Jeep Grand Cherokee "The Most Awarded Sport Utility Ever!"

Jeep® Grand Cherokee has received more awards over its lifetime than any other SUV.

MID-SIZE SUV CHALLENGE WINNER
The 2014 Jeep® Grand Cherokee won the Cars.com/USA Today Mid-Size SUV Challenge in a head-to-head competition. Experts from Cars.com, USA Today, "MotorWeek" and a family representing the average mid-size SUV buyer tested six vehicles for fuel efficiency, practicality, driving ability, comfort and features. The Grand Cherokee came out on top.

SUV OF TEXAS / FULL-SIZE SUV OF TEXAS AWARDS
The 2013 Jeep® Grand Cherokee was awarded the prestigious "SUV of Texas" for the third consecutive year as well as "Full-Size SUV of Texas" by the Texas Auto Writers Association+.

A Consumers Digest® Best Buy
The 2013 Jeep® Grand Cherokee was awarded a "Best Buy" from Consumers Digest® in the Full-Size / Luxury SUV category.

Five Star Side Crash Rated
The U.S. Government awarded 2014 Jeep® Grand Cherokee with the Five-Star side crash rating+, its highest designation, thanks to over 45 available safety and security features.

Forward Collision Warning System recommended by NHTSA
The 2014 Jeep® Grand Cherokee offers an available Forward Collision Warning System+ recommended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

LUXURY SUV OF TEXAS AWARD
The ultra-premium 2013 Grand Cherokee Overland Summit was named the "Full-Size Luxury SUV of Texas" by the Texas Auto Writers Association+.

Ward's Top 10 Engine
The influential Ward's magazine awarded the 3.6L Pentastar® V6 engine as one of the 10 Best Engines+ for 2013.

Official Winter Vehicle of New England
The 2013 Jeep® Grand Cherokee has been named the "Official Winter Vehicle of New England" by the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA).
Best-in-Class 4x4 Capability
Off-road capability has been at the core of the Jeep® brand from the beginning. The 2014 Grand Cherokee has Best-in-Class 4x4 Capability+.

Best-in-Class Ground Clearance
Rising above the competition, the Jeep® Grand Cherokee claims Best-in-Class Ground Clearance with the Quadra-Lift®+ Air Suspension system.

Best-in-Class Driving Range (V6 and V8)
Both the 3.6L Pentastar® V6 engine and 5.7L V8 engine feature Variable Valve Timing to help achieve Best-in-Class Driving Range+ (assuming all highway).

Source: http://www.jeep.com/en/grand-cherokee/awards/?sid=913821&KWNM=jeep+grand+cherokee+awards&KWID=5977210684&TR=1&channel=paidsearch

 

TOWING BASICS 101 WITH HADI.

TOWING DEFINITIONS AND TERMS

HITCH ASSEMBLY: Often described as the “hitch”, it is mounted to the low vehicle (most often to the vehicle frame) and includes a hitch receiver, ball mount adaptor, hitch ball and wiring harness.

HITCH RECEIVER: The part of the hitch assembly that permits insertion of the ball mount adapter.

DRAWBAR (BALL MOUNT ADAPTOR): A metal bar that carries the hitch ball and is inserted into the hitch receiver. There are some hitch assemblies available with permanently mounted or fixed ball mount adapter/drawbar.

HITCH BALL: The steel ball bolted through the ball mount adapter or hole in the low vehicle’s rear bumper. The coupler on the trailer goes over the hitch ball.

COUPLER: Affixed to the trailer tongue, the coupler is a hollow metal stamping that cover the hitch ball.

FIFTH-WHEEL HITCH: A special high platform with a coupling that mounts over the rear axle of the tow vehicle. Connect a vehicle and fifth-wheel trailer with a coupling kingpin.

FIFTH-WHEEL TRAILER (ALSO SEE GOOSENECK TRAILER): One of which the King pin of the trailer attaches to a specially designed hitch mounted in the bed of a pickup truck. It is most popular with large travel, moving and horse trailers.

GOOSENECK TRAILER (ALSO SEE FIFTH-WHEEL TRAILER): The gooseneck trailer employs a ball socket hitch which attaches to a ball mounted in the bed of a pickup truck over the rear axle. The hitch mounts to the vehicle frame.

