Autometer Sport-comp Monster Tachometer 0-10,000 5" Dia Black Face 3900 on 2040-parts.com

Tiremakers offer new tread designs and compounds for winter

When preparing your vehicle for winter, most people think about getting the battery tested, installing new wiper blades and having plenty of windshield-washer fluid on hand. Those are all good habits. But if you live in a cold-weather part of the country, installing a dedicated set of winter tires is another thing you should consider.

IDSA's 3D-printed car design contest gets underway

Aspiring designers have the chance to see their 3D-printed car designs launched down a miniature model of a ski jump and crash in the Launch Day 2013 competition due to take place at the 2013 IDSA conference, which runs from 21-24 August. Up to five designs can be entered for free until 12 August in the competition, organized by The Industrial Designers Society of America. All submissions will then be judged for both aesthetics and for "using unique attributes of 3D printing" which will whittle them down to just 10 designs that will be printed before the launch.

July 6: The skinny from the power company

After getting a full recharge at the 120-volt wall plug in the parking garage at work I drove home and only used maybe three bars. It was about 3/4-full when I got home that night. I didn't plug it in all weekend and it still had that amount of charge when I went to Southern California Edison (SCE) for a meeting today.