 Gas prices fluctuate day to day, but have you ever noticed that they also seem to change with the seasons? As summer approaches, you can usually expect a slight price hike on gas, while winter is usually marked by lower prices at the pump. Here’s why.
The seasonal gasoline transition
The seasonal gasoline transition occurs twice every year in the United States. Although it sounds like an ancient oil festival, it is not accompanied by wild celebrations and revelry in oil producing states, such as Texas and Oklahoma. Instead, it is simply when oil companies switch their gas supplies from summer grade fuel to winter grade fuel or vice versa. The seasonal gasoline transition is one of the reasons gas prices rise in the summer and go down in the winter.
The Reformulated Gasoline Program
The Reformulated Gasoline Program (RFG) owes its existence to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The switch from winter to summer gasoline blends began in 1995 as an attempt to reduce pollution. Summer gasoline uses different fuel additives to prevent it from evaporating too quickly. How quickly a gas evaporates is based on its Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP). The higher a gasoline’s RVP, the quicker it evaporates. All gasoline has to be below 14.7 psi or it would no longer be liquid. Summer gasoline is usually between 9.0 and 7.8 psi. That’s something to think about the next time you’re filling up the tank.
Higher gas prices in the summer
The ultimate question when it comes to the differences between summer blend and winter blend gasoline is why it goes up so much in the summer. The truth is that there are many factors. Lower RVP gasoline costs more because of the additives that are needed to keep the RVP low. Demand is also higher in the summer. In addition, during the spring months, most energy companies in the United States conduct maintenance on their refineries, which limits their capacity. These maintenance shut downs are part of the seasonal gasoline transition and lead to a limited supply of fuel. This lessening of supply while demand is greater has a large effect on gas prices.
The environmental impact
The justification for lower RVP gasoline blends stems from the desire to lower emissions and smog during the summer months. With less gasoline evaporating into the atmosphere, air quality increases.
 Remember when you were a kid and your mom made you take a nap and you got really mad and threw a fit, hoping she would change her mind? Now you only wish someone would send you to your room so you could take one. A look at whether naps help or hurt productivity will give you something to think about as you’re falling asleep at work.
The length of the nap. The length of the nap has the largest impact on whether or not you’ll be more or less productive afterwards. Naps lasting 30 minutes or less—sometimes called power naps—have been shown to increase alertness and compensate for a nighttime lack of sleep. Naps lasting longer than 30 minutes, in addition to taking up more productivity time, can make the napper groggy and tired.
Time of day. Sometimes the gained productivity from a nap sacrifices long-term productivity for short-term gains. A nap too late in the day, for example, will make it more difficult to fall asleep on time at night, which will cause the napper to be more tired and less productive the following day, which will lead to another nap, and so on. The late afternoon nap/late bed-time cycle is a vicious one that should be halted before it reduces long-term productivity.
Benefits of power naps. Specific benefits from power naps that lead to increased productivity include the following.
- Less stress. A short nap can leave you feeling refreshed. Those who are refreshed are less likely to succumb to stress. If you’ve been irritable and grouchy all day, your nap will also lessen others’ stress.
- Increased alertness. An alert worker or parent is a productive worker or parent.
- Improved memory and learning. It’s never too old to learn, which means you’re never too old to take a nap.
- Increased cognitive functioning. You put your kids in time out when they’re having trouble focusing. Similarly, a nap gives your brain a time out.
When and where to nap. The perfect nap time varies by individual and is subject to one’s schedule. For most, morning naps and just after lunch will be most efficient. A short nap can be had just about anywhere. For best results, find a clean, quiet place, preferably dark.
Nap restrictions. There are certain individuals who should avoid naps. Insomniacs will only make it more difficult to sleep at night by napping. A better option is to reduce and manage stress. Those suffering from depression will only make things worse by napping.
Most of us would prefer not to have to parallel park, but for entertainer Flula Borg, it’s not just a part of life–it’s a sport. Flula hosted the 2014 Parallel Parking World Championship, which featured a star showing from the 2015 Honda Fit. See the highlights for yourself in the video above.
The Fit makes parallel parking a snap thanks to a multiangle rearview camera. Visit DCH Academy Honda to try it for yourself–and the next time you pull in between that lamppost and those traffic cones in your new Fit, you’re sure to feel like a winner.
