Autoblog

GM partnering with tire researchers for better fuel economy

Zach Bowman — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 16:01:00 EST

Starting next year, General Motors engineers will work with researchers at the National Tire Research Center in an effort to create safer and more efficient tires. The automaker has invested $5 million in the facility in Halifax, Virginia, which uses cutting-edge tire performance machinery to recreate real-world driving events.

The $11.2 million test equipment can spin a tire to the equivalent of 200 mph while monitoring data on handling, ride, torque and braking forces and replicating various road conditions. GM says tire efficiency can theoretically be increased up to seven percent by varying attributes like tread design, construction and manufacturing techniques.

GM hopes its work at the National Tire Research Center will help the company advance the arrival of next-generation tire technology, thereby increasing vehicle efficiency and reducing fuel consumption at the same time. You can take a closer look at the full press release below for more information.

Continue reading GM partnering with tire researchers for better fuel economy

GM partnering with tire researchers for better fuel economy originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 24 Nov 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Goodyear unveils self-inflating tires for big trucks

Zach Bowman — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:02:00 EST

Filed under: Truck, Safety, Technology, Work

Goodyear has developed a new self-inflating tire for commercial vehicles. The Air Maintenance Technology system uses an internal pressure regulator to determine when the tire is low. When pressure falls below a certain parameter, the regulator opens to allow air into a pumping tube. Here's the cool part: the tube runs around the circumference of the tire, and as tire rolls, it squeezes the tube, effectively forcing air into the tire through an inlet. Once the tire is properly inflated, the regulator closes off the pumping tube and the truck continues on its way without ever stopping or having to rely on an external compressor.

The benefits to an automatic inflation system are obvious. Vehicles with under-inflated tires use more fuel, have worse handling and chew through tread much quicker than their properly maintained counterparts.

Goodyear says implementing Air Maintenance Technology on commercial vehicles was particularly difficult due to the higher-than-normal pressures found on large truck tires. Most commercial vehicles run an average of 105 psi compared to the 32 psi of passenger cars. Check out the full press release below.

Continue reading Goodyear unveils self-inflating tires for big trucks

Goodyear unveils self-inflating tires for big trucks originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Goodyear uses the old "surprise gymkhana road test with stunt driver" routine

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:44:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Humor

It's a familiar tactic: if you want a customer to know what a car can do, you've got to get them in it and take them for a ride. To truly impress a customer, though, you've got to take them, *ahem,* for a ride. It works so well that NASCAR driver Carl Edwards recently did it with Ford engineers in a Taurus SHO - the very sedan those engineers worked on.

So when Goodyear wanted to show off the finer attributes of its Eagle F1 Asymmetric All-Season tire, it grabbed Ben Conrad, director of Ken Block's last two Gymkhana videos, to choreograph some shenanigans. A Goodyear tire store in California was used as bait - an actor posed as a salesman who got his fellow store helper, professional stunt driver Danny Downey, to take customers for a little demo in a BMW.

We don't know what the conversion rate was, but there were probably a few tires sold that day. Have a look below to watch the videos.

Continue reading Goodyear uses the old "surprise gymkhana road test with stunt driver" routine

Goodyear uses the old "surprise gymkhana road test with stunt driver" routine originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan's Easy Fill idiot-proofs tire inflation *UPDATE

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 24 May 2012 19:01:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Technology, Videos, Nissan

Nissan is moving to make its Easy Fill Tire Alert system standard equipment on its 2013 model year vehicles. Taking the federally mandated tire pressure monitoring system to the next logical step, the Nissan system honks the car's horn when you've inflated your tires to the correct pressure. No more reading the tire pressure placard on the door jamb and hunting around in the glovebox for a pressure gauge.

While Nissan actually introduced this feature beginning with the 2011 Quest minivan, its proliferation throughout the lineup makes sense. After all, it's a good idea, and most motorists can't be bothered to care about tire pressure, despite its importance for both fuel economy and on-road safety. If Nissan's system can actually encourage a few of those disinterested drivers to maintain proper tire inflation pressures, it's a win for all.

