We answer viewer questions this week, including: the best vehicle for a 14-hour road trip, why automakers have eliminated spare tires, debunk a myth about self-driving cars, and explore the pros and cons of all-weather tires. We also discuss the best ways to learn your vehicle's new features, with or without a dealer's help.
Have a question for our experts? Send it to TalkingCars@iCloud.com to be featured on a future episode.
📝 SHOW NOTES:
0:00 - Intro
1:24 - Question #1 - Paul from St.Paul, MN: Which car brands make the best self-driving systems?
8:31 - Question #2 - Paul: Where did all of the spare tires go?
15:25 - Question #3 - Darnley from Yonkers, NY: What's the best car for a 14-hour road trip?
18:30 - Question #4 - Noah from Richmond, VA: Do all-weather tires live up to the hype?
23:57 - Question #5: Steve from TN: What's the best way to learn about the new features on a car, when you don't buy from a dealer?
🌐 LINKS:
Car Features to Help You Stay Safe on the Road: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-safety/cars-and-features-to-help-you-stay-safe-on-the-road-a1543711001/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Clearing the Confusion About Advanced Car-Safety Feature Names: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/car-safety/clearing-confusion-about-advanced-car-safety-feature-names-a1035752654/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Some Newer Cars Are Missing a Spare Tire: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/tires/some-newer-cars-are-missing-a-spare-tire-a9928775934/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
Consumer Reports' Tire Selector Tool: https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/tires/?EXTKEY=YSOCIAL_YT
00:00:11
Hi and welcome back.
00:00:12
I'm Mike Quincey.
00:00:13
I'm Steve Elek. And I'm Jeff Bartlett.
00:00:15
So as we've done in the past,
we're going to devote
00:00:18
an entire podcast
to answering your questions.
00:00:22
And truly fielding these questions is
one of the best parts about the job.
00:00:27
Certainly this podcast is made more fun
with viewer and listener interactions.
00:00:33
And you might be wondering,
how do you get your question
00:00:36
on the World Famous Talking Cars podcast?
00:00:39
Send us everything texts, 32nd videos,
00:00:42
even photos to talk in cars at Icloud.com.
00:00:45
That's talking cars at Icloud.com.
00:00:48
And if we use your question
on the podcast,
00:00:51
we'll send you a free T-shirt,
some groovy kind of auto test swag.
00:00:55
And as you can see, we have a picture
of Keith from New Milford.
00:00:58
I think that's even here in Connecticut.
00:01:01
Who had his question answered on the show
00:01:03
and is proudly sporting
the Consumer Reports auto test colors.
00:01:08
Thanks, Keith.
00:01:09
So if you want to be the next Keith,
send in some questions.
00:01:13
So let's just jump right into it.
00:01:14
And we've got a question now from Paul
from Saint Paul, Minnesota, who writes,
00:01:19
I was curious which brands currently
have the best self-driving systems.
00:01:24
I noticed that it's kind of hard
to find a good or credible answer online.
00:01:28
Consumer reports has some articles,
but none that were written or updated
00:01:32
within the last year or two.
00:01:33
It seems that technology like self-driving
could change pretty rapidly.
00:01:37
Is this the case or is it fairly constant?
00:01:40
If self-driving were the primary factor
in my vehicle purchase,
00:01:44
what would you recommend
I consider when evaluating self-driving
00:01:48
systems or people that might not be aware
of what self-driving is?
00:01:52
You two guys could probably rattle
on a few of the systems,
00:01:55
and probably use the whole words
instead of all the acronyms
00:01:58
that we're used to here at the track.
00:01:59
Yeah.
00:02:00
Well, I think first off, self-driving
is a bit of a misnomer, right?
00:02:05
Because as much as we all want
to jump in a Johnny Cab,
00:02:07
just like in Total Recall, and to have
the car take you wherever you want to go.
00:02:11
The reality is,
these systems have limitations and are
00:02:15
mostly intended to be collaborative,
meaning you got to pay attention.
00:02:19
Most of them.
00:02:20
You got to have your hands on the wheel,
00:02:21
which obviously is a good idea
when you're in a speeding two ton object.
