plus 3, Ending Fuse Confusion - WTOP

Ending Fuse Confusion - WTOP
ABC News: Expert says electronic design flaw to blame in runaway ... - autoblog
Albany car-repair business owner admits tax fraud - Times Union
$35 million mixed-use development proposed for Midtown Cleveland site - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 03:01 PM PST

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A Better Tire Gas

It makes up 78.084 percent of earth's atmosphere and is vital to our survival, nitrogen is also great for your tires.

Nitrogen in tires has a couple of notable advantages over plain air. First, nitrogen doesn't leak out of tires as fast as regular air. That's because nitrogen molecules are larger than oxygen molecules.

Oxygen makes up 20.9 percent of our atmosphere, and therefore in theory, makes up 20.9 percent of what you pump into your tires from your air pump. Oxygen molecules actually move between the molecules of the rubber in tires, nitrogen is a great choice. Nitrogen's bigger molecules stay in tires longer so pressure remains more constant for a longer time. This means less topping off, longer tire wear and better fuel economy. Slower pressure drop is a huge advantage, but the bigger issue behind the switch to nitrogen is water and oil. You wouldn't know it, but when you pump air into your tires, you're also buying water and oil.

Usually that elicits a response that implies, "You're nuts, that's not even possible." Not only is it possible, but some water and some oil is guaranteed. To inflate tires, the air has to be compressed by an air compressor. Air compressors have two major problems, they're lubricated with oil, and they heat the air. As compressors wear, some lubricating oil leaks past internal seals and mixes with the air, then as the heated air cools, humidity in the air condenses into water. So inflating tires also means adding small but damaging amounts of oil and water at the same time. Unfortunately, if the compressor you're using has seen a lot of service, you may get a lot of water or oil, or both.

Of course oil, and water don't mix, but oil and rubber sure do, and oil degrades rubber. Over time, this degradation causes leaks and in some extreme cases, tire failure. Then there's the water issue, you can't put air in your tires without getting some water. That water damages everything metal and electronic inside the tire.

Long ago, that wasn't much of an issue, but tires have changed, wheels have changed, and electronics have entered the picture. Water that makes its way into tires causes the wheels to corrode. It isn't unusual to find wheels so badly damaged by corrosion they need to be replaced or repaired after only a few years of service.

Now there's a new complication, electronic sensors. Federal law now requires cars to have Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). These systems use electronic pressure sensors mounted inside each tire. The sensors are extremely reliable and durable, but they are also sophisticated and don't like to be bathed in nasty, oily water from poorly maintained air compressors. They are also expensive to replace.

Here is where nitrogen has a clear advantage, as nitrogen is completely dry, and has no oil in it to damage tires, wheels or TPMS sensors. Nitrogen is not a miracle, but it is beneficial, inexpensive, and something I use and recommend. Look for green valve stem caps that signify that tires are "filled-with-nitrogen."

Posted by: | 07/01/08 12 Comments | PermaLink

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ABC News: Expert says electronic design flaw to blame in runaway ... - autoblog

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:33 PM PST

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ABC News: Expert says electronic design flaw to blame in runaway Toyota models

by Frank Filipponio (RSS feed) on Feb 22nd 2010 at 5:27PM

While the real cause of the Toyota unintended acceleration issues are still under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one news outlet is reporting that they know what's behind it. ABC News tracked down one David Gilbert, an automotive technology professor at Southern Illinois University, who says he knows exactly what it is. According to Gilbert, it's an electronic design flaw in Toyota's 'Fail Safe' system.

Gilbert says the flaw "prevents the car's onboard computer from detecting and stopping certain short circuits that can trigger sudden speed surges." ABC News adds, "he can recreate a short circuit in the electronic throttles of Toyotas that can create a surge of acceleration but can't be detected by Toyota's electronic sensors."

Because the computers won't record an error code in this situation, Gilbert told ABC, "they can't activate the 'fail safe' system designed to shut down the power and put the car in the 'limp home' mode."

John Hanson, a Toyota executive, answered reporters today by saying an electronic cause of the sudden acceleration issues was "extremely unlikely" and that "no actual evidence has been produced" to the contrary.

This report has led safety advocate Sean Kane, of Safety Research & Strategies, to bolster his claims that the electronics are the real culprit. Kane is set to testify before the House Commerce Committee on the Toyota issue on Tuesday. "The system is fallible, in fact, it's got some really troubling design strategies that are employed by Toyota that appear to be outside the norm. And their system clearly has design strategy that has a very slim margin of safety."