Scroll down to watch a Nissan-produced video demonstrating the feature on the company's 2013 Altima and read the press release.

UPDATE: Nissan has contacted Autoblog to clarify that only the Altima and Quest will have Easy Fill for the new model year. The new technology will roll out to additional models in the future, but it will not be available in all 2013 Nissans as originally indicated in an earlier press release.

Continue reading Nissan's Easy Fill idiot-proofs tire inflation *UPDATE

Nissan's Easy Fill idiot-proofs tire inflation *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 May 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

German researchers developing electronic tires that adapt to weather conditions

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:31:00 EST

Filed under: Technology

Even tires considered basic are the results of massive engineering and financial investments - a single tire can include up to 20 different kinds of rubber compounds and their constructions and build techniques are so mysterious that it's easier to get a tour of the White House than a tire factory. A new tire being worked on by a team of German engineers at the University of Leipzig, however, would be a Buck Rodgers-like leap in tire tech by incorporating changeable elements to alter the shape of the tire as you drive.

The recipe for such a hoop includes "flexible actuators, piezo-ceramic actuators, shape memory alloys and 'smart materials'" that gather and process information on the road surface and weather conditions. That info would then be used to reshape the tread to optimize performance on the fly, which can mean altering groove patters and expanding and raising tread blocks. As the professor in charge said, "The driver no longer has to think about adapting their tires. The tire itself 'thinks' too."

For millions of drivers, a world in which the single word "tire" automatically means "all-terrain, all-season, high-performance tire" would be a good one. The engineers have patented their work and are showing a prototype at the Hanover Fair in Germany, yet it should come as no surprise that such a world is a long, long way off.

German researchers developing electronic tires that adapt to weather conditions originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 May 2012 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Radar Tires debuts pink-wall radials to fight breast cancer

Zach Bowman — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:33:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc.

Radar Tires has initiated a new charity campaign to fight breast cancer. The Mobilizing Hope campaign is aimed at stirring awareness through various channels, including the Ring of Hope project, which features a limited-edition pink sidewall tire. Based on the Radar Tires RPX900 all-season performance tire, the rubber will initially be available in two sizes: 195/60R15 and 205/55R16. Radar Tires says that those sizes will fit a variety of popular vehicles, including the Mini Cooper, Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Volkswagen Beetle, Chrysler PT Cruiser and BMW 3 Series among others. Look for the limited edition tires to hit the market in the first quarter of 2012.

Radar Tires has been donating $1 for every four tires it sells to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation since May of 2011, and the Ring of Hope project is simply a more visible way to underscore the company's commitment to fighting breast cancer. Radar Tires will donate a minimum of $250,000 annually to the charity. Hit the jump for the full press release and check out the company's Facebook page for more information.

Continue reading Radar Tires debuts pink-wall radials to fight breast cancer

Radar Tires debuts pink-wall radials to fight breast cancer originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Wim Delvoye's carved tire art is steel-belted beauty

Zach Bowman — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Design/Style

It's a good thing we aren't fabulously wealthy, otherwise our domiciles would be clad in all sorts of clever automotive art. We're not just talking cheesy vinyl bench-seat sofas and engine-block coffee tables, either. We like to think our taste elevates above some of the more common automotive décor we've seen. Take Wim Delvoye's intricate tire carvings, for example. Each piece is filled with exquisite detail and is hand carved. Untold hours have been sunk into each piece (we have to imagine that this isn't the type of thing that gets churned out in an afternoon - or a week of afternoons, for that matter).

The only question, is how does one go about displaying a decorative carved tire in one's home? Would it work as a stylish table center piece? How about hanging from the ceiling? We say let experimentation be your guide.

Judging by the gallery names on Delvoye's site, these carved tires might actually be a few years old, but this is the first time we've seen them. If they're new to you as well, check out our full gallery, then visit Delvoye's website by clicking on the link below.

