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Maintain your Toyota for Better Performance

2009-01-23T10:42:00.000-06:00

Maintaining your Toyota can save money, improve safety, and reduce pollution.

Proper maintenance prevents pollution!

Motor vehicles generate three major pollutants: hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide. Hydrocarbons react with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight and elevated temperatures to form ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone can cause eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath and can lead to permanent lung damage. "Ozone Action Days" are predicted each year so that we may try to prevent ozone levels from rising to dangerous levels. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, deadly gas. It reduces the flow of oxygen in the bloodstream and can impair mental functions and visual perception. In urban areas, motor vehicles are responsible for as much as 90 percent of carbon monoxide in the air.

What You Can Do
Bad driving habits have an impact on your car and the environment.

Avoid high speeds. Fuel efficiency decreases significantly at speeds over 55 miles per hour. In addition, high-speed driving causes heat buildup that accelerates tire deterioration. Cornering too fast causes excessive, uneven wear on tire treads.

Drive smoothly. Smooth driving saves gas and lowers vehicle emissions. You should accelerate slowly, avoiding "jackrabbit starts"; shift to higher gears at the lowest possible speed if you have a standard transmission; and accelerate gently if you have an automatic transmission. If your car is equipped with overdrive, you should use it at the appropriate speeds; if your car is equipped with cruise control, you should use it. Also avoid sudden starts and stops, which increase wear on your tires.

Avoid lengthy idling. Idling wastes gas. Don't start your car until you're ready to go, and keep winter engine warm-ups brief. Turn off the engine if you won't be moving for an extended period of time — for example, if you're in stalled traffic or a long line at a drive-in window.

Don't rev the engine; it wastes gas. Revving the engine can dump gas on the cylinder walls, which increases engine wear. Revving can also overheat the vehicle's catalytic converter, which makes it less effective and can damage it.

Minimize drag. Drag reduces fuel efficiency. Driving with the windows open, using roof or rear-mounted racks, and carrying heavy loads increase vehicle drag. If you sometimes need to transport large items, use a removable rack or, if possible, carry the items in the trunk or inside the vehicle. And, because heavy loads increase drag, remove heavy items from the vehicle when you don't need to carry them.

Keep tires properly inflated. Underinflated tires decrease gas mileage and shorten tire life. Newer cars have a label on the inside edge of the driver's door that lists recommended tire pressures for different speeds and loads. (The maximum pressure, which is printed on the tire's sidewall, may not be the optimum pressure for your vehicle or driving situation.) In some vehicles, the label may be on the door post, glove compartment door, or fuel door. If you cannot find the label, you should consult your owner's manual or check with the vehicle manufacturer, tire manufacturer, or local tire dealer.

Check the pressure in all four tires every two weeks with an accurate hand-held air pressure gauge. The gauges on service station air pumps may be inaccurate. Because tire pressure changes with temperature, you should check and adjust pressure when the tire is cold — when the vehicle has been sitting for at least three hours.

Avoid rough roads and potholes. Because driving on rough surfaces is hard on tires and wheel alignment, it can reduce fuel efficiency.

Make fewer trips in your vehicle. Vehicle emissions and fuel consumption increase not just with number of miles driven, but also with number of trips taken. Vehicles burn more gas and emit far more pollutants in their first few minutes of operation because their emission control systems have not warmed up and reached peak efficiency. To make fewer trips, you should consolidate errands and trips; try to drive during off-peak hours so that you can spend less time on the road and avoid excessive stop-start driving; and, when possible, car pool, ride mass transit, or bike to your destination.

Remember, paying attention to the vehicle's maintenance can extend the life of your Toyota, improve air quality, reduce negative health impacts due to emission pollutants, and save money.

Information was provided by the National Safety Council for the April Car Care Month Program:

The Car Care Council has information and a planning kit on their Web site. Also, the American Lung Association distributes two brochures on air pollution and proper maintenance of motor vehicles, Car Care and Clean Air and Get a Check-up for Your Car, and a window decal that proclaims "Tuned Engines Mean Cleaner Air." For more information, call your local Lung Association at 800-LUNG-USA.

