Consumer Reports Jan '06 Issue Proves My Point

"Shoe Salesman" wrote in news:bSjqf.4574 $ snipped-for-privacy@tornado.socal.rr.com:

Couldn't have been a Hummer then..

~On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 18:46:42 -0500, "Marc" wrote: ~ ~>My only question is: What are abdominal tires?

Must be the Michelin man!

Most American surface roads are turning to shit, due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Additionally, heavy truck traffic is destroying the interstates.

Yeah,right, and that never happens here. You ever hear of James Dean?

Of course, you meant "abominable".

$35?? You've got to be kidding. I haven't paid $35 for a tire since I reshod my '69 Plymouth Satellite with bias plys from the local filling station in '73.

I've got a 2006 Nissan Max with low profile Goodyear RSA's. It's quieter than the '95 T-bird and 2005 PT Cruiser I drove during my Christmas vacation.

If the suspension is factory engineered for the low profile tires, there is no difference in ride quality. The handling is a helluva lot better, though.

Ain't never heard of THAT before....

You mean, they don't wallow all over the road like some '50's or '60's land yacht?

I'll take a firmer suspension over some sloppy handling wallow-wagon any day, thank you.

Some Piper Cubs have big balloon tires for takeoffs and landings on mud or snow. The tires aren't used to make high speed sharp turns, unless the owner is trying to ground loop the plane for the insurance money. Given the small diameter of the wheels, and considering that the tires are not driven, balloon tires roll over bumps and ruts more easily than lower profile tires.

Ever watched a jet land? Ever see the smoke when the tires hit the runway? Aircraft tires are designed to go from 0 to 125 mph on landing, while absorbing enormous impact loads. On the small jets I maintain, the tires are

12 ply or more, are inflated to 125 psi, and are heavier and stiffer than hell.

See

for more info on aircraft tires.

Yeah, back in my day, by God, all tires were bias ply and skinny with whitewalls. And we liked it, we loved it!! And all wheels were painted, drop center stamped steel. They rusted like hell, and we liked it, we loved it!!! If it was good enough for my '59 Caddidliac, it's good enough for my bigass SUV....

No, they actually test performance cars and supply 0-60 and 1/4 mile times these days. Their road tests and reliability data are more credible than they were in the past.

They must've moved all the old fogies to the tire test department.

What? You never had a spare tire around your middle?

Interstates have shoulders, proper crowns and often correctly banked curves. Just to let you know, Heavy truck traffic is present on european Motorways/Autoroutes/Autobahns etc.

You might wish to reread what I posted. You are much more likely to find a shoulder on an American side road than you are on an European side road. and yes I did hear of James Dean. The fellow who died OVER 50 years ago! There have been some improvements in the highway network in the last 1/2 century

The Interstate that I commute on does not have a proper crown -- water pools on it every time it rains. This is a newly widened road with a new surface across the entire road width.

As a civil engineer, I can say that (without seeing the road and the circumstances) it certainly sounds like the overlay across that road was done incorrectly.

I know here in NC the regional offices I work with are adamant that if you overlay you must have your 2% crown... and if not you have to MAKE it have a 2% crown!! :)

J

Whoever wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@localhost.localdomain:

I don't know too much about Europe, but I can assure you that UK roads are extremely smooth. Of course they don't have much frost to content with, but their traffic is very heavy on many roads. I did a bus trip in Belgium, France, Switzerland in '79 and the roads were excellent. I doubt they've gone downhill since then. I also know that the road surface from Canada down the I5 into California always has significant worn out sections that make a hell of a noise. In the late 80s in northern California the I5 right lane was so worn out all traffic was driving in the left lane.

The surface of the road is only one factor. American cars are made to handle American roads (including dirt & Gravel roads.

European roads may be smooth (though there are many here in the East Midlands (UK) who would disagree with that), but as I wrote earlier, Very little educated, traveled professional thought went into the construction of the road networks. Shoulders, Banking, crowns, drainage, visibility, adequate guard rails, ample passing places, etc, etc, etc.

A smooth surface does little to help you after you're careening down a cliff face after hydroplaining across a road, through a farcical guardrail after skipping over the 4" leaf covered curb at the edge of the lane.

However the ride to that point was probably smoother than the I95

Traction on those smooth UK surfaces are another subject. I agree they are slippery, I'm always cautious over there. Here in Canada we add a pea gravel type of wear coat on many roads, great for traction on ice. Of course there are always those dummies who don't drive according to the road conditions. We usually wave to them in the ditch as we pass by.