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Car Seat Groups And Stages Explained

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Which car seat is right for your baby or child at each stage of development can be confusing. There are four stages ( 1-4) that correspond to four groups (0-3). Your child will move through these stages (or groups) as they grow. Each is designed to suit a specific weight for child and position in the car. Many of these convert to work within several groups, so you don’t necessarily have to buy a new seat every time your child out grows a stage. When possible car seats should be always used in the rear where they are safest. NEVER place a child in a car seat in a front seat where there is an airbag.

Stage One:

group 0 and 0+

Group 0 seats are suitable for infants up to 10 Kg (22 lbs) which is typically around age 6 – 9 months.

Group 0+ is the same as group 0 but is suitable for a bit more weight so may last few month longer. The age and weight recommendations for this group are 13Kg (29 lbs) which is typically to the age of 12 – 15 months.

Both groups are suitable from birth.

These are rear facing seats. It is advised that they be used in a rear seat whenever possible. While it maybe hard to hear your baby cry and not be able to reach over to them in the front, the safest placement really is in the back.

An infant should only be moved to a group 1 seat when they have either exceeded the weight limit or the top of their head is above the back of the seat.

Stage 2:

group 0

Group 1 seats are suitable for children 9 – 18 Kg (20-40lbs) which is typically between the ages of 9 months up to 4 years old. So, choose wisely, this seat could be with you for a while.

These are forward facing seats. It is, however, still recommended that they be used in the rear seat whenever possible and NEVER in the front seat if there is an airbag.

Harnesses should always be checked and adjusted with growth to insure that the child can not slip out of the seat either through the legs or arms.

As with the group 0 and 0+ seats, a child should only be moved to the next stage when they have either exceeded the weight limit or the top of their head is above the back of the seat.

Stage 3 and 4:

group 2 and 3

These are grouped together because adjustments can be made to a group 2 seat to make it suitable for stage 4.

Group 2 seats are designed for children between 15 – 25 Kg (33 – 55 lbs) or approximately 4 to 6 years.

Group 3 seat are designed for children from 22 – 36 Kg (48 – 79 lbs) or approximately 6 to 11 years.

These seats are boosters seats. They are grouped together because group 2 seats can be converted to use when a group 3 seat is necessary. In many cases the back can be removed from the booster seat moving it from a group 2 to a group 3.

Boosters seats do not have a harness system. Instead they are designed for use with adult seat belts. When properly fitting the diagonal part of the seat belt should be across the chest and NOT across the neck.

Once again, as with all stages of car seats, a child should only be moved to the next stage when they have either exceeded the weight limit or the top of their head is above the back of the seat and it is always recommended that any car seat be used in the rear seat whenever possible and NEVER in the front seat if there is an airbag.

Remote Control Car Setup Tips

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Setting up a remote control car is as much a science as it is an art, the physics behind rc cars is exactly the same as the physics that governs real cars, if you know how setup changes in a race car work, you already know how to setup a remote control car.

The problem that most people have with setting up RC cars is that when you make a change in one area it always has a knock-on effect on the rest of your settings, setups are very much a balancing act

To start with I’ll concentrate on the basics of handling, over steer and under steer. The physics behind this is pretty simple, if you turn into a corner the center of gravity will move in what ever direction you were initially travelling. Your tires via friction push back with (hopefully) an equal amount of force. When your wheels lose traction and start to slide the energy that was being turned into heat in your tires gets released as inertial energy in the original direction of travel. With cars, both back and front don’t break traction equally, this creates either under steer or over steer, which is how we describe the experience the driver has under these conditions.

Under steer

Under steer is when the front of the car loses traction while the rear of the car still has grip on the tar, the effect is that the nose of the car drifts away from the direction you are turning, turning harder makes it worse, the only thing you can really do is back off the throttle and bleed off speed.

Over Steer

Over steer is the opposite of under steer, and in most cases it’s best to have a little of this. The front of the car keeps traction while the rear lets go. One of the key benefits is that you can typically corner much faster in a car that has some over steer

Over steer / Under steer Tuning tips

There are a lot of ways to tune the handling or your radio controlled car, the easiest is to adjust the front and rear shocks. While there are a lot of options with springs, different oils and all sorts we are just going to concentrate on the basics, most decent shocks have adjustments, either with spacers or bolts that let you adjust how hard or soft the shocks are.

