Aftermarket action
A helpful deflection
Convertibles are mostly about fun-inthe-sun touring, but they’re not much fun when your hair is constantly blowing in your face or you’re forced to wear a ball cap. Then there are the wind gusts that force you to shout at your driving partner and/or crank up the audio-system volume to be heard. A solution is to install a wind deflector, such as the ones available from Love the Drive. The company makes them for a variety of models, including the firstgeneration Ford Mustang, the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird, the newer Chrysler Sebring/200, as well as several import-based brands. The manufacturer says that Love the Drive deflectors are easy to install and can be left in place with the top up. Check the available list and order yours for $400 from www.lovethedrive.com.
A cure for deflation
Finding yourself with a flat tire and no spare — or without the means to install one — can be a serious, perhaps even lifethreatening problem. FlatterUP can get you going again by taking air from the three inflated tires and equalizing their pressure in all four tires. This is done by connecting the product’s polyurethane hose to the four valve stems. Provided the flat tire doesn’t have a hole that simply drains the air from the other three tires, this could allow you to safely reach the closest service station or your home. Inflation takes about two minutes and works on all sizes of cars and trucks. FlatterUP requires no external power source and works in hot and cold weather. Get full details at www. flatterup.com and purchase for $50 from www.amazon.com.
Time doesn’t stand still
The Max Speed Speedometer Car Watch displays the time of day in the form of miniature dashboard gauges, with a tachometer showing the hour, and a speedometer for the minutes. Two other smaller gauges indicate a.m. or p.m. as well as the day of the week. The timepiece comes with a chrome bezel, while a rubber strap adds to the watch’s rugged appearance. It likely won’t replace your high-dollar
Tag Heuer Monaco or Breitling Navitimer, but for just $20 the Max Speed should at least provide some amusement. Purchase one at www.valuegrabs.com.
Spray-on vinyl wrap
Changing the colors of your alloy wheels or other hard plastic or metal surfaces usually entails painstaking prep work — even stripping the old finish — and then expensive repainting. And if you don’t like the look, you’re stuck. However Superwrap (formerly Autodip) lets you spray on your choice of gloss or matte colors at very little cost, and it peels off when you decide that you’ve had enough. Each coat dries in about five minutes (a six- to10-coat application is recommended) with a cure time of about four hours. To remove the coating, just peel it off. The kits sell for about $75 (depending on the finish), providing enough material to cover the equivalent of four average-size wheels (the coating will last for up to three years, according to the manufacturer). Check out Superwrap’s color palette and purchase at www.getsuperwrap.com.