesn't mean you start hesitating. After all, when more people start buying hybrid cars, manufacturers will see the need to produce more and eventually bring its price to very affordable levels.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/why-should-i-consider-a-hybrid-car-340496.html

How to Use LinkedIn?

How to Use LinkedIn ?
2 excellent articles from Selling to Big Companies Blog

"LinkedIn can be used to support the entire sales lifecycle: lead generation, sales acceleration and solution delivery. Let's look at each of these pieces:

Lead Generation
Find and be found. Search by title and industry for the ideal contacts at your ideal customers. Search by title and company name for specific target customers. Be sure your profile is complete and contains the appropriate keywords for your business so that people looking for your solution will find you. Endorsements/recommendations count for a lot – get them from people who have actually been your clients if at all possible....

In the first article there is a reference to a new book called "I'm On LinkedIn, Now What? " by Author Jason Alba
The book gives an in depth view of Linkedin, including LinkedIn Groups, LinkedIn Services, and Recommendations. The book also includes the benefits of participating in LinkedIn Answers, Jobs and Hiring, Personal Branding and Connecting with others. You can purchase the ebook and download into a PDF format.

In Part 2 on Selling to Big Companies focuses on how others are using LinkedIn to increase there sales.

"LinkedIn the online business networking site, connects over 17 million experienced professionals from over 150 countries.
Savvy sellers are using LinkedIn to research their prospects, find decision makers, assess interest and build relationships. They're leveraging this information and their connections to crack into corporate accounts and win big contracts. LinkedIn is a tool that augments your business development efforts. It also can shorten the time it takes to get your foot in the door. Finally, it's a great way to keep in touch with your customers when they move on. Hopefully you're starting to see the potential in this online network - because it's there, waiting for us to embrace it..." Selling to Big Companies

Read the entire article : Selling to Big Companies

visit my profile on LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikewatts

Facebook Essentials

"Facebook is a website where you may upload personal information, including photos and videos, and share this information with a network of friends of your choosing. The purpose is to keep in touch with your network of friends by using Facebook's "applications" to send messages to each other, share photos, videos, files, and interact in other creative ways.What you must know about using Facebook for your business:

1. Facebook offers direct marketing toward anyone in your list of "friends." Your "friends" are automatically updated whenever you update an item in your profile. These updates may contain notifications of sales, company information, new product releases, etc....." Facebook Basics

Improving your About Us Page

Here is a great article from Search Engine Land, "Making a Good Impression with About Us Pages" according to the article 3 key factors are 1) Likability 2) Creditability, 3) Findability

"Credibility - one of my favorite resources to point people towards are the Credibility Guidelines from the Stanford Persuasive Technology Labs. A number of their guidelines focus upon building trust and showing off your expertise. One of them tells us to "Show that there's a real organization behind your site."
There are a number of ways that you can do this that can have an impact upon a visitor, from photos of your office or employees (or yourself), to a history or timeline of the business, to descriptions of community involvement or membership in local organizations and mentions in the news. Letting people know something about the who, what, where, when, and why of your business can make them feel comfortable doing business with you. Showing signals of connectedness to the outside world such as membership in the local chamber of commerce, a better business bureau logo, mentions of partnerships with other businesses, or testimonials from satisfied customers, can augment that impression...." Making a Good Impression with Your About Us Page
You can learn more about us here and here

Progressive Insurance 502-245-3625 goes Paperless

Progressive Insurance goes Paperless:
"The Progressive Group of Insurance Cos. introduced Paperless Policies, a feature that will allow customers who buy a policy directly from the company or through independent insurance agencies, the ability to drastically reduce the amount of paper documents they receive. Having policy-related documents delivered electronically saves trees, expedites delivery of the documents and reduces the opportunity for misplaced documents, the company claims.
This new initiative is an extension of a Paperless Billing feature introduced in early 2007 that allowed customers to opt for an electronic bill versus a hard copy bill delivered by the U.S. Mail.
The Paperless Policies launch coincides with the company's "70 Years, 70 Trees" anniversary events being held in six call center cities. The first event, in which 70 large trees are being planted in city parks to celebrate the company's 70th year writing auto insurance, is being held today in Luke Easter Park in the company's headquarter city,....." Progressive Insurance goes Paperless . Progressive Insurance will plant a tree for every customer that opts for the paperless option.....Call Dick Watts Insurance 502-245-3625 for a Progressive Auto Insurance Quote....

Top 6 Best Car Tuning Tips

You decided that you car is outdated. Well, don't worry, because that is why they invented car tuning. No, you don't need to go shopping for a new and very expensive car, you just need to embrace the idea of car tuning. Think about it this way: You, your look and style also need, from time to time, certain improvements, and so does your car. Not sure what to do, what to change and how to improve you car? Here are the best 6 tips you can use when deciding for car tuning:

3 General Tips about What to Consider and Why

1. Start from the idea that the improvements will cost you money. For sure, you don't want to modify your car to the worse. So, say "no" to cheap equipment, to cheap car accessories and to unprofessional techniques. Be prepared to opt for the best of the best. But in order to make sure that you won't harm your budget too much, evaluate the costs before you start the car tuning process. Make sure you include the services, equipment, all the accessories and necessary elements.

