It's podcast time, and this week is very special. In short, tires are simultaneously the most critical and the most taken-for-granted aspect of a vehicle. As such, Bruce and Smith are joined on Rambling About Cars by noted tire expert Jonathan Benson of Tyre Reviews.
If that name sounds familiar, it should. Motor1.com has covered many of his reviews on a wide range of tires, and in the process we've all learned that there's far more to tires than just price and tread life. Power is nothing if you can put it to the ground, and choosing the right tires means taking into account numerous factors. It's not just about wet or dry, ice or snow. Temperature matters. Compounds matter. And there are some extraordinary differences between various brands that most people don't even know about.
Benson's spent years evaluating tires in locations around the world, driving everything from high-end sports cars to daily-driver trucks. He's tested in dry and wet, ice and snow, and if you think you already know everything about tires, think again.
Follow Jonathan Benson at Tyrereviews.com and at Tyre Reviews on YouTube.
In some cases, his reviews revealed jaw-dropping differences in performance merely due to tire choice. We're especially grateful to chat with him on this important subject, and we suspect everyone will learn something new from this insightful deep dive on tires.
Tires Are Not Created Equal:
Inevitably, a discussion about tires leads to talk about some of the crazy experiences we've had in cars. Testing and writing about vehicles for a living means we drive a lot of cars, but sometimes the most memorable experiences don't come from a fantastic supercar. Jonathan shares a cool story about taking to the track in a classic Toyota MR2. Smith shares a similar story about chasing down a Porsche 911 on track in first-generation Ford Taurus SHO, and Bruce gets nostalgic about an epic road trip in a Buick Regal TourX.
As the episode closes, Smith jumps back in with perhaps the craziest surviving winter story, conquering a blizzard in an LT-1-powered Buick Roadmaster sedan. It spurs the Chris's to make a call-to-action for all the car-crazy people out there. Share your stories with us!
Previously On Rambling About Cars:
Yes, if you have a cool car that you're proud of, or if you have an epic adventure from behind the wheel, we want to embrace it and share it with the world. We're Rambling About Cars, and it's time our listeners came along for the ride. Post in the comments or email us your photos and stories: podcast@motor1.com. This is something we'd like to do every episode, so don't be shy. There are millions of cool cars, cool people, and amazing stories out there. Let's share.
Rambling About Cars Episode #8 Preview
Next week we'll talk about all the big new car debuts that happened this week, including the epic Porsche 911 GT3. Mitsubishi also debuted a new Outlander with an interesting origin story, and we'll be taking a deep dive into Mitsubishi's long, quirky history of collaboration and badge-engineering with other automakers.
Where To Listen
Look for new episodes of Rambling About Cars every Friday. You can find the video version on YouTube and audio in a variety of places like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you have a moment, please like, subscribe, and review because it exposes the show to more people. And the more people joining us on this automotive odyssey, the better.
