Top 5 Road Trip Tips for an Optimal Ride courtesy of Dubzdirect.com

by Rich Bravo of Dubzdirect.com

1. Wax your wheels.
Yup, that's right most people don't think of waxing your wheels, however with auto enthusiasts spending upwards of $4k-7k on a set of wheels and tires, the secret is out – Wax your wheels! Professional detailers have used this secret for years. By applying a layer of wax on your wheels – you’ll protect the surface from any type of contaminate that could bond to the surface causing permanent damage. Make sure you use a Carnuba based wax and before applying any cleaner or wax also make sure your wheels are cool to the touch. Never apply anything on wheels that are hot to avoid etching or staining them.

2. Maintain proper tire pressure.
Always remember to keep proper tire pressure when loading up for your road trip. This will not only dramatically increase your safety, your gas mileage but will also reduce the wear-and-tear. Around ninety percent of tires do not have proper tire pressure, which leads to a greater chance of bending your wheel if there's an unsightly pot-hole in the road.

3. Watch for Dents and Bends.
Remember to check your wheels for any dents or bends, as that could lead to tire pressure leakage.

4. Tighten your lugs and stay in check.
It's a good idea to stay on top of checking and tightening your lugs. Not only will give you piece of mind but also save yourself from the dreadful reality of losing a wheel at 65 miles an hour on the freewayheaded to the lake. You should always be mindful of the max PSI listed on your tire. It may be deceiving at first, but be persistent because it is there.Before heading out, take five minutes to check your tire pressure. Not only does it take so little time, it makes the ride more enjoyable, your gas mileage more affordable, and your family safer.

5. Don't leave home without it: Valuable Tool to bring on the Road!
In most gas stations around the country you can find a tire pressure gauge for less than five dollars. These pressure gauges could save your life and save your tires. Gone are the days of having your local mechanic be the one to tell you your tires aren't road worthy. These can fit in your glove compartment, the side pocket of your door, even in your jeans pocket, and you will be able to check your PSI anytime, anywhere.

Oh and one more thing ...
For every road trip there's a great sunset ahead, keep your family safe, tires reliable and enjoy the ride!

-- Rich Bravo of Dubzdirect.com

July 4th @ 12:03 PM | Trackback

Asphalt Rising in Omaha: Cars and Coffee Opening Day in Omaha, Nebraska July 19th

by Duane Bartelt, Host of Cars and Coffee™ Omaha

One evening I was watching some recorded shows. I always TIVO Car Crazy on the SPEED Channel. Barry Meguiar was in Irvine, CA for Cars and Coffee™. As President of the Mustang car Club of Omaha, I had been wanting to find our cars a better “Cruise In” in Omaha. I thought what a great idea to do it Saturday Morning, that would be perfect for the cars guys that I know. I talked to Bruce Kuch and Dave Olander about the idea and they agreed that we should try to do something like this in Omaha. So, after contacting Brent at Cars and Coffee we realized that this would be a great event to do in Omaha. Thanks to Jim Ewoldt of the Hy-Vee Grocery Store on 156th & Maple St in Omaha, we have a perfect location to hold Cars and Coffee™ Omaha.

We are working hard to let everyone in Omaha know about out July 19th launch. Omaha still has that small town atmosphere and I expect it to start of well and grow steadily. We have a lot of great car enthusiasts, especially the classics, muscle cars, and hot rods. But there are all types of car guys and gals in Omaha. I believe Cars and Coffee™ Omaha will be the premier car networking event for many years to come.

Duane Bartelt

ASPHALT RISING IN OMAHA: CARS AND COFFEE™ OMAHA, NEBRASKA LAUNCHES JULY 19TH
Orange County Tradition Cars and Coffee Unites Midwest Car Buffs
Click here to read the Official Press Release.

Read more at www.carsandcoffeeomaha.com.

July 3rd @ 11:36 AM | Trackback

Cars and Coffee™ Las Vegas: Trailblazers to Sin City

by Saloman Braun, host of Cars and Coffee™ Las Vegas

It was a brisk Saturday morning one weekend in early September of 2007 when I first arrived at the PAG parking lot. I couldn’t believe my eyes! After all, it was only 6:45 am and in the middle of this jungle of corporate buildings stood a barrage of automobiles and enthusiasts co-mingling around with coffee in their hands and stars in their eyes. This was my first Cars and Coffee event that I attended with my friend Mark Trewartha just before an awesome trip to Bavaria filled with Porsches, castles and the Autobahn, of course.