As far as maximum and minimum stiffness goes, make sure that the bottom of your car doesn’t scrape the ground, and on the other end make sure it doesn’t bounce and leave the asphalt, apart from that you need to find the setup that matches your driving style, most people get winning setups off the internet and try to learn to drive them, mind you this is a great starting point, and most championship winners post their setup sheets

Shock Stiffness guide

Stiffen in front = increasing under steer or reducing over steer
Stiffen in rear = increasing over steer or reducing under steer

You may be wondering why one setting makes two changes, this is because it’s all about balance, you could for example setup your rc car by only every changing the rear stiffness, but you would find that when you got the perfect amount of over steer under braking the car would then be uncontrollable during the exit of the corner. It’s all about balance,

Another thing to keep in mind is that when you change the shocks you also change the roll of the car, this the the chassis of the car moving with the inertia, in effect pushing the front tires into the road during breaking and the rear during acceleration. If your shocks are too soft then the transfer might dig your front wheels in and lift the rear enough to make you car spin out, or lose steering under throttle, you have to find the right balance

More to come…

Personal Loan vs. Payday Advance Which is Better

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So youve found yourself in a bit of a financial bind, and need a little help to get through it. Dont be embarrassed; its happened to just about everyone at some point or another. What you need to do now is figure out how to deal with it in the best way.

And if your credit cards are maxed out, and your family members or friends cant help, there are only a couple of real options: 1) a personal unsecured loan, or 2) a payday advance.

Both Personal Loans and Payday Advances may help get you out of a short term financial jam. So now comes the very valid question: Which is better? Well, that can depend a lot on your personal situation, and what you hope to get out of the situation (besides the obvious cash). So lets take a quick look at both.

PAYDAY ADVANCE (LOAN): Its a cash advance, not a loan!
Many people refer to this option as a payday loan. However, the more accurate description is “payday advance.” It is not a loan. It is a cash advance with a large fee. You write a check to the Payday Advance company. They typically give you 80% of the check amount in cash, and then they hold the check until your “payday” which is typically when the money to cover the full amount of the check will be in your checking account. The Payday Advance company then deposits the check and keeps the 20% as their fee for the cash advance.

Odds are youve seen the brightly lit signs of a Payday Advance shop next to some liquor store or in a strip mall, or you have seen them advertised on TV, in e-mails or in banner ads online. The amount of money Payday Advance companies can provide is limited by state law and is typically a maximum of about $500. In California, the maximum advance is $300.

So, the advance may be enough to get you through small cash emergencies when youre between paychecks. If you need a quick couple of hundred bucks for groceries, if your cars alternator goes out, you chip a tooth, etc a Payday Advance might be a viable, but very expensive, option.

However, very often a Payday Advance is only enough to delay the cash emergency for a few weeks, and not enough to get you totally out of it. As a result many people find themselves getting multiple Payday Advances, which can be extremely expensive when each advance costs you a 20% fee. Ten payday advances over the course of year would equal an effective interest rate of over 200%! A very expensive way to go.

And, since a payday advance is not an actual loan, it can do nothing to help your credit status.

PERSONAL LOANS: Get much more money at a much lower cost.
A personal loan is actually a loan that you repay over time via affordable monthly payments. You can get much more cash than you get from those payday advance places – and you dont pay a 20% fee over two weeks!

Of course, if your credit isnt perfect, your bank will turn you down very quickly. However, CashCall makes personal unsecured loans, up to $5,000, to people in a cash jam, who have less than perfect credit! This is the kind of money that can really help if youre facing major car repairs, medical issues, looming bills, etc. The loan money is placed directly into your checking account in about a day, and there are no limitations on how you can use your cash. Its up to you.

A personal unsecured loan from a company like CashCall doesnt require any collateral or security. You dont need to be a homeowner, you dont need to turn over the title to your car you dont need to do anything except apply, and provide some simple paperwork. The cash can be in your checking account the next day.

