Price wise they’re affordable so to speak at an average $150 for the size I needed for my vehicle compared to the Dunlops which were $125 at the time I bought them. They’re top rated according to customer satisfaction and basically the top tire from GoodYear.

They’re my first directional tire as the two previous sets were bi-directional. I definitely noticed a huge improvement in terms of road response. I can’t remember how the stock Firestone tires felt, but I do know the Dunlop tires felt very similar if it’s any indication. My car felt like an entirely different car. The car turns in faster and is definitely more responsive. I no longer spin my tires on rainy days and hydroplaning is almost a non-issue.

Traction on snow and ice is incredible and if I didn’t know any better I would say it almost felt like performance from a snow tire. It’s definitely perfect for this Vancouver West Coast weather we get where it is predominately rain. I’m not sure if it is entirely the tires, but I do believe rolling resistance is less on these tires resulting in my increased fuel economy.

Now to see if they truly get 130,000 KMs if not it’s actually guaranteed and I’ll get a credit for the amount of mileage I was unable to attain. The Dunlop Axiom’s which claim 100,000 KM was just a suggested wear life with no guarantee and they lasted till about 65,000 KM with proper tire rotations before they got very unbearable and unuseable in snow.

Anyways, through the years I’ve encountered numerous instances of being tailgated (and yes – tailgated myself). How I’ve reacted to being tailgated has also varied quite a bit as I’ve spent more time on the road.

There’s the whole I’m going to mash on my brakes and give you a scare tactic. This is probably the most dangerous and also aggrevates the tailgater even more.

Then there’s the I’m going to mash on my gas and leave you in my dust. Well this is also dangerous but not only that you’ll probably end up speeding and could end up with a potential ticket.

Then there’s the slow down and force them to pass. This is probably the safest and most common instruction in various defensive driving courses etc.

I’m not sure if this happens elsewhere however it certainly happens a lot here, where there are some idiots that just tailgate you for the sake of it. You slow down, pull over to the next lane, do everything and anything to give them way to pass, but what gives?! They just want to be right up on your tail.

Well I know this certainly isn’t recommended, however I find it is a very effective deterrent. This is especially effective if you’re travelling at speed on a highway and you’re being tailed. I’ve started to wait for the car to come right up close and then I simply spray my windshield fluid. This on most vehicles results in overspray flying behind your vehicle and onto the car behind you. For some bizarre reason it bothers people regardless of whether their car is freshly washed or covered in bird poop.

The mist usually stays in the air long enough to land on a car behind you even if they’re 2 car lengths back. I’m sure many people have experienced this and are equally annoyed. I’m not sure why it strikes a nerve, but it has certainly annoyed me a few times after cleaning my car and whilst cruising at a leisurely pace a few car lengths back behind another car cleaning their windshield.

I’ve found this highly effective in making the car either backoff or change lanes. If they don’t get the hint the first time doing it a few times certainly drives the point home. You can also always play it off like you’re minding your own business too if they drive by all angry.

Anyways I assume absolutely no responsibility if you should some how end up in or cause an accident with this info.

The idea works on the fundamentals of hedging. Often used in the business/finance world to reduce your exposure to risk.

Well there’s a company called “First Fuel Bank” in Minnesota that has based their business model on these ideas.

The idea is you prepay for the gas that you will forsee you’ll be using. There is no minimum or maximum to how much you must purchase. By doing so you lock in that amount of gas at whatever the prices are currently. If the gas goes up in price you simply fill up from your pre-purchased gas. If gas goes down and costs less than what you paid, well hey you simply just pump and pay like current gas stations.

Only thing is it costs $1 for a lifetime membership, which is certainly worth it. Currently they only have 6 stations in Minnesota, but if this idea catches on it’d be great! Check out the full details at First Fuel Bank

From there I went on to the Sylvania SilverStars which are supposed to put out 50% more light onto the road. With these I did notice an immediate difference in the distance of how far the lights went. I switched over to the Osram Silver Stars which are the same as the Sylvania bulbs. Difference being I picked up the Euro Spec bulbs therefore they are technically not DOT compliant.

However the E spec and DOT requirements are pretty much the same so I consider them “legal” plus I’ve never had any cop examine the lettering on the bulb anyways (not that they could without being blinded by the light). Anyways the Osram bulb’s main difference is it doesn’t have that blue coating on the bulb. So for the Sylvania Silver Stars the light looks whiter as opposed to the Osram bulbs.

Now I’ve gone on to try these Powerbulbs brand which is from the UK. Apparently they manufacturer OEM bulbs. I’m thinking they’re probably from a pre-branded factory manufacturer. I’ve got the PowerPlus bulbs which are the 50% more light type of bulb. Generally these newer 50% bulbs get that extra light output by using Xenon gas in the bulb instead of the standard Halogen.

After some very non-technical means of guaging the distance of the light (i keep a check on how far down my street i can see from my driveway), I think these bulbs actually perform better than the Osram bulbs.

Here’s my quick breakdown. Sylvania Cool Blue bulbs burn out faster than OEM bulbs and provide only a minor lighting upgrade. Osram or Sylvania Silver Star bulbs are an improvement over stock and lasted me about a year and a half. PowerBulbs PowerPlus seem to be fairing well so far..

Here’s a comparison picture of stock OEM Halogen Bulbs versus the PowerPlus Xenon Bulbs.

The headlights on top are the stock OEM bulbs. The bulbs on the bottom are the PowerPlus bulbs. You can notice how the colour is different in the light output due to the difference in gases that the bulbs use.

With this image I ramped up the levels in photoshop to enhance the photo a little more. You can see that the visible light output of the new bulbs is definitely more than the stock. Also the colour temperature is different and is enhanced by this photo.

Perhaps later on I may post the histograms for the image for both bulbs for the geeks out there.

EDIT: I forgot to link to where you can get these.  Along with all the other bulbs mentioned they’re sold through Powerbulbs they sell them usually 2 for 1 and free shipping worldwide and very very reasonable prices.  I haven’t been able to find their bulbs sold cheaper anywhere else online or in store.  Especially if you’re going with the name brand bulbs like Philips and Sylvania / Osram. Enjoy!