Drew Dowdell

Welcome back @Cmicasa the Great, I got something new myself since you've been here last.

There is such a wide range of performance in three season tires that I’m sure these will fall somewhere on the spectrum quite easily. As for cost, I’m sure they will cost more initially, as Goodyear is still sorting out the supply chain, but eventually they’ll come to price parity.

Tires with very low rolling resistance are generally not great in snow/ice. These will be 3-season tires (I don't believe in All-Seasons). That said, no, Goodyear didn't say anything beyond the fact that they have regulatory approval and they've passed internal testing.

It's possible, but it is a much larger unit and I doubt whatever they put in will have a turbo. I could see a non-turbo 2.0 going in though.

When thinking about making vehicles greener, most people think about how green a vehicle is; they typically think about fuel economy or the shift toward electric propulsion. But there are plenty of other petroleum products in vehicles, the largest being the tires on all 4 corners. Goodyear Tire announced last week that they have developed a demonstration concept tire that is made of 90% sustainable materials, and most importantly, it has already passed all regulatory testing. This demonstration concept is part of Goodyear’s quest to make a tire from 100% sustainable material by 2030. The company first debuted a 70% sustainable tire in January 2022 that they intend to put into production later this year. The 90% sustainable material tire uses the following recycled or replacement materials: Carbon black, which is included in tires for compound reinforcement and to help increase their life, has traditionally been made by burning various petroleum products. Goodyear’s demonstration tire features four different types of carbon black that are produced from methane, carbon dioxide, plant-based oil, and end-of-life tire pyrolysis oil feedstocks. The use of soybean oil in this demonstration tire helps keep the tire’s rubber compound pliable in changing temperatures. Soybean oil is a bio-based resource that helps to reduce Goodyear’s use of petroleum-based products. While nearly 100% of soy protein is used in food/animal feed applications, a significant surplus of oil is left over and available for industrial applications. Silica is an ingredient often used in tires to help improve grip and reduce fuel consumption. This demonstration tire includes high-quality silica from rice husk waste residue, a byproduct of rice processing that is often discarded and put into landfills. Polyester is recycled from post-consumer bottles by reverting the polyester into base chemicals and reforming them into polyester used in tire cords. Resins are used to help improve and enhance tire traction performance. In this demonstration tire, traditional petroleum-based resins are replaced with bio-renewable pine tree resins. Bead wire and steel cords reinforce the structure of a radial tire. This demonstration tire uses bead wire and steel cord from steel with high-recycled content, which is produced using the electric arc furnace (EAF) process. The utilization of the EAF process allows for steel to be produced with reduced energy use and higher recycled content. The EAF process has the potential for lower greenhouse gas emissions than steel produced using a blast furnace. Aside from the sustainability in the tire’s construction, the 90% sustainable-material tire has a lower rolling resistance than a traditional tire, allowing for better fuel economy or a longer electric vehicle range. Goodyear plans to further develop this tire into production, though a timeline has not yet been released.  Customers interested in purchasing the 70% sustainable-materials tires can register for updates at Goodyear.com/SustainableMaterialTire   View full article

So, the reason the Volt was so complicated was because of the electric drive/transmission. It had two electric motors sandwiched into a single unit and connected with two clutchs. During hard acceleration, it used both of them, but in normal circumstances or at cruising, it used the larger motor at a low power draw to keep you moving because horsepower needs on a flat highway at 65mph are minimal... we're talking like 20ish - 30ish horsepower. With both motors engaged at full power, the Volt could make about 220 horsepower in sport mode. If you were at a steady cruise and the Volt decided it needed to regenerate the battery, the gas engine (1.5 liter naturally aspirated) would kick on and use the smaller of the two electric motors as a generator to top up the batteries and keep you on your way. There was a rare situation where if you had a battery with zero range left AND you were cruising above 80 mph, GM found that it was actually more fuel efficient to just lock both electric motors to the engine shaft and have the gas motor direct drive the wheels. This caused a big bruhahah when Jalopnick released this tidbit with them accusing GM of lying about the Volt being a hybrid. The way GM did this was via a planetary gear sets connected to those electric motors and also to the gas engine. It was through this they were able to to have so many combinations of power in a single unit. It was both incredibly complex yet elegantly simple. They did something similar with the CT6-PHEV but they built the transmission as a 6-speed with 2 eCVTs built in as well which makes the CT6-PHEV one of the oddest vehicles to operate. So, the reason I don't see them doing it as a hybrid is that it involves way too much complexity. They'd need a transmission, a large enough gas tank, all the exhaust plumbing, etc.... and where are they going to put all of that. In an ideal world, I'd see them build a small displacement flat-4 around 1.2L- 1.5L and tie it to a generator only. They could put it in the back under the bed if they wanted, or up in the traditional spot under the hood. My bet, however, is that they use the non-turbo version of the 1.3 liter in the Dodge Hornet. This engine family is very compact, it fits in the Fiat 500, and could provide enough juice to increase range while letting the electric motors do all of the pulling. And remember, this is just a range extender, not an infinite range cheat-code. It's not meant to replace plugging in, but just to buy the driver time between charge stops when towing.

