Know of any good driving tips, or things one can do to improve your drive? Post it here & share it with others! Just keep in mind though, that these are just opinions, and may not be shared by others. If you do not agree, feel free to voice you own opinions, after all we're all individual & not clones! :yes:

Here goes:
1) Piturra's cool down list :thmsup: . This is a "cool" :) tip, so I've decided to re-post it here.
My "happy zone" will fluctuate depending on the outside temperature! Otherwise, my experience is super using my Accord's "AUTO" climate control.

Once I leave work and the temp feels like it's in the high 70s, ... my process is when I turn the corner of my the building that I work in and see my car...

1) Unlock & OPEN ALL the Windows - using my remote!

2) Turn-on car and wait a minute or so ...
.... A) Usually the time it takes me to roll up my windshield sunshade.

3) Press the "AUTO" Climate Control button = ON

4) Verify that my 'Temperature' Control Dial = LO

5) Back up and leave the parking lot.

6) Close the Driver's & front passenger side windows

7) Partially close the rear door side windows.
.... a) Leave a small opening to vent the heat

8) After driving a mile or so, close the rear side windows.

9) 10mins later, once I'm driving down the HW237 on-ramp - I close the Moonroof**
.... a) **Tilt open position during the day while parked.

10) Rotate up my 'Temperature' Control Dial = 68-degree
.... a) for about 5 miles or when my hands starts getting frost bite!

11) My operating TEMP = 70 to 75-degree's
.... a) NOTE: If my wife is in the car, she set's her side to 80 to 88-degrees / love this feature!!!

About 4 blocks from my house ...
12) Turn-OFF the Air-conditioner using the "A/C" button.

13) Rotate the 'Temperature' Control Dial = LO
.... a) FAN automatically goes to the highest setting

14) Manually lower the FAN setting after a few blocks
.... a) STEPS 13 & 14 - removes & dry's any condensation left in the vents
........ 1. This prevents mold from forming in the vents which in time smells like a used baby diaper!

15) Tilt-open the Moonroof
2) Making a left turn. Got this tip many years ago on how to position one's car when making a left. First time I saw it done I thought "OMG what are you doing???", but when I tried it, I found I could see oncoming traffic much better, & have been using this technique ever since.
- As you enter the intersection, carefully turn your wheel to the left & then straighten out. The goal is to keep your car as parallel to the direction you are travelling as possible, but also as left most as you can safely make it. This should give you the best view of oncoming traffic, especially if there is another car across from you also making a left.

3) Avoid filling up gas when the gasoline tanker truck is filling up the gas station's resevoir. Read somewhere that all the crud & dirt that normally sinks to the bottom will be stirred up when the resevoirs are being filled. Makes sense to me, so I usually do a 180 & head to my next favourite station.

2) Making a left turn. Got this tip many years ago on how to position one's car when making a left. First time I saw it done I thought "OMG what are you doing???", but when I tried it, I found I could see oncoming traffic much better, & have been using this technique ever since.
- As you enter the intersection, carefully turn your wheel to the left & then straighten out. The goal is to keep your car as parallel to the direction you are travelling as possible, but also as left most as you can safely make it. This should give you the best view of oncoming traffic, especially if there is another car across from you also making a left.

3) Avoid filling up gas when the gasoline tanker truck is filling up the gas station's resevoir. Read somewhere that all the crud & dirt that normally sinks to the bottom will be stirred up when the resevoirs are being filled. Makes sense to me, so I usually do a 180 & head to my next favourite station.

I follow both of these. Unfortunately, Costco has tankers come in from 4-6 times a day, maybe more now. I avoid them for Shell now, I get better prices with my Citibank card.

If you drive around the city in DENSE fog, and there's nobody around, turn on your high beams. I know, everybody says that it blinds you and yada yada yada. Doesn't hold much weight for me, because I've actually done this and it works. The high beams blind the area immediately in front of you, but you couldn't see what there's anyway. More importantly, they project far out into the fog and reflect all the (parked) car taillights and the road markings, like the STOP sign and lane markings. High beams have saved me more than once. Just remember to turn them off if other cars are around.

here a good tip that i have used since i have bought my car....

if in light to moderate traffic, set your cruise to 2-3mph slower than the majority of the cars out there..... that way, you won't have to keep setting it/cancelling it, and you save a bit on gas........ plus, when everyone elses brakes in front of you due to tailgating, you can still have yours set and not worry about it.

another good tip: don't overinflate your tires to jaw-breaking heights! yes, it may be good for fuel economy, but that savings will be lost if you hit a pothoile or any kind of road debris, making you replace a blown-out tire.