2. Think ahead. Make sure that the modifications you are about to bring to your car are not irreversible. Or, in case they are irreversible, make sure you will feel happy with them forever. Basically, car tuning is an actual investment, so you would better give it a lot of thought and consideration. Furthermore, decide on the type of the car tuning you are looking for: engine tuning, interior, exterior modification, body tuning or other forms.

3. Consider the purpose of your car. Who is using the car? What is the car used for? It is a family car? Are you using the car to go to work? Sure, you might want to add some bright yellow flames on the car's exterior, but is this a proper look for a family car or for the car you use to go to work with? Make sure you can still use the same way you did and that the modifications do not affect the actual functionality of the vehicle.

3 Specific Tips: Engine Tuning and Aesthetic Tuning

4. One of the simplest and most efficient methods of enhancing the aspect of a car is by adding car wallpaper. It is easy, fast, and, even more importantly, it is quite affordable. There are wide ranges of colors, styles and patterns that can customize your car the way you desire.

5. If you are looking forward to adding more power, then you should not jump to the conclusion that the fitting exhausts and induction kits are the only available solution. In fact, they are a great solution, but you need much more than that, such as new and optimized brakes, plus the suspension tuning. So, in general, make sure you consider all the additional and necessary elements before you take any decision.

6 If your goal is to reach the optimal engine power, then there are some simple and effective tricks you can apply. First of all you need to make sure that there are no air leaks. How can you do that? You can check with the help of some silicon sealants, which should be applied on the carburetor. Secondly, you should keep the engine's temperature around 150 degrees the first three times when you are running tanks of fuel and then keep the temperature of the engine around 200 degrees. Good luck!

Car Modifications - Tuned for Show

Fashion and art, public appearance or even the simple act of meeting new people – it is all about the show. To show how you feel and how you think – to let others see your best, to let them understand you and appreciate you for everything you are. And today in the environment of this ever-changing World your car is more than your safe ride to designated destinations.

Your car is a part of your life style. It is the first impression of you when coming to a new place. And the look of it shows to others who you are and what you like.

Maybe this is exactly the reason why so many people try to give their cars a unique look - just as unique as they are. And tuning the car is maybe the perfect approach for this.

There are many ways for car tuning. Many of them help the car to reach high performance. I will begin with a few of them because no matter how cool the car looks the performance is important.
The boost controllers are a great way to maximize the smooth power delivery of the vehicle. It is the electronic brain of your car allowing for a better and faster control of the boost. The exhaust gases should be taken out more quickly because when this happen more fresh air is forced into the engine increasing the performance of the combustion process. However sometimes too much air could allow for intermittent losses of power to appear and drive your car unstable and unreliable.
To get around this problem an electronic brain is added to the valve that controls the flow through the turbo. This gives a better control of the boost at a wide open throttle and a quicker response regarding every change of the throttle conditions.

To control the boost sometimes mechanical boost controllers are applied but in some cases they will not adjust properly for a given condition and this will add fluctuation to the boost. This is why a fully mapped electronic boost controller is the better choice.

How have you ever seen a drag race? Or maybe you actually participated in one of them. The drag race is maybe the most exiting event that the car sports could offer. It is full of speed and adrenalin – the foundation of what a racer lives for. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about it is the NOS system.

NoS actually come from the name of one of the companies which manufactures these systems. Some people make the mistake to think that this states for Nitrous Oxide N20. This is not the case but it is close to it because a gas called Dinitrous Monoxide or the a.k.a. Nitrous Oxide N20 comes into play.

This gas was used in wartime to boost the aircraft engines and today it is an easy high power modification for many cars. A non-flammable gas by itself is injected into the intake manifold and it mixes with the air and the fuel there. By taking a part of the combustion process this gas dissociate oxygen which provides more power to the combustion process. The rapid change from liquid to gas of the new mixture component gives a nice cooling side effect too which cools down the whole engine area and it is highly valued for this effect too.
If you think about adding the NoS component to your car you should know that a proper fuel delivery system will be needed too because when the NoS comes into play more oxygen is released and therefore more fuel is required. You should also know that there will be an additional cost for you – the refill of the NoS system containers and the additional fuel that is burned because of this high power system. If that is fine with you and you are ready for the speed you are going to feel this system is just what you are looking for.
Now when NoS system is intact and the proper performance adjustments have been made it is time to put some style on the outside. Car styling is about the personal choice. No one could really tell you what your car should look like because it will express your own personality. However I will provide few suggestions.

The cheapest way will be to put a sticker on your car. Let others know what your vehicle is all about. If you are a drag race enthusiastic and you already own a NOS system it could be pretty cool to use the NOS logo or to put a fire looking sticker making the impression of a car entering the Earth atmosphere.
Always apply stickers on a warm day and take your time to release the air from the bubbles in order for the sticker to stick in tightly. You should also know that bonnet/hood stickers should resist the heat from the engine. Many stickers are translucent so keep that in mind too. If you apply for example a cool green translucent sticker to red car you will most likely end up with a muddy brown colour looking not that cool. Of course a good idea could be to apply many layers of stickers in order to create the right colour and effect.

