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TST’s Cars of the Year: And the Winners are….

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

 Last week we sat down and looked at all the cars we had driven in 2011. It was a great year at The Smoking Tire. Though we hadn’t driven hundreds of cars with a team of only 1.5 journalists (Matt and Zack) we did pretty well, driving at least 60 cars. Some were used in episodes, some for written reviews and some were from Matt’s work on “The Car Show.” We decided to break them into 3 categories: Sedan of the Year, Truck/SUV of the Year, and Sports Car of the Year.

After coming to an agreement on the Sedan and Truck/SUV of the Year Matt chose the Sports Car of the Year. He drove everything, so he would be the best judge. LIES! We locked in our votes and then posted a contest for all of you: Whoever picked the same 3 cars we did before midnight on New Year’s Eve would win a t-shirt. It’s now January 1, 2012 which means it’s time to reveal our choices for Cars of the Year, as well as the contest winners.

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01.01.2012 Editorials, News 9 Comments

Just Cool: 15 Minute Documentary on Vintage Drag Racing

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Who doesn’t like drag racing? Smoke pouring from tires, cars lined up and shaking like chained dogs staring at a rabbit 1/4 mile away. It’s a very different feeling than road racing. You know you have only a few seconds of WOT and then it’s over. It was on my mind the second I got my license and I raced every weekend in high school, as did Matt (although he did it legally). Today we have some vintage drag porn for you, a documentary called Drag On.

 

It takes us inside why drivers did it, how fast the cars were, and reminds us what it was like before everyone had a CNC machine, CAD design, aeronautics degree and millions of dollars. The safety equipment here is laughable by today’s standards, and we know having an exposed engine right in front of the driver is a bad idea, but back in those days these were the fastest cars around. Here they are captured on film, with slow-motion burnouts, driver interviews and plenty of noisy, crazy-fast runs. The scary thing is  they’re not that much slower than cars today.  Make the jump to watch.

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27.12.2011 Editorials, Video 1 Comment

No More LS Swaps! Oh, into a AWD Porsche 996? Ok, One More.

Monday, December 26th, 2011

 

You know how the Chinese have the Year of the Dragon, or Cat, or Dog? As Matt put it after SEMA, this was the Year of the LS Swap. Every project had an LS motor. Pro-touring cars, off-road machines, Japanese drift cars, shit, you can probably get an iPod case that has an LS motor in it. I know, I know; cheap, reliable, easy-to-find power. Yeah yeah, we get it. Logically it makes sense but I hate logic and nothing is immune from becoming over-played. After all, advancement and new ideas are what drive the entire automotive industry.

 

Then I saw this guy, 1dirtyZ, on the ls1 forums. He’s putting an LS1 into 996 Porsche. And there’s a video of it. Fine, one more, but then we’re at capacity. (more…)

26.12.2011 Editorials, Photos 5 Comments

Video Breaks Down F1 Drivers’ Styles

Saturday, December 24th, 2011

I used to think that every driver was trying to drive the same line, the same way, with the same steering and throttle input, every time. I assumed someone had taken a physics class, calculated the best way to drive a car, and all the drivers would drive like that. I thought, ideally, they should all be mirror images of each other. There’s a racing line, there’s the physical properties of grip, so theoretically everyone should try to drive according to those properties and thus, the same.

 

But they don’t. Watch the great F1 drivers (slow motion helps) and there are subtle differences. In 2006 former F1 driver and current F1 commentator Martin Brundle made this great video, showing the driving styles of Alonso, Button, Schumacher and Raikkonen. Using Red Bull’s F1 car (in the rain no less) Martin flies around the track, shouting the differences in approach, apex, entry speed, and driving style. All of them go fast, but they have different ways of doing it. Make the jump for the video. (more…)

24.12.2011 Editorials, Video No Comments

Saab: Discounts, Parts, Warranties. Buyer Beware.

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

A few days ago Matt wrote a post on the certified, absolute death of Saab. There’s no encore to wait for, no defibrillator to grab, it’s over. The main focus of Matt’s post was how new Saab owners were screwed, because their warranties had ceased to exist. A lot of people in the comments section started asking if dealerships were offering big deals on Saabs, and if that was a good idea. We hadn’t heard anything at that point, but thanks to an article from Car and Driver, we have some new information for you about bargains, warranties and the future value of these cars. Make the jump. (more…)

23.12.2011 Editorials, News, Photos 2 Comments

Saw Your Video. Can We Beat Up a Car Too? (video)

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

 

A few weeks ago we were sitting around bullshitting about the future; New concepts, possible episodes, ideas, dreams, alibis, the usual stuff. Thad sat up; the cue he has an idea. Sometimes his ideas are nuts but his batting average is pretty good. “Can we get a car from someone and just try to break it? You know, see how far it’ll jump before it breaks, something like that?”

