California is trying to regulate tire rolling resistance to reduce statewide fuel consumption, and it could limit enthusiast tire choices.

The California Energy Commission (CEC) wants to introduce a law that sets a minimum tire rolling resistance target to help save a claimed $1 billion in extra fuel costs experienced by drivers.

Basically, California is trying to set the performance standard for aftermarket tires, which can change almost everything, especially for enthusiasts who use inefficient but grippy high-performance tires.

the CEC wants all tires to meet or exceed the standards of Original Equipment (OE) tires, which are the tires that come with the car when it's brand new.

https://www.motor1.com/news/797503/california-tire-rolling-resistance-rules/

unusual front tire situation... is that a wire cage to prevent problems, or improve traction for steering?

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122255898890905122&set=a.122255623292905122

it's amazing someone found this unused Firestone Hi-Type Cushion 32 X 3

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10243765926393474&set=gm.10162820245312481&idorvanity=119087132480

very COOL game of chance for car events! Thank you Nitto for this !!

this is brilliant, new tire tech automatically deploys and retracts studs depending on temperature. The Hakkapeliitta 01 tire has a new temperature-sensitive compound that deploys and retracts studs

When the road surface is warm enough, the studs, which themselves have been redesigned specifically for this tire, sit back beneath the surface of the rubber. As the road surface gets colder—like, tire-in-contact-with-ice cold—they push out. Nokian says it’s been working on this technology since 2014, around the time it debuted a concept tire that deployed studs with the press of a button. Other startups had attempted to deliver such products, but they never arrived.

The key is what the company calls an “adaptive base compound.” This is the material that the studs sit in, and it’s sensitive to temperature—becoming rock-solid when cold, and softer and more pliable when warm.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/nokians-new-tire-has-studs-that-magically-retract-when-its-warm

I just learned that occasionally, Goodyear has a special selling event

And my justification for posting blimps, is that they have one wheel, and now you can buy them!

https://www.goodyear.com/en_US/signature-shop/vault/collectibles

loving this bird, and the love Goodyear showed this owner (Amelia Hartford)... with a souvenir wheel and it's own display case (wow!)

This would be an epic boutique gift business for Goodyear to get a spin off entity doing. 

if you are reading this, back up for burnout

https://moparinsiders.com/emelia-hartfords-1970-plymouth-superbird-soars-past-210-mph/

west coast fishers and conservationists allege that a chemical additive used in tires is polluting rivers and waterways, killing coho salmon and other fish.

The case was initiated after the apparent solving of a decades-old mystery: what was causing mass deaths of endangered coho salmon in the Pacific north-west as they returned to streams to spawn. The deaths happened after heavy rain.

Scientists, suspecting storm runoff, described the phenomenon as “urban runoff mortality syndrome”.

It took years for scientists from Washington State University to pinpoint what they now allege is the chemical culprit. In 2020, they published a study in Science that claimed to solve the mystery: they found a toxic substance in leachate from car tyres that killed the fish. Known as 6PPD-quinone or 6PPD-q, it is an oxidation product from 6PPD, a chemical added to car tyres to prevent them breaking down.

The judge will determine whether the tyre manufacturers are violating the Endangered Species Act by harming fish species, including coho salmon, protected under the legislation.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/02/is-tyre-pollution-causing-mass-deaths-in-vulnerable-salmon-populations

I'm sure you're away that tires wear away, and that's evident by them going bald, and the amount of tire that disappears, is ground off by the asphalt and concrete that we drive on, plus sand and gravel. Every time it rains, all the tire dust is washed away, and heads down the roads, sidewalks, yards, ditches, culverts, streams, and then accumulating amounts are then hitting the rivers 

The new GTP Pilot Sport Endurance tires on the cars competing in the GTP class look a bit different. The tread pattern is the talking point to get free publicity for the 50% recycled material tires factoid, which is interesting.

The texture is called the “Vision” pattern and it is designed to help with initial warmup, since the cars of IMSA do not utilize tire warmers. 

Previously, it could take multiple laps to get the tires up to full operating temperature

These new GTP treads are composed of 50% recycled or renewable material, but last just as long during hard driving stints, including the double stints that often take place at big races like the 24 at Daytona.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/maintenance-and-tech/youre-going-to-see-weird-tires-at-the-24-hours-of-daytona-heres-why/

the most and least satisfying tire brands have been under study by Consumer Reports over the past four years, over 52,000 sets of tires

The tire testing process includes a number of grip-related evaluations, including wet and dry braking, handling, and snow traction.

two brands had top marks for satisfaction among all-season tires: Michelin and Vredestein. Significantly, 10 all-season tire brands were given our lowest rating.