Wim Delvoye's carved tire art is steel-belted beauty originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

This is what a tire looks like exploding in slow-motion

Zach Bowman — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Videos

The dangers of an exploding tire - Click above to watch video after the jump

As anyone who's been near a big rig that's lost a tire on the interstate will tell you, rubber under pressure can cause some serious damage. In an effort to promote shop safety, the crew from Branick Nitrogen put together a quick video showing just what kind of havoc overinflating a tire can cause inside of a garage. Apparently, this kind of scenario causes more than its share of accidental deaths around the world. After watching the footage, we can certainly believe it. In this case, it looks as if the bead lock separates from the rim itself, creating two large metal projectiles in addition to plenty of rubber shrapnel.

Fortunately, the tire in question was housed in a protective cage designed to handle this exact sort of situation. The force of the failure actually causes the cage to be ripped from its anchors and the metal structure suffers dearly at the hands of physics. Hit the jump to see the chaos for yourself.

Continue reading This is what a tire looks like exploding in slow-motion

This is what a tire looks like exploding in slow-motion originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 19:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Follow-Up: Michelin, Avon, Pirelli bid for F1 tire contract

Noah Joseph — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

With Bridgestone's hegemony on supplying tires to Formula One set to end this year, rubber companies are lining up en masse to grasp at the opportunity to take its place. We recently reported on Michelin's ambitions, but the French tire company isn't the only option being considered. According to Sam Michael, technical director for the Williams team, the options have been narrowed down to Michelin or Cooper Avon. Pirelli, however, has also announced its interest in returning to the championship.

All three of the candidates have participated in the series at one point or another: Michelin from 1977-1984 and again from 2001-2006, Avon from 1954-58 and again in '81-82, and Pirelli in the '50s and '80s. However Michelin, the largest of the three, could prove the most problematic, given the conditions it's demanding and the notorious debacle at Indy in 2005 that led to the demise of the United States Grand Prix.

No further word at this point on the purported candidacy of Korean rubber companies Hankook or Kumho, but with the Formula One Teams Association set to deliberate and decide on the matter shortly, we'll be finding out soon enough.

[Source: Autosport | Image: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty]

Follow-Up: Michelin, Avon, Pirelli bid for F1 tire contract originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 May 2010 08:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Michelin considers returning to F1... with some conditions

Noah Joseph — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:19:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

A tire war could be sparked in Formula One within a couple of seasons if Michelin gets what it wants. The French tire manufacturer ceased its participation in the sport after F1 moved to a single-supplier formula, selecting Bridgestone as its partner. But with Bridgestone set to leave at the end of next season, team bosses reportedly met with Bernie Ecclestone in Malaysia on Friday to discuss potential replacements.

Among the offers reportedly entertained, Michelin could be back in - but with some very serious conditions. For starters, it wants not only free trackside advertising - a hit which Bernie Ecclestone would reportedly pass on to the teams - but it would also expect each team to pay for its tires, to the tune of some 2-5 million euros... per team, per season.

In addition to the compensation issue, Michelin would reportedly want the sport to switch from its current 13-inch wheels to much larger 18-inchers (presumably with lower-profile sidewalls) so that the F1 initiative could be better integrated with Michelin's sportscar racing program.

A large-scale tire war could ensue if Michelin gets what it's asking for, with Korean rubber companies Hankook or Kumho potentially joining the battle for a slice of the pie, and Bridgestone reconsidering its position.

[Source: ESPN F1 (1/2)]

Michelin considers returning to F1... with some conditions originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Quebec drivers face hefty fine if they don't drive on snow tires

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:02:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety, Canada

Ah, Quebec. Beautiful women, beautiful city, fantastic food. But there is a dark side. No, not poutin and steamies. We're talking about the language police! Answer your phone incorrectly, write something in English more than 50 percent the size of the equivalent French phrase or - worst of all - if you forget to bother with French at all, it's ~~off with your head~~ an annoying fine. Joining the Québécois language police are a new group of cops - the tire police.

Basically, according to Wired, if you, a Quebec resident, drive between December 15 and March 15 on all-season tires, you get hit with a $300 fine. But what if you have all-wheel drive? Low gears and a transfer case? A Hummer H1? It doesn't matter. No snow tires = a $300 lighter wallet within the province of Quebec.

