Keeping Yourself and Your Car Safe While Driving Through Mountains
Keeping Yourself and Your Car Safe While Driving Through Mountains
One of the things people love about the San Jose area is the scenery. Not many things are as great as just driving up to the mountains and relaxing!However — and it’s a big “however” — mountain driving taxes your transmission like driving on the flat never does. Frequent mountain driving can reduce your transmission’s service life, so, get your Sierra Nevada Highs the right way or be prepared to replace your transmission and, remember, whenever you have problems,Mike’s Transmissions is the place to get the fix.Work Harder and SmarterWhen you take the high road, consider all the factors. Even a low grade (under 5 percent) is a big addition to the energy needed to move your car and its riders. If you have a 4-cylinder, you get better mileage but less power, so don’t try to keep up with the speed limit. Towing a large load is a bad idea. If you have a 6- or 8-cylinder, you may be able to meet the speed limit, even towing a small load. When towing larger loads, slow down and keep to the right.In any case, watch your temperature gauge. Overheating shortens your engine life and could leave you stranded with a heavy repair bill. If the temperature gets too high, pull over at a safe location, let the engine idle a while, engines are designed to cool themselves. Check your radiator at regular intervals (when the engine is cool, of course!), add water and coolant as needed.Once you’ve hit the peak, you have to get back down. Don’t ride the breaks, they’ll overheat which compromises their effectiveness. Downshift, let the engine do the work it was built to do. Be sure you maintain a good interval between you and the cars ahead and be a little paranoid around tractor-trailers — they have professional drivers, but nobody’s perfect.If you have a Transmission ProblemIf you even think you have a problem, come in and let Mike take a look. Small problem are always easier and less expensive to fix, and they never get smaller on their own. After 30 years in business, Mike and his pros have seen it all, and fixed most of it. Mike will personally explain the repairs you need, in non-technical terms. You’ll understand exactly what you’re paying for. He’ll even invite you to come back into the shop and see what he’s advising you to authorize. When transmission troubles arrive,contact Mike’s Transmissions in San Jose as soon as you can. You’ll be glad you did.
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