(BPT) - For many car owners, their vehicle is an extension of their personality — and as such they customize it to reflect their individuality and uniqueness.

That’s particularly true for young car enthusiasts ages 16 to 24, who spend $7.2 billion each year customizing their vehicles, according to a recent study by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA).

“More than 7.9 million young people customize, modify or upgrade their vehicles each year,” says SEMA Director-Market Research Gavin Knapp. “Their vehicles not only help them get from A to B, they are also an integral part of their social lives.”

Car modifying is an exciting creative outlet that lets young people express who they are. Larger projects become group projects, and mods give them something to talk about with friends. Here are some modifications young customizers perform on their cars:

• Wheels and tires: Almost half upgrade these elements. Original tires are upgraded to all-season models, performance slicks, off-roading tires or low-profile versions. Swapping out standard wheels for lighter options made of aluminum, alloy or carbon fiber enhances both the look and performance of any given car.
  
• Exterior body mods: Exterior looks matter to 42 percent of young customizers. They spend money adding tint to their windows, completely wrapping their car body or installing a body kit. Customizers also often upgrade their bumpers, mirrors, fenders and grilles to achieve unique looks.
• Interior mods: From simple changes like upgraded floor mats to more intricate modifications like installing a new dash kit or replacing upholstery, 16- to 24-year-old enthusiasts feel enhancing the interiors of their cars is just as important as modifying the exteriors. Changing the seats alone can result in a more comfortable ride.
  
• Lighting: Lighting modifications are some of the easier and more common upgrades performed by young car aficionados. Most exterior lighting upgrades consist of replacing the taillight and headlight covers, switching lightbulbs and/or adding lighting kits. Inside vehicles, customizers easily personalize looks by changing cabin and dash lighting to different hues.
• Mobile electronics: Upgrading a car’s sound system remains a priority for young enthusiasts, including new stereos, speakers, amplifiers or anything else that enhances sound to their liking. Other electronic upgrades may include new GPS systems, dashboard cameras, alarm systems and/or Smartphone connections.
• Performance enhancement: Young customizers enhance the performance of their cars by switching to aftermarket high-performance oil, fuel additives and engine treatments. By replacing original equipment such as brake pads and rotors with lighter counterparts, they can also lower vehicle weight. Modifications like an updated suspension system, exhaust kit, drivetrain and/or intake system can help a vehicle perform at a different level.
  

Those are just a few of the many types of vehicle modifications young enthusiasts routinely perform on their vehicles, made possible by the many options available to them in the $43 billion automotive aftermarket industry.

Manufacturers introduce their latest products and services every year at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the leading trade-only show for automotive industry businesses. Consumers can connect with those businesses at the official SEMA Show after-party known as SEMA Ignited, where one-of-a-kind custom vehicle builds with the newest aftermarket products (including wheels) parade out of the convention center to the ultimate car show. For more information, visit www.semaignited.com.

 

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(BPT) - You may not be a legendary stunt driver, but the car you drive today has a lot of technology under the hood. Whether you're commuting to work or heading to the grocery store, you want to get the most out of your engine's performance.

Your daily drive probably doesn't involve a powerful car, wild icy terrain or heart-pumping stunts like in the viral video TITANIUM ICE inspired by Universal Pictures' upcoming film, The Fate of the Furious, in theaters April 14. But what you may not realize is today's engines are smaller, which means they must work harder at very high pressures.

To help your engine work smarter, not harder, and to get the most out of your vehicle, follow these expert tips. For additional advice, visit www.castrol.com.

Use the proper fuel gas: Use the highest-octane gasoline recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

Clean filters: Keep the air filter and fuel filter clean. Eliminating debris maintains air and fuel flow, which helps maintain power.

Get regular oil changes: Oil keeps all the moving parts in your engine properly lubricated. Only a thin layer of oil separates critical engine parts to prevent friction and wear. Check oil levels and change regularly - per your owner's manual or oil change indicator recommendation.

Upgrade oil: Castrol(R) EDGE(R) full synthetic motor oil, engineered with fluid-titanium technology, physically changes the way the oil behaves under pressure, helping reduce friction and maximize engine performance. Learn more at www.castrol.com/EDGE.

