Tag: Car Safety Features

Vinyl Wrap vs Plasti Dip: Which Is Better for Your Car?

Car

If you want to change the look of your car without getting a full paint job, vinyl wrap and Plasti Dip are two good options. Both can give your car a fresh style, but they are very different. Knowing how each one works can help you choose the best option for your car.

What Is a Vinyl Wrap?

A vinyl wrap is a thin, sticky film that covers your car’s surface. It comes in many colors, styles, and designs—like matte, gloss, carbon fiber, and even custom prints. A pro uses heat and tools to make it fit your car just right. Vinyl wraps can last 5 to 7 years if you take good care of them.

What Is Plasti Dip?

Plasti Dip is a rubber-like spray that coats your car. It goes on like paint but can be peeled off when you want to remove it. It’s a good choice if you want a short-term change or like to switch colors often. Plasti Dip usually lasts 1 to 3 years, depending on how much you drive and how well you care for it.

Key Differences

  • Look and Finish: Vinyl wraps give a smooth, high-end look with more options for color and design. Plasti Dip has a flat, rubbery feel and fewer styles.
  • Durability: Vinyl wraps last longer and hold up better against weather, sun, and washing. Plasti Dip can wear out faster.
  • Cost: Plasti Dip is cheaper, especially if you do it yourself. Vinyl wraps cost more but look more professional and last longer.
  • Ease of Use: Plasti Dip can be a DIY job, but it takes some skill to do well. Vinyl wraps are harder to apply and are best done by a pro.

Which One Should You Choose?

If you want a clean, long-lasting finish and don’t mind spending more, vinyl wrap is the better pick. It’s great for custom designs and a more polished look. If you want a low-cost, temporary change, Plasti Dip is a good choice.

Vinyl wrap and Plasti Dip are both fun ways to change your car’s look. Think about your budget, how long you want the look to last, and how much work you’re willing to do. Either way, you’ll get a cool new style for your car.

This post was written by a professional at Gorilla Wraps & PPF. At Gorilla Wraps & PPF, we are dedicated to providing premium paint protection film (PPF), custom color change wraps, and vehicle wraps that enhance both the look and durability of your car. We also specialize in commercial vehicle wraps, offering businesses a dynamic way to boost their brand visibility with impactful designs. Proudly serving the Tampa Bay area, our team combines top-tier craftsmanship, high-performance materials, and exceptional customer service. We focus on delivering precision, quick turnaround times, and results that go above and beyond expectations. Whether you’re looking for PPF, a color change, or commercial wrap solutions, trust us to deliver exceptional quality. Discover the Gorilla Wraps experience and get in touch today for the best car wrap and PPF service around! Click here to learn more!

Leave a comment , , , ,

The Most Popular Car Models of the Year for 2023

Car

The ten most popular cars occupy almost one-fifth of the road. And though many of the models slid a bit in 2023 as supply chain issues continued to affect dealer inventories, most are still incredibly appealing choices.

A strong showing for mainstream brands like Subaru and Mazda is a sign that you don’t need to spend big bucks to get a safe, reliable, well-rounded vehicle.

1. Honda Accord

Amid the SUV onslaught, the Honda Accord remains one of the most popular sedan models out there. It’s a well-rounded car with great value, space, comfort and equipment. A fresh redesign for 2023 makes it more attractive to look at and a little nicer inside. Its infotainment system is easy to use, and it’s even better with Google Assistant, which can let you control functions with natural speech.

This model has the best curb appeal in its class, and it’s roomy enough for families while offering great fuel economy. Its 252 hp turbocharged four-cylinder engine offers confidence-inspiring acceleration, and its available adaptive suspension automatically adjusts every two milliseconds for a smooth ride. It also carries a wide variety of equipment options and has a spacious rear seat.

2. Honda Civic

The Honda Civic continues to dominate the compact-car segment with its great design, value, fuel economy, high resale values, and superb driving dynamics. While the performance-oriented Civic Si and Civic Type R add a dose of fun, the standard sedan and hatchback also deliver plenty of enjoyment for less-demanding drivers.

The 2024 Civic also sets itself apart with a quiet, spacious cabin, lots of safety equipment, and a wide range of standard features that rivals often charge for. Its rear seat legroom is among the best in the class, and it offers more storage space than the Toyota Corolla or Nissan Sentra. This latest Civic also delivers a smooth ride that isolates well over broken pavement. However, choppy road noise intrudes at higher speeds.

3. Mazda CX-5

The 2023 Mazda CX-5 is a top-ranked crossover SUV that delivers a rewarding driving experience and a comfortable, luxurious cabin. It also has an attractive exterior design and a robust set of standard features, including forward collision warning and mitigation, blind-spot monitoring, and lane keep assist. The interior is mature in style and not swathed in poorly rendered fake wood or overly reflective chrome trim, and the rear seats offer plenty of headroom and legroom.