There is a bit of rationale behind this law. Fully 90 percent of drivers in Quebec have historically fitted snow tires to their rides anyhow. And it is estimated that the 10 percent that doesn't bother causes 38 percent of the winter accidents. Quite disproportionate, no? But really, this shouldn't come as any shock. Snowy conditions require winter tires. If this does come as a shock to you, check our recent feature on winter tires. And... uh, stay out of Quebec if you're still rollin' on summer meats.

[Source: Wired | Image: Roland - C.C. License 2.0]

Report: Quebec drivers face hefty fine if they don't drive on snow tires originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SEMA Scraps: 15-series tire from Nexen barely holds air

Frank Filipponio — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:02:00 EST

Filed under: SEMA Show, Etc.

Nexen 365/15-24 tire - Click above for image gallery

While in Vegas for SEMA this year, we did our best to concentrate on the cars... and occasionally their hostesses. We deliberately stayed away from the thousands of individual products being introduced in order to spend more time on the cars, trucks, bikes and Snowbarus. Well, maybe we should have looked a little more closely at the products, or at the very least the wheels and tires. If we had spent more time in the lower level of the South Hall, we might have noticed a rather large crowd around the Nexen booth.

While the name might not be a household word, Nexen is a company with more than 50 years of tire-making experience under its steel belt. As impressive as that might be, it's not the reason everyone was standing around, mouths agape. The focus of their attention was a new tire by Nexen, one with an impressive 365 mm width and 24 inch diameter. As ridiculous as those numbers might be, they pale in comparison to the middle number in the equation.

You see, Nexen was showing off the very first 15-series tire. That's right, the world's first and only 365/15R24 tire. If you thought 35s looked like rubber bands wrapped around 19- and 20-inch wheels, this thing looks like a smear of black paint on that two-footer. We shudder to think of what the ride quality might be like, but we seriously doubt there will be any sidewall flex, mainly because there's no sidewall.

Gallery: Nexen 365/15R24 tire

[Source: Nexen via Consumer Reports]

SEMA Scraps: 15-series tire from Nexen barely holds air originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SEMA 2009: The geekiest thing we've found so far

Damon Lavrinc — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports

Tire pressure monitoring systems. Not the sexiest thing here at SEMA, but bear with us for a few minutes to geek out on one of the coolest things we've seen at the show that doesn't involve a whole vehicle.

Autometer - which recently bought Stack and its line of competition gauges - has developed a new tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that ditches the batteries employed on traditional setups and uses... wait for it... crystals.

First, the problem: Not only are batteries prone to dying, particularly when they're being cycled for information hundreds of times in a minute in motorsport applications, they're also heavy. Although a few ounces on the wheel isn't going to make a massive difference on your Honda Accord Crosstour, it's an issue in Formula One and other top-tier racing series.

Autometer's system uses an FM transmitter which pings the three crystals mounted inside the wheel. The frequency at which they respond is relayed back to their little black box (CAN-Bus) and onto the Stack display. We think it's awesome, and apparently so does F1. They'll be testing the system ahead of next year's season.

SEMA 2009: The geekiest thing we've found so far originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Self-inflating tire technology captures innovation award

Michael Harley — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:25:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Green, Safety, Technology

The Tire Technology of the Year award, handed out at the Tire Technology Expo in Hamburg, Germany, has been awarded to the creators of the Self-Inflating Tire at Coda Development.

While "self-inflating" tires aren't new to the market (especially in the commercial industry), nearly all of the existing systems utilize compressed air to inflate or maintain tire pressure. This requires a compressor or reservoir tank to feed air to the tires. Coda's "SIT" system uses a peristaltic pump built directly into the tire that uses the spinning wheel to force air through a liquid-filled tube to maintain pressure at a set level. Designed to aid fuel economy and improve safety, the SIT system claims to maintain a constant inflation pressure over the lifetime of the tire. Simple, lightweight, inexpensive, and not requiring any power source, we liked the idea last year. Twelve months later, and now with an award under its belt, we think it's time to get the SIT system rolling. Press release after the jump, gallery below.