Maintain coolant: Engines run hot, and your car's coolant system helps keep the temperature under control. Fill coolant tank as necessary and fix any leaks to avoid engine damage.

Reduce weight: The lighter your car, the better the engine will perform. If you're lugging around extra weight in the trunk, remove it and help your engine (and fuel economy) improve.

Tire pressure: Check your owner's manual to maintain proper tire pressure. Correctly filled tires will help you get optimum fuel economy, plus it helps your car grip the road, and keeps you safe.

Invest in a tune-up: No matter how car savvy you are, it pays to invest in a professional tune-up from time to time. Experts can spot small issues before they become big problems.

Be inspired: Check out TITANIUM ICE, a mixed-reality driving challenge filmed in the wild, icy landscape of the Yukon in Canada. Visit Castrol's YouTube channel to see Michelle Rodriguez challenge her legendary stunt driver, Debbie Evans, and Evans' impressive Jaguar F-TYPE 5.0 Supercharged V8 R AWD - with the strength of Castrol EDGE - to compete against a mixed-reality army of military tanks, nuclear submarines, helicopters, missiles, explosions and shattering ice.

(BPT) - The weather's finally warming up, the roads are dry and your sports car is beckoning you to hit the road for a fun trip. The question is: Are your tires up to the task?

"Tires influence braking, steering, comfort, handling and even fuel efficiency," says Bob Abram, consumer tires product planning manager for Yokohama Tire Corporation, manufacturer of a variety of tires for passenger cars, SUVs, buses, trucks and yes, race cars, too. "Whether you drive a sports car, minivan or high-end luxury vehicle, it's important you have the right tires because choosing the wrong ones can result in a disappointment with the handling, ride and treadwear."

When it comes to fast and fun vehicles, Abram said ultra-high-performance (UHP) tires might be the best bet, depending on driving styles and vehicle performance. Finding the best one could be daunting, so he has some quick tips to get you rolling.

1. Take extra time to research.

When conducting online research, make sure the reviews (and reviewers) are using the vehicle the way you do. If you need to drive in snow, but the reviews don't mention winter driving, then that tire might not work best for you. In short, don't look for the top-rated tires in regards to just "performance"; make sure to add in how and where you drive.

2. Look for a mileage warranty.

The best UHP all-season (A/S) tires now have a mileage warranty to give you peace of mind about a balance of performance and tread life. For example, the ADVAN Sport A/S has a 50,000-mile limited treadwear warranty for W- and Y-speed models.

3. Look for balanced performance.

Most drivers will be happier with a tire that handles well in all seasons, but also offers a smooth, comfortable ride and good treadwear. Usually the best UHP all-season tires do many things well, not just one or two. This is where your research will really pay off.

Abram says to check sites like www.tirerack.com, www.discounttire.com and tire company websites like www.yokohamatire.com for more help.

Once you decide on the right UHP tires for your vehicle, Abram says, maintaining them is essential to get their full benefits. "It always starts with checking your tire pressure regularly, which is at least once a month. It only takes 5 minutes and can really help, because a tire that is underinflated by only 8 psi can reduce fuel economy up to 2 percent. This will affect your drive and the vehicle's fuel efficiency, so keeping them properly inflated will give you a better ride and save you some money."

The Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) recommends checking the tires when they are cold - at least four hours since the vehicle was last driven. Abram says to always use an accurate tire gauge and make sure the valve is free of debris and water.

"The correct tire pressure is specified by the manufacturer of the vehicle, not the tire manufacturer," Abram says. "The proper inflation levels can be found on a placard on the inside of the car door and/or in the owner's manual."

Abram offers more tire tips that will help you throughout the year:
* Check your tread depth by placing a penny upside down into a tread groove. If you can see all of Lincoln's head, your tire's tread has worn down to the legal limit and you need to buy new tires.
* Tires must be replaced when the tread is worn down to 2/32 of an inch (the lowest legal limit). It's best to replace them before they reach 2/32 depending on your drive (geographically and based on the type of streets).
* Rotating your tires regularly promotes even wear of the tread. Tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
* Check your alignment at least once a year or sooner, especially if the vehicle is pulling to one side. This will help avoid uneven wear on tire tread. Tire balance should also be monitored.
For more tire care and safety tips, visit www.yokohamatire.com/tires-101 or www.rma.org.

