Latest news with #AnnikaCarter
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Fast, Fun and Fabulous: Our Guide to Being a Car Girl
I'm not a car girl. I'm not obsessed, I don't change my own oil and I don't live for barn finds that I can restore. And the last time I tried to remove a lug nut I nearly ruined my back (not to mention my manicure). However, I love cars. I love to drive. I love discovering the new technology cars offer. I love meeting the women (and men) who are innovating the auto world and I love finding cars that make life better. This story is 100% human researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks. So, I've become a car girl. I've learned how to view cars differently than enthusiasts do and appreciate what makes them interesting (hint: it's not all about horsepower and torque). I've learned to appreciate how they empower us as women, how the right car can make parenthood much easier, and how, as we've always known, a car can be the key to freedom. The modern definition of 'car girl' is very different than it might have been even a few years ago. And that's a good thing; everyone who spends $30K or $40K or more on a car should ensure that they love what they're spending their money on—not to mention valuable time in. So here is our guide to being a car girl. This may be the thing that makes many women—me included—turn off to car culture: The insistence that I need to change my own tires if I have a flat, if I need to replace a tire, if I need to swap out all seasons for winter tires. Anyone who says that is flat out wrong. Yes, you need to know how a tire is changed, what it costs and what is involved so your car is safe and don't get ripped off. This goes for oil changes, windshield wipers and any other routine maintenance and emergency issues. Having a plan for these things, such as a AAA membership or roadside assistance plan, is important. Trying to change a flat on the side of a busy highway is silly—and dangerous. Read: Easy Car Diagnosis & Repair: RepairPal to the Rescue Though we love it if you do. Some of our favorite car girls are not only handy with a toolbox, but they love being able to fix an issue, make an upgrade and the feeling of accomplishment that doing it yourself imparts. Annika Carter modifies and races her own cars. Bogi Lateiner builds cars from the ground up and leads a team of of car girls who work with her; her builds are features on TV shows and auto industry confabs. Shea Holbrook races and leads a team of women who race. Patrice Banks started her own all-female garage to both fix cars and teach women to fix cars. Read: 11 Common Car Maintenance and Repair Questions, and How to Know: Mechanic, Parts Store or DIY? From Rebelle Rally, the longest off-road rally in the US, and the most challenging as it doesn't allow phones or GPS, in which more than a hundred women compete each year, to female racers like Shea Holbrook, Loni Unser, Tatiana Calderón and Sara Price who defy the odds and the critics on the track, women are carving out a space in the sport. I'll admit, I love track driving. I mean really, really love it. But being in a field of cars moving at 100 MPH or more, trying to pass, watching the systems, tires and time, all at temperatures that can soar past 120 degrees and doing this for hours on end every day? That takes dedication I'm not sure I have. Which makes me admire these women all the more. And there are a lot of great stories these days. Consider Jaguar Land Rover, which, with $8 billion in investment from owner Tata Motors, rose out of the ashes of bad ownership experiences to be regarded as one of the most beautiful and most copied car brands. The Land Rover Defender inspired a whole new era of design and the Range Rover continues to be the dream car of the one percent. And consider Dodge, long the American muscle car icon, it had lagged in visibility behind the Ford Mustang and others until it took on the challenge, increasing power and performance in models like the Hellcat and Hellcat Redeye. Now, the Dodge Challenger Daytona is charing into the next era of performance with an electrified version that I can attest, is simply stunning. Car are an assemblage of a gazillion little details, from design language (think aerodynamic roof lines and muscular fenders) to safety and driving technology to cabin comforts. Then, there are nuances such as the difference between a turbo and supercharger (turbo draws extra power from the exhaust system, supercharger draws extra power from the engine) and each has its benefits and compromises (turbo is more fuel efficient than a supercharger). A car girl knows the details of her car's features and equipment, what each does and why they are good to have. From adaptive cruise to lane keep assist, head up display to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, know what features are offered on a model, those that are not and why it's good to have (or not). Many cars are offered in different engine sizes and the horsepower and torque output are important numbers to know. Horsepower represents speed and torque represents pep. Combined, they are the experience you have when hitting the accelerator: the car gets up to speed fast, or it takes its time. Smaller engines are great for in-town driving and fuel economy. But bigger engines are simply more fun. If you go for the thrill and power, know what it's capable of (towing capacity, for instance) and how to make it do that. Electric cars are the future of fun and efficiency. Electric-powered cars have one or two motors, though some have more, and are not only silent, but incredibly fast. And while