Gallery: Coda self-inflating tire technology

Continue reading Self-inflating tire technology captures innovation award

Self-inflating tire technology captures innovation award originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Titan Tire ships world's first 63-inch tire

Jonathon Ramsey — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology, Work

Remember in the first Crocodile Dundee movie when he gets mugged in New York City and Sue says "He's got a knife," and Dundee says, "That's not a knife, this is a knife," and then he pulls out a beast-killing monstrosity of a blade? Well, that's what the folks at Titan Tire are saying right now about every other -- smaller -- tire in the world.

Titan has made a 63-inch rubber behemoth for use on trucks in Canada's oil sands. The stats on these rubber donuts is impressive: the 59/80R63 is the biggest production tire in the world, standing over fourteen feet tall and weighing 12,500 pounds with a load rating of 101 metric tons. It makes Titan a very appropriate name for the company, as we learned from another movie, Remember the Titans, that in Greek mythology the Titans were greater even than the gods. Now we can only hope this development will make the price of oil drop another ten dollars...

[Source: Titan via Gizmag]

Titan Tire ships world's first 63-inch tire originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Low-rolling resistance tires going mainstream

Chris Shunk — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:34:00 EST

Filed under: Green, Safety, Technology

The car-buying public has put its collective foot down and demanded fuel-efficient vehicles, and automakers are likely to do anything to answer customer demand. That may include reinventing the wheel, as more automakers look into incorporating low rolling resistance tires into non-hybrid vehicles. The high-pressure rubber can return fuel economy improvements of 1-2 mpg in most instances, giving automakers that use them a leg up on the competition when comparing EPA data. The new four-cylinder 2009 Ford Escape eked out an additional 1 mpg with the new tires, giving the CUV 21 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Michelin estimates that low rolling resistance tires can save $300 in fuel costs at $4 per gallon over the life of tire, which is fairly substantial.

There are drawbacks to low-rolling resistance tires, too. They're more expensive than standard rubber, the ride isn't quite as comfortable, and the tires cause longer braking distances. In fact, Consumer Reports gave the Escape a lower rating because it had such poor stop times. The bottom line is that customers are looking for improved economy at all costs. Since low rolling resistance tires improve fuel economy, the cars that have them and achieve superior fuel economy as a result will be more attractive to mpg-conscious buyers.

[Source: Detroit News]

Low-rolling resistance tires going mainstream originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Officially Official: Bridgestone signs exclusive deal with F1

Noah Joseph — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:26:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Earnings/Financials

Japanese tire-maker Bridgestone has been supplying every team on the Formula One grid since rival rubber company Michelin pulled out of the sport at the end of the 2006 season. But whereas Bridgestone had gone through 2007 as the exclusive tire supplier by default, the ink has now dried on the contract that makes them the exclusive tire supplier by design.

The deal secures Bridgestone's monopoly in the pinnacle motorsport series from 2008 through 2010. Although the deal was reportedly secured in 2006, but it just became official.

While many other racing series around the world have similar arrangements with various tire suppliers, Formula One has traditionally been a bastion of pure competition. The tire deal, however, prevents companies like Goodyear, Pirelli and Michelin from returning to F1, joining the institution of a common engine control module, the recent freeze on engine development and drastic restrictions on testing in "leveling the playing field" and thereby reducing the degree of competition in F1.

Full press release after the jump.

[Source: Bridgestone via Autosport]

Continue reading Officially Official: Bridgestone signs exclusive deal with F1

Officially Official: Bridgestone signs exclusive deal with F1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Out of This World: Goodyear and NASA collaborate on airless tire

Noah Joseph — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:56:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal

click above image for more views of the NASA Chariot rover

Any good article about space exploration starts with "when I was a kid...". So, when I was a kid, my older brother was working on his college thesis. He cooperated with NASA on designing various devices for use in space, the basic premise being that few of the things we take for granted here on Earth would work in a zero-gravity environment. Everything needed for use in space needs to be redesigned.