Aside from the wheels being 3 sizes too large and it slammed too low, I love the attention to detail. I would have wanted closer to era appropriate wheels/tires in both size and style. I'm not saying drop it all the way back to 15", but some retro 18"s would have been fine. Those look at least 20" and they foul the front fender on turns.

I am not a crook... by modern standards..

In your case I couldn’t tell the difference.

I'm not familiar with this term, which is odd since I live in the Keystone state.

One of the frequent comments regarding battery-powered trucks is that their range is significantly diminished when towing. This is true with petroleum-powered trucks as well, of course, but the prevalence of standard gas stations removes range anxiety for those who fill up with dead dinos. Eventually, as high-speed EV chargers sprout up across the country, as Mercedes-Benz plans to help with by adding 400 charging stations nationwide, those concerns should be addressed. But that doesn’t help buyers who want a battery-powered truck today. RAM plans to help ease that range anxiety. Yesterday, RAM unveiled the RAM 1500 Revolution Concept at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show. While the concept is electric only, the production version, tentatively named RAM 1500 REV, would offer an option for a gas-powered range-extender. RAM CEO Mike Koval Jr. told Autoblog that the option will be available at launch along with the purely battery-powered model. RAM sees this solution as a way to make inroads in the burgeoning EV truck market while the charging network is still being developed. Technical details of the engine weren’t offered. Still, the most likely scenario is a purely separate generator unit whose only job is to provide electricity to the batteries in a towing or heavy payload situation, or if the battery charge has reached a minimum. Autoblog wonders if a physical connection from the generator to the wheels is possible. Still, this is unlikely due to the electric motor being mounted transversely between the front wheels. While anything truly is possible, we think a 4-cylinder mounted transversely powering the front wheels of a full-size pickup is pretty unlikely. If you’re a pickup truck buyer who tows frequently, could the RAM 1500 REV with a range-extender option change your mind about range anxiety? Sound off below. View full article

I would imagine its fine at 45 degrees latitude. ?

I'm not a fan of glass roofs as someone with light sensitivity. I have blue eyes and I've had lasik. I wear sunglasses even on cloudy days.

It's also a weight thing. Thick rotors are heavier in a time when every ounce counts against MPG. If GM went through all the trouble and expense to figure out a process to bond multiple metal types together to make their vehicles lighter but didn't cut 7-10 pounds off the weight of all four rotors combined it wouldn't be a very wise investment.

Yeah, I've heard the same. I've been doing my own brakes lately and I figure if I'm pulling the caliper, I might as well do two more bolts and do the rotor as well. Even the cop-spec winter weather coated AC Delco rotors for my truck were only like $75ish each from Rock Auto.

Probably summer then... but it wouldn't be the first time a concept was shown in January (traditionally Detroit show) and then production version in April (traditionally NYC show). I don't remember when either of those shows are anymore, but probably one of them. I can't see them taking it to the Texas State Fair, another traditional place to unveil trucks, they'll get booed.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday, Sony and Honda Mobility announced the brand name for their electric vehicle joint venture, "Afeela". Afeela plans to demonstrate a new relationship between people and mobility with its corporate purpose “Move people, through the pursuit of innovation with diverse inspirations.” During the announcement, Afeela showed their concept car that will serve as the basis for a production vehicle slated to go on the market at the beginning of 2026. The soft lines of the concept are designed to make occupants feel like they are in a cocoon of safety. The interior has an airy, minimalist design to reduce distractions. A new human interface, HMI*4, will provide a personalized in-car experience with augmented reality and cloud-service connectivity to provide entertainment beyond driving. The platform is equipped with a powerful new Qualcomm Snapdragon Digital Chassis for maximum computing power, and it will need it to run the 45 cameras and sensors inside and out. Updates over the air will come via the built-in 5G network. Driving autonomy is a big push in the industry currently, and the Afeela concept is no exception. Afeela promises Level-3 automated driving in limited conditions and Level-2+ in certain situations, such as urban driving. Afeela did not release mechanical specifications such as battery capacity, expected range, or power outputs. Still, they did indicate that it was all-wheel drive, meaning that it likely has a dual motor setup. The Afeela concept is roughly 193 inches long and 75 inches wide, making it about the same size as a Ford Fusion, but with a wheelbase 6 inches longer than the Fusion, the Afeela promises to have a very spacious interior. For Honda, this partnership with Sony helps Honda with its slow start in the electric vehicle segment. Honda’s first EV, the Prologue was developed in partnership with General Motors using their Ultium BEV platform and is due out in 2024. View full article