Steering Wheel

What's to live for? The price of wine continues to skyrocket, and Warren Buffett is now tweeting. What's next for us culturally? Bingo night at the Louvre? Meanwhile, the criminal justice system insists on hammering on poor Lindsay Lohan. It's only a matter of time before her work suffers, and then who takes over as the freckled queen of American cinema? Leonardo DiCaprio? That's the obvious answer. Yes, I have issues with him as Gatsby, but more on that in a moment. For now, I'll tell you what's to live for. Summer, that's what.

What's to live for? The price of wine continues to skyrocket, and Warren Buffett is now tweeting. What's next for us culturally? Bingo night at the Louvre? Meanwhile, the criminal justice system insists on hammering on poor Lindsay Lohan. It's only a matter of time before her work suffers, and then who takes over as the freckled queen of American cinema? Leonardo DiCaprio? That's the obvious answer. Yes, I have issues with him as Gatsby, but more on that in a moment. For now, I'll tell you what's to live for. Summer, that's what.

General Motors is recalling some model year 2013 Buick Encores with steering wheel fasteners that may not have been properly installed. The problem could cause the steering wheel to come loose or separate from the steering column. If the steering wheel separates from the steering column while driving, the ability to steer could be lost, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall involves 144 Encores equipped with a heated steering wheel and manufactured between Dec. 9 and Dec. 28. GM issued a statement about the recall, saying there were no known crashes or injuries related to the problem.

For all the hoopla over "natural" and "functional" fitness movements, one of the most popular workouts for all body types and athletic levels continues to be the wholly unnatural egg-shaped stride of the elliptical machine, invented by Precor less than 20 years ago. As smooth and joint-friendly as cycling and almost as calorie-burning as running, the elliptical offers an unmatched all-body aerobic workout in a number of creative variations, from front-drive...

Apple was granted a series of patents this week that included designs for a new speaker system for mobile devices and a wireless iPod remote control that attaches to a car's steering wheel. The patent for the speaker system shows a loudspeaker about the size of a quarter that would be located on the backside of Apple's iPhone and iPad devices. The patent was issued Thursday. The design provides improved performance over iOS' devices current loudspeaker despite its relatively small size.

"Ask for The Club," goes one promotion for locks to prevent auto theft. But some car owners say that when they attach such devices to their steering wheels, what they have to ask for is help. Call it the lock that sometimes works too well. Lauren Clarke found that out this week when she got into her car, thinking that she was going to the tanning salon and the bank. She was as thwarted as any thief. "I went to unlock it and it wouldn't turn," the 27-year-old Van Nuys resident said.

'It has a steering wheel, four tires, brakes.'

Several weeks ago, on a hot Monday afternoon in the Nevada desert some 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Porsche quietly gave a sneak peek at an all-new supercar project that will start production in a little less than a year's time. Past the freeway exit touting only a truck stop, a meandering road to nowhere and an eagle-eyed park ranger granting our group access to a gravel road, sat a parking lot containing two prototypes of Porsche's future. They were resting after a day of hot-weather testing by several of the lead engineers on the project.

TRW to Buy Steering Wheel-Air Bag Unit: The Cleveland-based company said it agreed to buy the steering wheel and air bag business of Long Island, N.Y.-based Izumi Corp. for an undisclosed price. The acquisition allows TRW to offer auto makers one occupant restraint unit, which lowers costs by reducing the number of supplier transactions. Currently, auto makers buy steering wheels from different suppliers than air bags and must match trim, paint color and other details to the steering wheel.

Re "Cell Phone Use by Motorists Under Scrutiny," Feb. 16: A logistical problem: How does a driver using a cell phone--one hand holding the instrument, the other on the steering wheel--signal his/her intention to change lanes or make a turn? CHARLES R. BARR Upland

Look around you the next time you're on the road. Chances are, you'll see someone still holding a smart phone to their ear, someone else with the phone on the steering wheel as they text, another peering down at something in their lap rather than looking at the road in front of them. A new survey released Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that there is an army-sized group of 660,000 drivers out on the roads at any given moment of the day, texting, tweeting or otherwise partially preoccupied by something other than driving.

