tire
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Almost every day we hear of a shiny new car that gets a certain number of miles to the gallon, a number often greater than its predecessor. It sometimes seems like witchcraft - until significant steps towards high-tech materials are taken, rarely do cars lose weight from one model to the next (with a few honorable exceptions), and weight is generally acknowledged to be an enemy of performance and MPG. So how are our cars getting not only quicker and safer, but more efficient too? Join us as we explore some of the most common techniques for small mileage gains... Long gear ratios, more gears...
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Green Tires From Orange Peels Use Less Oil, Bring Better MPGsSadly, they're not actually orange. Nor do they smell like citrus when they get hot. But by infusing orange oil into natural rubber, a new line of tires from Yokohama cuts four-fifths of the petroleum needed to manufacture a tire. They lower rolling resistance too, meaning better fuel efficiency...
John Voelcker -
Your New Car Is Made Of Old Carpet, Milk Jugs, and Ripped Jeans
When you think of a brand-new, gleaming, 2010 model car rolling out of your driveway, what materials come to mind? Steel, chrome, soft-touch interior plastics, maybe even supple leather upholstery? Well, how about some old carpets, ground-up milk cartons, and shredded, faded, raggedy blue jeans?...
John Voelcker -
NPR Rides In An Electric Ford Pinto Dragster
It goes zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds. It rips through the quarter mile in just over 12. Which cars come to mind? The Nissan GT-R? The Audi R8? The Corvette ZR1? The Ferrari 430 Scuderia? The '78 Ford Pinto? Believe it or not, those dragstrip bragging rights belong to the last of the aforementioned...
Robert Scardino -
Green Groups Ask EPA To Ban Lead Wheel Weights
Citing the toxic hazard of 3.5 million pounds of lead annually dropped on roads, environmental groups renew a request to ban lead wheel weights
John Voelcker