(BPT) - Most vehicle owners know it is important to regularly have their motor oil changed. Many owners may not know that choosing any oil weight other than the one specified in their owner's manual could damage their engine.

"My dad taught me to switch oil weight depending on the season and the driving conditions. I used 10W-40 or straight 30 weight oil in the summer and switched to 10W-30 in the winter," says RockAuto.com Vice President, Tom Taylor. Conventional wisdom for old cars said oils with higher weight numbers had a thicker viscosity that would make them better for hot weather and hard driving while lighter weight oils were better for cold weather.

The newest engines are often designed to use only one specific oil with a weight number that may be unfamiliar, such as 0W-20 or 0W-40. Doing something like substituting "heavy duty" 20W-50 for 0W-20 in the summer could quickly result in big repair bills.

Oil does much more these days than simply lubricate and cool the engine. Engine oil may act like a hydraulic fluid in engines with variable valve timing, cylinder deactivation or other new systems that are pressure sensitive and route oil through tiny orifices. "We see variable valve timing solenoids that are clogged by dirty oil, but they also get clogged by clean oil that is just the wrong viscosity," says Taylor.

Using the right weight oil is made more difficult by all the gas stations and convenience stores that still sell 10W-30 for old cars but do not have the shelf space to stock the many different oil types for newer cars. Do not top off your engine with the incorrect oil because that is all a store carries.

Also, do not choose 10W-30 simply because it is less expensive. Newer engines may take seven or 10 quarts of oil. When buying that much oil, it can be tempting to buy a cheaper weight. Putting the wrong oil in your engine could cost you much more money down the road. "Imagine an engine oil pump designed to circulate seven quarts of low viscosity 0W-20 oil rapidly around a motor now struggling to move some witch's brew of various weights," says Taylor.

If you hire a shop to change your oil, then make sure they use the correct oil for your engine. Always wait until you can get the oil weight specified in the owners manual.

(BPT) - A tire’s tread depth significantly affects driving safety. In fact, to ensure a vehicle drives safely, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration recommends a tire be replaced once its tread depth reaches 2/32nds of an inch. Winter tires should be replaced even sooner.

Worn tires cause more than just headaches for drivers. Less tread means longer braking distances and more difficulty handling a car. This is especially true in slippery conditions because the tires are not able to effectively clear water from underneath causing the vehicle to hydroplane.

The contact area between the tire and the road is dramatically reduced when tires wear out and when driving speed increases. While driving 50 mph in 1/8 inch of water, the contact patch between the tire and road is only 16 percent compared to the contact patch of a stationary vehicle.

“Unfortunately, many drivers don’t regularly check the depth of tread on their tires. People check tread depths when fitting the tires, but then blissfully forget about them for the entire season,” says Matti Morri, technical customer service manager, Nokian Tyres.

Monitoring the condition of tires throughout their lives helps drivers maintain safety on the road. So, what steps should you take to ensure you get the most out of your tires?

1. Monitor and rotate your tires.

Tires wear unevenly, especially on front wheel drive vehicles where the front tires wear down much quicker than the rear tires. For this reason, you should monitor the tread depth throughout the season and rotate tires from front to back, providing the tire size is the same on both axles.
If a set of tires are installed in the spring and used heavily until the start of autumn without being rotated, it is completely possible for the front tires to be worn down while the rear tires still have up to 70 percent of tread left.

Rotating helps to minimize the performance and grip differences between the front and rear of the car for more predictable handling.

2. How to measure tread depth.

A U.S. penny is a handy tool for measuring the main grooves in the center of a tire’s tread. Insert the penny into the main groove so that the edge of the coin touches the tread and Lincoln’s head is upside down. If the top of Lincoln’s head remains visible from the groove, the tires are fully worn.

Some new tires on the market have innovative tread wear indicators to alert drivers when their tires need replacing. In fact, all new models from Nokian Tyres come fitted with a Driving Safety Indicator (DSI) that indicates how much tread is remaining, as well as a raindrop or snowflake symbol that appears once the tire has worn down to the point where the vehicle could handle unsafely on wet roads.

