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We recently evaluated the IS250 with optional all wheel drive and were surprised at how much the system detracted from the overall driving experience; we expected the acceleration to be slower but what really suffered was ride quality.

While looking over the specs for the new 3 series’ xDrive all wheel drive option, we noticed the following disadvantages beyond the expected increase in weight:

– the turning circle is 2 feet larger – the front suspension is made of steel rather than aluminum – the transmission itself is heavier

Given that all wheel drive only helps when your foot is on the gas (e.g. when climbing hills or when accelerating from a stoplight) and hinders braking and turning, we strongly suggest you consider spending your money on tires optimized for inclement weather (which help you get going AND avoid an accident) instead of all-wheel drive.

(One exception – if the choice is between front wheel drive and an optional all wheel drive we’re tempted: better weight distribution, less torque steer and sometimes even a more advanced rear suspension are the benefits. In these cases we’d get the tires AND all wheel drive).

Given the number of accidents or blowouts are caused by underinflated tires, we can’t wait for Michelin’s ‘Tweel’ ito hit the streets… (Production versions would have sidewalls, giving them the appearance of a regular tire).

Michelin has… found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires… Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.

Jouralists often critcize Mercedes Benz and Lexus models that don’t allow the driver to completely defeat the traction and stability control systems, forgetting that not everyone drives professionally and/or on a test track. We suggest leaving such systems on when driving on the street; drive smoothly enough and the computer will think you’re still in control.

That said…

For 2003+ Mercedes:
With key in position 1, press trip odometer reset button 3 times. Go through screens til ‘ESP Dynometer Test’ is displayed. Set to ‘ON’. Start car. This mode is not meant for use when driving so will deactivate ESP and ABS.

For the ‘06 Lexus IS:
Start the car with the parking brake on, press brake twice and hold. Activate parking brake twice. Repeat sequence till light activates on dash. (You have 30 seconds). Everythng but ABS will be deactivated til the next time you start the car.

source: digg.com

UPDATE: Automobile magazine has since tried the Lexus defeat procedure on their long-term GS - click here for a video…

By now most of you have seen the email warning of carjackers that leave a note on your rear window when your car is parked.

According to this story, while you should remain vigilant you need not be paranoid. We’re not saying it can’t happen – just that is doesn’t.

(If you want to worry about something, make it the tread depth/air pressure/quality of your tires or the age of your wiper blades and shock absorbers).

Remember the Easy Spirit commercial with the ladies in heels playing basketball?

We get the same sense of absurdity when we think about the tires that most Americans are on as they head into another winter. Ever notice how the first cars in the ditch are SUVs and AWD cars followed by the occasional FWD car? Here’s why:

Ironically, many light trucks and SUVs come on tires that are ill suited in the snow. Their rubber compounds must be hard to withstand the weight of your average SUV when loaded and not fall to shreds at the first sign of rough pavement. In addition, SUV tires are wide for better traction in sand and mud and to give them that butch look mom’s prefer. Unfortunately this is the opposite of what you want for ice and snow traction; narrower is better. When you combine this with the fact that most SUVs have lots of torque and are rear wheel drive without traction control until 4 wheel drive is engaged, it’s easy to understand why they become so unweildy in the winter and are eager to exit the roadweay backwards.

An increasing number of cars – especially sport sedans- come from the factory on ‘3-season’ tires. Such tires are designed under the assumption that the car will not be driven in the snow or even at temperatures below about 40 degrees F (below that temperature the rubber becomes hard and slippery). In the case of a car that’s available with front wheel drive as standard and all wheel drive as an option, testing shows that the all wheel drive increases the chances that the tail will side out and reduces cornering and braking grip. (Click here for proof).

The so-called ‘all-season’ tires on most cars are not designed to be driven through deep snow or ice (in fact in most cases they’re particularly bad on ice). To be called an all season, a tire simply must exceed a 25:75 ratio of channels:blocks. Arranging these blocks for long wear, hydroplaning resistance or low noise reduces traction in the snow, and using a rubber that last upwards of 30,000 miles severly reduces grip on ice. (Click here for more on the shortcomings of ‘all-seasons’ during the winter season).

Regardless of what you drive, if you encounter snow or ice we suggest a tire with the ‘mountain with snowflake’ symbol signifying the tire has been tested in winter conditions and meets certain minimum standards. (And in fact testing as shown that you’re best chance for avoiding an accident is to drive a rear wheel drive car with traction and stability control and these ‘mountain on snowflake’ tires).

Don’t see yourself changing from summer to winter tires? Don’t sweat it – unless you take your car to the track or regularly drive your cars til the tires cry out for mercy, an H or V rated ‘European winter’ tire will be suitable for use throughout the year. (The BMW CCA’s technical advisor also advocates this). Such tires give up less than 10% in the dry to other tires but gain you about 30% in the winter – a worthwhile tradeoff in our eyes. In fact there has been a recent trend towards so called ‘dual season’ winter tires or ‘performance’ winter tires that offer as more grip in the dry than an all season. We’ve been runnning these year round on a half dozen cars and the drivers can’t tell there’s anything different about the cars until it turns snowy or icy.

So as we see it there are 4 basic categories of tires:

no M&S logo on the tire means it’s unsafe below 40 degrees

a M&S logo means it might be capable in light snow but not on ice

a mountain on snowflake symbol with an H or V rating can be used year round if you encounter heavier snowfall or icy conditions

a mountain on snowflake symbol with a Q or S rating – particularly Multicells such as most Bridgestone Bizzaks or a tire with a name ending in ‘Ice’ – should be used in the winter only; they wear quicky and grip poorly on dry or warm days.