I practice keeping my wheels str8 while waiting to turn at an intersection, too. I've done it because if you're ever rear ended, you'll just go forward, not into the oncoming traffic!

My tips:

Mirror adjustments...You should NOT be able to see the sides of your car in your side mirrors. They should be adjusted outwards farther so you have to tilt your head slightly to see the side of your car. IF they are adjusted properly, your blind spot should be minimal to zilch. As a car comes up behind me, I can see it in my main rear view mirror. As it passes me I can see it in my side view mirror and my rear view. As it leaves my side view mirro, I can see it right on the side of me.

Turn signals: When turning onto a side road and there is no turning lane, I always try to hit my turn signal so its on for a few moments before riding my brakes to slow down. I know when I'm behind someone, sometimes I interpet brake lights as simply slowing down (which it sometimes is) Turn signal first takes the guess work out of it for the person behind you.

And on a related note: Don't tail gate!!! Assume something is going to cut off the car in front of you at all times and they're gonna slam on their brakes.

Take a course like this..

http://www.racenow.com/home.htm

I practice keeping my wheels str8 while waiting to turn at an intersection, too. I've done it because if you're ever rear ended, you'll just go forward, not into the oncoming traffic!

My tips:

Mirror adjustments...You should NOT be able to see the sides of your car in your side mirrors. They should be adjusted outwards farther so you have to tilt your head slightly to see the side of your car. IF they are adjusted properly, your blind spot should be minimal to zilch. As a car comes up behind me, I can see it in my main rear view mirror. As it passes me I can see it in my side view mirror and my rear view. As it leaves my side view mirro, I can see it right on the side of me.

Turn signals: When turning onto a side road and there is no turning lane, I always try to hit my turn signal so its on for a few moments before riding my brakes to slow down. I know when I'm behind someone, sometimes I interpet brake lights as simply slowing down (which it sometimes is) Turn signal first takes the guess work out of it for the person behind you.

And on a related note: Don't tail gate!!! Assume something is going to cut off the car in front of you at all times and they're gonna slam on their brakes.


GREAT ADVICE! Wish everyone drove like TRIP :thumbsup:

1. Keep your wiper fluid reservoir full for rude tailgaters on the freeway. :D

2. When you're illegally speeding down the freeway, scan your mirrors and the road in front of you for cops. - especially beside large trucks where they sometimes hide! This tip saved my butt about a dozen times. :yes: (knock on wood!)

3. Check your tire pressures often. In places where temps fluctuate alot (especially between night and day) you should check it about once a week. Others should check it once a month. A difference of only 2psi can translate into 1-2mpg.

I've found a need to revisit this thread. Almost everybody I know with a license has gotten into an accident, with my friend's 04 HCH today being crunched. I am deathly scared of driving now...I have GOT TO BE next in line for a trip to the body shop. It's just not possible for everybody around me to have their car crunched and not mine.

Any of the newer members got any tips?

Here's one. Don't hypermile on a 2 lane bridge! It wreaks havoc! From experience :thmsup:

Here's another one. Quit playing with the iPod! From experience :yes:

And a last one for the road. Don't read while driving. You're not gonna remember much anyway. From experience as well :lmao:

Before tossing your Accord around in hard cornering, try locking your seatbelt in a snug fit. Do this as follows (while parked):
1. Back your seat up a few inches.
2. Unbuckle the belt and hold it about 6" from the clasp.
3. With your other hand, sharply yank the shoulder strap to get it to lock and keep tension on the belt so the lock does not release.
4. Now buckle the belt, still keeping the tension on it.
5. Lastly more the seat forward so that the belt becomes tight across you.

It may take a few tries to get it right, but once you're set, get ready for a new feel in the turns. Much better feedback and control if you are strapped in instead of wallowing around in the seat. :thmsup:

Before tossing your Accord around in hard cornering, try locking your seatbelt in a snug fit. Do this as follows (while parked):
1. Back your seat up a few inches.
2. Unbuckle the belt and hold it about 6" from the clasp.
3. With your other hand, sharply yank the shoulder strap to get it to lock and keep tension on the belt so the lock does not release.
4. Now buckle the belt, still keeping the tension on it.
5. Lastly more the seat forward so that the belt becomes tight across you.

It may take a few tries to get it right, but once you're set, get ready for a new feel in the turns. Much better feedback and control if you are strapped in instead of wallowing around in the seat. :thmsup:

Here's my method

In your normal seating position and the belt buckled, pull the seat belt all the way out
Let it go back in naturally, then pull it extra tight
The belt is now locked right where you want it, and you can always make it tighter just by pulling on the belt itself and letting it retract another click.

I disagree about having the side of the car out of the mirrors.

I need to see where I am reversing. It's good to tilt them down to see the back wheels.

