Most drivers are familiar with the term horsepower as it applies to automobiles. More horsepower equals a more powerful engine. More specifically, a horsepower is defined as 550 foot-pounds per second which means the equivalent of the energy required to push 550 pounds over a distance of one foot in one second. That figure is equal to moving 1 pound 550 feet in one second, 225 pounds over two feet and any combination that works…

 Antifreeze/ engine coolant maintenance is one of the basic engine care tasks that most car owners can handle by themselves. It is more complicated, however, than just topping off the coolant overflow reservoir with water when it runs low.

We've all seen cars sitting by the side of the road, hood open, with steam billowing out from the engine. This means that the car has overheated and the engine coolant is boiling away…

 In President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech on Tuesday night brought the current state of the American automobile manufacturing industry to center stage. All of Detroit's Big Three received prominent mentions by President Obama. "General Motors," he said, "is back on top as the world's number one automaker? Tonight, the American auto industry is back."

Is it though? Based on the numbers, it appears that the American auto industry is indeed once again healthy and growing. The Sacramento Bee reported that J.D. Power is projecting January 2012 U.S. auto sales to finish up…

The Chevy Volt was the subject of congressional hearing Wednesday as a subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee began hearings about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's handling of the delayed crash-test battery fire experienced by one Chevy Volt during testing last year. At issue was whether General Motors received special treatment in the form of NHTSA silence about the test crash result, because 26% of GM stock is currently owned by the U.S. Government as a result of the bailout deal.

House committee members pressed GM and the NHTSA for some evidence that waiting…

On January 6, General Motors held a live web chat for Chevy Volt owners to answer any questions Chevy Volt owners may have about the retrofits being conducted to resolve the potential risk of delayed battery fire after severe side impact accidents. To date, said Chevy Volt Marketing Director Christi Landy, 7997 Chevy Volts have been sold and have racked up more than 20 million real world road miles. In all that time, there…

Every so often, emails go around explaining how someone's cousin installed some device in his car engine and is now getting noticeably better gas mileage. These might be a device that alters the fuel or air intake systems of the car, using water for gas, or in some cases magnets or exotic metals placed outside of the fuel line to chemically change fuel passing within.

Sometimes, the explanations given by the companies peddling these…

In the effort to improve gas mileage and wear on tires, some consumers are filling their tires with nearly pure nitrogen instead of the standard compressed air. While tire makers say their tires are designed for plain air, others say nitrogen provides noticeable benefits. Let's look at the available data and see if there really is a difference.