And it looks like the House might agree with them. The New York Times is now reporting that leading Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said Monday that they were disturbed by the fact that, "Toyota had dismissed the notion that computer issues could be at fault for sticking accelerator pedals, relied on a flawed study to draw that conclusion and then made misleading statements on the repairs it said would fix the problem." We'll get you the results of the hearings as they come in tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Sources: ABC News, New York Times | Image: ABC News]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Tags: Congressional hearing, congressional hearing on toyota safety, congressional hearings, CongressionalHearing, CongressionalHearingOnToyotaSafety, CongressionalHearings, David Gilbert, DavidGilbert, House Commerce Committee, House Energy and Commerce Committee, HouseCommerceCommittee, HouseEnergyAndCommerceCommittee, toyota, toyota electronics, toyota recall, toyota unintended acceleration, ToyotaElectronics, ToyotaRecall, ToyotaUnintendedAcceleration

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Albany car-repair business owner admits tax fraud - Times Union

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 02:25 PM PST

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ALBANY -- The owner of an Albany auto repair business has pleaded guilty to fraud, admitting he stole state and local taxes last year.

Damon Adams, 38, of Waterford, who owns the Northway Service Center on Third Street, faces 3 years probation at his April 13 sentencing for the misdemeanor before City Court Judge Thomas Keefe.

Adams failed to pay taxes collected from customers last summer, officials said.

He pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 in City Court to fifth-degree tax fraud. Under the plea agreement, Adams must pay $31,502 in restitution to the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

The case, handled by the agency's local Special Investigations Unit, was prosecuted by Albany County District Attorney David Soares' office.

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$35 million mixed-use development proposed for Midtown Cleveland site - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Posted: 22 Feb 2010 01:07 PM PST

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By Michelle Jarboe, The Plain Dealer

February 22, 2010, 3:44PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Architect and real estate investor Richard Bowen hopes to build medical offices, homes, stores and restaurants on former industrial property in Cleveland's Midtown neighborhood.

Through Shaker Associates LLC, Bowen has signed an agreement to buy 1.78 acres just south of Chester Avenue, near the Dunham Tavern Museum. The city of Cleveland is seeking a state grant of more than $190,000 to cover an environmental analysis of the site, which has been used for welding, auto repair and a range of manufacturing.

Bowen, president and owner of Richard L. Bowen + Associates of Cleveland, envisions a $35 million project on the property. The development could include a 70,000-square-foot medical office building, 150 homes for seniors, 14,000 square feet of retail and two restaurants. According to the state grant application, the project would produce 245 jobs and $1.3 million in annual property tax revenues for Cleveland.

Faced with the fragile economy, few developers are launching projects in Northeast Ohio and across the country. But a handful of investors are positioning themselves along Euclid Avenue and planning for the recovery. Developers including Fred Geis, who is planning a tech center at Euclid and East 69th Street, are banking on the revamped road, the HealthLine bus route between University Circle and downtown, and proximity to the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.

"Now's really the time to do it," said David Bowen, who works at his father's firm. "The banks aren't really lending a lot of money, but we'd rather be ready for the market than be behind the market."

He would not identify potential occupants for the medical office building, saying only that local, national and international companies are interested in Midtown.

Last year, Cuyahoga County funded an engineering firm's study of the site, using $4,000 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency brownfield redevelopment funds. M.A.K. Leasing of North Carolina owns the property, which was occupied from 1979 to 2007 by Key Gas Components, a maker of metal parts such as valves and fittings.

The state grant, $191,947 from the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund, would cover the second half of the environmental assessment, including soil sampling and an asbestos survey. The tests will illustrate the potential costs and safety hurdles of redeveloping the property. If the grant comes through, the environmental assessment might be finished in the fall.

MidTown Cleveland Inc., the non-profit community development group that represents the area, is supporting the state grant application. MidTown assistant director Jeff Pesler described the project as preliminary and said the group has not fully vetted the proposal. MidTown wants to create a mixed-use district, but the group previously has expressed concern about senior housing developments, which often involve tax credits.

David Bowen said the Key Gas Components site is just the first part of his father's plan. Richard Bowen hopes to acquire nearby land along Euclid from the city of Cleveland's land bank. Early project designs show an 84-unit residential building, with 25,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, on that property.

Tracey Nichols, economic development director for the city of Cleveland, said Midtown has the potential to become "a really interesting neighborhood for our community."

"Having a mixed-use development in that area certainly fits in," she said.

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