00:02:25
And how they perform does vary.
00:02:27
So that is part of the reason
why we haven't updated our ratings
00:02:31
for a little bit, because there are
so many systems, we're actively
00:02:34
testing them and we will later this year
have new insights, ratings and rankings.
00:02:41
To help people choose which is best.
00:02:43
But for now, I think we've got some
pretty basic guidance that would help.
00:02:47
But let's talk about what is lane
centering, lane keeping?
00:02:51
What other aspects of self-driving
are there that you can get in cars?
00:02:56
Yeah, I the lane centering.
00:02:58
That is what I guess
the masses consider self-driving.
00:03:02
But again, there is no true self-driving,
for example.
00:03:05
Hyundai has a pretty good lane
centering system where
00:03:09
if you add some steering input while
00:03:11
it has the lane centering active,
it will work with you,
00:03:16
it will let you guide it, but
then it will also continue to be engaged.
00:03:21
Hyundai also has the driver monitoring
to make sure that you're
00:03:24
operating the safely because, for example,
if something happens,
00:03:28
you want the car to pull you over because
because the driver monitoring system
00:03:32
is basically a camera on the driver
00:03:34
that senses whether or not the driver
maybe not paying attention.
00:03:37
Exactly. So really, the the,
00:03:41
the answer is to get something
where it is.
00:03:46
The lane centering system is standard.
00:03:48
For example Hyundai or Toyota.
00:03:50
You don't have to pay a subscription
00:03:52
for the service
like some of the luxury automakers.
00:03:55
You buy supercruise for GM, and then you
have to pay a subscription down the line.
00:04:00
So Hyundai has a good system.
00:04:02
It's, standard in many models.
00:04:06
And then the DMs is also available
to really have
00:04:09
that safe eye on you at the same time.
00:04:11
So what's the best system?
00:04:13
It really we don't we don't
we don't have it alternative.
00:04:16
And so we don't because that
because that's what Paul is
00:04:18
is kind of hoping for I suppose. Yeah.
00:04:20
In one complication, I think of
the answer is these systems are evolving,
00:04:24
which, Paul from Saint Paul's
referring to
00:04:28
and some may be of different generations
if you're,
00:04:31
if you're shopping
one particular showroom.
00:04:34
And I think to your questions about the,
the features and so forth,
00:04:38
you kind of think of where we are at self
driving as cars have been layering
00:04:42
in different systems
that have some pretty amazing abilities,
00:04:46
you know, whether it's to keep
you centered in the lane or,
00:04:48
you know, read street signs or,
you know, adaptive
00:04:53
cruise control, really building on what,
you know, basic cruise control that
00:04:56
and now these systems are being combined
in ways that can add convenience
00:05:01
and in some ways are also adding safety,
particularly when they're monitoring you.
00:05:05
Right, which to invest.
00:05:07
We'll know for sure
a little later this year.
00:05:09
And some systems
offer a certain amount of hands free.
00:05:12
Right.
00:05:13
So and I remember watching a Super Bowl
commercial
00:05:18
a few years ago and, and,
it was just a shot of a, of a guy
00:05:22
in a big Silverado to the, to the Queen
song, you know, we will rock you.
00:05:26
And the whole point is to commercial,
00:05:27
as he could take his hands off the wheel
and clap along with the song.
00:05:32
And I thought, is that really
what automotive technology is for?
00:05:37
It seemed like a party trick to me
instead of a wall.
00:05:40
Why do you need to do this kind of thing?
00:05:43
But I don't sell cars
like the auto executives do.
00:05:46
And sometimes they want to show something.
00:05:49
But if that's what the future of automated
driving is,
00:05:53
then, well, Is that really what we want?
00:05:57
Yeah. True. Yeah. Valid point.
00:05:59
And with some systems, you could
you can take your hands off the wheel
00:06:03
for a certain number of seconds,
I suppose.
00:06:06
And then you'll get a little message
in an instrument.
00:06:09
Panels like put your hands
back on the wheel. To your point, Jeff.
00:06:12
Even with these systems,
you have to pay attention.