 

I turned, “So, you mean can we tell a company we’re going to hurl their car through the air, repeatedly, with the idea that the longer it survives the better they look?”

“Yeah.” He quickly replied, as if I had asked if he was putting on socks before his shoes?

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22.12.2011 Editorials 1 Comment

Watch: Hitler Angry Over GT500 (hilarious video)

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

 

One man’s trash is another man’s gold. In this case, one man’s film about a limp-dicked psychopath is another man’s tool for amazing automotive comedy. And wow is it amazing. A few weeks ago specs came out on the future Ford GT500, and the blogs lit up with comparisons to Chevy’s brand new but ultimately less-endowed Camaro ZL1. (Chevy took credit for inspiring the GT500′s power. That’s commitment to PR.)

 

Someone at the fordgtforum YouTube channel wrote a script about the release of the GT500 specs, made it into subtitles and brilliantly laid it over the 2004 film Downfall. In it, Hitler plays the role of Chevrolet itself, referring to auto shows and track times…god damn it’s funny. As a comedy nerd, I stand up and applaud the awesome work of the creator of this. Make the jump to watch.  Just to keep things even, there’s a bonus video where he plays Ford receiving the news that Boss 302 owners can’t get their Track Keys. Enjoy. Just don’t expect your Polish grandma to laugh. Mine didn’t. (more…)

13.12.2011 Editorials, Video 5 Comments

The Trend of Over Accessorizing

Saturday, December 10th, 2011

It appears the old adage “Less is more” was never told to many of the tuners and builders today. Accessorizing, modifying and customizing has been a big part of car culture since the 30s, but its gotten a little out of control. There are cars today that make the cars from Fast and Furious look like a beige Camry. Take the above. It’s a Campagna T-Rex that has been customized by the company Aero3. The changes are all cosmetic, which is fine because a stock alreay T-Rex makes 200HP and weighs 1,000lbs, so it’s fast as hell. It’s cool in a ridiculous, playful sort of way, but I feel this has pushed the visual envelope too far.

The first thought we had when we saw this was, “storm trooper helmet.” There’s ridges and fins and intakes and splitters on the splitters. It’s like a house with 3 roofs. The stock T-Rex isn’t a tame look, but that’s looks dictated by the design of function. If you build a 3-wheeled 2-seater with a ZX-14 motor in the back, its gonna look a little weird. But the somewhat recent trend of adding splitters and vents to everything has gone too far.

 

 

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10.12.2011 Editorials, Photos, Video 1 Comment

Highway Deaths Lowest since 1949. Good. Can We Go Faster Now?

Friday, December 9th, 2011

 

"Where I'm from, my people run free." RS5 to CHP officer.

 

The topic of speed limits comes up in our merry band of arsonists (thanks to Dan Neil for that name) oh; every single time we drive a car. We usually give extra thought and a more “passionate” discussion after receiving speeding tickets. Most of the cars we drive-especially that we make episodes of-are either high-performance cars or expensive cars. Not exactly cars that drive poorly. Yes, they’re fast but they also have good brakes, traction system, air bags, warning lights (which we hate) and good tires. Germany has the Autobahn, proving travel at extremely high speed is safe. We know that won’t happen here, but what about a bump in limits?

 

Let’s be honest, everyone who drives a car knows in a good car it’s safe to travel above the posted speed limit. Everyone -on highways at least- speeds at least a little bit. I remember learning to drive and asking my dad how fast to go on the highway. He said “65″, to which I replied, “Oh please you never drive that speed. What’s the real number?” I wasn’t asking if it’s ok to max out our Laredo but I paid enough attention when my parents drove to know we weren’t the only families doing 5 over. More (more…)

09.12.2011 Editorials, Video 6 Comments

Honda CEO and I Disagree on the Cosstour (I hope he doesn’t kill me)

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

 

Before we begin, I would like to state that I like Honda. I owned one. When I moved to LA I had no money no friends no job so alone I needed to sell my STI and get cheap transport that was reliable and fuel efficient. Answer: Civic. Bought one, did the job. Honda makes reliable, cheap transportation, a formula that-a few hiccups aside- has been working for decades. They are the OG to the young thugs that are KIA and Hyundai. That said…

 

I do not understand the Crosstour. I don’t know why it exists.  Yes it’s for a niche market. Everyone is trying to build something for a potential high-maintenance discerning customer that may or may not exist. We treat everyone like they’re all hampered by a case of shopping OCD. “Now make sure the cardboard of my to-go cup is vertical, not horizontal.”  These days every company of every industry is trying to cater to a more specifically needy buyer. iPods in every damn color an acid trip can provide. Drinks sized from suppository shots to 72oz “to go” cups. The only place you go with those is to your sadness couch from your humiliation Rascal. Read on.. (more…)

08.12.2011 Editorials, Photos 2 Comments

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