James Bell offers a few car care tips to get you ready for the winter driving season.

By Phil Caruso
Chevrolet

Chevrolet has a proud tradition of supporting America’s servicemen, veterans and their families. As official sponsor of this Saturday’s 112th Army-Navy football game, Chevy will proudly announce that proceeds from next month’s sale of the Military Tribute Camaro will benefit the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans.

The Achilles Freedom Team helps wounded veterans of all services overcome their injuries through mainstream athletics, primarily marathons. At the 111th Army-Navy game, Chevrolet donated a Silverado HD pickup to help the Achilles team transport athletes’ hand cycles and other equipment.

Achilles has doubled in size since then. This year, Chevrolet underwrote a portion of Achilles costs for participating in the Los Angeles, Boston and Detroit marathons, as well as other events. Chevrolet has also donated 20 hand cycles to the team.

The Military Tribute Camaro represents all five branches of the armed forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard) and some of the military’s highest individual awards and current campaign medals. It will be sold by Barrett-Jackson, an auctioneer of collector vehicles, at its Jan. 17-22 event in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The car was designed by award-winning artist Mickey Harris. Harris, who grew up on military installations, has been airbrushing for 33 years and has an extensive portfolio of military art that has earned him worldwide acclaim.

In addition to its support of Achilles, Chevrolet also works with Cellphones for Soldiers and the Travis Manion Foundation. Chevrolet also sponsored 19 air shows across the United States in 2011, eight of them on military installations. In addition, about 8,500 service members, their families and guests at the Naval Air Station in Mayport, Fla. were treated to a private concert starring country singer Brad Paisley.

To see the Military Tribute Camaro, tune into “America’s Game,” broadcast live on CBS from Landover, Maryland. The game starts at 2:30 pm EST, and will include a presentation segment featuring GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate; Genna Griffith, director of the Achilles Freedom Team, and Achilles team members.

Jim Webster
Brake Rotor Technical Expert for General Motors

There are few automotive annoyances greater than splurging on a set of shiny, happy wheels, only to see them sitting atop rusty rotors – but the annoyance isn’t only aesthetic. Over 80 percent of U.S. vehicles are exposed to environmental corrosion creators, such as acid rain, intense sunlight, snow, ice and road salt, all of which can cut rotor lifespan in half.

GM’s team of global brake experts looked at the problem from all angles in developing an exclusive corrosion protection process using Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing (FNC) technology on brake rotors. FNC rotors are super-heated at 560 degrees Celsius for a day, within a bus-size oven. Inside the rich atmosphere, nitrogen atoms bond to the surface of the steel rotor, hardening and strengthening it.

Incorporating a unique surface treatment equivalent to one-tenth the width of a human hair, sufficient friction is created and allows for effective braking performance while providing corrosion protection. FNC brake rotors also free vehicles of brake pedal or steering wheel shudder caused by an uneven buildup of rust on the rotor, and creates less dust than regular rotors.

For vehicles with large open-architecture wheels designed to show off hardware, this technology helps spiffy wheels save face. By doubling rotor lifespan to 80,000 miles FNC rotors can save drivers serious replacement and maintenance expense – as much as $400 over 10 years.

GM is the only company that has found a way to effectively treat brake rotors with the FNC process, for which it has several patents pending. Consumers can already find the technology on the Buick Lacrosse and Regal as well as on the Chevrolet Malibu, Impala and Volt in North America.

By the 2016 model year, FNC brake rotors will be featured on over 80 percent of GM’s U.S. Vehicles.