Recently Goodyear and NASA announced a collaboration in developing a special non-pneumatic tire to be used by vehicles on the Moon, and potentially, on Mars, in support of a 2004 presidential mandate to further exploration on the celestial bodies. This isn't the first time Goodyear has collaborated with NASA to develop special moon-tires, having spent over ten years developing a piano-wire-mesh tire for the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle in the 1960s. However, the new Chariot vehicle (pictured above) is expected to support ten times more weight and travel 100 times longer than the Apollo, so Goodyear's Akron Technical Center and NASA's Glenn Research Center are developing a stronger version by testing and re-testing the Apollo's wheel and tire set-up to determine where they break down. Better here than out there, because as big a pain as it is to change a tire down here, imagine mounting a spare in space.

The researchers expect to demonstrate the Chariot, with its special tires, a year from now at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, after which, they say, the findings could be applied towards the development of new tires for use here on Earth.

[Source: Goodyear]

Gallery: NASA Chariot

Continue reading Out of This World: Goodyear and NASA collaborate on airless tire

Out of This World: Goodyear and NASA collaborate on airless tire originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Tread-depth test should defer to quarter, not penny

Dan Roth — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:32:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, First Drives

We've always found that our tires get squirrely in the wet before they fail the old penny test for tread depth. The Tire Rack, supplier of black round things and other accessories, are suggesting that the price of your safety has appreciated by 24 cents. For years, the penny test has been a quick way to turn a common item of pocket detritus into a tread-depth gauge. Hold Abe upside down, and if the tread clears the top of his noggin, you've got at least 2/32nds of an inch of tread. When tread gets down that low, however, things start to get hairy. 2/32nds is the minimum depth that warranties on the tires will be honored, but that doesn't make it wise to cruise around on rubber that tired. We were once treated to a nasty little bit of unexpected oversteer when taking an off-camber turn downhill during a rainstorm with tires that barely passed the penny test.

The Tire Rack is encouraging drivers to use a quarter instead of a penny. Using George's melon as a guide in the same way as the penny, the minimum tread is 4/32nds, double the penny test. It could be argued that there's a lot of miles to be had during that 2/32nds delta, but your life, and that of your passengers, is far more valuable than a few miles on a set of tires. In Tire Rack tests, the "quartered" tires had significantly better grip and shorter stopping distances in the wet. The hope is that awareness will increase and lives will be saved. There's no need to wear your tires so low - it's not like they're slicks - and it's one of the cheapest measures you can take to ensure the safety of you and your cargo.

[Source: Tire Rack]

UPDATE: The Tire Rack also offers up this video to show the difference in stopping distances between new tires, tires worn down to a quarter's measurement (4/32"), and tires worn down to a penny's measurement (2/32"). The difference between all three is pretty dramatic, especially the "quartered" and "pennied" that are separated by only 2/32" of tread life.

Continue reading Tread-depth test should defer to quarter, not penny

Tread-depth test should defer to quarter, not penny originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continental takes world speed record

Noah Joseph — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:34:00 EST

Filed under: Etc.

Continental has entered the Guinness Book of World Records with a top speed of 242 mph (388 km/h). We're definitely not talking about the behemoth Bentley, as powerful as it is. The record now officially belongs to Continental Tires for its ContiSportContact Vmax, which has been officially certified by those stout-chugging judges as the world's fastest production road tire.

The rubber was tested on the 9ff-modified Porsche 911 that took the world record for the fastest street-legal road car. A custom 9ff cabrio also took the record for the world's fastest convertible with a high end of 237.8 mph (380.5 km/h). Both cars are owned by 9ff chief Jan Fatthauer, and the top speed runs were certified by Guinness.

If you're thinking that the Bugatti Veyron (and the purpose-made Michelin rubber on its wheels) can hit a higher speed, you may be right, but the Veyron has yet to try for the official record, and its tires were specially made for the Bugatti, while the Continentals are offered to the public as standard production road tires. As much as the car's own capabilities, how it makes contact with the road (i.e., its tires) often dictates a car's limits. Just keeping the tires from melting (as they do on the Veyron after just 12 minutes at its 253-mph top speed) is a feat in and of itself.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Continental takes world speed record originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments