Latest News From Bumper Radio

Fifteen events are planned for the Goodguys 2024 Event Season including a new northeast event at Dover Motor Speedway and an exciting new partnership and dates for the 14th LMC Truck Spring Lone Star Nationals!

Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, the world’s largest hot-rodding association, has announced their 2024 Season Event Schedule. Goodguys will produce 15 events across the country in 2024 bringing America’s Favorite Car Show back to many of the same premium venues and markets as 2023. Additionally, Goodguys will add a new event in the northeast and make a date change and collaboration announcement for the 14th LMC Truck Spring Lone Star Nationals presented by TREMEC to expand the hot-rodding experience for participants and spectators.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 23, 2023) —A new study by AAA found that in-vehicle tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) are generally accurate, but drivers should still check their tire pressure manually. Why keep tabs on your tires? They are the only part of your car in contact with the road, and proper inflation is the key to safety and better gas mileage.

“Whether in rain, sleet, snow, or dry conditions, tires are the unsung heroes of your car,” said Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automotive engineering. “They are designed to work best when properly inflated. Our research found that the pressure monitoring systems that provide data for instrument displays or trigger the amber dashboard warning worked as intended. But we recommend always having a dependable old-school manual pressure gauge to check them once a month because a tire can be more than 20% deflated before it triggers the dashboard warning.”

Make your plans to head on out to the "Valley of the Sun" and join us for our season ending event in beautiful Scottsdale, AZ! It's gonna be wild!

THE SOUTHWEST GRANDE FINALE

November 18-20, 2023

WestWorld of Scottsdale
16601 N Pima Rd
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Friday, November 18 - 8:00am to 5:00pm

Saturday, November 19 - 8:00am to 5:00pm

Sunday, November 20 - 8:00am to 3:00pm

Tickets Register Your Vehicle

WASHINGTON, DC (September 25, 2023) – Traveling can be blissful, inspiring, and restorative. Traveling with kids – let’s face it – can be challenging. AAA travel advisors say with enough planning and creativity, traveling with kids can be successful, not stressful!

“Travel is an enriching and educational experience for children of all ages,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “AAA is fortunate to have so many experienced travel advisors who know the ins and outs of family travel and can help AAA members plan memorable vacations.”

FLIGHTS

Before You Go: When you’re purchasing airline tickets, AAA travel advisors say avoid buying basic economy if you’re traveling with kids. Basic fares come with restrictions and oftentimes that means no seat selection. If your family wants to sit together, be sure to purchase at least regular economy, also known as main cabin. Download movies and shows on your mobile device ahead of time, in case there’s no Wi-Fi onboard. Carry a backpack instead of a suitcase to free up your hands at the airport and during boarding and deplaning.

WASHINGTON, D.C. —The national average for a gallon of gas hit what may be 2023’s peak price of $3.88 earlier this week, only to slide a few cents in the following days. Today’s average is $3.86 – a penny more than a week ago.

“The recent drop in the national average, while small, is typical this time of year as much of the country makes the switch to less expensive winter blend gasoline,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But the gradual seasonal decline in prices is being slowed by higher oil costs.”

With diesel fuel prices still being higher than they were in recent years, fuel economy is vital. While there’s not much the average person can do to affect fuel prices at the pump, there ARE things you can do to improve fuel efficiency. Here are 5 ways to increase fuel economy on a diesel pickup. Put them to use, and you’ll enjoy better engine performance and money savings at the pump!

LOS ALTOS, Calif. - Toyota Research Institute (TRI) today unveiled a generative artificial intelligence (AI) technique to amplify vehicle designers. Currently, designers can leverage publicly available text-to-image generative AI tools as an early step in their creative process. With TRI's new technique, designers can add initial design sketches and engineering constraints into this process, cutting down the iterations needed to reconcile design and engineering considerations.

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 dramatically changed many aspects of Americans’ daily lives, including travel behavior. As the United States continues to recover, some patterns of daily life that were disrupted by the pandemic are returning to previous trends. However, some shifts in lifestyles remain, and some new practices are emerging.

This Research Brief provides highlights from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s 2022 American Driving Survey, which quantifies the daily driving of the U.S. population in 2022 and compares results to 2021 and 2020.

Key Findings

94.5% of U.S. residents ages 16 years and older drove at least occasionally in 2022, unchanged from 2021 and 2020.

ORLANDO, FL - AAA’s Your Driving Costs (YDC) has been a reliable data source for the expenses associated with owning and operating a brand-new vehicle for more than seven decades. Based on the latest figures, the average cost of owning and operating a new vehicle in 2023 has increased significantly, with an annual expense of $12,182 or a monthly cost of $1,015. This is a sharp increase from 2022 when the average yearly cost was only $10,728, or $894 monthly.

“It’s important for car buyers to clearly understand the costs associated with owning a new vehicle,” said Greg Brannon, AAA’s director of automotive research. “Due to global supply chain issues and constrained inventory of new vehicles, car prices rose dramatically in 2022. And while the situation continues to improve, the spillover effects are keeping prices high.”

The overall average manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of the new vehicles in the 2023 YDC study is $34,876. This is $1,575 (4.7%) higher than last year. It is important to note that MSRP does not always correspond to a consumer’s actual purchase price and may vary depending on demand. Furthermore, a higher sticker price directly impacts finance costs, with this year’s vehicles boasting an average annual finance charge of $1,253, a staggering 90% increase from the previous year.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The national average for a gallon of gas dropped four cents since last week, despite growing gas demand. However, the price of oil has declined several dollars per barrel and is holding steady below $80, contributing to lower pump prices. As Labor Day approaches, gas demand and volatile oil prices, particularly during an active hurricane season, could limit how much lower prices descend in the weeks ahead.

“Although the national average did a U-turn this week, the road ahead could lead to higher prices,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “Ongoing concerns regarding potential storm activity could hinder falling pump prices this fall.”

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand jumped from 8.85 to 8.91 million b/d last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks increased slightly from 216.2 to 217.6 million bbl. Although demand increased, growing stock levels contributed to pushing prices lower.