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Top Honors for Tacoma and Tundra Trucks

2008-08-31T15:29:00.000-05:00

The Toyota Tacoma and Tundra get top honors from Edmunds.com and J.D. Power and Associates. Toyota Tacoma won a 2008 Edmunds.com Consumers' "Top-Rated" Vehicle Award, while the Tacoma plant in Baja California, Mexico, and Toyota Tundra plant in San Antonio, Texas, take the top two spots in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study.

Navigon GPS Systems by Toyotaworld

2008-08-31T14:14:00.000-05:00

Toyotaworld.com now carries the Navigon GPS Systems. There are two models, the Navigon 2100 Max and the Navigon 7100 GPS. These GPS receivers are loaded with helpful features that make getting from point A to point B quick and easy.

Just a few of the features...

Built-in Secure Digital slot; includes Secure Digital card with preloaded base maps of the U.S.

Turn-by-turn voice guidance with spoken directions and street names via text-to-speech capability for easy navigation

Points of interest display hotels, restaurants and other attractions along your travel routes

Predictive text helps you enter destinations more quickly; street first entry provides flexible searching options

See the Toyotaworld Navigon Accessories page for details and ordering information.

Keep your Toyota running smooth with parts from Toyotaworld.com.

Hybrid Tour of Texas to Showcase Fuel Efficiency

2008-07-14T16:53:00.000-05:00

Toyota has more cars with an EPA highway estimate over 30 MPG than any other car company on the road today. See the new website: Toyotafuelsavings.com

"The High-Tech Texan®" and "Hypermiler" to Visit Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston in Toyota Prius

Yes, Virginia, there are ways to stretch your gasoline mileage. Two drivers will tour to five Texas cities to demonstrate driving techniques to increase MPG and the fuel efficiency of the Toyota Prius hybrid electric/gas vehicle. Gas mileage and how long it takes each to drive from Houston to Corpus Christi, and on to San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and back to Houston will be announced at each stop. "The High-Tech Texan®" Michael Garfield will drive a Prius in normal driving fashion, while "hypermiling" expert Dan Bryant drives the same route using techniques to maximize fuel economy.

WHO: Michael Garfield, the Texas-based media personality and host of "The High-Tech Texan" radio program. Dan Bryant, automotive efficiency specialist who has a certified "MPG Challenge" run of 106 miles-per-gallon in a Prius on the 27-mile course.

WHAT: The top selling gas-electric hybrid vehicle in the U.S. and worldwide, Prius has become an especially popular vehicle with soaring gas prices. It provides the best fuel efficiency ratings of any car sold in America, with an estimated EPA rating of 48 mpg in city driving, 45 mpg on the highway for a 46 mpg average.

Hypermiling uses various methods to meet or exceed EPA fuel economy ratings. Many of the techniques used by hypermilers can be adapted by drivers who want to maximize fuel economy in driving their vehicles.

WHEN/WHERE:
Monday, July 14 arrive in Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi Marina, Shoreline Boulevard
Tuesday, July 15 arrive in San Antonio, Alamo Plaza
Wednesday, July 16 arrive in Austin, Brush Square
Thursday, July 17 arrive in Dallas, City Hall Plaza
Friday, July 18 arrive in Houston, Discovery Green

Kyle Wins Fifth

2008-06-22T20:03:00.007-05:00

After a brief slump in the last couple weeks, Kyle Busch, shined today as he won his fifth victory this year in the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The Toyota/Save Mart 350 was held in Sonoma, California this Sunday, June 22nd. After the usual victory burnout, Kyle gave a customary bow to the crowd. This time, the fans were cheering the driver they so famously love to hate.

Read the Fox News Sports article "Taking the Fifth" and see some great photos from the Toyota/Save Mart race on Fox News Photo Gallery.

Keep your Toyota running like a race car with Toyota Parts from Toyotaworld.com.

Kyle Busch Leads All Drivers in Sprint Cup Series

2008-06-01T17:00:00.007-05:00

Kyle Busch won the Nascar Dover 400 race today in his Toyota Camry #18 Combos car. Kyle leads all drives in the Sprint Cup Series races.

See the Live Point Standings.

Keep your Toyota performing at it's best with Toyota Parts from Toyotaworld.com.

Toyota's Concept Compact Truck: The A-BAT

2008-05-20T21:44:00.000-05:00

THE A-BAT: TOYOTA'S COMPACT TRUCK CONCEPT
The environmentally advanced A-BAT provides modern versatility, roominess and style with the architecture of a compact pickup.