Feel free to contact us for a list of suggested tires based on your specific car, budget, driving style, and road/weather conditions.

NOTE: Just because your car passes safety inspection doesn’t mean its ready for winter. In fact most mechanics don’t suggest replacing tires until they’ve reached the legal minimum – 1/3rd what is required by safety and tire experts. Click here for more information.

In a world that is more concerned with appearances than performances, ‘rims’ are growing in size at a dizzying rate, even from the factory.

Take for example the newest Civic: the standard wheel is now a 15, most Civics ride on 16s, 17s are standard on the Si, an 18 optional. Compare this with the Civic of 10 years ago: standard 13s, the largest size available was a 14, performance tuners knew that the car was best on 15s. Same with the BMW 7 series: 15s were standard, now its 18s. (Choose any car, you’ll see the same pattern, even in those rare cases where the size or weight of the car has decreased…)

With so many people thinking bigger is better, it’s difficult to convince people of the truth: bigger wheels are ruining the way today’s cars ride and handle.

It’s basic physics, really – ride and handling are largely a function of wheel weight. The lower the ratio of wheel:body weight (also referred to as unsprung:sprung mass), the better the ride quality. The lower the wheel/unsprung weight, the greater the tire’s adhesion to the road surface. The lower the rotational inertia, the better the acceleration, braking and steering response.

If you’re interested in performance rather than appearance, we suggest doing what we do to our own cars:

1) Get a lighter wheel in the same diameter. Factory wheels are often cast rather than forged for cost reasons, and stylists don’t care about how much a wheel will weigh so long as it looks good. By lowering your wheel weight alone you’ll see dramatic improvments in ride quality, acceleration, braking, and handling. (Steve Dinan takes this approach on his versions of the M3 and M5).

2) if you have a sport package or other option that increased wheel size from the factory, trade your wheels with someone who doesn’t read our site and has the base model car, then wrap them in tires equal or better than those you have now. (Most comparisons between base and sport package cars are not scientific because you’re comparing different suspensions, wheel sizes and tire types.) As with option 1, the lighter wheel and lower rotational inertial will work in your favor, plus the stealth quotient will mean those who challenge you on the street (or toting radar guns) won’t know how fast you’re capable of going.

NOTE: We advise against larger wheels and low profile tires on trucks and SUVs in particular. Not only are the suspension systems ill suited to keeping a low profile tire properly oriented in relation to the road surface, but doing so lengthens braking distances and increases the chance of a rollover due to the already overtaxed brakes and high centers of gravity. (When choosing Original Equipment tires and sizes, engineers choose tires that slide early, keeping the vehice on all fours. Increasing grip makes it more likely the SUV or truck will tip up on two wheels).

Click here for a preview of Toyota’s next generation of airbag design…

(Forgive me for questioning where their inspiration for a more nurturing cradle for one’s face came from).

As horsepower numbers climb ever upwards, we predict an increasng number of manufacturers will turn to all wheel drive.

As much as we advocate traction control to limit wheelspin or electronic stability control to prevent loss of control, both systems are subtractive – i.e. they use the brakes which can a) slow the car down and b) overcook the brakes.

The problem with all wheel drive is that – weight aside – it affects the steering: drive an original BMW X5 (constant 63:37 split) and an updated one with xDrive (rear drive until slip occurs) and you’ll feel the difference.

Now Ferrari is experimenting with a system that (like BMW’s xDrive or Infiniti’s Intelligent all wheel drive) will send power to the front wheels only when needed.

The system will only be engaged for short bursts and so should be seen more as a way to reduce power-on oversteer rather than to air winter traction, etc. We don’t expect it to replace the current traction or stability control systems, but it should reduce the number of times those systems will have to ‘subtract’ from the fun quotient…

When buying two new tires, most people – mechanics included – still believe that you should put the best two on front.

They’re wrong.

Testing done by Michelin found that the best two tires should always be placed on the rear regardless of whether you have front, rear or all-wheel drive.

Click here, then on ‘Watch a short video to learn more’ for proof.

(Also read this if you drive a car or truck with all-wheel or four-wheel drive…)

marketing claim:
the Michelin Energy™ MXV4® S8 tire offers an array of improvements over its predecessors including a quieter, smoother ride, improved snow performance, lower rolling resistance and improved handling on dry surfaces.

owner experience:
Was very happy with the tires these replaced (OEM MXV4 Plus) with 52k. NOT HAPPY with the MXV4 S8. Dont believe Michelins hype – they are not better in every way. Handling diminished, ride now jittery (not balance – just harsher), braking distances longer. They are quieter, and I expect they will last, but if youre happy with the MXV4 Plus, stick with them!

our take:
The Michelin Energy MXV4 has long been one of our favorite tires of all time – grippy, quiet, confidence inspiring, surprisingly capable in the winter. The next generation – the Plus version – had better impact absorbtion and uncanny tracking but was slippery when cornering in the wet or snow and loud on some surfaces. Still a number of cars that drive well do so largely because they come from the factory on the MXV4 Plus – take them off and your refinement and fuel ecomomy are often lost. Unfortunately the S8 version is as vague as its predecessor was precise. It exchanges grip 99% of the time for better winter traction and lower noise levels on those rare occasions. Whereas the Plus made the car it was placed on, the S8 detracts from it – witness the feel of the old Accord or Jetta vs. the new ones: in both cases the S8 lends a slippery, vague feel regardless of any improvements made elsewhere in the chassis.