But then, maybe you have your seat farther back than I do mine. Meh.

I get better prices with my Citibank card.

Always keeping my eyes open for a better gas discount credit card. Currently using the Chase PerfectCard. It offers 6% rebates on gas purchases for the first 90 days, then down to 3%. It's good at any gas station where you pay at the pump. How's Citibank?

the Citibank Dividend card gives 5% back on gas, supermarkets, and drugstores. 1% back on everything else. they cap rewards to a max of $300 anually though.

I disagree about having the side of the car out of the mirrors.

I need to see where I am reversing. It's good to tilt them down to see the back wheels.

But then, maybe you have your seat farther back than I do mine. Meh.

I agree with you here. I alway have mine so that I can see the back tire and pavement...Just enough so that I can't see the whole side of the car but the tire is in the edge of the mirror and I don't have a blind spot at all Plus if you constantly look in your rear view mirror you should know if someone is coming up your side anyway....If you have a blind spot you can get the little curved mirror and they can stick right now the edge of your side mirrors.

Here's my method

In your normal seating position and the belt buckled, pull the seat belt all the way out
Let it go back in naturally, then pull it extra tight
The belt is now locked right where you want it, and you can always make it tighter just by pulling on the belt itself and letting it retract another click.
Your method sounds better/easier, but after an unsuccessful attempt, I'm thinking the belts may not work the same for our different year models. :dunno:
Do you have to yank the belt, or does after fully extending it, it will lock at any point during retraction?

the Citibank Dividend card gives 5% back on gas, supermarkets, and drugstores. 1% back on everything else. they cap rewards to a max of $300 anually though.
Thanks VTECaddict :thmsup: I will look into getting one of those and dropping the Chase card.

Here's my method

In your normal seating position and the belt buckled, pull the seat belt all the way out
Let it go back in naturally, then pull it extra tight
The belt is now locked right where you want it, and you can always make it tighter just by pulling on the belt itself and letting it retract another click.
I don't think the 7th gens do this. It's called somethinglike the child seat retention system or something like that. It's not supposed to be built in to the driver's seatbelt for safety reasons. All the passenger belts will start clicking (actually racheting) once you reached full extension so you can attach a child seat to it without worrying about the child seat moving around when you make those .5g turns! :thmsup: :D

Thanks VTECaddict :thmsup: I will look into getting one of those and dropping the Chase card.

Great Idea, I had a citibank card For about 6 years and it didn't have any rewards. I use my united airline one for the miles, and thought about changing to the CITI Dividend card...I called them up about 2 months ago :banana: and they lowered my APR by about 4%, and changed it over to the Dividend card. Best switch ever, so if you already have a citicard you can switch it. I love looking at my account online and seeing out much money I get back.

the Citibank Dividend card gives 5% back on gas, supermarkets, and drugstores. 1% back on everything else. they cap rewards to a max of $300 anually though.

Up to $167 in rebates this year. And the checks really do arrive in 7-10 days from the time you request it online.

It makes $2.50 gas $2.38. :yes: Heck, thats free money.. No one else gives me money to use their card. :thmsup:

actually...a lot do. theres cash back cards from almost every major credit card issuer, and many of those point reward cards have cash back options when you redeem your points. the citi dividend is one of the best, IMO. if only they didnt have it capped so low at $300.

we just got almost $2000 back last month (after 12 months) on our AmEx Blue Cash card. no annual fee like regular AmEx cards either. :D

we're a costco executive members too, so we get 2% back at costco (on top of 1% back from AmEx if we pay with our AmEx). the rebate check for that is usually ~$90 (anually) for us, so our annual member fee is effectively ~$10. (if you factor in the extra 1% from AmEx too, then technically we get paid to shop at costco). :yes:

rewards and cash back are wonderful things. :thumbsup: :biggrin:

Already answered but yes, 5% is good at all stations.

I wasn't quite sure if it did it for you 7th genners (the seat belt). All my seatbelts ratchet going back in after they are fully extended. I know because it's a friggin pain in the ass, my dad pulls the belt out all the time and I've wanted to get rid of that damn ratcheting mechanism for a long time. He has to unbuckle his seatbelt 5-8 times an hour. That's just another reason why we didn't take my car on our 3700 mile roadtrip.

EDIT
Checked my driver's belt this morning, doesn't do it. Oh well :dunno:

Nice thread, cool tips. :thmsup:

My tip - Always check left and right for traffic even if you have a green. I've had enough near misses so I always check and slow down when approaching a light that has just turned green.

that last tip applies in philly as well..... :thumbsdow

One more tip:

For many years, I have been doing what I call "The Lifesaver". (The name came from my instructor when I learned to ride a motorcycle in the UK). When changing lanes (particularly on the freeway), don't just rely on your mirrors to tell you if your destination lane is clear, turn your head and LOOK!.