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT (GVW): The total weight of the tow vehicle, including driver, passengers, any special equipment (options, accessories and up fitted equipment), cargo, fuel, coolant, trailer tongue weight, etc.

GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING (GVWR): The maximum allowable total weight of the tow vehicle, including driver, passengers, any special equipment (options, accessories and up fitted equipment), cargo, fuel, coolant, trailer tongue weight, etc.

GROSS TRAILER WEIGHT (GTW): The weight of the trailer plus all the cargo in it. This is measure by putting a fully loaded trailer on a scale.

GROSS TRAILER WEIGHT RATING (GTWR): Maximum allowable weight of the trailer, plus its cargo.

GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT (GCW): Total weight of a fully equipped truck and trailer with cargo, driver and passengers, fuel coolant, equipment, etc.

GROSS COMBINATION WEIGHT RATING (GCWR): Maximum allowable gross combination weight.

TRAILER TONGUE WEIGHT: The downward force exerted on the hitch ball by the trailer coupler. In most cases, it should not be less than 10 percent of the trailer load or more than 15 percent. (Also see King Pin Weight below)

KING PIN: The main fastening member between a fifth-wheel hitch and a trailer.

KING PIN WEIGHT: The downward force exerted on the king pin and pickup bed by fifth-wheel trailers (25 percent of the GTW)

PAYLOAD: The sum resulting from subtraction of the curb weight from the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).

TOWING CLASSES:
There are the five classifications for the trailer weights and hitches:

CLASS 1 - LIGHT DUTY: - 2,000-pound maximum. - Includes folding camping trailers and trailers for small boats, motorcycles and snowmobiles.

CLASS 2 - MEDIUM DUTY: - 3,500-pound maximum. - Single-axle, small to medium length (up to 18 feet) trailers

CLASS 3 - HEAVY DUTY: - 5,000-pound maximum. - Dual-axle or large single-axle trailers - Weight-distributing hitch not required, unless specified for the particular vehicle

CLASS 4 - EXTRA HEAVY DUTY: - 12,000-pound maximum. - Largest travel trailers made for recreation            - Weight-distributing hitch is required; as indicated by each weight classification 12,000-POUND AND OVER      - Must be a fifth-wheel or gooseneck, or pintle hitch.

NOTES ON GETTING HITCHED
WEIGHT-CARRYING HITCH: A weight-carrying hitch supports the trailer tongue weight, just as if it were luggage located at a hitch ball or some other connected point of the truck. These kinds of hitches are commonly used to tow small and medium sized trailers.
There are three styles of weight-carrying hitches: - Fixed Drawbar: in which the ball platform is permanently welded to the hitch - Removable Drawbar: in which the ball platform is removable. This hitch is commonly referred to as a utility ball mount for Class 3 hookups.

WEIGHT-DISTRIBUTION HITCH: A weight-distributing system includes a receiver attached to the tow vehicle, plus a removable hitch head and spring bar assembly that fits into the receiver opening and hook up brackets that connect the spring bars to the trailer frame. This allows towing of trailers with greater tongue weights - typically Class 4 categories- up to 12,000 pounds.

FIFTH-WHEEL HITCH: A fifth-wheel hitch is a special high platform with a coupling that mounts over the rear axle of the tow vehicle. It Connects a vehicle and fifth-wheel trailer with a coupling kingpin. It is most popular with large travel, moving trailers.

TOWING AND AXLE RATIOS: On rear-wheel-drive vehicles, rear-axle is an important part of a successful towing equation. It is expressed as a ratio between the driveshaft revolutions per minute and the rear axle’s revolutions per minute. It is always given as a numerical shaft expression like 4.1:1. This means the small pinion gear at the end of the drive shaft must rotate 4.1 times for every single rotationof the rear axle /shafts. Each rear-axle ratio in the spectrum of those offered has a plus and minus. A ratio that is “low” in the number of drive shaft rotations for every axle rotation results in lower engine rpm and in better fuel economy, longer engine life and quiter running. But it won’t be good for quick acceleration, climbing grades, carrying loads or pulling a trailer. A “high”ratio, one with a high number of drive shaft turns like the 4.1:1 is better for quick acceleration, climbing grades, carrying loads or pulling a trailer. However, it results in lower fuel economy and is noisier when running at high vehicle speeds.  For any application, it is best to determine a rail that will enable your Ram vehicle to pull a trailer with the engine operating closest to its optimal power range - where peak torques and peak horsepower meet on the engine power curve chart. This maximizes power, efficiency fuel economy. It is best to determine a rail that will give good trailer towing power without handicapping non-towing performance too severely.            

