trees – Adam's Auto Advice

Preparing Yourself and Your Car for Hurricane

: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center / Foter / CC BY-NC

Preparing Yourself and Your Car for Hurricane

With Hurricane Sandy, aka Frankenstorm, bearing down upon the entire Eastern seaboard and many states getting slammed by heavy rain and wind, I am sure lots of people are wondering what they could have done to prepare for a hurricane better. An important consideration is that your vehicle can be damaged easily during hurricanes, it's important to try to do all you can to protect this valuable asset.

I recommend parking your car as close to your house as possible and in the driveway. The reason is if a lot of home insurance policies will cover damage to a vehicle from trees or debris if it close to a house. This varies on what type of policy you have though. If you have a garage, carport, or some other structure you can park your can that would be the most ideal place to park it. That is certainly not guarantee but is a safe bet.

Obviously though your car is not the only consideration for preparing for a hurricane during hurricane season. Here are some tips to get hurricane ready;

Food: Make sure to have enough food for your whole family. This includes any pets you might have in your family. We have dry dog food and canned dog food that will last our dogs, Cody and Sierra, awhile.
Water: You also need to have clean drinking water too. It is recommend to have 1 gallon of clean water per day. If you are not sure if you have enough, at least have a teapot and heat source so that you can boil and sanitize drinking water if necessary.
First Aid: It’s always good to have a First Aid Kit in case of an emergency. You never know when you might need it. I recommend having hydrogen peroxide (for disinfecting wounds), bandages and gauze, cloth tape, needles, gloves, ointment, and a blanket. It is also a good idea to have a first aid booklet handy as well.
Medications: Make sure to get any medications for your family filled before you need to hunker down at your house or go to a shelter.
Emergency Contacts: Keep an emergency contact list. This includes, relatives, doctors, veterinarians,(if you have pets), or friends. Make sure to know about the nearest nearest shelter if you need to evacute your area due to flooding. If you have pets, be sure to find a pet-friendly shelter.
Rain Gear, Towels, & Clothes: Try not to go outside if you can help it, but it's always good to have a poncho and rain gear in case you do. It's a good idea to have as much clean clothes as you can too.
Cash: Cash, and I mean the real green stuff, is good to have in case power is going to be out for awhile.
Flashlights, Batteries, and Candles: It’s good to have flashlights and batteries if you are going to be without power for a long time. I would also recommend having short stubby candles since they are less likely to tip over and cause a fire. Matches are a good idea to have too!
Full Tank of Gas: If gas stations don’t have power, they can’t sell gas. It’s a good idea to fill up your car’s gas tank if you need to go somewhere with your family.

You should also consider having a spare flashlight with batteries, blanket, and first aid kit in your car if you need to venture out. It's best to not drive during a hurricane, and you have been told not to, you shouldn't.

I hope these tips will help you prepare for Hurricane Sandy, Frankenstorm, or any other hurricane in the future. If you have any recommendations, tips, or advice about hurricane preparedness you would like to add, please leave a comment below.

Sylvania SilverStar zXe’s, The Best Headlight Bulbs

As the days are getting shorter with winter upon us, I am sure you are using your headlights more. Inevitably one of your headlight bulbs is going to burn out or be on it's last legs, putting you in the market for new headlights. When you take a trip down to the auto parts store you should consider upgrading to some better bulbs, like the Sylvania Silverstar zXe's.

Sylvania was nice enough to send me a set of zXe's for my 96′ Honda Accord. Some fans of Adam's Auto Advice might remember I also wrote a review of the Slyvania SilverStar Ultras. (Also see my review of the Sylvania Headlight Restoration Kit.) After using the zXe's I wouldn't bother with the Ultras because the zXe's are hands-down better.

This was made obvious one night while driving to a friend's house in Northern Baltimore county. The roads to his house are small, twisty, and lack streetlights where walls of trees line the side of the roads. This forced me to rely on the zXe's. With the brights on, they effortlessly lit the way for my Honda Accord. I had driven this same route with the SilverStar Ultras which were great, but definitely not nearly as good as the zXe's. The dark roads were simply no match for the light that the zXe's produced.