The Toyota A-BAT: modern versatility in a compact pickup
The Toyota A-BAT offers customers the versatility of hauling a standard 4 x 8 sheet of plywood one day, then taking a family on a camping trip the next. It features a four-foot bed with more flexibility than the standard pickup truck. The translucent roof panel slides open to allow for tall cargo in the cab; and the bed lengthens an additional two feet when the pass-through midgate is folded down into the cab.

The rugged exterior of the Toyota A-BAT is contrasted by the four-passenger modern interior. The door trim, shoulder, armrest and instrument panel pads and seat cushions are made of a tough, lightweight and comfortable material that can be selected for personalization. In addition, the colors are coordinated to enhance the sleek interior environment.

Inside, the Toyota A-BAT has a retractable, portable navigation unit with a seven-inch diagonal screen and Wi-Fi Internet. Other advanced features include a port for portable device assistant synchronization and a hard drive for digital music. The solar panels on the dash recapture energy from the sun to assist in the charging of the navigation unit, portable power pack and backlit information displays.

Land Cruiser Wins Petersen's 4Wheel and Off-Road 2008 4X4 of the Year Award

2008-04-08T15:25:00.008-05:00

This year, the test for Petersen's 4Wheel & Off-Road 4x4 of the Year award took two weeks, 800 miles and seven judges. After maneuvering through rigorous trails and climbing loose, rocky hills, the 2008 Land Cruiser was victorious. Read the full story to see how the Land Cruiser beat the competition.

WINNER
The ’08 Land Cruiser has evolved a long way from the rugged FJ-40s of years gone by. Gone are the removable hardtop, solid axles, manual transmissions, and burly leaf-spring suspensions. In their place are the leather-lined interior, independent and coil-sprung suspension, monster V-8 power, computer-controlled transmissions, and technologically advanced traction control systems that process what every wheel is doing while on or off road and calculates a method to keep the vehicle moving in a safe, efficient way. At first glance, the Land Cruiser doesn’t reveal its offroad ability. It’s missing the big aggressive tires of the Hummers and Wrangler, and while it has skidplates, it lacks the ground clearance that some competitors have. But don’t let the looks fool you (or should we say bore you), because the Toyota quietly carries a big stick. That stick comes in the form of 401 lb-ft of torque under the hood from its 5.7L V-8. And more often than not, big power under the hood can allow judges to not only have fun in the high-speed, hillclimb, and sand sections, but also propel a 3-ton pig of an SUV through rocky trails and silty dirt washes. And then there is the traction control. We loved it and we hated it, and we hated that we sometimes loved it. The Crawl mode, where you can choose different rates of forward motion while in low range, allows you to let your foot off the gas and the rig will claw its way forward, requiring just steering advice from the driver seat. If traction ceases, the brakes activate to eliminate wheelspin, and if flexibility is needed, sway bars are released to let tires droop at will. We have long been distrustful of any of these performance nannies, but we loved that we could turn it all off if desired, and yet when left on we hated to admit that it actually worked better than we wanted it to. Damn the machine that can work so good that drivers are almost unneeded, but kudos to the engineers that actually figured out how to make it work, and work well. This declaration of the ’08 Toyota Land Cruiser as our 2008 4x4 of the Year will no doubt bring cries of contempt from some readers. We didn’t expect it to win so handily, but consider that other than the Jeep, the Land Cruiser has more history in the dirt than the rest of the field has. Though many anticipated one of the American 4x4s (Hummer/Jeep) to win, the Cruiser finally had a trait the others lacked and which American four-wheelers have long cherished—seriously fun V-8 power.