Even with properly adjusted mirrors, this helps you be more aware of your surroundings. It's second nature to me now.

IMOL

For many years, I have been doing what I call "The Lifesaver". (The name came from my instructor when I learned to ride a motorcycle in the UK). When changing lanes (particularly on the freeway), don't just rely on your mirrors to tell you if your destination lane is clear, turn your head and LOOK!.
Hmmm... just to verify that your instructor knows his stuff, what side of the road did he tell you to drive on? :biggrin:

That's just another reason why we didn't take my car on our 3700 mile roadtrip.

Your Camry does this as well! :naughty: Go check for yourself... Again, it's for all the passenger belts BUT the driver's. :)

Hmmm... just to verify that your instructor knows his stuff, what side of the road did he tell you to drive on? :biggrin:

LOL - for a couple of years, I went back and forth between the US and the UK every couple of months. I found it took me about an hour of _really_ concentrating at each end to drive on the correct side of the road. After that, habits kick in.

Having said that... to this day, my instinct when backing out of a parking space is to look over my left shoulder, not my right. Of course in the Accord I get a nice view of the B pillar doing this :)

So if you see a guy in a gray Accord looking left, looking annoyed, then looking behind him to the right when reversing... it's probably me :)

IMOL

to this day, my instinct when backing out of a parking space is to look over my left shoulder, not my right.



Having said that...here's a tip, stop backing out of parking spaces. Instead back in a parking space. When you are parking your car it's easy to see what is there and know how safe it is to park. When you back out it people can't always get a clear view and they slowly back out into traffic. I just think it's better to back in a parking spot, a lot easier than backing out. :thmsup:

Having said that...here's a tip, stop backing out of parking spaces. Instead back in a parking space. When you are parking your car it's easy to see what is there and know how safe it is to park. When you back out it people can't always get a clear view and they slowly back out into traffic. I just think it's better to back in a parking spot, a lot easier than backing out. :thmsup:


When I worked at industrial plants in Trinidad, reverse parking was MANDATORY because it would allow for quick evacuation.

I usually try to back into a space if I am not in a hurry.

When I worked at industrial plants in Trinidad, reverse parking was MANDATORY because it would allow for quick evacuation.

I usually try to back into a space if I am not in a hurry.

My father taught me to back in and I use it 99% of the time, It's also the way we have to park our trucks in the Army. :banana:

Having said that...here's a tip, stop backing out of parking spaces. Instead back in a parking space. When you are parking your car it's easy to see what is there and know how safe it is to park. When you back out it people can't always get a clear view and they slowly back out into traffic. I just think it's better to back in a parking spot, a lot easier than backing out. :thmsup:

Depends where I'm parking - on the street (which I do maybe once or twice a year) - back in, forward out.

In a normal parking lot like at the grocery store - forward in, back out. I think backing out is much easier than backing in. Plus half of them round here have slanted spaces, so backing in isn't an option, unless you go the wrong way down the aisle.

IMOL

Depends where I'm parking - on the street (which I do maybe once or twice a year) - back in, forward out.

In a normal parking lot like at the grocery store - forward in, back out. I think backing out is much easier than backing in. Plus half of them round here have slanted spaces, so backing in isn't an option, unless you go the wrong way down the aisle.

IMOL

Yeah parking forward in the slanted ones is the only way. plus it's always 1 way so it's not so dangerous....just when you get an idiot that goes the wrong way down it, or pull through from the other side then he has to pull out the wrong way.

A good rule of thumb is to NEVER back in when you're going to get a lot of groceries or when you go to places like Home Depot or IKEA... :D Imagine all the hassle you're going to go through when you need to move the car out of the space so you could drop down the back seats just so you could load 7 feet of lumber or the piece of trim you got... Especially true when you got limited space to push the oversized cart past the two cars parked next to you... :lmao: I'd rather be inconvienenced by having to back out of the space than waste my time moving the car around while keeping an eye on my cart just so I can load my items in the car. :blah:

Yeah parking forward in the slanted ones is the only way. plus it's always 1 way so it's not so dangerous....just when you get an idiot that goes the wrong way down it, or pull through from the other side then he has to pull out the wrong way.


I hate slanted parking. I had to park like that at a K-Mart in Nashville. If you approach the space from the wrong way parking the vehicle correctly can be a PITA.

Your Camry does this as well! :naughty: Go check for yourself... Again, it's for all the passenger belts BUT the driver's. :)

It probably does, but their belts are longer. My dad did it on the whole trip and never caught the end of it once.