General Motors is recalling some model year 2013 Buick Encores with steering wheel fasteners that may not have been properly installed. The problem could cause the steering wheel to come loose or separate from the steering column. If the steering wheel separates from the steering column while driving, the ability to steer could be lost, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall involves 144 Encores equipped with a heated steering wheel and manufactured between Dec. 9 and Dec. 28. GM issued a statement about the recall, saying there were no known crashes or injuries related to the problem.

Several weeks ago, on a hot Monday afternoon in the Nevada desert some 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Porsche quietly gave a sneak peek at an all-new supercar project that will start production in a little less than a year's time. Past the freeway exit touting only a truck stop, a meandering road to nowhere and an eagle-eyed park ranger granting our group access to a gravel road, sat a parking lot containing two prototypes of Porsche's future. They were resting after a day of hot-weather testing by several of the lead engineers on the project.

Apple was granted a series of patents this week that included designs for a new speaker system for mobile devices and a wireless iPod remote control that attaches to a car's steering wheel. The patent for the speaker system shows a loudspeaker about the size of a quarter that would be located on the backside of Apple's iPhone and iPad devices. The patent was issued Thursday. The design provides improved performance over iOS' devices current loudspeaker despite its relatively small size.

Here are some of the other 23 victims of unsolved homicides related to the L.A. riots. Click for an interactive map of the riots deaths to learn more about all of the incidents: Howard Epstein , 45, was shot and killed April 30, 1992, near Slauson and 7th avenues in Hyde Park. Epstein, who had flown from his Northern California home to check on his South Los Angeles metal manufacturing business, was struck in the head by a bullet apparently fired from a pickup truck that had pulled alongside his car. His car careened into a liquor store parking lot, where a crowd quickly gathered.

Not content with introducing to North American audiences a complete revision of one of the most iconic sports cars of all time, Porsche used the L.A. Auto Show to unveil a beast of quite a different nature. Yet ostensibly, the company sees it in a similar light as the new 991. It's the Panamera GTS. GTS is a moniker the automaker has used as a designation of sport-tuned characteristics paired with a naturally aspirated engine. It was last seen on the final iteration of the departed 997, but also used on an earlier version of the company's Cayenne SUV. (Go way back into Porsche lore and you'll find that the Porsche GTS was also a street-legal variant of a race car made in 1964 and 1965, but let's not tell this new Panamera GTS about that, lest it suffer an identity crisis.)

Question: My car was recently stolen, despite having an expensive alarm system. I have replaced the car and again have an alarm system, but I am a lot less naive now. I am considering a steering wheel lock and am wondering what you can tell me about them. Would use of such a lock rule out a car theft?--A.U. Answer: More than 1 million cars are stolen from Americans every year, a staggering loss by any measure and a sad commentary on lawlessness in our society.

Base price: $285,000 Price as tested: $318,940 Powertrain: 6.75-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8, rear-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic with paddleshift mounted on steering wheel Horsepower: 505 at 4,200 rpm Torque: 752 pound-feet at 1,750 rpm 0 to 60: 5.1 seconds Curb weight: 5,700 pounds Fuel economy: 16.7 mpg combined city/highway Final thoughts: Flawless fusion of sport and...

Calling all multitaskers: In the future, you may be able to drive and check your vitals at the same time. German scientists in collaboration with BMW Group researchers have come up with a device that allows drivers to do quick healths check while in the car, provided their hands are on the wheel. Using technology that integrates sensors into the steering wheel, drivers can find out such things as their heart rates and oxygen saturation levels of their blood while on the road.

You're driving down the Hollywood Freeway and you see a guy in a two-ton SUV, somehow holding the steering wheel while texting at 65 mph. A few minutes later, you pull off onto Sunset Boulevard. While you're waiting at a signal, a skinny guy on a four-pound touring bike speeds past and runs the red light. Which of these two men is the greater threat to public safety? To me, the answer is obvious. But to many of my readers, it's the guy on the bike who's the menace. "I, personally, find most cyclists on the streets of Los Angeles to be perfectly obnoxious," Liz White, a resident of the Village Green, wrote to me last week.