 Quick, when you think “Labor Day,” what immediately comes to mind? Sales? Grills? Football? Before firing up the grill, driving to the mall, or donning your team’s colors, take a look at some facts about Labor Day from DCH Academy Honda that might surprise you.
Tuesday
The first Labor Day was actually a Tuesday. Tuesday September 5, 1882 in New York City, to be exact. The holiday didn’t officially move to the first weekend of September until 1884.
McGuire or Maguire?
The subject of Labor Day’s father is a little controversial. Historically, carpenter and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, Peter J. McGuire, has been credited for suggesting the holiday to honor the working man. Others claim that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, was the real founder. Maguire fans cite research that shows he suggested the holiday in 1882 as secretary of the Central Labor Union in NY.
Average American worker
The average American worker in the late 1800s deserved a break much more than the average American worker today. Typical work weeks involved 12-hour days, seven days a week, just for basic living wages. Some factories and mines even employed children as young as five or six-years-old.
The Parade That Almost Wasn’t
The first official record of Labor Day recorded it as a celebration that should host a street parade to show to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, then a festival for recreation and amusement. The first parade’s turnout was so paltry that it was almost cancelled, until two hundred marchers from the Jewelers Union of Newark Two showed up with a band and saved the day.
Canada was first
Yes, Canada coined the first Labor Day in 1872, ten years before the U.S., but it was more of a large demonstration for workers’ rights than a celebration of laborers.
White
Sorry folks, but it’s time to put away your crisp white linen suits and white leather pants, if you have them. Technically, it’s no longer in fashion to wear white or seersucker after Labor Day because summer is officially over.
Oregon Originals
Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday in 1887, making Oregonians the original Labor Day hipsters.
Good Old Grover
Labor Day wasn’t a national holiday until President Grover Cleveland made it so in 1894. As a result, many resident hipsters of Portland, Oregon stopped celebrating Labor Day around this time, because it had become too mainstream.*
Whether you find yourself snooping out sales, blazing up some burgers, or watching the first pigskin game of the season this Labor Day, we hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about the workers’ holiday.
*This is a joke, not a fact.
 Summer is winding down, and you want to go on vacation, but the travel costs would break your budget. How about a staycation? Plan a stay-at-home vacation and avoid the hassle and cost of travel. Here are some suggestions from DCH Academy Honda for how to make the most of your stay-at-home vacation:
- Become a tourist in your own town. Do those things that your friends and relatives do when they come to town. If you don’t have friends or relatives (that visit), look in the newspaper, on the internet, or in those free magazines they have at the grocery store.
- Dress like a tourist. Get out the video camera. Take pictures wherever you go. Eat crappy food. Ask people for directions. Don’t bring a map. Pull three or four u-turns to get where you need to go.
- Decorate your house. The dollar store has really cheesy decorations. Buy them. Hang them up.
- Get together with the family. If they don’t shoot you for telling them you’re doing a stay-at-home vacation instead of a trip to Tahiti, choose at least one fun idea for each day along with a few backups.
- Go to parks, lakes, mountains, or any other outdoor recreational area. One of the main purposes of a vacation is to spend quality time with the people you care about. A day at the park, assuming it’s not hailing, is inexpensive and fun. Be sure to bring plenty of outdoor games, food, and the family pet.
- Hanging at home can be fun. Set up a tent in the back yard. Play football with the kids. Jump on the bed. Take a nap. Take a nap while jumping on the bed.
- Visit relatives. You’ve been putting off that visit to Aunt Gertie for 13 years. Your kids really want to meet her, and now would be the perfect time. You can also spend a day with relatives you see frequently. Plan a barbecue or a day at the beach with them.
- Hire a babysitter and take a kid-cation.
- Dine out. You saved a bundle you could have spent on a hotel and transportation. Use some of it to eat out. Let each family member choose a restaurant each night. If dining out is too expensive, cook special meals at home.
- Hire someone to clean your house. Pretend you’re at a fancy (or not so fancy) hotel and have a maid clean up midweek. Hire a neighbor kid to mow the lawn and take out the trash.