some critics call them soulless, we can attest, that isn't true. Porsche Macan Electric, Dodge Challenger Daytona and Hyundai Ioniq 5 N all prove the contrary. From uber-popular SUVs like the Chevrolet Tahoe and the Hyundai Santa Fe, to brands with a lot of iterations—looking at you, Mercedes-Benz—it's important to understand what's in a name. Model name, specifically. Chevrolet's model lineups tend to be easy to follow, LS and LT are the basic models, RST adds sport details, Z71 adds off-road abilities and Premier and High Country are the top of the line. Mercedes-Benz models can get complicated and that's before you've considered AMG packages or actual AMG models. Like most car brands, trim names tend to apply across the brand. So with Hyundai, Calligraphy is the top model of Santa Fe and Palisade, though expect to see it on more trims in the future—it has proven quite popular. It's the car girl conundrum: we like a lot of cars. We may still need a Toyota Sienna or a Jeep Grand Cherokee L for carpools and road trips, and still want something that makes our soul soar. So, consider a purely fun car for those solo drives or dinner out with friends. A Nissan Z or a Mazda MX-5 not only looks great in the driveway but will make your time away from the kids all the more special. A luxury car sends a strong message: I can afford what I want. But don't take luxury for granted; luxury car features are more sophisticated and tech-focused than ever. Sure, a finely appointed interior with real leather upholstery and Alcantara suede are nice, but what other features are part of the package? Head up display? Night vision? Massaging seats? A supercharged engine? And, does the manual mode work with paddle shifters or the gear shifter, or do you have a choice? Driving a stick shift is a lot of fun. If you want to learn, don't be afraid to ask someone to teach you. Here's a guide to that, and also, what you need to know to prepare. And if you don't want to learn, that's OK too. A lot of men don't know how, either. If you do want to learn, it's best to have a manual transmission car to drive regularly—see above: second car in the driveway—so you never lose the skill. Here is our list of great inexpensive stick shift cars. People can get geeky about cars and their details, so it's OK to pick your level of interest and change the subject when you (or the person you're talking to) hit it. And, cars can get complicated; you might know more about yours than other people want to hear. Being a knowledgeable car girl and a fanatical enthusiast are not the same thing, whether you're talking about cars or the finer points of the Louis Vuitton Speedy. More must-reads: Tasks Are More Fun in the 2023 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 Texas Edition Road Trip: Discover the Treasures of Southwest Virginia
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
I Went to Ford's Towing Bootcamp and Learned to Tow Like a Pro
I can drive a truck, and I love their capabilities, but towing? I have never had to back up a truck and attach it to a trailer hitch—that's a different challenge. But I like to be independent and learn new things, so when I heard that Ford was offering a Towing Bootcamp, a class that anyone can take, I signed right up. Our family has dreams of taking road trips to the national parks and scenic destinations around the country and hauling an RV so we can stay in the wild. But it can seem daunting to back up a truck and align perfectly to a hitch I cannot see. There is a lot of new tech in Ford's F-Series and Super Duty trucks designed to help with that, but still, it's a skill. And, there's a lot to learn. Our colleague Annika Carter is a pro at towing and shared this post about it, so I had a head start. But actually getting out there and learning to tow? That is where the skill truly starts to build. This story is 100% human researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks. This is something everyone should understand, even if your'e not towing. We are taught to ask, how much can this truck tow? But what is a payload capacity impacts tow capacity, so you have to know that number too. Payload capacity is what your truck can hold in the cabin and the truck bed. If the payload capacity is what the actual truck can carry, then the towing capacity is how much weight your truck can safely tow behind it. If you're freshening up the yard and need to load mulch into your truck bed, then the payload would be the amount of mulch that you can bring home without a trailer. But if you need pallets of sod and require a trailer to haul it, then you'll want to pay attention to the towing capacity. As Annika says in her post, both these numbers need to come in under the gross vehicle weight rating, so you have to do a little math when figuring out how much you can really tow. Read: Towing While Using Hands-Free Driving? Yes, Using Chevrolet Super Cruise in the Silverado Pickup Truck With the F-Series and Super Duty trucks, the payload and towing capacity varies based on model and trim levels, but no matter what, capacity is capacity, right? Ford, trying to simplify things for its owners, developed both Smart Hitch to make it easier to connect the hitch to the trailer, and onboard scales to ensure the payload and/or towing capacity fall within the weight limit. Then, you can adjust and lower the hitch into place so the truck and trailer to sit evenly and will seamlessly respond to braking. Smart Hitch camera views are clear and easy to see right on the touch screen even for towing newbies. Read: Towing 101: What You Need to Know to Tow with Confidence With all the tech