To extend the life of your car and to save money, consider using synthetic motor oil. Synthetic oil is not just for vehicles used under extreme conditions, such as racing or off-road. The benefits of using synthetic motor oil are just as relevant to high-performance vehicles as they are to daily drivers. Synthetic oils such as Royal Purple provide longer intervals between oil changes, saving you money and disposing less waste into the environment.

Royal Purple offers SAE Engine Oils that are API certified “SN,” providing outstanding performance and protection for both gas and diesel engines. Additional benefits include longer service life and emission system compatibility. SAE engine oils are ideal for stock, 2011 and newer, unmodified gas and diesel engines under factory warranty.

Many vehicle owners today are searching for ways to keep their cars running longer. More used vehicles are being purchased that have limited warranties.

To keep these vehicles running longer, choose Royal Purple High Performance Street (HPS) motor oil, which offers an elevated zinc/phosphorus anti-wear additive and Synerlec proprietary technology. Using HPS can significantly reduce heat and wear to protect your engine and will also reduce engine deposits, keeping your engine clean.

How often you should change your oil depends on the kind of driving you do. If you primarily make short trips that are less than 10 miles, you will want to change your oil at least twice a year. If you are making longer commuter trips of 20 miles or more, you are safe following your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations, which could be up to 10,000 miles.

Once you’ve successfully purchased and changed the oil in your vehicle, the next step is to recycle. Royal Purple has partnered with Earth 9-1-1 so you can find a recycling center that will accept used motor oil in addition to other recyclable household items. Find a recycling center at www.earth911.com.

More information about Royal Purple can be found at www.royalpurple.com.

There are many ways to help increase your vehicle's longevity and keep your peace of mind intact. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of one of your largest investments.

Make It Your Routine
Just as regular check-ups with your doctor are important for your own health, heeding regularly scheduled maintenance intervals as determined by the vehicle manufacturer is also an essential step to help keep your vehicle healthy. Taking your vehicle in and having it regularly maintained helps to make sure your vehicle has what it needs to keep it running. Of the overall maintenance regimen, one of the most frequently missed maintenance tasks is the oil change. By changing your oil as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer, you can help maintain the performance of your engine. Regular maintenance and recommended intervals are typically outlined in a vehicle's owner's manual.

Take It Easy
To make sure your vehicle can stand the course of time, it is important to avoid unnecessary strain on the engine.

"A vehicle that has been sitting for an extended period of time will have next to no oil left on the moving parts of the engine, as it has accumulated in the oil pan," says Hsu. "Allowing your engine to warm up by easing into acceleration will help the oil flow quicker and decrease the amount of wear and friction-related damage that may occur."

Maybe even more important than taking it easy on startup is making sure to not overexert your vehicle. Constant, high RPMs, short braking, high-speed driving and other severe types of driving can lead to accelerated engine and transmission wear and potentially more substantial issues.

Keep It Clean
"When trying to keep a vehicle running and to extend its life, it is important to not overlook the body of the vehicle," says Hsu.

Consumers' vehicles likely take a beating throughout the year with the months of harsh winter conditions and corrosive elements. High temperatures, bird droppings, tree sap and UV rays in the warmer months can also cause damage to the interior and exterior of a vehicle. Keeping vehicles clean can help protect them from the chemicals and dirt that may attack the car's finish and undercarriage.

Make Sure It's Covered
Having your vehicle covered for any issues that may arise is important, and extended warranty programs are becoming more and more prevalent. Last year alone, Americans bought 250 million extended warranties, according to the Service Contract Industry Council. There are also different types of aftermarket warranties available to consumers through the products they use; but there is only one program that offers motorists a full warranty and the possibility to receive a cash reward.

Quaker State has recently updated one of the longest running, easiest to use and most comprehensive motor oil warranties available to motorists, the Quaker State Lubrication Limited Warranty. The Quaker State Lubrication Limited Warranty, which is free to qualifying consumers who use Quaker State products, protects 15 engine parts from lubricant-related failure and provides motorists' vehicles with coverage for up to 10 years or 300,000 miles, whichever comes first.

In addition, if your vehicle does end up making it to the 300,000-mile marker under the Quaker State Lubrication Limited Warranty program, you can receive the cash value of your vehicle as part of the Quaker State Cash Back Bonus; a program designed to not only reward those motorists who view their vehicle's mileage as a badge of honor but also incentivizes them to keep their high-mileage vehicles and maintain them.

Following these simple tips can help promote a long life for your vehicle. For more information about the limited warranty program, Cash Back Bonus Program and the full line of Quaker State products, visit www.quakerstate.com.

Because the races will draw a lot more spectators than drivers, there will also be a variety of exhibitions and competitions happening on the sidelines. In the midway area, local vendors, manufacturers, supporters and groups will have the opportunity to elevate their involvement and showcase their wares or talents.

