gdp's Comments

The Smoking Tire : Video: Do "CamberTires" Actually Work?

Thu, 4 Apr 2013 19:43:25 +0000

This rant is so full of questions that is is hard as hell to decipher them, let alone answer them, but I'll try: 1) You can't use the same Camber/Toe settings because the entire point of Camber tires is that when you run lots of camber, the tires sit flat. If you run zero camber, the tires will ride along the outside edge and be worse than standard tires. Likewise if you run tons of camber on standard wheels, they will run on the inside edge and wear unevenly. 2) They didn't flash the ECU, and the car didn't feel any faster in a straight line anyway, I was just able to carry much more speed through corners with the camber tires. I watched those cars come straight off a truck from a dealership. 3) I don't know that they didn't change the brake pads, but the brakes felt about the same on both cars. 4) The camber tires are negatively cambered, not positively cambered. I don't know where you came up with positive camber but that would be worthless. During straight line acceleration, as well as cornering, they sit flat because they were "2 degree camber tires" which run on a "+1" camber setting. So with a camber tire, if it's a 2-degree tire, you dial in three degrees of negative camber so the tires roll flat. I have nothing to gain or lose by accurately reporting what I felt from behind the wheel. I've been promised a set of tires to do a more thorough test, but like I've said a hundred times already, we literally had one hour to make this whole video, which isn't nearly enough to do what we wanted to do. But since we spent money to get all the way out there, we sure as hell weren't going to go home with nothing.

The Smoking Tire : Review: 2013 Ford Fusion SE 6-Speed Manual

Thu, 4 Apr 2013 18:58:56 +0000

The one we drove had the 1.6L turbo Eco-boost motor, which has similar power to the old engines, but seems to be quicker. It's 0-60 is still 8s, which is the same as the old car, but I drove it several hundred miles, many of them highway, and never felt under-powered. It did just fine passing traffic, and passing 100MPH (allegedlyclosedcourse). If you need more power, you can get the 2.0L (240hp/270tq). If you still can't pass cars with that engine, you need to push harder on the pedal on the right.

The Smoking Tire : The worst Miata ever?

Wed, 3 Apr 2013 20:07:54 +0000

Yes, because the RX7 is like rat rod, which has a cohesive theme going on. This is like 5 cars in an orgy. The hood scoop looks out of place, and isn't painted, the side pipes look terrible, and rear end is silly.

The Smoking Tire : Matt and Alex Roy Talk Cheap 12-Cylinder Cars on The Road Testament Update

Tue, 2 Apr 2013 22:56:19 +0000

You must be one of the lucky ones. MB is usually the worst regarding depreciation, and here (http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/17/autos/pluggedin_Taylor_Mercedes.fortune/)" target="_blank"> (http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/17/autos/pluggedin_Taylor_Mercedes.fortune/) they lost hard in the game of Consumer Reports.

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

Mon, 1 Apr 2013 19:51:32 +0000

You're probably right, but they're definitely a niche item for wealthy drivers or serious competition (one usually goes with the other), so I doubt a buyer will care what their life span is after 10 years. - Zack

The Smoking Tire : Is This the World's Worst Lamborghini Replica?

Mon, 1 Apr 2013 19:49:00 +0000

Do you still cry when someone says "lunchable", because some kid pushed you down and took yours when you were 7? Let it go man. - Zack

The Smoking Tire : The Smoking Tire Podcast is Now LIVE on YouTube!

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 06:06:42 +0000

that's a fail. blake is a pussy.

The Smoking Tire : Review: 2013 Ford Fusion SE 6-Speed Manual

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:34:38 +0000

So, why didn't you go to a different Ford dealership? Or ordered a 6-speed Fusion through a dealer that actually wants your money? (since you said you got your Audi that way)?

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:33:28 +0000

Not yet. The CR's only come in 19" sizes for Porsche at the moment, but they are expanding soon. The Camber Tires only come in 17" and 18" sizes at the moment, but they are also looking to expand. Hopefully they cross paths soon.

The Smoking Tire : TST Podcast #62 - "LaPodcast"

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:32:02 +0000

on TheSmokingTire's twitter feed.

The Smoking Tire : Video: Do "CamberTires" Actually Work?

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:31:38 +0000

You can't use the same camber/toe set up on standard tires as with Camber tires. they just won't work. We didn't have time to sit around for 2 hours while they realigned the car and adjusted the suspension, but there is no possible apples-to-apples comparison. Sure, you can run camber on a standard tire, but you'll destroy the inner tread if you're not constantly cornering. The Camber tires, likewise, can't be run without camber dialed in because you'll destroy the outer tread.

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:43:31 +0000

beyond my control. As usual, time constraints prevented me from making my own rules.

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:43:02 +0000

according to the manufacturer, they are not affected by the heat coming off brakes.

