Grand Prix Performance - Costa Mesa, CA

Rotating your tires

-Makes them wear evenly since front and rear tires react to the road differently

-Have us check the balance and alignment 

-We will give you a clean bill of health or recommend adjustments

Check your tire pressure

-Proper tire pressure requirements are shown on the side wall of your tires

-Best thing to do is bring your car in for a tire check-up and inflation

Road hazards

-In a busy place like Orange County, debris in the road can damage your tires

-Drive carefully and avoid objects on the road

-If you hit something, have your tires checked for damage

-Chunks of tread, damaged tread or sidewalls can suddenly blow out the tire if you do not take -proper care of them

Don’t ever plug your tires

-You would be amazed at how many people think a $20 plug keeps them safe

-High-speed, freeway driving is a plug’s worst enemy.  We recommend getting a new tire -instead of a plug.

-Never get a tire plug in a sidewall.

When to replace your tires

-Most states have a tread depth minimum for getting your car inspected

-Since 1968, Federal law has required a built-in 2/32 inch bar to show you the minimum

-The time it takes to stop on a wet road can double when your tires have this minimum tread depth

-Consumer report recommends 4/32 inch

AAA estimates that 94 percent of the people going at least 50 miles between Wednesday and Sunday will be on the roads.

Drivers can expect traffic to be worse this year, too -- the group predicts an 11.4 percent increase from 2009.

Before starting the journey, drivers should do some car maintenance and check on laws that might change the way they drive, AAA says. Here are some tips to help you hit the road!

Before you go, check your tires, wiper blades and battery AAA suggests giving yourself a week to check tire pressure and tread depth, to replace wiper blades, to fill the windshield washer reservoir and to test the battery. Even if you're already behind on your to-do list, now is the time to take care of it. Don't leave home without an oil change or brake check, too, if you've been putting those off.

Make an emergency road kit According to AAA, a winter emergency kit should include an ice scraper and snow brush; sand, cat litter or traction mats; a small shovel; gloves, hats and blankets; flashlights with fresh batteries; shop rags or paper towels; jumper cables; warning flares or triangles; drinking water; non-perishable snack bars; warm clothes; first aid kit; basic hand tools; mobile phones and car chargers with important numbers preprogrammed.

Check the weather Know what kind of conditions you might be driving through, not just the weather at your home and your destination. In Minnesota, snow and ice are getting heavier; in Seattle, Washington, there's a rare snowfall.

Brush up on your winter driving technique Increase your regular following distance. Rather than three to four seconds, make it eight to 10. Avoid skids by applying the gas slowly to accelerate. Above all, said AAA National spokesman Troy Green, be patient and don't let yourself get distracted. See more winter driving tips from AAA.

Know where to use your cell phone Thirty states and the District of Columbia have recently banned texting while driving. Some cities and states now have laws against distracted driving or using hand-held cell phones at all while driving. But AAA warns that even if it's legal, it's risky to use any cell phone, even a hands-free device, while driving. Check out AAA's list of distracted driving laws.

Keep the kids busy Use books, games, DVDs -- whatever will keep the kids comfortable and stop them from distracting the driver. Remember, they will need snacks, and will need to make stops, so be prepared to spend more time on the road if you're traveling with children.

Take a break every two hours or 100 miles Adults need to stop, too. Breaking up the drive periodically will keep you more alert while you're on the road, Green said, which will help you arrive for Thanksgiving dinner in one piece.

By the way, if you have an old jalopy, we suggest you crack open the window a bit if you are going to be idling the engine. Old jalopies are more likely to suffer from exhaust leaks and rust holes. This may not be a problem while you're driving because the wind is removing the exhaust as you move forward; but if you're sitting for a long time while carbon monoxide is slowly leaking into the passenger compartment, well, we could lose you...

Finally, if you are pulled over and stopped in the midst of a humungous snowstorm, be sure to get out periodically and remove snow from behind the tailpipe to keep it unobstructed.

As the CEO of Hagerty Insurance Agency and the man behind the list, McKeel Hagerty knows what cars are going to be hot tomorrow, surveying thousands of clients to see what they expect to skyrocket in value over the next 20 years. But don't expect to get rewarded for good behavior. The cars on list don't include the trendy, eco-friendly Prius -- he claims those vehicles will end up collecting dust in a museum like Chrysler minivans do now. When you're taking bets on future wheels, the attractiveness of the car itself is what makes cars collectible -- bigger motors, more power, crazy customizations, and all the gee-whiz-bang-coolness that comes along with it.

Ordinarily, the Japanese bosses treat Acura's Yankee designers with a kind of benign condescension, much as a proud owner would treat a beloved poodle. But for whatever reason, the product executives empowered Acura's California design staff and they, in turn, ripped the skin off the ball.

In a season of gene-spliced coupe crossovers such as the BMW X6 and 5-Series GT, the Honda Crosstour and the upcoming Land Rover coupe-crossover, the ZDX is one of the few, maybe the only one, that work as sculpture. Based largely on the MDX — with the trucklet's high ground clearance and all-wheel drive — the ZDX is more than five inches shorter, canopied in a daring, all-glass greenhouse that tapers dramatically toward the back above hindquarters that are right out of the Porsche 911's playbook. As rakish as sling-back hiking boots, the ZDX disguises its four-door conformation with blacked-out roof pillars and concealed rear-door handles (hidden in the rear sail panel). The glowering, visorlike front end suggests a sex android here to devour your bank account. See Lady Gaga, above.

Under the skin, the ZDX features Honda's excellent, turbine-smooth 3.7-liter, 300-hp V-6, new six-speed automatic AWD system, and nineteen-inch alloy wheels. Acura has applied all its usual blandishments to the chassis, wadding the frame with abundant acoustic materials and applying its active noise-cancellation technology in the cabin, which works like the headphones you use on airplanes.

Aside from the styling, the ZDX's other outrage is its value. At a base price of $45,500, the ZDX is handsomely equipped with an all-leather interior, power tailgate and rear camera, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity. At about $56,000, the full-boat ZDX is a tech lover's dream: two-mode dynamics system (with a sport mode for quicker steering and stiffer suspension); adaptive cruise control with collision mitigation; navigation with voice recognition; Elliot Scheiner — brand ten-speaker audio system. The list is long and tempting.

In these deeply troubled times for the domestic auto industry, the ZDX offers a balm to our national vanity and reminds us that American car design can still be one of the nation's great cultural exports.