This video shows why you should invest in a good set of winter tires if you live in snow country. It also demonstrates the differences between locking the brakes, threshold braking and ABS; the effect speed has on stopping distance and why you should never mix all season and winter tires on the same vehicle.

I live in Florida now, but spent better than 25 years driving in snow country. I’m a huge proponent of winter tires, and can tell you from personal experience that they do exactly as their manufacturers claim. A good set of winter tires, on a set of steel (or cheap alloy) wheels, will probably set you back less than the cost of your insurance deductible. I say it’s money well spent.

It has ten wheels, four-wheel steering, two small-block Chevy V-8s, and a host of Citroën DS parts. It’s the PLR, a monstrous contraption created by Michelin in the ’70s to test truck tires. The thing weighs more than 10 metric tons and is capable of sustaining speeds of nearly 100 miles per hour. And it looks like the Yellow Submarine on wheels.

Hit the jump for more photos.

Via: Ran When Parked

The PLR packed two 350-ci. Chevy V-8s, one to power the rear six wheels, another to spin a mid-mounted truck tire for testing. The font four wheels steered the beast around a test track in France.

These are some dark days in the Land of the Rising Sun. Following Toyota’s set of fairly serious problems comes Nissan’s announcement regarding a potential recall of roughly 143,000 cars. While no official recall will be issued until November, the NHTSA is still expressing public concern over a defect in its tire-pressure monitoring system. Apparently, heavy concentrations of road salt may cause the bolt in the system to corrode and crack, which could in turn cause it to become dislodged from the sensory device it pins together. Should this happen and the driver fails to acknowledge the tire monitoring system warning lamp that Nissan claims will light up, the driver could experience an unexpected flat tire that could possibly result in an accident.

Nissan also claims that the likelihood of this happening is “negligible,” but the NHTSA is not one to hedge their bets and Nissan is expected to being notifying dealers of the recall on November 6 and owners on November 9. An official list of the impacted vehicles will be published along with the recall next month but Nissan has already begun circulating a tentative list that includes the 2008 Nissan Rogue, 2009 Nissan Murano, 2009 Nissan Cube, and the 2008-10 Infiniti M35s and M45s.

Source: AutoNews

Any Ferrari, especially the “entry-level” F430, is subject to a certain subset of buyer whose hunger for flash and excitement overshadows whatever meager driving skills, or rather, common sense, they might have. Case in point, the gentleman owner of this bright red F430 decided to open ‘er up to see what it could do. He reached an honest 180 MPH before a “strange noise” caught his attention. On the way back down from roughly triple the speed limit to somewhere around 120 MPH, the overstressed right rear tire exploded, with predictable results. Take a look for yourself in the gallery below.

This leads us to propose the following warning sticker to be posted on the steering wheel of all new sub-$200k exotic cars:

“Attention Nouveau Riche Owner: Carefully examine tire speed rating, pressure, and condition before attempting something incredibly stupid to impress your mostly plastic and silicone passenger. Death or serious injury to your self-esteem may result.”

You’ve been warned!

[Thanks to our friends at Wrecked Exotics!]

For all of you citrus-loving Prius owners out there, orange is the new green. Yokohama has developed a green, eco-friendly, gas-saving tire made out of oranges. Yup, those spherical objects that make your Orange Julius taste good and prevent scurvy are being recruited to help save the earth from performance driving. They’re called “db Super E-Specs” and they are most notable for replacing 80% of the synthetic, petroleum-based rubber in normal tire with a special compound made out of orange oil. If you really want to buff up on your green credentials, be sure to cover the back of your hybrid with pun-laden stickers that note that the Yokohamas are produced in a zero-emissions factory and have 10% less rolling resistance (we used to call rolling resistance “grip” before it became politically incorrect to have a car that could handle) than a conventional tire. What’s the catch? They cost a bit more, and they’re only made in three sizes that are compatible with several hybrid and compact cars. We assume they’ll stay in niche sizes, as we don’t know many hypermiling Nissan GTR owners.

[Source]

It kind of makes sense that lead is still the primary material used to make wheel balancing weights, as one of the heaviest metals and relatively cheap, but with the countless studies showing how the toxic metal causes severe health and environmental damage, perhaps it would make more sense to ban the stuff and come up with a less deadly alternative. That’s the main point of a new proposal by the E.P.A., which has overturned the previous agency policy of kissing the feet of lead industry lobbyists studying the issue further and is now going to follow the lead of European nations (who are of course way out ahead on this issue) and finally ban it from our roads. You see, the little SOBs keep flying off folks’ wheels, landing in estuaries and such, leading to frogs with 12 legs and an uncanny taste for Taco Bell nacho cheese … that sort of thing.

Perhaps most surprisingly, the groups that use and produce these weights aren’t screaming bloody murder. Maybe they sense that getting on the wrong side of a “lead issue” isn’t the best PR move, after that recent Chinese toy scandal. Steel and zinc are two alternatives that industrial weight manufacturers can switch to with relatively little disruption, although because these metals are lighter, they will lead to thicker and more expensive weights. Even Wal-Mart is voluntarily on board, saying they feel it’s “the right thing to do.” Look, when Wal-Mart signs on to a public health move, you know it’s a done deal. Anyways, bully to politicians, the EPA, and the relevant industries for actually doing the right thing here.

[Source]

All we want to know is, where’s the stepladder to get into the damn thing?

Artsy, eh?

