Upcoming auto show benefit to consumers and car dealers alike

The 2008 Arizona International Auto Show is one of the most anticipated auto shows for car enthusiasts, but it's also a big gold star on the calendars of car dealers all over Arizona. Held November 22 – 25, over Thanksgiving weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center on North Third Street, thousands are expected to turn out to get a glimpse of what's brand new for 2008. The show gives folks the opportunity to check out all kinds of new vehicles – 400 to be exact -- pickups , cars, cross-overs, and SUVs all under one roof. Scheduled to make an appearance are several exciting new models like the 2008 Isuzu i-370 Extended Cab pickup, the Hummer H3 Alpha, and the Audi R8 in addition to the latest concept cars by various makers. Dealers from Chevrolet as well as Ford will be there offering ride and drives of the Chevy Malibu and several Ford models. Sunday, November 25 is "Family Day." Kids under 12 years are free with a paid, accompanying adult. When you go, be sure to visit the South Building of the Convention Center where reliable favorites like Honda, GM, Isuzu, and Kia will be showing off their brand new models, as well as the West Building where you can check out Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Volvo. Auto shows are important to dealers because of the enthusiasm they generate for new cars. Even people who wouldn't necessarily be ready to trade in their older models see a new model, fall in love with it, and the decision process begins. Even dealers who are not onsite offering drives at the auto show will experience an influx of potential new customers in the weeks following. Car shows are designed to be exciting. They bring car enthusiasts together in a social environment and allow them to reflect on all kinds of information about the cars that searching the internet would take hours to do. In the weeks after a car show, people begin to really think about the cars they've seen and decide they'd like to test drive the ones they were most interested in. The Arizona International Auto show is sponsored by Motor Trend Auto Shows (the nation's largest new-model auto show producer) and will travel to 23 different convention centers this year, from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Secaucus, New Jersey and more. Arizona car dealers aren't the only ones who will benefit from exposure at the show. Even if you're not in the market for a new car, at only $9.00 for adult admission, it's an affordable outing for the whole family on a weekend when you often find yourself trying to figure out how to entertain relatives. Attendees will learn more about automotive trends in general, but also about automotive safety features available or soon-to-be available. The show happens in Arizona every two years, so don't miss it this time around. We know football and overeating are a big part of the holiday weekend, but there's always time for an auto show, right?

Top ten coolest features in affordable cars

We don’t have flying cars yet, but super expensive luxury and sports cars can already park themselves, adjust the window tint, or automatically slam the brakes to prevent an accident. While those options haven’t filtered down to the majority of vehicles yet, here are some amazing car features in ordinary vehicles that keep you safe, make driving easier, or are just plain cool. Steering Wheel Mounted Audio Controls: This “safety feature” is a must have for music lovers. Most systems will let you adjust the volume, CD track, change CDs, or switch between different CD and radio without taking your hands off the wheel, making enjoying your music nearly effortless. Intelligent key: This is a type of remote keyless entry that allows you to enter your vehicle and start it without taking it out of your pocket. Some of these systems also have a sleek push button start. Touch Screen GPS: Not only will these systems guide you through unfamiliar terrain, the touch screen makes them incredibly easy to operate. Memory Seats: This feature allows you to save two different settings for the driver’s seat, so if someone else drives your vehicle, just press a button and it returns to your saved setting. Some models even link the setting to each key, and will adjust automatically. Heated and Cooled Seats: Leather has always had a reputation for being cold in the winter and hot in the summer, but with heated and cooled seats, drivers’ bottoms will be comfortable in any season. Telescopic Steering Column: In addition to tilting up or down, the steering wheel can be pulled closer to you, or pushed further away, allowing increased comfort, especially on long trips. In some luxury models, this is a power option and can be set as part of your memory seat system. Advanced Airbag Systems: Once upon a time, cars didn’t even have seat belts. Now intuitive safety systems use body panel sensors to determine where an impact comes from, how severe the accident is, and uses this information to deploy the proper airbags at a rate proportionate to the force of the accident, occupant weight, and seat position. Stability Control Systems: Taking traction control one step further, these systems monitor individual wheel speed and direction, as well as driver input, to determine if control is ever lost, and can increase or decrease power to individual wheels to help the driver maintain control. These systems are so effective that they will eliminate any loss of traction, even full throttle acceleration in rear wheel drive, 300+ horsepower vehicles on gravel or mud. Adaptive Cruise Control: This technology allows the car to slow down or speed up in relation to surrounding traffic. Bluetooth: Talk hands free on your cell phone using your vehicle’s speakers and a hidden microphone. Unlike other systems, it uses your cell phone minutes instead of requiring an additional service. Most of these options aren’t standard in economy cars yet, but they may be soon. Side air bags are standard equipment in many cars, and all these features can be found in vehicles less than $35,000, and most in vehicles around $20,000 to $25,000.

Various motorcycle grips for different types of bikes

Motorcycle Grips can be customized to suit your kind of bike whether its a Harley or a sport bike their are all sorts of grip styles out there. One is bound to fit your bike and your style. Motorcycle grips can be just plain old rubber grips like what you see standard on sport bikes and cruisers or they can be extremely fancy like the stuff you see on custom choppers that cost 40k. Prices on grips can vary from a few bucks to a few hundred depending on the style and the material that they are made from. Some cycles also offer the ability for you to have heated motorcycle grips for those of you that ride in cold weather this is a huge plus. Grips are generally made from things like rubber on the cheap side, billet aluminum which can get pretty expensive or Anodized steel. Sport Bike Grips tend to lean more toward the functional side where cruiser grips are fancier and more ornate. Sport bike grips are usually made from rubber or a combination of rubber and gel to make riding easier on your hands. Most Superbike grips are really inexpensive. Expect to pay no more then twenty bucks for a good set. Some of the companies that make good grips for sport bikes are Parts Unlimited, Progrip, and Grab ON Grips. All of them make a quality product which is perfect for fitting on to your sport bike. Also Diamond Power Sports makes some really nice billet aluminum grips for the Suzuki GSXR line. These are pretty pricey at around $149 for a set, however if you want a bling then they are the way to go for your Gixxer. Now Cruiser Grips come in many variations however most of them are quite decorative. You can show your attitude depending on the grips you slap on your cruiser. You can get some with a spike on the end or a skull just to give you some examples. Arlen Ness makes several really beautiful grips for bikes. Cruiser hand grips tend to be made from billet aluminum or a combination of aluminum, rubber or foam. Unlike sport bike grips the cruiser counterparts are available from fairly cheap to a few hundred bucks for a set of really nice ones. However a nice grip will put the finishing touches on a bike. To make your bike even more unique you can also find end caps that will further differentiate your bike from everyone else. End caps usually go on the end of a grip and usually are in the form of a spike or a skull or such. Heated grips are also available for most cruisers, if you commute on your bike this can be a very vital item to keep you comfortable in cold weather. For cruisers you can find a quality hand grip set by makes like Kuryakyn, Showchrome, Arlen Ness, Drag Specialties, Galindo Designs, Jardine or Pro1. Kuryakyn and Arlen Ness make some of the nicer motorcycle hand grips in my opinion.