If you get pre approved for a car loan, there are some things you need to take into consideration.  One of them is tires.  With a car loan comes a new car, and with a new car comes new responsibilities.  As anyone who has ever purchased a vehicle knows, one of the most important parts of your car are the shoes.  Bad tires aren't cheap, and you get what you pay for.  But most people don't realize that they can extend the life of their tires quite a bit by simply following a few rules.  Roadloans has scoured the internet and done the work for you.

Tires are designed to provide thousands of miles of excellent service. For maximum benefit, they must be maintained properly. Below are suggestions for improving the life of your vehicle’s tires.

• Use Correct Tire Inflation Pressure - With the correct amount of air pressure, your tires wear longer, save fuel and help prevent accidents. The correct air pressure is shown on the tire placard or sticker attached to the vehicle door edge, door post, or glove box door. Determine tire inflation using an accurate tire gauge purchased from your tire dealer, auto supply store, or other retailer. Check tire inflation pressure (including the spare) at least once a month and before every long trip. Tires must be checked when they are cold, before they have been run a mile. If you must drive more than one mile before checking the tire air pressure, add four pounds per square inch (psi) above the recommended cold air pressure. Recheck the air pressure when the tire is cold.
• Never Overload The Vehicle - Consult your vehicle tire placard and owner’s manual for the vehicle load limits, proper tire inflation and special trailer towing instructions that apply to your vehicle and tires. Never exceed the maximum load rating stamped on the sidewall of your tire or the maximum vehicle load rating (GVWR) found on the certification label on the driver’s door.
• Inspect Your Tires Regularly - Inspect your tires closely for signs of uneven wear at least once a month. Uneven wear patterns may be caused by improper inflation pressures, misalignment, improper balance or suspension neglect. If not corrected, further tire damage will occur. Inspect your tires for cuts, cracks, splits or bruises in the tread and sidewall areas. Bumps or bulges may indicate a separation with the tire body. Have your tires inspected by a qualified tire service person. When the tread is worn down to one-sixteenth of an inch, tires must be replaced. Never repair a tire with a puncture larger than 1/4 inch in diameter. Any tire repair done without removing the tire from the rim is improper. Inspect your rims also. If you have a bent, rusted or cracked rim, it must be replaced.
• Observe Good Driving Habits - Observe posted speed limits. Avoid fast starts, stops and turns. Avoid potholes and objects on the road. Don’t run over curbs or scuff the sidewall of a tire against the curb when parking. Avoid tire spinning. When stuck on ice, snow, mud or wet grass, the vehicle should be rocked gently (alternately using forward and reverse gears) with the least amount of wheel spinning. If that doesn’t free the vehicle, get a tow.

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Check out this road sign practice test from dmv.org. 

After a bit of searching I found this article and am now about to buy some new shoes for the Suburban.  This question is more important than it seems.  Once I really thought I had enough tread on my tires, and when it blew out with all of the kids in the car, I began to be very careful.  

I live in Texas, so every time the temperature nears 40 degrees and below and there is a hint of precipitation in the air, the news channels are ablaze with Winter Storm 2010 features, as if the sky were falling.  Reporters are on site at major intersections to talk about, not traffic accidents, but the possibility of traffic accidents due to bad weather.  As ridiculous as this is, there is some warrant for it, for there is nobody more ignorant than a Texan driving in winter weather.  Take a leisurely drive down any major road or highway during and after a snow storm and you will see the freeway littered with abandoned vehicles who got carried away like Lenny from Of Mice and Men wanting to tend the rabbits but accidentally breaking their necks. Texas drivers, due to the crazy white stuff on the ground seem to forget that reality still exists, and drive as if the roads were normal.  Now I know it might seem strange to you on many levels for me to post Winter Weather Driving Tips from a Dallas Lawyer, but bear with me, the article is worth reading.  

What's going on here?  Are these cars possessed by demons?  According to the New York Times, "Federal regulators said Wednesday that they had received 10 reports of Toyota vehicles accelerating unexpectedly after they were repaired at dealerships." It seems that Toyota has an even longer road ahead of them if reports like these keep coming out.  See the full article here.

If you are wondering if your Toyota vehicle is listed under all the new recalls try the Toyota recall finder tool.  It uses your VIN to do an official lookup.  Also check out the official statement from the COO of Toyota USA.

If you are a high profile target, be it drug dealer, politician, seedy owner of a strip club, bar, check cashing joint, coin operated car wash, or laundromat (or all of the above), CIA agent, CIA agent supporting a revolutionary upstart, deposed leader in (insert war torn country), simply have the stones to think you need protection from bullets, or if you live in Texas and are a democrat, then you might be interested in these websites that sell Armored vehicles. 

Interestingly enough, I didn't see options for machine gun mounting.  I guess the best offense is a good defense...but still...no machine guns? 

http://www.armoredcars.com/

http://www.alpineco.com/

http://www.armormax.com/

http://www.customarmoring.com/

http://www.execarmor.com/

I don't know about you, but I have the most difficult time installing car seats.  I can never get my meat hooks to negotiate the little holes that the straps have to go through.  This video, while not making my hands any smaller, is helpful in simplifying things, especially for new parents. 

Of course no one ever expects to get into a car accident.  In the event that you do, here is a good list of how it will all go down, and how you can prepare.  

In a day where color is not supposed to make a difference, that apparently is not the case when it comes to cars.  According to researchers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, "silver cars are 50 percent less likely to be involved in a crash resulting in a serious injury as compared to white cars."  Find out some more interesting research about car colors here.