Powered by a 187-horsepower four-cylinder engine, the CX-5 accelerates from a stop to 60 mph in about eight seconds and gets excellent fuel economy ratings for its class. It’s a good choice for singles, couples, and small families who want to commute or run errands in comfort. However, the CX-5 lacks the cargo room found in rivals, making the Kia Sportage and Toyota RAV4 better options for families.

4. Subaru Crosstrek

Subaru tweaked the Impreza hatchback with more ground clearance, rugged exterior trim and a more powerful all-wheel drive system to create the Crosstrek. It remains the best choice for those who want a maneuverable, compact SUV that can handle winter weather and weekend camping trips.

The Crosstrek’s 2.0-liter flat-four engine has 152 horsepower and 145 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to a continuously variable transmission and gets up to 29 mpg combined.

Higher-end Crosstrek models get a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 182 horsepower. While it’s still not fast enough to drag race your neighbor’s Honda HR-V, it’s plenty nimble for everyday driving and surprisingly fuel efficient at up to 34 mpg combined. It also benefits from the Subaru’s proven engineering behind Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive, which has proved durable in decades of owner tests.

5. Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai’s daring exterior design positions the Tucson for fame, but its dull cabin dims its shine. Still, it has the best passenger and cargo space of its competitors.

It’s easy to get comfortable in the Tucson. Its front seats are manually-adjustable and supportive, while its rear seat has enough room for three adults.

The Tucson is packed with tech features, too. Every model comes with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, and a driver inattention warning system. N Line models add steering wheel haptic feedback and a surround-view camera system, while Limited trims offer lane centering and remote smart parking assist.

Its only real limitation is a slightly firm ride around town that struggles to smooth out big dips and ridges, but it’s better than the crashy ride found in some SUVs.

Leave a comment , , ,

Car Safety Features to Look for in 2023

Car

Vehicle safety has made significant advances in recent years due to advances in technologies and crash test data. Nowadays, many cars and SUVs come equipped with impressive safety features that can keep you and your passengers secure on the road.

Most vehicles come standard with airbags, but some models offer optional crash avoidance technology to further safeguard you in the event of an accident. Keep reading to discover more about these exciting features!

Lane Keeping Assist

Lane Keeping Assist is an essential safety feature that can help reduce deadly lane-change crashes. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), these collisions account for 40% of all fatalities on American roads.

Driver-assistance technology designed for lane keeping can help prevent such crashes, but it must be noted that these technologies cannot replace an attentive driver.

Lane-keeping assist uses a camera to recognize lane markings and will intervene if you drift toward or over them without using your turn signal. The system may then apply steering corrections or selective braking in an effort to push you back into your lane.

Forward Collision Warning

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) systems use radar and camera technology to detect obstacles in front of a vehicle, sending visual and audio alerts to let you know about a potential collision. Research has shown that FCW reduces front-to-rear crashes with injuries by 27%.

It can also alert you if it anticipates a collision is coming soon, so that you can prepare to brake or steer quickly.

This system is an invaluable safety feature that’s standard on many new vehicles for 2023. When shopping around for your ideal car in 2023, be sure to inquire about this and other safety features!

The Hyundai K5 earned a five-star NHTSA rating and comes equipped with numerous driver assistance features like high beam assist, lane keep assist and lane following assist. Plus it has navigation-based adaptive cruise control and parking collision avoidance system as standard equipment.

Pedestrian Detection

Pedestrian detection is another car safety feature that’s becoming more and more common on new models. These systems utilize sophisticated computer sensors around the vehicle to notify drivers when people are near their path.

As with forward-collision warning and automatic emergency braking, this feature utilizes cameras and sensors to react before a crash occurs. If it detects a pedestrian, the system will either slow down or stop your car accordingly.

However, it’s essential to remember that this basic safety measure won’t guarantee an accident-free journey. Furthermore, its effectiveness decreases at night or when visibility is poor.

Pedestrian detection is a computer vision application with significant research value in the field of intelligent driving. Its similarities and distinctions with general object detection demonstrate its central role in computer vision research.

Automatic Emergency Braking

Auto Emergency Braking (AEB) is one of the car safety features you should ensure is included in your new vehicle. This technology utilizes sensors and cameras to notify drivers of a potential collision with another vehicle or object ahead of them.

It will first send a warning, usually through an audible and visual alert, before automatically applying the brakes to prevent a collision. This helps reduce car accidents and injuries caused by collisions.

Automatic Emergency Braking helps reduce rear-end and head-on collisions, especially at intersections. It also helps keep pedestrians and cyclists out of the road by discouraging them to run into it.

Rear-View Camera

The area behind your vehicle is often described as a “death zone” for accidents. Thankfully, car manufacturers now provide backup cameras to help you steer clear of these potential pitfalls.

These devices come as standalone units or part of a more comprehensive system with front and rear camera views. Some even feature interactive track lines to guide you when reversing to avoid objects or obstacles.

Recent research has demonstrated that drivers who utilize rearview and backup cameras are significantly less likely to have police-reported backing crashes – especially among older motorists.

Leave a comment