The Smoking Tire : Sunday Matinee: Matt Does Carolla's Car Cast and Brings Out the Corvette (Video and Audio)

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:42:29 +0000

OK, we all get it. You like the track, and think that any modification to a car, if it doesn't specifically shave those precious tenths off a lap time, is worthless. You think spending money to customize your car, rather than spending that money on track time, is silly. You really need to understand that there is a huge percentage of people within "car culture" that have no desire to go to the track. Some of those people even buy special lightweight versions of cars with fancy names like Scuderia and Superleggera, with zero intention of ever getting near a race track. Some of these people choose to customize their cars in one way or another. And plenty of them are much wealthier than you are, so to spend $15k on a set of wheels is as easy as saying "I like those," and handing over their credit card, never giving it another thought. If $15k sounds like a lot of money to you, don't spend it on wheels. Spend it on track time or tires or whatever the hell else makes you happy. But there are lots of people out there who want to have something unique, and to whom $15k is not a lot of money, so to them it's worth it. You need to understand there are other people who like cars, and who have priorities that differ from your own. They are not right, and you are not right. There is no right or wrong as long as you can afford your hobby and your car or cars make you happy.

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:35:28 +0000

like always, we only had an hour to shoot the video. They were already on the car, and if we had them do 2 wheel changes rather than just one, we wouldn't have had the precious minutes we needed before we had to be at the other side of the track to shoot the SLS film.

The Smoking Tire : Death of the True Sports Car

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:16:44 +0000

**probably has saved....

The Smoking Tire : Death of the True Sports Car

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:35:39 +0000

in all fairness, if the MP4 were as easy to get into a slide as an FRS, you'd see them wrapped around telephone poles on a daily basis.

The Smoking Tire : Sunday Matinee: Matt Does Carolla's Car Cast and Brings Out the Corvette (Video and Audio)

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:29:09 +0000

The point is that people want something unique. $15k will buy you a set of wheels perfectly matched to your vehicle that you had a hand in designing. You sit down with the people at ProFormance, design the perfect wheel, and then they measure your car, your brakes (if aftermarket), and come up with a wheel design that is perfectly suited to your needs. Obviously not everyone is going to spend $15k on wheels, but most people are happy buying a set off the rack, and that's fine. I didn't want off the rack. Since my C5 Corvette is rather "generic" as far as sports cars go, I wanted something special, not another set of HRE's or CCW's. My wheels are masterpieces; lighter than stock, stronger than stock, they fit my car perfectly, and I know 100% that I will never see another Corvette wearing them. That's what I'm paying for with these wheels: knowing I'm the only person who has them. That makes me happy. And that's why players from every New York sports team as well as top-tier rappers and musicians go to George at Proformance Industries for wheels.

The Smoking Tire : Sunday Matinee: Matt Does Carolla's Car Cast and Brings Out the Corvette (Video and Audio)

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:30:29 +0000

$15k retail, though I got a better price than that, since I do promotional work for the company and send them lots of business.

The Smoking Tire : Video: Do "CamberTires" Actually Work?

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 21:41:17 +0000

We only had 45 minutes to test the tires, and we lack the diagnostic machinery to do instrumented tests. BUT, Hyundai has all that gear, and they were doing instrumented testing for about 7 hours. I'm sure that as companies move forward with the prospect of licensing the tires, they'll do more regimented testing, with better control cars and tires. I agree that our testing wasn't the most scientific or quantitative, but neither are our car reviews/tests. We were just excited to be invited to drive these new tires, and I'm sure more companies/outlets will be doing instrumented tests soon. As for "how has this not been thought of?", that question comes up with most new inventions. Maybe the technology for manufacturing wasn't there, or people fell into the "if it aint broke, dont fix it" line. But I've seen so many products, shows, things come down the line and said "Seriously?? No one had done that yet?? Shit! i assumed that was already done." For example: Nissan is becoming the first company to make an aluminum diesel engine. I thought that would surely have been tried before, and it probably was. But just because something can't be done one way, doesn't mean it can't be done at all.

gdp's Comments

The Smoking Tire : Video: Do "CamberTires" Actually Work?

The Smoking Tire : Review: 2013 Ford Fusion SE 6-Speed Manual

The Smoking Tire : The worst Miata ever?

The Smoking Tire : Matt and Alex Roy Talk Cheap 12-Cylinder Cars on The Road Testament *Update*

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

The Smoking Tire : Is This the World's Worst Lamborghini Replica?

The Smoking Tire : The Smoking Tire Podcast is Now LIVE on YouTube!

The Smoking Tire : Review: 2013 Ford Fusion SE 6-Speed Manual

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

The Smoking Tire : TST Podcast #62 - "LaPodcast"

The Smoking Tire : Video: Do "CamberTires" Actually Work?

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

The Smoking Tire : Sunday Matinee: Matt Does Carolla's Car Cast and Brings Out the Corvette (Video and Audio)

The Smoking Tire : Video: Carbon Revolution's CR-9 Single-Piece Carbon Wheel Track Test

The Smoking Tire : Death of the True Sports Car

The Smoking Tire : Death of the True Sports Car

The Smoking Tire : Sunday Matinee: Matt Does Carolla's Car Cast and Brings Out the Corvette (Video and Audio)

The Smoking Tire : Sunday Matinee: Matt Does Carolla's Car Cast and Brings Out the Corvette (Video and Audio)

The Smoking Tire : Video: Do "CamberTires" Actually Work?

The Smoking Tire : Matt and Alex Roy Talk Cheap 12-Cylinder Cars on The Road Testament Update