People were just hanging out looking at each other’s cars, drinking a cup of Joe and talking about what seemed to be their favorite subject. Over 400 cars showed up that morning. A plethora of Porsches, Ferraris, Lambos, Vettes, classic cars and a few rods filled the rows of this petro Mecca. I was hooked. It was hard to believe that people would wake up at the crack of dawn just to hang out in a parking lot full of cars and have a cup of coffee. But wait, this was So Cal.

I was determined to bring this to the city of Entertainment. Since my wife Jackie and I had just purchased our first Porsche earlier that year, we were unable to let the car sit too long without venturing all over California every weekend. We were putting an average of 2000 miles per month. I’d say we had the bug pretty hard.

After a long four months of talking to Brent and Josh about the prospect of bringing the show to Vegas, we set a tentative date. Lucky for me it landed on my birthday. June 14, 2008 couldn’t come fast enough. Since Jackie and I had been involved with many car clubs locally, the campaign to spread the word for the Cars and Coffee Las Vegas launch was not a chore but a labor of love. We were finally going to have a place where all the auto enthusiasts could congregate and share stories about their babies. A place where Car clubs would finally be together in one place sharing their passion for their beloved Marques and a place where spectators would be able to feast their eyes on something other than flashing lights and tantalizing buffets.

The special day was finally here. Would anyone show up? I didn’t sleep a wink the night before. Josh and his friend Matt came from Irvine the day before to show their support and help out with the logistics. When we arrived at the desolate parking lot at 6:15 AM, there was a guy with an old MINI already there! Was this a good sign? It was. Cars started rolling in at twenty to seven and didn’t stop the trickle ‘till the end. 278 to be exact. I kept counting the cars so that my eyes weren’t lying to me. Over 250 cars have shown up every week since that glorious Flag Day, aka, MY birthday. A great start to what will become THE place for car nuts to be on early Saturday Mornings. I hope you come join us for a cup of Joe and some good conversation sometime. One more thing that happens in Vegas not to stay in Vegas.

Salomon Braun

July 1st @ 10:40 PM | Trackback

Member Spotlight: frank4cars

Some of you know him by his pictures. Some of you know him from his articles. Maybe you know him from both, but we at carsandcoffee.info know him as frank4cars. Frank Filipponio was chosen to be our very first member spotlight because of the impact he has had on the automotive culture of not just southern California, but all over the nation and the world. You can read various articles written by Frank at major online communities such as www.autoblog.com, www.fast-autos.net and www.festivalofspeed.net

Of course he also is well known for his photography which can be seen on his website at www.frank4cars.com and also on our site, www.carsandcoffee.info. Frank’s newest project is to develop an automotive page for the gamer site www.ugo.com. Check out his latest installment here.

Thank you Frank for being a huge contributor to our site, and the automotive enthusiast community!

Frank’s passions: Cars, photography, travel, movies

How he got started: I started the way I assume many people start, shooting cool cars I saw at weekend meets as a hobby. Specifically that was when I got my first camera from my Grandpa back in 1980 or so in Illinois. I've had some type of working camera ever since. I took a couple of photography classes in college but nothing too advanced. I basically learned by paying attention around better photographers and through trial and error. It finally turned into a career when things went digital and I was able to start posting some of my work from the old Crystal Cove show about 5 years ago. I got quite a bit of attention and launched Frank4Cars.com to handle requests for individual shots from admirers. I also posted on a lot of forums including Ferrarichat.com and Supercars.net, adding my own summary of the event or subject vehicle. People seemed to enjoy my prose as much as my pics. That led to work with Fast-Autos.net, FestivalOfSpeed.net, and eventually Autoblog. I've since added a few other titles to my resume including UGO, which just launched a Hot Rides Lifestyle page that I am producing.

Frank’s dream car: I've always been partial to Ferraris, but I could literally give you a new top ten list every day of the year and never repeat a single car.

Most thrilling automotive experience: Driving the same Koenigsegg CCX that The Stig spun on Top Gear.

Some of his favorite automotive events: Long Beach GP, Goodwood, Concorso, McCall's Jet Center Party, Pebble Beach, Monterey Historics, RM Auctions, Chicago Auto Show, Geneva Motor Show, Art Center, SEMA.

Events I still want to cover: Anything Formula 1, but Monaco would be extra special, Le Mans, the Nurburgring 24, Indy 500, Tokyo Motor Show, Shanghai, Sydney, Paris, London, Ville d'Este, Amelia Island, Cavallino, and a visit to Maranello.

Current Ride: 2006 Mazda5

Hometown: Originally from Chicago, Illinois. I now call Orange County home.

See Frank's profile HERE

July 1st @ 10:35 PM | Trackback