I think many of us with vehicles seriously overestimate or underestimate what we could tow with it. You might look at a boat, utility trailer, or travel trailer and ask yourself “I wonder if my car could handle that?”

Now where would you go for that kind of information? Most people would go straight to the owner’s manual of their car. The problem is, the information in that manual will be so watered down and generic that you can’t really trust it.

It’s going to say something like this: “towing capacities are calculated under the assumption of a standard equipped vehicle, normal driver, and trailers. Any other equipment or passengers will reduce the amount of weight your vehicle can handle.”

Huh? So how on earth can you evaluate your real towing capacity? The first thing you have to understand the vehicle manufacturer is using a completely stripped down version of the car or truck to beef up the towing rating. Makes sense right?

They’re trying to sell cars, and if you’re a family with a tent trailer, seeing a super high towing rating on that little station wagon could be the factor that gets you to buy. That’s why you need to bring a skeptical eye to that owner’s manual.

The last thing you want is to load up your trailer with a few quads or motorcycles, head up to the mountains, and then have your transmission go out because you trusted the manufacturer’s published towing capacity. That could be a very expensive getaway.

Here are some terms you want to be familiar with in evaluating your actual towing capacity:

Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW)
You know all those times you’re headed down the interstate near the border of the state you’re entering or leaving? One of the best ways to find out your unloaded vehicle weight is to stop at one of them, pay the $5 or $10 fee, and have them weigh your car or truck.

If you do stop at one of those weigh stations, try to have your gas tank as full as possible to make the measurement more accurate.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
This is the maximum weight your tow vehicle can be without wrecking your car, truck, or suv. There are a few places you might find this number – it might be under the hood in the engine compartment, or on a sticker in a door frame, or maybe even in the owner’s manual. It’s important to know this number because the foundation for safe towing is not attempting to pull something that is just too heavy for your car.

The bottom line when towing is not to overdo it. When you buy a vehicle, if you know it’s going to be used for towing, be realistic about the capacity of the car or truck you’re buying.

The lightweight family sedan you’re buying is probably not intended to pull a 20 foot boat, or a large travel trailer. If you know you’re going to be doing lots of traveling, camping, RVing, and other recreation, be honest about what type of tow vehicle you’re going to need.

I would recommend buying a solid 8 cylinder engine with a transmission calibrated for heavy duty jobs. I would rather overkill on the vehicle than risk doing thousands of dollars in damage to my car or my trailer. Not to mention the people I’m sharing the road with.

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Motorcycles are a rite of passage for most young boys. It is the first true freedom they find to get out and go places and literally the first motorized vehicle many of them own because of the economics involved in owning a vehicle and the fact that most young boys are not well off financially.

The Yamaha YZF-R6 or the R6 as it is more commonly referred to is a sporty and fast bike that is going to excite almost anyone that sees it or rides on it. The heart pumping bike in 2006 touted a staggering 17500-RPM redline. If that were indeed the actual RPM of the engine, the bike would be up somewhere close to the performance of a high tech and high dollar formula one race car.

The bike is listed as having a 600 CC engine styled as a 4 stroke with 16 valves and liquid cooled, dual overhead cams and the new models incorporate titanium valves. It is fuel injected with a six-speed transmission and a final chain drive to get the torque to the rear wheel. There is a nearly 5 gallon tank that allows a decent cruising range and has a dry weight of only 366 pounds so it should be easy for anyone to maneuver.

It is styled like the traditional racing bikes and will turn almost any head that happens to see it streak by on the road or anyone simply walking by. It is a very attractive looking machine, which explains it’s almost immediate popularity when introduced back in 1999 and also explains why it continues its popularity today, ten years later.

These machines maintain their value and resell fairly well which makes them an anomaly in the motorized vehicle industry where only a handful of vehicles actually maintain worth. There is also a huge following out there of people who enjoy customizing this bike and so there is a plethora of after market accessories available for the bike so you can truly take the production machine, which is no slouch to look at, and make it an extension of your own personality by adding or subtracting parts that show who you are.

You can get everything from replacement fairings to bar ends to exhaust, seats, mirrors and lights that will go together to further accentuate the bike you have or to allow you to totally redesign the ride to be something no one else has. All of these modifications are bolt on parts so all you have to do is remove the old and replace with the new. That makes changing your look simple, sweet and fast and it’s something that you could almost do every year so it looks like you got a new bike every season. Wouldn’t that make all your friends jealous?

No matter what, the Yamaha YZF-R6 is a motorcycle that will allow you to look as good on it as it looks sitting there all alone and will get you from here to there in style.

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If you take note of the vehicles that run on the streets you’ll get to appreciate their uniqueness and individuality. The varying sizes, designs, and features set them apart from their contemporaries. A regular size four-door vehicle is easily categorized as a sedan, and a sporty looking car with retractable roof is recognized easily as a cabriolet. Now the question is this, what do you call a car which bears characteristics of an SUV and a Minivan? Yes, there is such a vehicle now. It’s called a Crossover. Ok, maybe you haven’t heard this term before, and instead you heard XUV or CUV (crossover utility vehicle) being used. All these terms pertain to one vehicle.

A Crossover is one of the most suitable cars for family use. Why? It’s because Crossovers combine great features of an SUV and a Minivan like tall interior packaging, high seating arrangement, and ground clearance. By all appearances, a Crossover looks like a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), but its handling is just like a car. Its physical attributes make it ideal for family use.

One most familiar example of a Crossover is the Honda CR-V. The ones you see on the road nowadays is actually the third generation Honda CR-V. The third generation is the redesigned version, definitely sleeker and more stylish than its predecessors. More than that, it is also equipped with better under-the-hood components and interior features.

The Honda CR-V is driven by a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine capable of generating 166 HP and 161 ft-lbs. of torque. These engine qualities are more than enough for transporting a family to any destination they need to go. This model in particular features captain’s chairs and huge rear seats that can be reclined for comfort. There are eight cup holders for each child’s favorite drink. This ensures no spills on the carpet. Grand entertainment is also offered in the interior as the CR-V. This means no more boredom for kids when going on long trips. Right on the center console lays a 6 Disc CD changer with a PC Card slot. A rear backup camera is even included; I guess this is another safety feature.

Handling is easy because it’s equipped with stability control, antilock brakes, and side-curtain air bags. When tested, the CR-V rated a 10 out 10 in terms of frontal, 10 out of 10 for side, and 4 out of 5 for rollover. See, with these results, the Honda CR-V is still one of the best family vehicles to have.

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