wheels and tires
What’s The Inside Of A Tire Look Like Under Load?
It’s pretty cool when we can get a glimpse of something that at first might seem a little mundane, but is actually quite fascinating, especially when it comes to never-before-seen characteristics of a car’s components.
How Do NASCAR Teams Figure Out Tire Changes Before And During Races?
It is impossible to watch a NASCAR race without noticing the lightning-fast speeds at which the pit crews change tires on the vehicles during their pit stops. The unforgettable zipping sound of the impact wrenches they use to remove the lug nuts is just one of the highly-skilled duties these professionals use to assure a quick tire change.
These Tires Made our BRZ Faster & More Fun to Drive – Torturing Tires at Tire Rack
Drifting and wet skid pad starting at 6:00! Hope you enjoyed this because we had a blast filming it.
HRE Shows World’s First 3D Printed Titanium Wheel
HRE is not messing around. 3D printing is one of those “next big things” that makes a huge amount of sense in low-volume applications. Originally used for prototyping directly from CAD models, e.g. to produce an instrument panel mockup for a new car, it also has applications like aftermarket wheels for…
The Art Of Choosing Slicks In The Rain
Here we see Winding Road Team TFB driver Mason Filippi (#12, Shmib.com) in Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car race 2 from Mosport (May 21, 2017). That race started with light rain. The team sent Mason…
A Modest Proposal: A Way To Reduce Tire Costs
Whether we look at club racing budgets or at pro racing budgets, tires costs are one of the largest components of any racer’s season.
Racecar Profile: Elan Motorsports DP02
The DP02 is the series spec car for the International Motor Sports Association’s Cooper Tire Prototype Lites series. Outfitted with either a 2.0L or 2.3L engine, the DP02 is the exclusive chassis of both the L1 and L2 classes. Additionally, the DP02 is homologated for the SCCA’s P1 class, and can be configured to run in P2 as well.
Forbidden Fruit: Caterham Seven 160
The Seven 160 is powered by a turbocharger, three-cylinder Suzuki engine producing 80 horsepower and 79 pound-feet of torque. This gives the 1080-pound car a claimed 0-60 time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 100 miles per hour. Power is put to the rear wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.
Gear: AIM GT Steering Wheel
No, this isn’t a toy or part of a simulator. It’s a new, real steering wheel, and it combines precision handling with programmable buttons, real-time information, and data acquisition. It even has optional paddle shifters. If you’re looking for an advanced tiller that will help you to drive faster and shave time off your laps, the handcrafted carbon fiber and leather AIM GT Steering Wheel may be just the thing.
Why All That Weaving Around On The Way To The Grid?
At the start of a race or track session we see drivers weaving back and forth across the track. Ask a driver why all the swerving and you’ll hear, “I’m getting the tires up to temperature.” Well, I don’t think that’s what’s happening. Most of the tread surface is cooling, not heating. And, since rubber is a poor conductor of heat, very little of the frictional heating on the tread surface gets into the bulk of the tire.
First Look: 2013 Toyota RAV4
There’s an epic battle royal brewing in the mid-size CUV segment. Over the past year, Honda, Ford, Mazda, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi have refreshed their family friendly crossovers. We can officially add Toyota to that list. This is the 2013 Toyota RAV4, and it just debuted at the 2012 Los Angeles International Auto Show.
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible—Part Four
So, at this point I’m supposed to regale all the faithful Flip This Car readers with an unlikely and slightly wacky auto adventure. For part four of the last series I entered my Buick Roadmaster in an SCCA Rallycross event, and to keep the fish-out-of-water spirit alive I turned to the Michigan Ice Racing Association (MIRA) for some winter time fun with the Mustang. With everyone telling me how dead I’d be trying to drive this car through the ice and snow, what better way to give everyone the raspberries than to race the 5.0 on a frozen lake? The stakes would be much higher this time, however, for while the rallycross was a solo event racing against the clock, I’d be racing side-by-side with other cars at the MIRA event. And none of us would have the benefit of studded tires.
Long-Term Car: The Mini’s Snow Tires Get Tested
Finally, we’d have a proper test of our Michelin Primacy Alpin winter tires. I pulled out of work to dry weather on that Friday afternoon, and made it home in record time (people, hearing there was snow on the way, must have ditched work early to avoid a slow-go on the way home). I parked the car, and waited.
Flip This Car: 1992 Ford Mustang LX 5.0 Convertible—Part Two
In just over a month I’ve already tallied close to 2000 miles behind the wheel of the 5.0. Does that mean I enjoy driving this car? In a word, yes, but it’s a touch more complicated than a one-word answer. The complete road test will be forthcoming in part three so I’ll refrain from sharing the unorthodox similes and astute observations until then. For now, you’ll be happy (or disappointed, depending your expectations for this series) to know that I’ve not yet smacked, slapped, thumped, tweaked, slammed, sideswiped, bounced or otherwise biffed the Mustang into anything moving or stationary, despite the current date which has us well into winter here in the northern latitudes.
Tire Tech: Cooper Zeon RS3-S and RS3-A
Ultimately we felt a lot more confident driving on the Coopers, which showed through in the lap times—we were about five seconds faster on average on the RS3-S tires.
Flip This Car Extra: 1994 Buick Roadmaster—Beast vs. Blizzard
Seyth Miersma recently had his own tale of conquering Snowpocalyse 2011 in the Mazda 2 long-termer around Ann Arbor. Since I work outside the Winding Road home office a few hours north, I’m privy to a more rural setting for my daily commuting, but that can bring with it a whole new set of problems when it comes to big snow. The 1994 Buick Roadmaster is still in my grasp; it has proven to be a staple of all-weather reliability and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to relay my own blizzard story as experienced behind the wheel of the Beast. It also gives me a chance to drop a few not-so-sneaky hints as to the new Flip This Car machine, which also happens to be a white sedan but is decidedly better suited for rallycross. Whoops, there’s a hint already.
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