Q: I just read a review of the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado pickup that said it has active grille shutters, and they’re for fuel economy. What are they?
A: Active grille shutters, on the front of the vehicle, open and close automatically to control airflow. When the grille shutter is open, air flows through the radiator to the engine compartment to promote cooling — that’s why the grille is there on all vehicles. When cooling isn’t needed (the vehicle senses this), the shutters close and that lessens drag, thereby improving fuel efficiency.
This is a relatively new technology that’s being used not just on trucks, but on cars as well, including the Ford Mustang, several Chevy models, some Cadillacs, Hondas and Toyotas, and a handful of others.
Q: Small question, but do you think tires that travel mostly on the interstates would hold up better than tires that do mostly in-town driving? Or would the reverse more likely be true?
A: Highway driving, by a landslide. If you think about the things that are hard on tires, clearly, those things are much more frequent and abundant when you’re driving in town. There are potholes (which can throw your tires out of alignment and out of balance, and those two things age tires because of the uneven wear). There’s a lot of turning of corners during city driving (again, uneven wear, which is a strong reason why we rotate tires regularly). And, to mention one more thing, anyone who’s an aggressive driver in stop-and-go traffic — hard acceleration, taking turns fast and sharp and all that sliding to a stop — will shorten the life of tires.
Naturally, aggressive drivers can do some tirewearing things on the highway too, but because of the usual design and condition of those roads (the straightness and the lack of cornering maneuvers required), they’re less likely to do as much damage as quickly as they do during in-town driving.
But here’s a really important point: whether you’re doing in-town or highway driving, having overinflated tires or underinflated tires is what will lead most quickly to premature aging.
© CTW Features
What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email Sharon@ctwfeatures.com.