- Visit museums, zoos, aquariums, water parks, baseball games, city festivals, and family fun centers. In short, do all those things you do on vacation that you could do at home but usually don’t.
- Finally, here’s the most important part of a stay-cation: don’t work. Turn off the cell phone. Disconnect the lap top. Don’t answer the phone. After all, you’re on vacation.
 Your car is one of your most valuable investments, especially if you’re planning on selling it down the road. Whether your four-wheeled-friend is fresh and new off the lot, or a pre-owned vehicle with a healthy amount of miles logged on the odometer, it’s worth your while to preserve its value. Every car devalues naturally every day, but if you take the time to maintain your investment, it’s more likely you’ll get the best possible price for your car if you decide to upgrade. Here’s a handy guide from DCH Academy Honda that will get you started with five major steps you can take now to keep your car from devaluing too quickly.
Prioritize Service and Maintenance
The one thing that a prospective car buyer is looking for is peace of mind, and that is where a service history comes in. Don’t get your car serviced at a budget store and throw away any receipts or records. If you have a new car, ensure that the official dealer carries out all servicing operations. Each car comes with a service book, which will be marked and stamped by the dealer. It is vitally important that you keep these records, as it shows that the people that best know your car have serviced it, repaired it when necessary, and fixed items under recall notices. If you have a used car without a history, start one now. The best option is still to return to a dealer that sells and knows these vehicles from top to bottom.
Keep an Eye on Paint
Don’t neglect your car’s paintwork. Modern day paints are pretty robust and it takes a lot to damage the paint job. The paint is usually several layers of primer, color, and a top layer of clear coat. It is this clear coat that protects the paint underneath, and it is this that you should in turn protect with a good quality wax. Don’t buy discount car care products, but rather the best you can afford. These usually consist of a series of treatments including washes, waxes, polishes, and extra protective layers. The key to cleaning car paintwork properly is to always use the least abrasive method of cleaning. Do not use brushes, but rather softer cloths to clean your car.
Get Insured
Don’t forget insurance. Always get insurance for your car. Not only does this help in the case of a major accident, it also means that any damage will be fixed properly, usually by the car dealer or a reputable bodywork shop. Again, a record should be kept of any such repairs, as nothing eases a buyer’s mind as a complete as possible history of what the car has gone through.
Kick the Butt
Don’t ever smoke in your car if you value its resale. The smell of the smoke gets into any fabric surface, including the headlining, seats, and carpets and is virtually impossible to remove. By smoking in a car, you are reducing the amount of people who would buy your car to those who smoke themselves. Even then, the smell may offend them, too.
Tidy Up
Never let trash build up in your car. Unless the floor of your car is made up of entirely plastic or waterproof rubber, you need to take care of the carpet. Always use car mats to avoid grinding fragments of stuff into the car’s carpet, and generally treat the inside of your car like you would treat your home. Also, many car carpets are synthetic, so when vacuuming make sure you don’t move the vacuum head too fast or too hard against the carpet, as the resulting friction can actually melt the fibers together, producing an ugly mark.
 Remote engine starters have been available to drivers for several years now, but have generally been the sort of feature you would find in a luxury car. As with most developments, manufacturers are now starting to include remote starters in more models, making them much more mainstream. You may have read about them in auto reviews, but what are the advantages of having this feature?
Your car may have climate control or air-conditioning, but these systems take some time to moderate the temperature inside the car. On a scorching hot summer day, or a freezing winter night, you might be stuck waiting for the air conditioning or heat to kick in. A remote engine starter takes this problem away for you.
By using the remote engine starter, you can get the car engine running and activate the heating or cooling before you even get inside. That gives you the opportunity to stay indoors in the warmth (or the cool) until the car is ready for you. You need only wait a few minutes, but you can enjoy getting into a perfectly cool or warm car. This can be particularly handy if you have young children and babies, or anyone else that is very sensitive to extremes temperatures.
Starting the car remotely can be safer, too. Once the car has warmed up, for example, it’s easier to clear the windows of ice. Brake lights and headlamps will also clear of snow and ice, allowing other cars to see you more easily.
Even simple things can be easier with a remote engine starter. If you have your hands full or you are dealing with children and pets, it isn’t always ideal to have to fumble around with a key in the car door. A remote engine starter will start the engine and unlock the doors for you with the simple touch of a button on your key fob.