Types of Headlights

Types of headlights: incandescent, halogen, xenon, and fog lights.

Many of us take our vehicles for granted. We jump into them, start them up and take off. But, do you ever stop to think how hard and how safe it would be to go anywhere at night without headlights? Sure, most streets are lit, but it would definitely be very difficult to drive at night without illumination.

There are many types of headlights available and depending on the your current use and preference, you may want to consider your options.

- The incandescent headlight is the most common used by America car manufacturers. The light comes from the filament. As an electrical current runs through the filament, it glows and gives off light.                  

- Another popular type of headlight is halogen. Halogen is a newer technology. It shares the use of a filament with the incandescent light, but its differences make it better. First, it uses a thinner filament. This allows the light to produce brighter white light than its incandescent cousin. Second, it is filled with halogen gas. The gas allows the filament to burn longer and thus extends the life of the headlight.

- The next evolution in “gassy” bulbs are xenon headlights. Like halogen, xenon headlights use gas to achieve a whiter light. Unlike halogen, xenon headlights don’t use filament. They use electrodes instead. These electrodes are encased in a bulb filled with xenon gas. This technology also allows the bulb or headlight to burn much longer. As you can imagine, xenon headlights are more expensive.

- Note that standard driving lights provide a visual range of about 1,000 feet. Pencil beam headlights can double that range. The bulbs are usually for off-road use, they are not street legal. They burn so bright that they are considered a danger to other drivers.

- Fog lights are another type of headlight. It’s all about the angle for fog lights. They are designed to be pointed downward to increase visibility during rain, snow or fog. Light is not reflected off the elements and back into the driver’s eyes. As you get into your vehicle next, think about your headlights. You have many different options. Make sure the light that lights your way is right for you.

Oil

Automotive Oil Changes: conventional, synthetic blend, and synthetic.

Oil: Not Just For The Tin Man It lubricates a vehicle’s engine. It cools a vehicle’s engine. It cleans avehicle’s engine. It is motor oil, and without it, an engine could not run. It is as important to your vehicle as it was to the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz.

Motor oil performs five basic functions in a vehicle’s engine. It creates a protective film on engine parts to enable them to move freely. It acts as a cushion between metal engine parts to prevent wear. It moves excess heat from the combustion area to the oil pan to keep the engine cool. It works as a sealant between the piston rings and cylinder walls to stop blow by and power loss. Finally, it suspends contaminants and neutralizes acids to protect the engine from becoming encrusted with harmful deposits.

A vital component of a vehicle’s engine, motor oil is available in three forms: conventional, synthetic blend and synthetic. The least expensive of the three, conventional oil comes from the ground and is refined and blended with additives. A combination of conventional and synthetic oil, synthetic blend is more expensive than conventional oil and works best for vehicles used for heavier work.

Of the three, synthetic oil is the most expensive, but because it is man made, it tends to penetrate an engine better, leaving fewer deposits and offering greater high-temperature resistance and low-temperature flow.

To find out what type of motor oil you should use in your vehicle, consult the owner’s manual. In general, you should change the oil approximately every 3,000 miles or three months. Depending upon your know-how, you can either change the oil yourself or have it done by a professional. As your vehicle ages, gaps between engine parts may become larger and thicker oil may be needed. A service center will be able to advise you on this. Of course, even with regular oil changes, the engine light may come on. In the event that it does, follow these steps:

1. Pull over and turn off the engine.

2. Switch on the hazard lights and open the hood.

3. Check the oil and add some if needed.

4. Restart the engine and check to see if the engine light is off.

5. Call a tow truck if the light is still on or go about your way if the light is off and check the oil frequently in the next few days to make sure there is not a leak.

Motor oil kept the Tin Man moving and it will keep your vehicle moving, as long as you use it properly and change it regularly. Consult your owner’s manual and follow the recommendations listed regarding the use of motor oil. Keep your vehicle happy and running well!