Pag« 5
E xp e rt tip s fo r b u y in g car a s te re o
Choosing a car stereo sys
tem used to be a relatively
easy process Ten years ago,
virtu a lly all systems were
e ig h t-tra c k tape p la ye rs
with basically the same de
gree of quality and options
By to d a y ’s sta n d a rd s ,
these systems were consist
ently less than mediocre in
sound reproduction and du
rability.
The m ajor determ ining
factor in selecting a car
stereo at the tim e was which
brand would look better.
Remember the amazing
technological features those
early units offered’’
Some players would auto
m atically change tracks at
every other pothole. Some
could devour a tape — espe
cially your favorite - and of
course there was that ever-
popular option of playing
two or even three tracks si
multaneously.
A great deal has changed
in the car stereo industry
during the last 10 years.
Manufacturers now treat
car stereo systems with the
same amount of concern and
engineering know-how that
they use with their topflight
systems fo r the home.
As a result, car stereo
components have been ele
vated in quality to state of
the art standards. Systems
including advanced electron
ic AM-FM stereo cassette
tuners, power a m p lifie rs,
graphic equalizers and top
quality speakers are now
available and can cost well
over $1,000
Times have changed and
with these changes has come
a need for the consumer to
accurately determine which
products in which price
range w ill best suit his
needs.
Dave Robin, technical ser
vices manager for Jensen
Sound Laboratories, a manu
facturer of car stereo speak
er systems, says. "Many peo
ple are intim idated by the
whole process, particularly
those who are unfam iliar
with stereo products in gen
eral. They are afraid they
w ill end up buying a system
80 p e rc e n t o f U.S.
d riv e rs a re se ve re
More than 80 percent of
the country's motorists are
tough on their cars because
the bulk of their driving con
sists of short trips around
town.
Additionally, about half of
the drivers in the United
States m istakenly believe
that driving less to conserve
fuel also means less mainte
nance is required.
These are among the find
ings of national surveys con
ducted by Fram Corp on the
d riv in g and maintenance
habits of American m otor
ists.
In one survey, the driving
styles of 2,100 motorists in
cities across the country
were analyzed. The second
survey studied the car main
tenance habits of 1,000 d riv
ers in 10 cities
The results show that ap
proxim ately 80 percent of
the surveyed motorists gen
erally drive distances of 10
miles or less each tim e they
start their cars — a condi
tion that owners’ manuals
call "severe" driving.
Severe driving is defined
as short, stop-and-go trips,
extensive idling as in heavy
tra ffic, towing heavy loads
or driving in areas that are
cold, very humid, have steep
hills or heavy concentrations
of dust or pollutants in the
air.
"Contrary to popular be
lief. stop-and-go driving, not
highway driving, is severe
operation that puts hard
miles’ on a car,” says W il
liam Rolland, vice president
of engineering at Fram.
"During short trips, car
engines never have a chance
to warm up to temperatures
that n o rm a lly boil away
harm ful water vapor and
unburned fuel. As a result,
condensation and sludge can
form in the oil, causing en
gine wear that can lead to a
costly overhaul." he adds.
The most efficient operat
in g speeds a re th o s e
achieved on the highway.
However, the surveys show
that only about 18 percent of
the motorists questioned do
most of their driving on the
highway.
Adding to the wear and
te a r A m erican m o to rists
place on their engines is the
b e lie f th a t less d riv in g
means less maintenance.
Appoximately 50 percent of
the drivers surveyed thought
that less frequent service is
required when driving is re
duced.
"Many people have been
conserving fuel by driving
less or traveling short dis
tances — more stop-and-go
driving which means more
hard miles. Therefore, d riv
ers should pay more atten
tion to their cars’ condition,
not less," explains Rolland.
To counter the effects of
such driving, he advises fre
quent preventive m ainte
nance checks to keep cars
healthy and fuel-efficient.
"This is p articularly im
portant fo r d riv e rs w ith
small, four-cylinder cars,"
he adds "The strain of se
vere driving is greater in
these cars, because small en
gines must work harder and
therefore run hotter, causing
the engine oil to break down
and lose its protective prop
erties."
Rolland recommends that
severe drivers change the
oil, and oil filte r approxi
mately every 3.000 miles or
tw o m o n th s, w h ic h e v e r
comes first.
Approximately 75 percent
of the surveyed motorists
change their oil at the rec
ommended intervals. How
ever. about one-third said
they do not always change
the oil filte r each tim e they
replace the oil.
The oil filte r should be
re p la c e d w ith each o il
change," explains Rolland.
" I f not, up to one quart of
d irty oil can remain in the
filte r and contaminate the
fresh, clean oil."
He a ls o re c o m m e n d s
yearly tune-ups to prevent
damage from severe riding
conditions
• «
that costs too much or pro
vides disappointing sound."
Robin suggests th a t a
thoughtful blend of common
sense and very basic knowl
edge w ill go a long way in
shopping for a car stereo
Most im portantly, let your
ears — not price tags — help
you decide on a system
Choose components th a t
sound good to you.
For most people a system
in c lu d in g A M -F M stereo
cassette receiver and speak
ers is quite adequate.
Those with sophisticated
tastes and larger budgets
may select from a wider as
s o rtm e n t o f e le c tr o n ic
equipment such as graphic
equalizers — control con
soles that allow the operator
to “ shape" music to his
tastes by accenting or down
playing various frequencies
— or power am plifiers to
allow a closer reproduction
of concert hall sounds
A receiver should provide
"clean ” sound with good FM
reception and a high quality
tape playing mechanism.
Features to look for include
Dolby-R noise reduction,
loudness contouring that ac
cents lower frequencies at
low listening levels, local-
distance switching that im
proves FM reception with
varying signal conditions
and separate bass, treble,
left-right and front-to-rear
speaker balance controls.
In selecting speakers, be
sure that they are matched
to the power output and im
pedance of the receiver and
w ill fit the cutouts provided
for speakers in your car’s in
te rio r For sm aller cars, two
speakers in the front doors
are usually sufficient for
sound.
In larger cars, install four
speakers two 6.5-inch or five
and one-fourth inch models
in from doors and two 6x9-
inch oval speakers in the
rear.
The rear speakers w ill en
able you to create a top
quality sound environment
particularly if you choose a
three-way speaker system