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Auto Q&A
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Posted by editor Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:54:03 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Dear Q & A: I have a very small problem, about the size of a grape. It’s a tiny bulge on the face of the right front tire on my Nissan Altima. I first noticed it about a week ago when I began hearing a faint thump-thump-thump while driving at moderate speeds on smooth pavement. The tires are still pretty new, with lots of tread. A friend suggested I take it to a tire shop that has one of those tire roundness-truing machines to cut off the bulge and eliminate the thumping. Good idea?           
— T.O’C.
Dear TO’C: Don’t do it. The bulge on the face of your tire is a symptom of a weakness in the cords and/or belts underlying the visible black rubber. Think of it as a blowout in its early stages. It you ignore it, or simply cut away the visible bulge in the rubber, it will blow, maybe today, tomorrow, or next month. That tire has had it. Get it off your car and donate it (plus the two-buck fee) to your local tire recycler. Consider yourself lucky to have spotted it before it grew to the size of an orange, popped at 70 mph on a curve, and threw you and yours into a rollover.

Dear Q & A: I’ve heard that diesel powered cars are now selling more than gasoline models in Europe. Is this true? What’s the story? I thought the Europeans were more concerned about clean air than we are, yet diesels spew a lot more air pollution than regular gasoline engines. Something doesn’t add up.                         
— C.B.
Dear CB: Cleaner diesel is here — or at least there. The Euro diesels aren’t yet as clean as the gasoline engines in our new cars, but research is getting them there. The 45-to-52 percent of new vehicle sales in Europe (depending on country) is expected to rise to 60-to-70 percent by 2030, unless some other cost-effective clean-air innovation pushes diesels aside in the meantime. At present, diesels don’t seem very attractive in the USA. They cost more to buy and, despite their better fuel economy, buyers immediately find that diesel fuel costs more per gallon than unleaded regular gasoline, now typically $2.47 vs. $2.69. But it seems the days of driving behind a Mercedes D model, watching that smoke pour endlessly from its tailpipe, may soon be behind us. Now for cleaning up those zillions of 18-wheelers that are browning our air.

Dear Q & A: I’m about to buy a newer used family car, and have just about decided on a late model Ford Taurus. I’ve been told that the “SHO” model of Taurus is the one to get, because it’s better or faster or something. Do you have a comment on them?                        
 — Jas. D.
Dear Jas: The SHO version (available from 1989 to 1999) was the “hot” one, with a 220-horsepower Yamaha engine said to propel this Taurus to 145 miles per hour, making it the fastest front-wheel-drive sedan built. Therefore buying a second-hand SHO is a little like buying a used Corvette, in that it’s very likely to have been driven hard. Safer to get a standard Taurus with the standard, economical 3.0-liter Ford engine — the family car model — far more likely to have seen gentler use. This is not to say the SHO is bad; just that if you’re after ordinary, economical transportation, the regular Taurus sedan or wagon (made since 1986, to be discontinued in 2007) is the more sensible one.

Incidentally, the Taurus has been one of the most successful of Ford models in recent years. This is a reason to stop making it? Go figure.

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