Welcome to The Smoking Tire. Kick ass automotive videos and more.

Read Matt’s BMW X6M and Mercedes CLS63 AMG Review in the December Issue of Road Lanes!

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

There is rarely enough time in one of our 7-minute films to say everything that needs to be said about a car. You get in the moment, you forget things here and there, and you go home at the end of the day wishing you had said this or that. Well, in between filming and writing for The Smoking Tire, I review cars for other publications as well, which gives me an opportunity to write a completely different take on the same cars we film with. Introducing Road Lanes Magazine, a new online automotive magazine that you can download for free and view offline as well as online. In last month’s issue, I reviewed the Dodge Durango and Corvette ZR1. This month, check out the new issue of Road Lanes for my reviews of the Mercedes CLS63 AMG and BMW X6M.

So as not to disappoint our loyal fans here at The Smoking Tire, we have also made films with the Corvette ZR1 and BMW X6M, which you will see on the site and our various video outlets soon. Until then, click here to see the latest issue of Road Lanes!

 

 

07.12.2011 News No Comments

5th Gear Wuvvvs the Ferrari Spider (Video Review)

Friday, November 11th, 2011

One thing that often lacks in video reviews or driving videos is driver emotion. Cruise youtube and you’ll see a lot of people talking about cars the way your professor taught you about economics: Factual, direct, maybe some trite joke about cost of beer versus volume to keep everyone awake. Or it’s regular people driving really fast, with the same Terminator face we all wear when we’re trying to not die at the hands of several hundred horsepower.

 

But something is missing. It’s the feeling cars give us. Simply sitting down in my ERA Cobra makes me smile, laugh and make engine sounds. (But if you watch this, you’ll understand I’m not normal).  To be fair, not every car gives your brain a blowjob. I’m not going to laugh like a maniac while driving a new Passat (probably more tears of shame). But I will in a Caterham. That kind of childish emotional display is part of what makes Top Gear UK so great. It’s the difference between watching Steven Hawking and Chris Tucker commenting on Sophia Vergara’s tits.

 

That’s why I love this video of Fifth Gear’s Vicky Henderson reviewing the new 2012 Ferrari 458 Spider. I’ve never seen her have so much fun in a car, and that visible emotion tells me this car must be unbelievable.

 

-Zack K

 

11.11.2011 Editorials, Video 1 Comment

Review: Honda CR-Z EX

Friday, October 14th, 2011


At times I am a walking contradiction. I support the EPA and Sierra Club but if you hand me a gun and 4 sets of tires I’ll Yosemite Sam Hubinette that shit all day long. And as much as I love burning as much gas as possible, it’s expensive, and I am poor. So when the CR-Z concept came out, I thought it was that bowl of porridge made of half hybrid MPG and half sports car. A few weeks ago I got one to try out. How did it do? Make the jump to find out.

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14.10.2011 Photos, Reviews, Uncategorized 12 Comments

Video: Art Morrison 3G 1960 Corvette – From Reality to Video Game and Back

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Matt hates video games for several reasons, but mostly it’s because they aren’t nearly as much fun as the real thing, which he proves in this video. In 2006, Art Morrison won the “Gran Turismo Award” at the SEMA show, which means that they put your show car into the video game Gran Turismo. After testing the video game version, Matt can’t help but dream of driving the real thing. Hit the jump to see what happens when your wish is granted.

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04.10.2011 News, Reviews, Video 7 Comments

2011 BMW R1200 GS Review

Monday, September 26th, 2011

“That’s the best motorcycle in the world.” – Everyone, ever.

 

Sometimes when we test something on The Smoking Tire, we have zero pre-concieved notions of what to expect. For example, when I recently reviewed the BMW F800R Motorcycle, I hadn’t heard anything about it from anyone besides the fleet manager, who said it was “Fun.” I just thought it looked cool and wanted to try it. The BMW R1200GS is exactly the opposite. I knew lots about it from lots of people. My friend Dave Maher spent 3 months wandering the United States on the back of one. Actor Ewan MacGregor famously circumnavigated the globe on one. Countless others have ridden unbelievable distances over incredible terrain on GS motorcycles for nearly 30 years. And when I was looking to buy a motorcycle in 2009, the GS was high on my shopping list. It ultimately didn’t fit my needs at the time, but I found it very interesting that used examples had approximately 1000% more miles than almost all other bikes on the market. I had a really hard time finding a used GS with less than 40,000 miles on the clock. So I knew that anyone who bought one of these bikes, bought it to ride, a lot. And although I didn’t end up buying one back in 2009, if you asked me what bike I’d like to own today, my story would be drastically different, and include just one option: The R1200 GS. And that’s because after just 15 minutes of riding, I learned that everyone who’s ever told me that the GS is the best motorcycle in the world is exactly right. Hit the jump to find out why.