You use the money to get out of the jam youre in. And then, you can either make the affordable monthly payments or repay the loan when you can. There are never any fees or penalties for repaying the loan early, and you will minimize the interest you pay by repaying the loan sooner rather than later.

Another benefit of a personal loan from CashCall is that you can actually improve your credit score by making your monthly payments on time. Thats right, you can rebuild your credit because CashCall provides all three credit agencies (Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) with your payment information because it is an actual loan, not a cash advance! And in the long term, thats the kind of thing that can truly get you back on your feet.

CashCall Personal Loans offers high-interest-bearing, unsecured term loans to qualified borrowers who typically use the loans for one-time purchases and debt consolidation. These loans of up to $5,000 are processed entirely over the Internet, phone and fax, and funds are wired into the borrowers checking account typically within 24 hours. CashCall Personal Loans are a good alternative to Payday Loans for borrowers. While interest rates are high, they are typically much lower than those of payday lenders, and CashCall Personal Loans have the potential to help customers rebuild their credit score by making payments on time.

Tips On Starting A Toy Car Collection

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Collecting toy cars is an addictive hobby that cannot only be fun and educational, but also a good investment as many toy cars increase value over time as they are collectible items. But how do you get started with a toy car collection?

The first step is deciding on a focus of your car collection. As there are so many
The first step is deciding on a focus of your car collection. As there are so many different types of cars, car manufacturers, and even brands of toy car manufactures you need to decide what kind of cars you want to collect. Some suggestions would be choosing one of the toy manufacturers such as Hotwheels or Matchbox, or choosing a type of car for example saloons, super cars, hatchbacks, or classic cars. Alternatively you could base your collection on something more personal to your tastes maybe you only like red cars, or cars made between the years 1980 and 1990? The key is just deciding these focuses.

Secondly you have to start purchasing your chosen cars. I would recommend visiting car boot sales, garage sales, and looking on ebay for second hand cheap toy cars, but if not you can visit a site like Toy Transport to find your cars, although they most sell super cars like toy Lamborghinis and toy Ferraris, so it may not fit with your collection.

Once you have started a colletion you will probably want somewhere to display your collection and keep them clean and in good condition I recommend a high shelf out of normal reach as this will protect things from falling on them or having to move them frequently.

Color Trend In Small Cars

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Small, efficient, smart and bright colored cars are the trend for 2010 in the automotive market. Automakers are focusing on small cars and as new models surge into the market, bright colors will blossom. Since car manufacturers are focusing on the small car line up, therefore to given them a jazzy and fiery appeal, bright colors are the order of the day. The experts also feel that if bright colors are put in large cars, it will be a little too much for the consumers; hence these colors are best suited for the small cars. When it comes to cars, colors matter a lot because it represents the personality of the person driving that car.

When the buyer visits any showroom, the first thing that attracts him is the color of the car and this is one of the main selling points of the car. The car aficionado feel that colors can bring the customers out of their recession-dull mood, therefore colors carry a lot of weight when it comes to make a purchase decision. People are now tried of black and grey and look for more vibrant colors in small cars like Chevrolet, A-Star, Hyundai i10 and many such names. The automotive color spectrum has been monotonous for many decades with only few colors hitting the car market including black, white and grey. Now even the eyes need a breather and for that vibrancy in looks can play a crucial role.

Jazzy and peppy colors are in these days as small cars represent the same. The new entrant in the small car segment, Maruti Suzuki A- Star is available in vibrant and peppy colors like bright red, paradise blue, sunlight copper, healing green, silky silver, desert brown, azure great, midnight black and arctic white. Why get a grey or white car when you can cruise in sunlight copper or electric blue instead? Dull and monotonous colors will not suit the small and zippy cars which are targeted at the youth. Let black, grey and white enhance the elegance, sophistication and exclusivity of the large or big cars. Small and vibrant is what people look for in todays time because of prices touching sky everywhere.

Reds, lime greens, orange, electric blue are in vogue in small car segment and this has increased the demand of thee cars among the youth. The color one chooses foe his small car is dictated by career choice, personality and popularity. For most of the people, car is more than just a utility item; therefore a lot of stress is there on the colors like yellow, green, red, blue, beige and white.