Another night, driving home on a dark Baltimore city street, I noticed two people walking in the middle of the street. I mean they were literally walking in the middle of the street! I braked and swerved around them honking. Luckily I saw them far before an accident would have occurred, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't have seen them as early without the zXe's.

Also, when driving in rain or bad weather, the zXe's shine. They are particularly useful at night when it is raining.

What makes the zXe's superior is fullness of the white light and the intensity. Some headlight bulbs provide a wide lighting area but the light diminishes around the edges, reducing their effectiveness. This doesn't happen with the zXe's crisp illumination.

“SilverStar zXe headlights use a proprietary cobalt blue coating combined with xenon halogen gas technology to generate a color temperature that rivals HID.” according to the description on Sylvania's website. Part of the appeal of the zXe's for auto enthusiasts and tuners is they mimic High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlight housings without the expense and hassle of installation. A big advantage to the zXe's is they are 100% legal and Department of Transportation (DOT) approved so you don't need to worry about running into any legal trouble. Sylvania hopes you will consider these before buying a set of HID's. While the zXe's did slightly improve the look of my Honda Accord with slicker lights, I am not sure the zXe's are a true replacement for the overall look of HID headlights. This is strictly my opinion though, maybe they look better on other cars.

One complaint I have read about the zXe's is that they do not last as long as regular bulbs. Slyvania doesn't really advertise it in big bold letters but on the box it does say, “Slyvania SilverStar zXe lamps are engineered to achieve the highest performance possible, which results in product life that is less than standard lamps.” So they are not trying to hide this or mislead Sylvania customers. It states this limitation clearly and it might be something to be aware of before purchasing them. I have been using my zXe's for a number of months and haven't noticed that the light has diminished or had a bulb burn out though. If they do I will let people know.

Once you use Slyvania's zXe's you will most likely not care about what the box says. It would be hard to go back to using any other type of bulb for your headlights. They are better and brighter then anything I have ever used and if you buy a set, I am pretty sure you will be happy with that choice.

Day 4 Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mtn Park — Rocky Mountain National Park

On Tuesday I went to the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was absolutely amazing! The mountains and scenario were stunning. I took a lot of pictures, but you had to be there to experience it. The smells, sounds, air, creatures, and winding roads made it an unforgettable experience.

My relative, Jack, made a very good suggestion. He said, “You should go up on Trail Ridge Road.” This is the road that leads way up to the top of the mountain in the Park. On the top there are deep drops and no barriers which makes the drive exhilarating. I saw many RV's and Motorcycles going up the road. I was just fine in my Honda Accord which was easily maneuverable on the winding road up the mountain. The immense power of the mountains did draw power from my engine though. I definitely felt it going up.

The best part of going to the park is just pulling over at one of the many little parking areas and exploring on foot. There are lots of amazing places you can walk around in the Rocky Mountain National Park. See the pictures below!

Coming back down was exciting as well. You need to pay attention to your driving. You can not and should not simply coast down the mountain or you could overheat your brakes. The great thing about Hondas is their automatic drive selection. Most automatic cars only have “D” or “L” for selecting your gearing. Hondas have “D4” “D3” “2” “1” which seems unnecessary. However I found going down Trail Ridge Road it was very useful to have these options. I mostly stayed in D3 but switched sometimes between D3 and 2 when I was getting to close to cars or going to fast. Having the option to keep the cars gears below 3 or 2 gears was useful. Great idea Honda!

Even the drive from Greeley to Estes Park was nice. The road leading into Estes Park was basically made right through a mountain it seems. So when you are driving up you are just getting a small taste of what is to come. The drive was only about 1 hour from Greeley where I was staying. I listened to “Cover Her Face” on the way up to the Park and somewhat back down. For some reason listening to the narrator made me very sleepy. Don't know why that well spoken British narrator was making me tired, but he did. It was probably the Shakespearean training.

My only wish is that I had more time to look around the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was $20 and the pass was good for a week. It was well worth it for the day. I would recommend planning out more time to explore if you go up there.

I think Colorado is my new favorite state. I hope to come back soon!