#Tires

Any off-road gearhead with a bit of dirt under their fingernails is sure to know that traction is a huge part of a great day on the trail. All the locking differentials and beadlock wheels in the world – or horsepower and torque, for that matter – won’t stand a chance in the tough stuff if the tires on yer rig are bald as Homer Simpson. This is why some drivers end up enduring YouTube infamy thanks to viral videos caught at the most inopportune moments.

I am told spring is here, though the weather has been, shall we say, inconsistent? We've had some warm days, and some spring rain, but it's also remained chilly at times. Spring in Chicago is non-linear, and this year is no exception.

That headline is weird, I know. No, I didn't sniff glue or slip too much whiskey into my afternoon cup of coffee. Nor is it jet lag speaking -- though I am in California for a first drive (more on that tomorrow). No, there really is a race track selling a jar full of used racing tires.

Advances in the field of tire and rubber technology (yes, that’s a thing; we promise) have permitted manufacturers to make huge strides in the ability of these things to grip surfaces of all types. In the past, there was a push to sell all-season tires which performed at kinda-sorta acceptable levels in a variety of conditions but didn’t truly excel in any particular environment.

Today's QOTD won't apply to those of you in the so-called "smile" states, at least not for the most part -- obviously some parts of California see snow, and Texas experiences the white stuff on occasion.

Installing the right set of tires on yer car is just as – if not more – important than getting the right pair of shoes on your feet. Shoving on a set of dime store flip-flops in the wintertime all but guarantees a trip to the hospital after one falls face over apex upon encountering the year’s first icy patch. This is Exhibit A of why most drivers in the Snow Belt elect to mount winter rubber when the weather turns foul.

A Detroit-based startup hoping to normalize robotic tire changes has filed for bankruptcy, perhaps offering hope to all the humans worried that they're about to be displaced by automation. RoboTire, which launched in 2019, had stated its intention to speed up vehicle maintenance for auto repair shops, fleet operators and dealerships. Now its status is Chapter 7.

Wide swaths of the motoring public tend to dislike spending money on new tires, thinking them little more than rubber circles which are all the same. As gearheads, we know the difference of course, and often dive into the purchase with zealous amounts of comparison and opinion. If only we could transfer this enthusiasm to everyone.

Until now, the specter of all-weather tires has been somewhat nebulous. Purported to be a bridge between all-seasons and winters, they used to be derided by some as ‘good at everything but great at nothing.’ But tire tech has come a great distance in a short amount of time, particularly from brands like Nokian which plow cubic acres of dollars into their R&D departments.

Win a set of Bridgestone Blizzak winter tires!

It's time for a TTAC Giveaway! Once again, we're giving away some winter tires! You can snag a set by entering below.

Hyundai Motor Group have introduced a novel snow chain that’s integrated directly into the tire. The design allows drivers to deploy the system at the push of a button, allowing drivers to sidestep some of the disadvantages associated with installing snow chains.

Those four black circles at each corner of yer car are technically the only parts of the machine that literally touch the pavement. All the modern safety or efficiency gear in the world is useless if an owner has cheaped out with off-brand rubber or simply runs the wrong set.

Those of us in the Snow Belt know this, explaining the rise of that three-peak mountain snowflake symbol that certifies the tire for winter duty. But the rise of electric vehicles comes with a new set of considerations – and Nokian thinks they have an answer.

Airless tires are one of those concepts that have been around forever (we used to call them wagon wheels) but never seem to be able to achieve a technological breakthrough that would make them preferable to what’s already on the market. However, Michelin just managed to produce a set it says has been tested at 130 mph that it believes could be ideal for law-enforcement applications.

It all started with a video I saw over the weekend in which a Kia Soul gets launched into outer space (not literally, don't @ me) by a surprise attack from a tire that decided it was ready to roam free.

The tires that came on your car when it left the factory may or may not be from a big-name manufacturer, but in many cases, automakers equip custom-designed tires that look like off-the-shelf brands you can buy at the shop but are specially made to highlight the car’s strengths. J.D. Power’s 2023 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study found that those efforts have paid off with an increase in overall satisfaction from 2022.

Finnish company Nokian put down roots in the South a few years ago, opening a brand-new facility just northeast of Chattanooga back in 2019 where they currently employ about 350 locals. In a spurt of good news for the area, Nokian has announced they plan to bump that number to 475 by the end of this year.