• The all-terrain tire category was judged to be more satisfying, with 11 of 26 brands found by owners to have favorable satisfaction.

• Satisfaction is widely distributed among the winter/snow tire category, with four brands receiving the highest ratings

https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/tires/tire-brands-ranked-in-order-of-consumer-satisfaction-a2490084769/

Uniroyal was rated at the bottom of Consumer Reports' recent ranking of the most satisfying All-Season tire brands, though several other budget offerings were also listed in the red for the same category. 

Unfortunately it also landed last in customer satisfaction when it comes to its Winter/Snow tire offerings. 

Sumitomo, Kelly, Hercules, GT Radial, Dunlop, and, BF Goodrich were also rated red by unsatisfied customers in that category. 

In the Summer tire category, Sumitomo was the worst rated tire for customer satisfaction, with the budget brand making the unfortunate claim of being at, or very near the bottom of the list in all four categories surveyed for the Consumer Reports rankings. 

In the All-Terrain category, Sumitomo earned the lowest marks for customer satisfaction. 

Michelin Tires fared the best on the Consumer Reports satisfaction list, and earned the highest rating in all four categories surveyed.

 It was the only manufacturer to claim that honor. 

However, the European tire brand Vredestein was also rated well in all categories, earning light green marks in the All-Season, Winter/Snow, and Summer tire categories, and a dark green rating in the All-Terrain sector. 

https://www.slashgear.com/2080149/tire-brand-with-lowest-customer-satisfaction-rating-consumer-reports/

the first car tires.... were ordered by Winton, from Goodrich, Here is his account of how getting car tires made, for the first car, went.

I went to the Goodrich Company, in Akron, and told them I wanted something bigger than their biggest bicycle tire, something that would fit the wheels of a horseless carriage.

“That’s a new one on us,” cried a man to whom I had been directed.

“A horseless carriage, eh? Hmph! Will it run?”

“You bet it will.”

“Well, I guess we can make them, although we never have.”

“That’s fine.”

The man hesitated, rubbed his chin, and observed: “We will make them, but you will have to pay for the molds.”

“Do what?”

“Yes, sir. There won’t be enough call for tires for horseless carriages, and we can’t afford to pay for the molds. Also, you will have to pay for them in advance — and the tires too. We’ll have them on our hands if you don’t get them.”

I paid.

They were single-tube affairs, and were pretty expensive. It wasn’t long before I got a puncture, and while I thought of patching the tire I figured out what I considered a better idea. Molasses was heavy and would stop leaks if they weren’t too large, so I began pumping it into the tube. I pumped too hard. The rubber gave way and the molasses came out too quickly to be dodged.

https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/sep-keyword/winton-motor-carriage-company

attention getting advertising

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/273

the service station on wheels.... hmmm

https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A262008

way back when horse shoe nails were loose everywhere and repairing a flat happened all the time. The license plate is 1911

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/389/

It's great that we normally wear the tread right off tires now, without getting a flat. 

an article in Popular Science Monthly, May, 1938 - Rubber Spokes Give Bounce to Airless Safety Tires invented by J. V. Martin of Garden City, N. Y.

Hard wood, embedded in rubber, forms the rim, hoops of hickory incased in rubber and fitted with criss-cross spokes of ribbed rubber. 

A photo of that particular tire clearly shows an interwoven husk of what appears to be metal hoops underlying a heavy rubber tread that is fitted over a standard rubber tire. The underlying rubber tire may or may not be inflated, but regardless of inflation the pneumatic tire hull is supported by the interlocked wire hoops. The wire hoops appear to interlock much like middle-ages chainmail armor.

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/358/

Huh... Goodrich would make tires in whatever color the customer wanted, I guess is the point of this ad

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/326/

to stand out from all the competition, ya gotta have a gimmick, if you have nothing else to offer (read PT Barnum's bio) And someone running a used tire store, caught the eye of every potential customer with a record-breaking stack of tires with a dummy perched on top

I love the wood spoke wrecker, photo circa 1933

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1396550188699502&set=a.181986760155857

I don't remember posting a patched up tire before!

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/495/

I don't remember seeing tires with this tread... I wonder, was it effective?

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/437

https://forums.aaca.org/topic/341211-period-images-to-relieve-some-of-the-stress/page/450/

Really big Fisk tires!

https://cdf.montevideo.gub.uy/catalogo/foto/12530fmhge