assistance, it seems pretty easy to hitch up your trailer. And then you have to actually back up the truck. First, we had to select which type of trailer we had and get it set up with the right Smart Hitch selection. The visual guides made it easy to understand which trailer looks like the one you have behind your truck: conventional, weight distance hitch, gooseneck, or fifth wheel. Then our Towing Bootcamp instructor coached us to use the Pro Trailer Hitch Assist dial on the dashboard. Press and hold the button and the truck's tech takes over. The truck will do the hard work from steering and accelerating, and even braking, as you approach the hitch. The camera view is the cherry on top for me; I felt in control and had clarity to see the trailer align with the hitch. Read: Towing for Family Adventure: Campers, Boats and Jet Skis, Oh My! The Smart Hitch this tech replaces the old-school way of hitching a trailer: using mirrors, frequently climbing out of the truck to check the alignment, or having a spotter waiving and yelling at you. Taking the guesswork out also lets you learn the right steps from the beginning and avoid the potential for accidentally approaching too high or too low, and hoping that you're backing up straight. No one wants to start off a trip with a dent in the back of the truck and a cold, quiet first few hundred miles of driving with your spotter in the passenger's seat. Under Features and Towing on the multimedia screen there is a connection checklist you'll want to go through before driving off. Select your trailer and the checklist knows which question to ask next for our specific trailer type. After I backed up our conventional trailer and aligned with the hitch, I had to ensure the lock ball coupler was properly connected. The system prompted us to confirm this. Then it prompted me to check that all electrical connections are made so when I hit the brakes, the trailer brake lamps will light up. Another important safety step is to cross and connect the safety chains on your truck. In case the trailer detaches from the ball coupler, the safety chains will still be attached to your truck and not let it recklessly flail behind you in traffic. You'll also need to connect the emergency breakaway switch, so in the event if your trailer detaches unexpectedly, the brakes will then engage on the trailer. Other functions the system prompted me to check were the lamp functions using the Trailer Light Check feature. Once you press it, it cycles through every signal, brake light, marking light and reverse lamps, so you can physically walk around the truck to see that they are all working. Walking around the truck and trailer you'll see them flash on and off for five minutes. Once you confirm all connections are made, also double check that your tongue or level jacks are all the way up and not planted in the ground when you try to drive off. Our instructors also advised us to always check under the trailer to make sure your kids, pets, and anyone else is not hiding under there before you move your trailer. If all is clear, check your tires for nails, pressure, gashes, and take a look at your lug nuts on your wheels to ensure they are secure, and look for any cracks in the rims. If everything looks great there, remove the safety wheel chocks, or wedges that secure your wheels from rolling, and take them with you. The next item on the checklist is the driver safety check: Adjust the mirrors so you can see as you normally would before driving and set up your towing display: you can see that the lights are connected, the current gain setting, tire information, and overall towing status. It's great to have access to this from the driver's seat, especially if you're on a hill. Leaving this up on the screen allows you to keep an eye on everything as you drive. Next, we adjusted the gain setting; this allows for your truck and trailer to stop at the same time. You don't want the trailer forcing your trailer forward or the truck to stop first. For a heavier trailer such as a large boat, a higher gain is preferable. With a lighter trailer like a small camper or Jetski trailer, say up to 3,500 lbs., a lower gain is preferable. To get the gain right, you can test it in the parking lot before you head out and get a feel with the brakes. Listening to your truck and trailer, you can hear if the gain is even; it will make a thud noise if the trailer is surging forward. The right gain setting allows your towing to feel seamless and not feel like the truck or trailer are pulling in either direction. Ford certainly made it easy to add towing to your skillset; all Ford's trucks offer Pro Trailer Hitch Assist, Onboard Scales, and Smart Hitch features. But knowing what you plan to haul and what you plan to tow is how to decide how much capability you'll need. The F-150 pickup, for instance, is great for smaller things: A small boat, small trailer or lightweight equipment. Those who need to tow heavier things, such as a full-size RV or a work trailer, might do better with the Ford F-250 or F-350 Super Duty trucks. Keep in mind that trims, such as King Ranch or Tremor, are generally not impactful when it comes to towing; they are all about comfort and conveniences. And once you decide, keep in mind the payload part of the equation. Filling the truck bed with storage boxes and cargo subtracts from the amount you can tow. Or maybe, I'll just have to upgrade to the larger truck so I can fill the bed, and the trailer, with my destination dreams. More must-reads: Tasks Are More Fun in the 2023 Polaris Ranger Crew XP 1000 Texas Edition Road Trip: Discover the Treasures of Southwest Virginia
