Frugal Shopper: Energy-Saving Tires Could Save You $100 Per Year
The next time you need a new set of tires, consider this: Energy-saving low-rolling-resistance tires now cost about the same as other tires, and they could save you a lot in fuel expenses over the long run. That, and in many cases, they don't compromise performance.
It wasn't always this way. In the past, using low rolling resistance tires meant that you'd get slightly higher mileage, at the expense of many more noise, limited tread wear, and greatly compromised traction and grip in the wet.
But Consumer Reports, in its new July issue now hitting newsstands, tested low-rolling-resistance tires and confirmed that they offer much better performance than they used to—with all-around ratings for three-season use as good as those for many general all-weather tires.
Rolling resistance, which is due mostly to the flexing of tire sidewalls and the gripping action of the tread, accounts for about four percent of fuel use in the city and about seven percent on the highway, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
What makes the new ones different? In the past, says CR's tire program leader, Gene Petersen, rolling resistance was cut—literally—by shaving weight off the tire and using a slightly different, tread design that was also much shallower. "Unfortunately, when you develop a tire along those lines, tread life and wet grip are compromised," he said.
Better compounds make it possible
Petersen says that in newer tires, much of the improvement is in the compound; adding silica to the compound, in place of carbon black, is a start.
In the latest tests, the Michelin Energy Saver A/S had the lowest rolling resistance of any all-season tire evaluated by CR in recent years, yet it also earned "good" ratings for snow traction and ice braking and performed well in hydroplaning resistance and emergency handling. And with as long of an estimated tread life as most all-season radials, it's truly a greener choice.
Petersen says that the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max and Cooper GFE are also among those that should rack up fuel-cost savings without compromising performance. The Cooper GFE was a surprisingly good tire for winter grip as well.
Green tires no longer just for green cars
The other change is that 'green' low-rolling-resistance tires are being delivered for the replacement market; they aren't only offered in just a few sizes that are intended only for hybrid or diesel models. "We're seeing them sized for most family vehicles today," he said. Before, they'd only been designed for specific original-equipment applications, where they helped to achieve slightly higher EPA ratings while sacrificing performance in some way.
Hyundai Prices Two Versions of Genesis Coupe, Announces Drift Racing Partnership With Rhys Millen Racing and Red Bull
Today at the Chicago Auto Show, Hyundai has been full of good news, announcing:
- Pricing and specs for the eagerly anticipated 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe;
- Pricing and specs for a tuner-friendly version of the car, the Hyundai Genesis Coupe R-Spec;
- And details about a new drift racing partnership between Hyundai, Rhys Millen Racing, and Red Bull Energy Drink.
First things first: pricing for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe starts at $22,000 for the 2.0T model, which features a 2.0-liter, 210hp, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. At the top of the line, there's the Genesis Coupe 3.8, boasting a 306-hp, 3.8-liter V-6 for $31,000. There's a good bit of variation in-between that should fit the needs/wants of many buyers. All models have 18-inch Euroflange alloy wheels, side-curtain air bags, and the ne plus ultra of contemporary auto design: an iPod jack.
The Hyundai Genesis Coupe R-Spec takes the Coupe's base model and tweaks it for tuners, adding features like:
"Track-tuned suspension, 19-inch gunmetal-finish alloy wheels with performance summer tires, Brembo braking system, Torsen limited-slip differential, and R-Spec badging. To further reduce cost and weight, it also eliminates some non-essential convenience equipment such as: Bluetooth, automatic headlights, cruise control, trip computer, chrome interior accents and steering wheel audio controls."
Shocker: the R-Spec is manual transmission-only. Pricing clocks in at $23,750--including the coveted iPod jack.
As for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe's foray into the world of drift racing, here's the basics:
At the Chicago Auto Show, Hyundai unveiled its motorsports program in the U.S. with the help of drift champion Rhys Millen, who will fabricate and race a 550-horsepower Genesis Coupe in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the Formula Drift Professional Drifting Championship and at select Redline Time Attack series events in 2009.
We've posted links to all three releases below. As an added bonus, here are a couple of vids of the Genesis Coupe in action--one of the Coupe's Super Bowl commercial, and one about the making of that commercial:
[source: PRNewswire: Hyundai Announces 2010 Genesis Coupe Pricing, Hyundai Debuts a High-Performance Blank Canvas for Tuners: Genesis Coupe R-Spec, Hyundai Launches Rhys Millen Racing Red Bull Drift Team Sponsorship at Chicago Auto Show ]
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
First Petroleum-Free Engine Oil Debuts
How's this for green technology: engine oil made from animal fat. So maybe it's actually more of a nice, crispy fried yellow. Connecticut startup Green Earth Technologies, Inc. claims "it has found a way to make a substance chemically identical to crude oil from animal fat, a slaughterhouse byproduct that is typically discarded en masse," according to Detroit News.
The company already sells such oils for small two- and four-cycle engines (such as lawnmowers and leaf blowers) at retailers like The Home Depot. Green Earth is only waiting on final approval from the American Petroleum Institute before selling its fossil-fuel-free oil for use in your engine's crankcase.
While there isn't enough animal fat to replace all 6 million gallons of lubricants sold in 2007 (that number from the Energy Information Administration), every bit helps, especially with worldwide energy costs and consumption on the rise. Additionally, this development is in the true spirit of recycling, taking a waste product that would simply clog landfills and putting it to good use instead.
I wish I could get my hands on eight quarts of Green Earth Tech's oil, preferably in 5W-40 weight. I'm embarking this Friday on a coast-to-coast journey in a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 300TD powered by nothing but used vegetable oil, but alas, the oil in my crankcase is made from good old petroleum. With the API's approval, I should soon be able to run completely petrol-free.--Colin Mathews
---
Make sure you check out our partner sites dedicated to focused news, reviews and more for Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Honda, and the Toyota Prius.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Oil Prices Drop Ever Further
According to Reuters, reporting from Vienna, an emergency OPEC meeting today concluded with a quick decision to cut oil production by 1.5 million barrels per day in an attempt to stop oil prices from skidding uncontrollably to even lower levels. Automotive News points out that the price of a barrel of oil has sunk by nearly 60 percent after a reaching record highs of $147.27 in July.
As of today, prices have fallen yet again to land at $63 per barrel. And here in the United States, where we consume more energy than any other country in the world, market spasms and record instability in oil prices have proven to be popular presidential campaign issues. Of course, both sides claim they have the solution. We hope that whomever lands at the helm on November 5 will continue the drive for the U.S. energy independence, and we hope that regardless of oil prices automakers will continue to offer vehicles that consume far less fuel and continue R&D on vehicles that do not use fossil fuels at all.
More efficient cars in America won't--and shouldn't--happen overnight, but progress in this area has been the slowest in the United States, and not for lack of American ingenuity. Rather, market demand for more features and performance mixed with (some claim) artificially cheap gasoline and automakers' shortsighted focus on high profit margins has led to a surplus of thirsty, powerful models left languishing on dealers lots. Suddenly lean, efficient models across the street like Honda's Fit, Scion's xD, and Toyota's Prius are looking quite appealing to a host of American buyers.
We've seen gas supplies and prices spike before, and yet every time we've gradually returned to our V-8s, high curb weights, and rolling office/entertainment/movie theaters. Are gas prices, far lower in America than the rest of the world (try almost $10-per-gallon equivalent in London), part of our right as American drivers, or are they simply prolonging our addiction to lower-tech, high-consumption vehicles?--Colin Mathews
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
