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SOME OTHER STUFF TO THINK ABOUT WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING ACROSS THE MOJAVE DESERT

Nothing ruins a car faster than overheating. Just because you're nice and cool in the passenger compartment doesn't mean that your engine isn't dying of heat prostration a few feet away. Be nice to your car; it's the only thing that's between you and hitching across Death Valley. Here are a few of our suggestions:

Suggestion A: Slow Down. Drive at 55, not 65. Take a look at the view!

Don't forget--when you're pulling a heavy load and traveling at high speed, you're really imposing a tremendous demand on the engine--to say nothing of the fact that the trailer you're hauling probably also has terrific wind resistance. Sure, you might be able to drive at 70 miles an hour, but you're doing it at the expense of your engine. You might get to your destination a half-hour earlier, but you might just toast your engine on the way.

Suggestion B: Watch the Temperature Gauge.

If you do notice your temperature indicator starting to rise, turn on the heat in your car. Your car's heater core will divert a little more of that heat away from the engine (remember--the heater core is another little radiator). Sure, the passenger compartment will get hot--maybe unbearable--but you might save the engine. This would be a good time to put your mother-in-law in the front seat. (You can tell her, "Elsie! Great news! You just got an upgrade to first class!") Seriously, overheating can ruin an engine. So, if the temperature gauge is running hotter than it normally does, take these precautions, slow down and get some help at the next opportunity. If the engine is actually overheating--that is, the needle is near or in the red zone, or the "hot" light is on--stop driving. It may seem inconvenient, but you will almost certainly ruin the engine if you drive while it's overheated.

Suggestion C: When All Else Fails (A Few Things to Toss in the Trunk).

If you've followed all the precautions described above but bad luck has caught up with you anyway, here's Click and Clack's Official Heap of Things to Bring on Your Summer Road Trip.

Item A: Bring some extra coolant, particularly if you are traveling through the boonies, where service stations are spaced farther apart. If you're from the East and taking your first trip out West, consider yourself forewarned: there ain't a gas station every 20 miles, pal.

Item B: Bring a quart or two of oil. See Item A.

Item C: Maps. Attention all Real Guys: Don't let testosterone poisoning cloud your thinking. Bring maps. Heck, you can even figure out your route right on our site and print it out, with the Mapquest mapping system.

Item D: While you're packing, also toss in a roll of duct tape. Duct tape has a number of great uses, such as temporarily repairing a hole in a leaky hose, or slapping it over the mouth of your kid when he's driving you completely wacko.

Item E: Do yourself a proactive favor--if you're going to be driving through unpopulated terrain, throw out that Mickey Mouse spare tire in your trunk and bring a real spare tire with you. Would you trust one of those cheesy spares to get you across the desert of Nevada? We sure wouldn't. Spring for the money and get a real spare. For those of you on a budget, a good option is to get a used tire at your local junkyard. Look for something that hasn't been left to degrade out in the sun and that has a reasonable amount of tread left. Note: That little spare isn't recommended for more than 50 miles of driving. So, if you expect to be more than 50 miles from civilization, this is especially important.

Items F, G, H and I: Toss in a screwdriver, a couple of flares, a pair of pliers, vise grips and maybe a coat hanger or two to hold up the muffler when it falls off.

Well, that should do it. Bon voyage! And one more thing: while you're driving around this summer--be sure to stop and check out the Toilet Seat Museum in San Antonio, Texas. The kids will love it. Tell 'em Ray sent you.

Buon avventura, guys,

Tom and Ray