Remote engine starters are now becoming more common on new cars. If you don’t already have one, however, stop by DCH Academy Honda to talk about having one fitted. According to where you live, it could make your life much easier and safer.
 Clipping coupons makes sense: who doesn’t want to save a little money? But when the hobby becomes an obsession it inconveniences and annoys others. Ever waited in line behind an “extreme couponer”?
The same goes for saving gas. Modifying driving habits to get a few more miles from every gallon makes good sense, but taken to extremes, or “hypermiling,” risks incurring road-rage and can even be dangerous.
Hypermilers are committed to minimizing their consumption of gasoline. While some of their methods demand extreme dedication, others can, and indeed should, be adopted by all motorists. Here’s a short list of ideas from DCH Academy Honda. For more visit What is hypermiling?.
Easily adopted methods
Minimize weight
Weight takes energy to move, so empty the trunk and glovebox of everything unnecessary. Hypermilers will take out the car’s handbook, spare wheel, jack, and perhaps even the back seat.
Keep the vehicle well maintained
An engine in good condition wastes less energy, so stay on top of oil changes and other maintenance. It’s also a good idea to keep tires aligned and remove roof racks and crossbars when not needed to reduce drag.
Moderate maximum speeds
Aerodynamic drag rises in proportion to the square of speed, so pushing a car through the air at 80 mph takes a lot more fuel than sticking to 75. And dropping 5 mph will have a negligible effect on total journey time.
Reduce braking by planning ahead
Brakes convert energy into heat, so if the lights 200 yards ahead turn red, lift off the gas immediately. True hypermilers will go so far as using pedestrian crossing signals to anticipate light changes and slowing down to suit.
Accelerate gently
Being first to the next red light is seriously wasteful, but moving too slow risks making drivers behind you seriously frustrated. Leisurely acceleration is the most efficient way to move off, but just be careful not to be too leisurely.
Minimize idling
Shut off the engine during prolonged stops. Even doing this for just a minute saves gas. (Some new vehicles have ‘Auto start/stop’ which performs this function.)
Use cruise control on the highway
Speed tends to creep up on a long highway drive, and cruise control prevents this, (which helps avoid tickets too!)
Gas-saving ideas not for the novice
Coasting
In a vehicle with a stick shift, slipping it into neutral or holding down the clutch disengages the engine and reduces drag. It offers some benefit on downhill grades, but must never be taken to the extreme of turning off the engine: this cuts power to steering and brakes, making it hard to control the vehicle.
Don’t use cruise control
Cruise keeps the vehicle at a constant speed. The dedicated hypermiler adopts a different technique, letting the vehicle gain speed on down grades and using that momentum to climb the next hill. Warning: this is pretty much guaranteed to irritate other road users!
Slip-streaming (a.k.a. “tailgating”)
When a vehicle moves down the highway, it leaves a hole in the air behind it. Only the most obsessive hypermilers exploit this, driving very close behind large trucks, which, while effective in reducing fuel consumption, is also very dangerous.
Hypermiling contests
Hypermilers eager to pit their skills against those of others enter contests. Held in many locations around the country, competitors follow a set course while trying to use as little gas as possible. Technically challenging, but perhaps lacking the excitement of other motor sport events?
Like coupon-clipping, driving carefully to minimize gas consumption makes good economic sense. However, taking it to the extreme, as hypermilers do, takes significant commitment and a willingness to irritate others. So, proceed with caution, gas-savers, and find a happy medium.
 As the Fourth of July quickly approaches, we will see our favorite stores and friendly neighbors start to pull out the red, white and blue. With the help of The History Channel, Mental Floss, and PBS, at DCH Academy Honda we’ve put together some flag facts to celebrate one of America’s greatest symbols.
- June 14 is Flag Day, but Pennsylvania is the only state that observes it as a legal state holiday.
- The flag kept its original design until 1795 due to the addition of Kentucky and Vermont to the Union.
- The first flag was made in Pennsylvania.
- The official colors of the flag are white, “Old Glory Red” and “Old Glory Blue.”
- The Textile Color Card Association of The United States creates the palate of colors used for private and public institutions.