“The coolest thing about this show is it’s about grassroots racing. Average Joes get the opportunity to bring the cars that are their pride and joy out to the track to show them off and have fun, while at the same time going after a big cash prize, and getting their 15 seconds of fame on national television,” says PINKS technical advisor Nate Pritchett.

Here’s the schedule for the 2008 season of PINKS All Out. Please note that pre-registration and Test n’ Tune will be held the Friday prior to every shoot, and that dates and locations are subject to change. Rain dates will be scheduled for the following Sunday.

Dates and locations are:
March 8, San Antonio Raceway, San Antonio, Texas;
March 29, Red River Raceway, Shreveport, La.;
April 19, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Fla.;
May 10, Atlanta Dragway, Atlanta, Ga.;
June 7, Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, Ohio;
June 28, Gateway International Raceway, St. Louis, Mo.;
July 26, Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, N.J.;
Aug. 9, Bandimere Speedwayl Denver, Colo.;
Sept. 6, Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.

“PINKS All Out is a terrific concept, not only as a television program, but also as a track event for the regional drag racing community. We’re delighted that SPEED has selected Infineon Raceway to anchor the PINKS schedule in 2008,” says Steve Page, Infineon Raceway president and general manager.

“PINKS All Out is one of the most innovative entertainment packages on television today! Furthermore, the opportunity to attract such a large live audience for a ‘made-for-television’ event makes PINKS All Out one of the most dynamic and exciting events on our 2008 schedule,” adds Bill Bader, Jr., president and general manager of the Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

PINKS All Out can be seen on SPEED every Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. Pacific only on SPEED. For more information on contestant entry or to purchase spectator tickets, log onto www.SPEEDtv.com.


EDITOR’S NOTE:

SPEED is the nation's first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 78 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country and, the home to NASCAR on SPEED. For more information, visit www.SPEEDtv.com.

The best part is, they even provide the race cars – so you don’t have to worry about cracking up your pride and joy. The driving school covers a broad range of racing. Most of the racing programs are taught in a 2 liter, 4 cylinder open wheel vehicle making 130 horsepower.

Offering packages of 1 to 3 days, drivers start off learning the basics of slaloming, braking and downshifting. More advanced theory is taught as students spend the next day doing high speed laps, some while following an instructor’s car to learn the best line, and some on their own.

On the third and final day students are introduced to actual race situations such as drafting, passing, different types of race re-starts and even racing in wet conditions.

For speed demons who are interested in trying a little bit of everything, combo packages are available which mix together track time in sports sedans and Mazda Miata roadsters, the basic open wheel vehicle, and a more powerful Formula 2000 open wheel car.

One of the advantages of the Skip Barber School is that for the street car lessons, an instructor actually rides along with your in the passenger seat, providing real-time analysis and advice – something that can definitely shave seconds off of your lap times.

The Skip Barber Racing School offers sessions at major tracks all over the country. If you have ever wanted to drive such historic tracks as Lime Rock, Sebring, Road America or even the banks of the Daytona Speedway, the Skip Barber School is your chance to realize your dreams and become a better driver along the way.

There are high-stakes, high-prices for a high standard that is laid onto every aspect of not just the machines, but the drivers as well.

The money is likely to be recouped by ticket sales, racing memorabilia and advertising, as the sports cars are mostly sponsored by advertisers. And what is it that is so alluring about it? It is all those fast, classy cars? The roaring and humming of engines?

For one, it is the race car itself. These machines are magnificent pieces of machinery, that almost transcend what machines should be.

Formula 1 has rules and regulations, that demand precise conditions on how a car is designed, constructed and how it would eventually perform, and the cars still manage to be a treat for anyone with a lust for speed, design and engineering.

The standard F1 racing car has a single seat, an engine behind the driver, aerodynamic features such as the wings; and everything from the nut bolt, the GPS tracker to the helmet is precisely chosen. And of course, there is the open cockpit design.

All these technical components make F1 a playground for engineering, and then there are the races. Overtaking is a thrill in Formula One racing that goes beyond what people would do on streets.

In F1, a driver decides during a race to take chances to overtake another driver, such as, at the start or in the first corner, and each choice is a calculation. And the skill of the driver is tested.

There is a lot of skill required in each maneuver that is utilised to gain pole position, and cornering may be one of the most necessary to master.

In simple, cornering requires knowing how to handle a turn without much traction. To do that, a driver must know how to brake, press the gas and take a controlled turn.

And a driver must also know the conditions of the track, and how each turn needs to be studied, and how one would have to speed around either a closed-circuit track or a closed-off street track.

Then there are certain aspects of driving that a driver must avoid, such as oversteering. When drivers oversteer, they turn the wheel to a point where the tail end of the car makes the whole car to lose grip of the surface.

And along with oversteering, there is understeering. A driver must not understeer, which is to reduce speed to gain traction, which wouldn’t work as a driver has a race to win, and can’t do that without knowing the right speed.