PumpTalk - Petro-Canada

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

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Well for some... but for others the thought of snow and shoveling is not a pretty picture. As 2011 comes to an end, we wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday season. We hope you have found our posts interesting and that you will be back for more in 2012. We also want to thank those who participated in our poll, "We Want To Know What You Think" as it has given us great insight on topics for the New Year. Look for more posts on fuel efficiency, vehicle maintenance, fuel pricing and more in 2012. Don't forget to subscribe to the blog so you can get our weekly posts delivered right to your RSS reader or email. You can do this on the right hand side following the "Recent Posts" section.

Remember - this blog is meant for you, our PumpTalk readers, so please leave any suggestions, questions or comments you have in our comments section underneath each post.

And of course, as you're driving around doing your last minute shopping, visiting relatives and friends just keep in mind these Holiday safety tips:

• Don't drive in a hurry - better to be there a little late than to not be there at all.
• Have some patience for other drivers during the Holiday season - I'm sure they are running around trying to check their lists twice too!
• Top up that windshield washer fluid and clear away that snow (especially on the roof) before you get into your vehicle.
• Be aware that your stopping distance is reduced in winter weather.

There is a great chart on stopping distances for Winter Tires and All-Season Tires at the bottom of the page here. 

Health Canada also has some great Holiday Safety Tips as well.

And ofcourse, if you are looking for last minute gifts check out a previous PumpTalk post which has some great ideas!

Wishing all our PumpTalk readers a Happy Holiday and a prosperous New Year,
- The PumpTalk team.

The Lost Art of Manual Transmission Driving

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Remember that first feeling of getting behind the wheel? That feeling of control and power, knowing that you could feel the vehicle respond at the slight touch of your foot on the accelerator. For me, that feeling is almost always present when I'm driving a manual transmission. I love being able to control the vehicle, knowing exactly when I want to shift for more power to the wheels, and commanding when to pull it back a notch. And of course, who can ignore that great feeling of a perfectly mastered rev-matched downshift. Nowadays, with more and more emphasis placed on multi-tasking, it may be tough to focus on shifting while you sip your coffee, talk on your Bluetooth and keep one eye on your three year old in the backseat who insists on opening that box of cookies! Understandably, most people I talk to have never driven a manual transmission - nor do they care to!

There are some actual economic benefits to driving a manual transmission which many people forget:

WinterGas™ - How Petro-Canada prepares for Winter

Over the years, we have posted many articles related to prepping your car for the winter season. Things like:

• The importance of winter tires
• Winter driving safety reminders
• And more recently, how to get yourself out of a ditch

You also may have your own regimen in preparing for the winter, like:

• Digging out your snow scraper, buried somewhere in your garage.
• Having some sand / cat litter around to put in your trunk for extra traction when the weather calls for it.
• Keeping a warm blanket and collapsible shovel in your car.

So this time, we wanted to talk about what we at Petro-Canada do to help you prepare for winter - switching to WinterGas™ at our retail sites.

Synthetic Oil - Making the Switch

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca

We recently had a comment come into PumpTalk regarding synthetic oil. The question was "Why is it necessary to use traditional oils in the new engines. If synthetics are so good should we not use them from the get go instead of transitioning at higher kms? As these lubricants are more expensive than traditional oils, would it not be more cost efficient to use them at the start and keep maintenance costs down in the long run?"

We thank you John for your comment and decided to answer your question by going right to our experts - the Petro-Canada Lubricants team.

Anticipating Driver Moves

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When heading out on the weekend for a long drive with my husband, I often bet with him on who is going to change lanes ahead of us. "Black Camry… 3 cars ahead, right lane… moving to the left". Seconds later, their blinker goes on and I usually have a pleased, "I told you so" look on my face. Why? I always try to anticipate drivers' moves ahead of me. I'm always looking for that little "tell" that drivers unconsciously reveal before they physically make their move, like moving towards the lane divider line in their lane, right before they decide to change lanes. Sometimes it doesn't really matter if the driver ahead of you is changing lanes, but sometimes it has a big impact. If the driver is coming over and traffic is coming to a halt - you'll need to brake earlier than you initially planned. Anticipating this can sometimes save a fender bender - or at least save your coffee from spilling all over.

Getting Out of the Groove: Winter Driving Tips

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With the advent of all-season tires, many drivers don’t feel they need to change out their tires for the winter. After all, they’re called “all-season tires”! Not “all but one season” tires! Ha ha! But seriously, folks, if you live in an area that sees regular snowfall throughout the winter, it’s best to have winter tires for your car.

That said, sometimes even your winter tires, with their wider, deeper grooves and better flexibility at lower temperatures, can’t get you out of the snowy ditch you just slid into. There are few things more frustrating – or panic-inducing – than feeling those wheels spinning out while your vehicle stays put.

Car Coats and Platform Shoes: At the Intersection of Driver Fashion and Driver Safety

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In one of my favourite scenes from the 1995 comedy Clueless, Cher is getting driving lessons from her former stepbrother Josh. As she drives down the middle of the street, causing general havoc, he says to her:

“Hey. James Bond. In America, we drive on the right side of the road.”

She replies “I AM. YOU try driving in platforms.”

In days of yore, driving a motorcar required a specific style of dress. Driving shoes, car coats, soft leather gloves and travel caps were de rigueur for driving – not just for fashion but also for safety and warmth.One simply did not leave the house without taking care to dress. Driving was serious business and no one was wearing platform shoes – or any footwear that negatively impacted driver safety - behind the wheel.

In modern times, of course, driving has become totally mainstream. With the advent of reliable interior climate control, driving fashion has taken a real nose dive. Why button up your car coat and wrap your neck in a silk scarf when you can blast the heater and drive to the 7-11 in your pyjamas and flip flops?

Vehicle maintenance, fuel efficiency and gas pricing - that's what PumpTalk readers want!

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A couple weeks ago we asked you, the readers, to let us know what you would like us to post about on the PumpTalk blog.

We had a great response for this and want to thank everyone who provided us with feedback.

The purpose of the PumpTalk blog is to provide our readers with information around gas prices and fuel efficiency, but we've also been sharing tips on driver safety, vehicle maintenance, industry news and other topics related to driving and Petro-Canada.  We are pleased to know that we are on the right track, as the votes showed! We've tallied and we've tabulated, and below are the top things you want us to talk about:

Types of Driving Distractions

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After watching cars crawl past a police car with its emergency lights on the other evening, I've been thinking about distractions that may affect us while driving. According to CAA, there are three different types of distractions. There are physical distractions which cause a driver to take his/her hands off the wheel. There are cognitive distractions, described as activities that take the driver's mind away from the road. And finally, there can be a combination of both which may take hands, eyes and mind off the road.

We Want to Know What You Think!

In the early days of PumpTalk, we focused mainly on gas prices, fuel efficiency and how the industry works. In the last year, we've expanded our topics to include driver safety, vehicle maintenance tips, industry news and other topics that we think you might find useful and interesting.

Now, we want you to tell us what you think, so that we can respond and improve.