- Red symbolizes hardiness and valor, white symbolizes purity and innocence, and blue represents vigilance, perseverance and justice.
- There have been 27 official versions of the US flag.
- A high-school student, who was one of three people to submit the pattern to President Eisenhower, created the 50-Star version of the Flag that is still in use today.
- A snippet of the original flag that inspired “The Star Spangled Banner” sold at an auction for $38,000 in 2011.
- The flag has been placed at the North Pole, on top of Mount Everest and on the moon.
Happy Fourth!
 Next time you complain about a speeding ticket, remember that there are much sillier things you could get in trouble for. Here’s a list of some of the weirder traffic violations we’ve heard of at DCH Academy Honda:
- It’s illegal to wear a blindfold while driving in Alabama. It’s dangerous in all states.
- It’s illegal to drive in Alaska with a dog tethered to your roof.
- It’s illegal in Eureka, California to use the road as a bed.
- In Glendale, California, it’s illegal to jump from a car going over 65 mph. It’s also stupid.
- In England, it’s illegal to drive on the right side of the road. Of course they think the U.S. law against driving on the left side of the road is weird.
- In Connecticut, it’s illegal to hunt from a car, even if it’s painted bright orange.
- There’s no driving through playgrounds in Georgia, but it is kind of fun.
- Thirty days in jail await any hooligan who screeches his tires in Derby, Kansas.
- It’s illegal for women to wear a housecoat while driving in California.
- Tourist states like Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska and California enforce laws against driving too slow.
- A fine awaits those who allow vehicular molestation by their pets in Kentucky.
- Don’t blare your horn at a restaurant after 9:30 P.M. in Little Rock, Arkansas or you’ll get a side of ticket with that burger.
- Don’t park in front of Dunkin Donuts while in Maine. It won’t be worth the trip.
- Don’t let road rage get the best of you in Rockville, Md. Swearing from a vehicle is a misdemeanor.
- Running into a pedestrian in Sarasota, Florida is only a $78 fine.
- It is illegal to spit from a car or bus in Marietta, Georgia. It is, however, OK to spit from a truck.
- There is no disrobing in your car in Sag Harbor, New York.
- In Dunn, North Carolina, it’s illegal to play in traffic…
- or drive on the sidewalk…
- or drive through a cemetery.
- Do not leave your car door open longer than necessary in Oregon.
- Don’t use your car to prove physical endurance on an Oregon road.
- Hilton Head, South Carolina forbids the storing of trash in your vehicle.
- It’s legal to eat road kill in West Virginia. Yummy!
- Police officers must honk their horn or flash their lights and wait at least three minutes before breaking up any romantic goings-on in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
- You can’t change your clothes in your car in Evanston, Illinois with curtains drawn.
- The ice cream man has been banned in Indianola, Iowa.
- The dead poultry delivery man has been banned on Kansas Avenue in Topeka, Kansas.
- You’ll get fined if your truck leaves a mess in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
- You can’t honk the horn of someone else’s car in University City, Missouri.
- There’s no tree planting in the middle of the street in Blairstown, New Jersey.
- There’s no running out of gas in Youngstown, Ohio.
- It’s illegal to shoot whales from your car in Connecticut.
- There is no rutabaga street planting in Chico, California.
- Spilling your margarita on the street is illegal in Hermosa, California.
- Fancy bike-riders should avoid Galesburg, Illinois.
- Absolutely under no conditions should you throw your Red Ryder into a street in Iowa.
- Benches are not allowed on the street in Reno, Nevada.
- Roller-skaters and cars cannot share the road in Canton, Ohio.
- Assembly members in Georgia cannot be ticketed while the Georgia State Assembly is in session.
- It’s OK to drive on the sidewalk in Oregon…as long as you yield to pedestrians.
- You must give an audible signal while passing a car in Rhode Island.
- It’s illegal to ride a camel in Nevada.
- Don’t ride an ugly horse in Washington.
- You can’t cross the street while walking on your hands in Hartford, Connecticut.
- Some birds actually have the right away on Utah streets.
- It’s illegal to start a car in Denmark if there’s someone under it.
- You can’t drive a car in England unless you’re in the front seat.
- Skateboarders in Florida need a license.
- Moose are forbidden to mate on city streets in Alaska.
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