Indeed, it’s time again for another spine-tingling, blood-curdling edition of DEATH WISH, the series where we explain our morbid fascination with improbably dangerous and fun looking vehicles of all shapes, colors, and creeds. Last week we looked at an intimidating amphibian, but this week the stakes just got a lot higher: today’s DEATH WISH contestant is French! And there’s no Maginot Line to protect you from its fury!

Today’s Implement of Destruction: the Lomax-Citroen 223

Here’s an idea. Take a French car with an anemic two-cylinder engine. Remove one of its rear wheels. Chop off the top. And sell it as a sportscar. We’re not sure why Bernie Madoff didn’t invest heavily in this extremely lucrative scheme, but fear not, one of these limited-production aberrations charmers is on eBay as we speak, ready for its next owner to terrify small children and the elderly with its intensely Gallic nature. It’s the Lomax-Citroen, and yes, it’s based on a lowly 2CV (deux chevaux vapeur, roughly, “rated at 2 HP for tax purposes” … alternatively, “wouldn’t you rather just have two horses?”).

Speaking of Gallic, doesn’t it take some gall to pass this off as an environmentally-friendly proposition? The eBay seller notes that his Lomax-Citroen is capable of up to 57 mpg. Well, let me tell you something: when you find yourself being punted by a big rig into the next county, just consider it hypermiling, as you are converting the free kinetic energy delivered to you by the cataclysmic blow into some infinite-MPG travel. How’s that for green? (Of course, we doubt your blood is green, so unless you’re a Vulcan, the area around where you land will probably be red.)

Of course, by hacking up the body of a 2CV into something that from a distance looks sporty (say, 130 miles), you’re creating one of those situations where you’ll want to do something dangerous with it. In this case, the danger stems just from driving it – its throbbing 602cc engine would definitely not outrun anything. Merge at your own risk, and hope your passengers aren’t armed. In some states, you’re within your rights to use deadly force to prevent immanent death or severe bodily injury, so your passenger might be able to shoot you for just taking them on a drive.

Regardless, the fundamental thing we haven’t dealt with yet is that the Lomax only has THREE WHEELS. We agree with Lomax that four wheels is just too much traction. Who needs a larger contact patch? That’s just a bunch of malarkey invented by the tire industry to sell you an extra tire! It’s all a giant conspiracy, and this Lomax will make a statement that you’re not going to have the wool pulled over your eyes … at least, unless the paramedics use wool body bags these days.

Just like a great horror movie franchise, we’re going to keep bringing you the most frightful vehicles we can find on the internet, so check back frequently for more thrills and chills!

[Source: Ebay]

Squatting: The Best Way To Appreciate Good Tires

The rather uncomfortable staging of this poor girl by the wheel well of a Mustang is a startling reminder of one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of car ownership. No, not the harmful effects of self-tanners on paint or the misuse of scissor doors on a Ford, but proper tire selection. Surely our Ridelust readership does not need to be reminded that a quality set of rubber is easily the most cost-effective way to add performance to your car. But as young Misty here can no doubt confirm by her vantage point, tire manufacturer Vredestein provides one of the more striking examples with their Ultrac Sessanta summer tire .

Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta Tires

In collaboration with Giugiaro Design, Vredestein’s newest ultra-high performance tires were developed with modern sports cars firmly in mind. Though what they have produced is visually appealing tire, (if you are the sort of person who can appreciate a lovely tire tread), performance is really the goal here. Reviewers are happy to report that the Ultrac Sessant lives up to Vredestein’s reputation based for quality and one of the lowest of rates of manufactured defects in their tires.

Audi Looking Menacing With Vredestein Tires

A key feature of the Ultrac Sessant is it’s Longitudinal Design which uses a wide circumferential groove placed asymmetrically on the inside of the tread. Alongside this groove are curved grooves that gradually bend away towards the outer edge of the tread. The sloping circumferential grooves are never completely in the contact area. The footprint therefore actually has four circumferential grooves, three of which are at a small angle. A second feature is its Handling Tuned Tread Compound formula of silica, various types of active carbon, and a temperature-sensitive resin. All of which ensures outstanding handling on both dry and wet surfaces.

As Displayed Shown On A Chrysler 300C.

The tire also uses a Parametrical 3D Design, that guarantees each specific tire size has been precisely calculated to optimize the tire contact patch. Finally, Vredestein has ensured minimal deformation to the sidewall occurs by using two rayon layers in the tire carcass.

Proper Inflation Is A Must. Right Misty? Oh I'm Sorry, Mysty.

Vredestein’s Ultrac Sessanta is available in sizes 17, 18, 19, and 20 and has been assigned a speed rating of Y for speeds up to 186 mph. You can stand up now Mistie.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed some new tire ratings labels to help consumers looking to buy new tires. Rating tires in three areas, fuel economy and greenhouse commissions, wet traction, and durability, the NHTSA is apparently trying to focus consumers’ attention on the fuel savings to be found in choosing a low-rolling resistance tire. Plus, this is a handy and quick way to directly compare tires, something that is notoriously difficult to do. But holy lawsuits, Batman! What could the unintended consequences be?

While low-rolling-resistance tires can certainly increase fuel economy, and the label does include that little wet traction bar, what happens if folks simply say, “how much less grip could this tire possibly give?” and buy the one that gives the highest MPG increase? Certainly low resistance tires give less traction, and according to a quick check of government sites, there’s no hard scientific data comparing the effectiveness of a low-resistance tire to a normal one. Let’s hope that when the NHTSA finalizes this proposal, they include adequate warnings and more information to help educate consumers about traction/fuel economy trade-offs.

[Source: NHTSA]