You may also want to paint your wheels in the colour of the car to provide additional effect. Keep in mind that black look stylish too so don’t over paint because you don’t want to create the impression of a circus prop. Use your imagination – maybe some sprayed art could work for you too. You may even want to contact an artist about it.
Last but not least consider some interior redesign. Car mats are the most popular start for an interior transformation. Keep in mind that the wrong car mat could damage your gearbox and even lead to an accident. Dashboard styling and some plastic painting could help too but always try to balance the colours in a good way. This is where an artist could help or maybe a good seller with a fine taste.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/car-modifications-tuned-for-show-328000.html

Body Kits That Make your Car Look More Sleek and Fast

Body kits are words that most car enthusiasts have heard of. For those of you who may be in the dark about what these words mean wait just a few moments while the puzzle is solved. To put it briefly the body kits we are referring to are ways in which we can change the look of a car.

You can use expensive body kits or there are companies who have the same kits parts for a lower price. While the kit price is important there are other matters that are just as important. These matters mainly involve the type of changes that you want to implement on to your vehicle. Now you should note that the word vehicle can mean either a car or a truck.

That right! There are body kits available for the truck enthusiast to change forever the way their trucks look too. These many different kits all share the same principle idea. That is to give your vehicle a sleek and aerodynamic look and handling. When you look at your existing car you will notice that there are areas where there is a void. These void areas are mainly in the front, sides and back of your car.

As a result of these voids the wind drags at your car and slows the car down. To prevent this from occurring you will need to apply more force (read higher speeds) to make your vehicle perform well at higher speed limits. With the addition of body kits this extra pressure is no longer needed. The various parts which are placed on your car will help to create that streamlined effect you need.

For the front of your car there are cowl spoilers. This attachment will be placed on the front of your car’s windshield to divert the flow of air. It is mounted of the back of the hood but right in front of the windshield itself. In some body kits you will have a choice of two different front bumper changes that you can install to your car.

Likewise there are interesting attachments for the sides and rear of your vehicle. These attachments are in the form of side skirts. The side skirts are placed over the rocker panels just below the car doors. For the back of the car you can place a full rear lip that is made from polyurethane material.

There is a wide assortment of items which you can purchase to make your car look more sleek and fast. The only boundaries you will find are the type of car you are driving and the final price that you are willing to pay. Once you have these known the sky’s the limit with your car body kits.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/cars-articles/body-kits-that-make-your-car-look-more-sleek-and-fast-303505.html

Tune Up your Car Insurance as Well as your Car

If you’re a motoring enthusiast, a new piece of kit for your much-loved vehicle is difficult to resist – however, unless you’re careful it could invalidate your car insurance claims.

In January this year, Ford’s RS tuning firm announced it had teamed up with Mountune Performance to offer two new exciting pieces of kit for the Fiesta ST.

The Stage 1 kit (priced at £1,435 plus fitting) includes an engine tweak to produce 162bhp, a new air-induction and exhaust. Stage 2 meanwhile (priced at £1,838 plus fitting) includes the same upgrades but takes the power to 182bhp and includes new camshafts and valve springs.

The only downside is that on top of the price for the kit, these optional extras could bump up the price of your car insurance.

Your chances of gaining cheap car insurance if your car has ‘go-faster stripes’ are greatly reduced because insurers look unfavourably on vehicle modifications seeing them as a hallmark of ‘boy racers’ rather than safe and considerate drivers.

The solution is not to keep your insurer out of the loop, either. If you’ve made a modification to your car and not informed your insurer, then, should an accident occur, your claim could be invalidated.

Insurers demand honesty – your premiums are based on risk factors such as where you live, your driving record and the type of car you drive.

Altering your car alters your insurance. However, that doesn’t mean you have to sit on an inflated quote.

By shopping around for cheap car insurance using a car insurance comparison tool you can make significant savings. So if, after modifications, you’re not happy with what your insurer offers, look for a better deal. Search by manufacturer, such as Ford car insurance, and your savings could be enough to afford a new piece of kit!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/insurance-articles/tune-up-your-car-insurance-as-well-as-your-car-304082.html

Car insurance / new cars / tuning

Hi ! and welcome on new site about:

- car insurance

- new cars

- tuning a cars



Have fun !

30 Free Ebooks on Personal Finance

30 Free Ebooks on Personal Finance :

""When you reach into a broad-ranging topic like personal finance, you find everyone and their cousin trying to reach across the Internet to give you advice. There’s so much information there that it can literally be overwhelming; there’s literally too much for the average person to sort through.

Luckily for you, at Mint we’re looking to quash that “intimidation” factor. There’s no reason that personal finance can’t be thoughtful, cohesive, and comprehensive, so we’ve probed through the web to find 30 free e-Books/booklets across the topics you’ll reference most.

We’ve sorted these e-Books into specific categories, along with a brief description we’ve written up on each of them. Everything is in PDF format, so if an e-Book strikes your fancy, consider downloading a copy by right-clicking on the link, then clicking “Save As.”.... from Mint.com

Personal Finance