Toyota Land Cruiser
Heritage and Technology Earn
Land Cruiser the Title

The Toyota Land Cruiser was one of the first vehicles Toyota brought to the United States 50 years ago and has always been the Japanese carmaker’s preeminent off-road vehicle. The 2008 model (referred to as the URJ200 or 200-Series by Cruiser-heads) has pushed electronic technology in an off-road vehicle to the nthdegree with the off-road Crawl mode that uses a mixture of brake-biasing traction control and forced sway-bar articulation, resulting in a low-speed cruiser control. Not since the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Land Rover LR3, or Volkswagen Touareg have we seen such an amazing use of computer controls for maximum off-road performance, but this makes us wonder if a vehicle that works great off road but barely requires any driver input is a better vehicle than one that has gears and lockers but still needs a driver with some skill. Toyota, please stand to hear your offenses. First of all, this is your premier off-road vehicle, so how about a return of the selectable lockers? You offered them 10 years ago, so why not now? Yes, your off-road traction control is impressive and the Crawl mode is unique, but we wonder how all those gizmos will work after being buried in the thick mud of the Amazon or after 80,000 miles in an African desert. We know most U.S. buyers won’t spend $70,000 for an SUV to be driven into the mud and muck of the woods on purpose, but some of them will. For them, how about a mode where the driver decides which axle is locked up? Also the styling is a little boring. The lines your luxury ute in with all the soccer mom mobiles on the market. The Land Cruiser we tested came with decent underbelly skidplates and awesome steel tubular rock sliders (we were told these would be optional), a powerful 5.7L V-8 (same engine as the Tundra), and an awesome center- console fridge that actually kept beverages cold while out in the desert. Though the Land Cruiser could have used a bit more ground clearance, and we would kill for the solid-front-axle diesel version they offer in the Middle East, it was still frighteningly capable. We even had testers who engaged one of the multiple crawl modes and, with both feet planted on the carpeted floor were able to cruise up the loose rocky hillclimb that left other 4x4s scrambling and destroying tires. Did this technology take it to the top of the test or did the judges revolt, demanding that they still get to drive? Check the winner’s page.

THE URBAN RUNNER

2008-04-08T14:06:00.006-05:00

The 2008 Toyota 4Runner with an all-new Urban Runner Package makes its debut. The Urban Runner Package for the Sport Edition adds a new dimension in style, value and upscale luxury to the capable SUV.

To create this special package of refined features, we used the rugged 4Runner Sport Edition as the foundation. Then, blending technology and modern design, we added some features and took some away. The result: an SUV to help you enjoy the great outdoors in style. A key ingredient in the mix? A new audio system with the TomTom® Personal Navigation Device. A first for any Toyota, TomTom® is compact and removable, so you can take its wizardry with you. Also in the package: sophisticated features, including front and rear seats designed with seat inserts made from Alcantara® fabric and contrasting Dark Charcoal leatherette bolsters. A perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, 18-inch alloy wheels, black-painted tubular side steps and roof rails and a unique rear spoiler help to complete the Urban Runner Package.

X-REAS SPORT ENHANCEMENT SUSPENSION
Designed to improve on-road handling performance, ride and comfort, X-REAS technology links each of the vehicle's shocks to its diagonal counterpart via a gas/hydraulic chamber: front-left to right-rear, front-right to left-rear. During cornering or traveling on a bumpy surface, the gas/hydraulic chamber moves fluid from the cross-linked shock bearing the least amount of force to the shock bearing the greatest amount of force. This helps the wheels maintain contact with the driving surface and helps lessen vehicle body sway and pitch.

FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS
18-in. 6-spoke alloy wheels with P265/60R18 tires
Stone Alcantara® seat inserts with Dark Charcoal leatherette bolsters
Perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel with integrated audio controls and leather-wrapped shift knob
Color-keyed grille and unique rear spoiler
AM/FM CD with six speakers and detachable TomTom® Personal Navigation Device
Black wood-grain-style interior trim
Black-painted tubular side steps and tubular roof rack
MP3/WMA capability
Chrome door handles
Chrome exhaust tip
iPod® connectivity
Unique badging
Bluetooth® capability and satellite radio capability

A First for Toyota

2008-03-09T18:06:00.008-05:00

Toyota takes first and second in the Kobalt Tools 500 Nascar race in Atlanta, Ga. Kyle Busch, in the Snickers (18) car, raced into first while Tony Stewart, in the Home Depot (20) car, just behind him took second place. The last time a foreign car won a race was 1954. Toyota has been up at the front in several races lately. Toyota enthusiasts like myself sit on the edge of our seats hoping for Toyota to take first. Tony Stewart was so close to winning at the Daytona 500. This was quite a day for Toyota.

Here are the results: http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2008/4/data/results_unofficial.html