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26.09.2011 News, Photos, Reviews 4 Comments

Forza 4 Review

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

Forza 4

 

I know what you’re going to say: “Video games? On an automotive site?” Well, let me start off by saying that, like Matt, I’ve never been a big gamer. It wasn’t until I was 15 that I got my first gaming system, a Playstation bundle pack my family got with the new TV. It came with one game: Gran Turismo. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I loved the fact I got to drive real cars, and not some made up space karts with turbo boosters. I loved the fact that it was the most realistic racing game I had ever played. I was amazed by the graphics (1998, haha) and sounds of the game. Needless to say, I was hooked. I played that game until my thumbs were sore.  I remember waking up early before school , just to drive my hard earned Formula 1 car around the Nürburgring. Then it all changed. Somewhere between going off to college and discovering the fairer sex, I lost interest in video games. Sure, occasionally I’d sit down to play some racing games with friends, but was never really as enamored with them as when I first sat down with that revolutionary racing game I grew up with. I lost interest and focused more on actual driving and having fun behind the wheel of a REAL car. More after the jump. (more…)

24.09.2011 Editorials, News, Reviews 11 Comments

Video: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne – The Perfect Crew Vehicle for Road Race Bikers

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

The Smoking Tire’s Tom Morningstar is thoroughly obsessed with bike racing. So much so that he DVR’ed the entire Tour De France. That’s 4 hours per day for 3 weeks straight. And he watched the entire thing. So much so that, even though we live in Los Angeles and he doesn’t have a car, he bought a $3,000 road bike. So much so, that he convinced me that the $340,000 Bentley Mulsanne sitting in our driveway would make a perfect crew vehicle for a pro biking team that was practicing for an upcoming race. We used the opportunity to see how the back seat of the Mulsanne, where the bikers’ assistants ride, compares to the front seat, where I like to be. Video after the jump.

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23.09.2011 News, Reviews, Video 5 Comments

Begrudgingly Good: 2011 Volvo XC60 R-Design Review

Sunday, September 11th, 2011

 

 

Ah crossovers, the market segment that everyone loves. Created to fill the void between cars and SUVs that we weren’t aware of but quickly decided we couldn’t live without. Like a new coffee drink called “room temp brew.” We thought we were happy with the options “iced” or “hot.” How silly of us. Crossovers are like the calorie-free sweetener of the month. It promises you the SUV flavor you love without the gas-guzzling fat you hate.

 

It’s the ever-present attempt to have our cake and eat it too. High seat point, happier trees, everyone hold hands. But I don’t like room temp. I looked at crossovers like people that blended perfectly good vegetables so they could drink green-brown sludge. Yuck. Either eat a salad or have some juice or fucking starve. Then the XC showed up…  Make the jump for the full review of the 2011 Volvo XC60 R-Design.

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11.09.2011 Uncategorized 9 Comments

Driven: Kirkham Shelby Cobra

Friday, September 9th, 2011

We all know where this is going. It’s a 427 freakin’ Cobra. It is insane, awesome, noisy, squirrely, and every man’s fantasy. You get it and I get it. What you might not know, however, is what makes the car you’re currently ogling different. I’ll give you a hint: it’s the kind of difference that makes Carol Shelby himself take notice. Continue reading to find out what the difference is.

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09.09.2011 News, Photos, Reviews 10 Comments

Video: BMW F800R Motorcycle Review

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

After years of fielding requests from fans of this site, we have finally decided to try a video review of a motorcycle. While it’s true that I’ve only been riding bikes for about 2 years, and am not quite as well versed in 2-wheelers as I am with the “quads,” I figured we’d take BMW’s newest “Streetfighter” bike out for a ride to see what it can do. The F800R is a naked sport bike designed to compete with the Ducati Monster, Aprilia Shiver, and Suzuki Gladius (AKA SV650). These bikes are designed for urban utility as well as canyon carving fun. So, how does the F800R stand up to the competition? Hit the jump to find out.

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08.09.2011 News, Reviews, Video 19 Comments

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