3. Minimize tread wear through proper inflation.

To help extend tread life, maximize fuel economy and optimize a vehicle’s performance, it’s important to check a tire’s air pressure once per month in the summer and twice per month in the spring and fall when there are large fluctuations in temperature. Tire over-and under-inflation cause tread to wear quicker than normal and can potentially result in a dangerous blowout. Additionally, under-inflation will cause your vehicle to use more fuel (or reduce range in an electric vehicle) and diminish the performance of your vehicle as it requires more effort to for the car to move.

For the most accurate pressure reading, check the tires while they are still cold. Driving heats up the tires causing the air inside to expand resulting with an inaccurate reading. The correct tire pressure for the vehicle and tire size combination can be found on a placard in the driver’s door jamb, on the inside of the gas cap, or in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Remember also to check the pressure of the vehicle’s spare tire (if equipped).

Drivers should keep these simple tips in mind throughout the spring and summer to help ensure a safe driving vehicle and to get the most out of their tires.

(BPT) - Are you the type of driver who pushes the accelerator a little harder on the curves of a back-country road? Are you a person who smiles as they approach a new terrain or road condition you’ve never conquered before? If so, you’re a performance seeker. A person who is constantly pushing themselves to prove that they are driver enough.


The performance driver never wants to lose the feeling of adrenaline as they push their vehicle to the max, but as the seasons change, so do the road conditions and the challenges drivers face. We sat down with X-Games athlete, professional race car driver, professional stunt car driver and BFGoodrich(R) Tires ambassador, Andrew Comrie-Picard, or ACP, to better understand the challenges associated with wet weather driving, how modern tires can help prevent the loss of traction and skidding, and how they make the overall driving experience more fun – regardless of the season. 


Keeping contact with the road


The biggest danger with wet weather driving is how unexpected the road conditions and hazards can be. As the temperatures rise and seasonal showers pick up, standing water in puddles, still-cool spring temperatures, and the potential for showers to lift oil to the surface of the road can all compromise traction and lead to a skid or a possible accident. 


"Having the right tires is the number one thing you can do to prevent hydroplaning without losing performance often drowned out during the rainy season," says Andrew Comrie-Picard (ACP). "The proper tread depth and tire design can make all the difference in your vehicle’s ability to shed water, while increasing control on the road."


Until recently, a tire with exceptional wet and dry traction in both high and low ambient temperatures was a dream of tire engineers and drivers alike. But the BFGoodrich(R) g-Force(TM) COMP-2(TM) A/S tire puts the best of both worlds in one tire. When tested against the leading competitors, it stopped up to 15 feet shorter on wet roads and 5 feet shorter on dry roads. 


Its superior traction isn't just good for braking in both dry and wet conditions, it also helps your vehicle accelerate faster, ensuring you don’t forfeit your vehicle’s performance to Mother Nature.


What if you hydroplane?


ACP has driven in all types of conditions across terrains all over the globe – including a recent expedition down an ice road onto the frozen Arctic Ocean. He says it’s important to think like and become a performance driver in the situations where the road conditions deteriorate to ensure you do not lose control.

“Panicking is the worst thing to do. If you start hydroplaning, slow the vehicle down gradually, don’t slam on the brakes. Ride it out and be ready for when your tires regain traction with the road,” ACP says. "Those who drive the fastest typically have the slowest control input: they brake slower, they steer smoothly, and these are the types of things that will save you in a skid.”

ACP also says the key to this calmness is having a good understanding of your vehicle, its tires, and their limitations.

"You need to be able to feel where the edge of your vehicle and its tires are so you know exactly how much you can push it in any climate or condition. A tire that communicates with you when it's sliding and when it's stopping is crucial," he says. That kind of sensitivity is what makes tires so important for a performance driver like ACP and why he chooses the g-Force(TM) Comp-2(TM) A/S tire, because, as he says, "with these tires, you can feel your vehicle come back into control progressively. It’s like the tires talk to you." 

High performance tires help you respond to unexpected situations, whether you’re hydroplaning or starting to skid out. While greater traction during wet weather seasons is certainly argument enough, these tires also open your car's potential, making for a much more fun driving experience regardless of the forecast.