00:06:15
There is no such thing as as as autopilot
and whatnot, despite the marketing hype.
00:06:21
And and you still have to pay attention.
00:06:23
And of course,
00:06:25
the world is a weird, random place.
00:06:28
As amazing as these systems are.
00:06:30
And they can
many of them can handle almost anything.
00:06:34
But it's that almost
that's the issue, right?
00:06:36
In every part.
00:06:37
There's been a lot of talk
through the years of,
00:06:40
you know,
can they handle 99% of what goes on?
00:06:43
That would be an amazing accomplishment
if so.
00:06:46
But if my family's on board,
that 1% has me very concerned.
00:06:49
Right.
00:06:49
And Paul's from Saint Paul,
00:06:51
which gets a lot of weather,
a lot of snow, a lot of ice.
00:06:55
And this is also these systems
are going to have some limitations
00:06:59
when the weather gets bad,
00:07:00
when the,
00:07:00
when the because all the cars have all
these monitors and sensors in the front.
00:07:04
And when that get caked with, with snow
and ice and muck and all that stuff,
00:07:08
they just don't work, right.
00:07:10
So keep that in mind. Yeah.
00:07:11
And there's a real irony with that,
00:07:12
because that's often the situation
you would want the most help.
00:07:16
You get a little snow
around all the edges of the windows.
00:07:18
You can't see as well.
00:07:19
And it's almost laughable
sometimes in the winters
00:07:22
we're driving around here in Connecticut,
you see the system shutting off.
00:07:25
It's like a cascade of warning messages.
00:07:27
They even even like adaptive
cruise control, which is not.
00:07:30
It's a pretty simple system.
00:07:32
It's not, you know, lane
00:07:32
keeping lanes inland in the sense
of reading the lane lines and whatnot.
00:07:36
But that also will
that will be an indication probably
00:07:39
that you need to slow down
because the roads are bad.
00:07:43
Not that if you,
you know, grow up in the Northeast
00:07:45
or Minnesota,
you need to be reminded of that.
00:07:47
But you never know for sure.
00:07:49
But the technology is very exciting.
00:07:51
And, you know, as much as it's been
imperfect and it's certainly interesting
00:07:55
for us to continue to evaluate,
you know, the future is very promising.
00:07:59
And that'll provide
not only convenience for commuters,
00:08:02
but may provide assistance
for those who have, driving limitations.
00:08:06
Right, as well.
00:08:07
And the cool thing
is we're going to continue to buy cars
00:08:09
here, Consumer Reports.
00:08:10
We're always going to be looking at the
latest and greatest automotive technology.
00:08:14
So whatever comes out next,
00:08:16
be sure that we're going to, you know,
get our hands on it and do an evaluation.
00:08:19
And and so stay tuned.
00:08:21
Next we've got another question from Paul
from not Saint Paul,
00:08:26
who writes,
00:08:26
it seems the list of new vehicles
that includes a tire
00:08:29
mobility kit instead of a spare tire
seems to be growing.
00:08:33
Are there any benefits for consumers,
00:08:35
or is it just a cost or space
saving measure by manufacturers?
00:08:39
Now, Jeff, you looked into this
and what do you have for Paul?
00:08:41
I did, I think Paul, not from Saint Paul.
00:08:44
Partly.
00:08:45
So I came up with the question.
Yeah. That's good. Yeah.
00:08:49
So like some
00:08:50
things in the automotive world
and elsewhere,
00:08:53
these changes really came about to benefit
the companies, not the consumers.
00:08:57
So removing the spare tire reduces weight.
00:09:00
And as everyone's
00:09:01
chasing every fraction of fuel economy,
less weight helps them pass.
00:09:05
The fuel economy tests, of course,
arguably the extra weight.
00:09:09
Why don't you throw in your family and
some cargo just becomes a rounding error?
00:09:13
But you're right.
00:09:14
But but they're measuring ounces
at this point.
00:09:16
Then I'll just pound and they're spending
a lot of money to reduce the ounces.
00:09:20
This, they just yank it out.
00:09:21
So looking back at our data,
we found that since 2020,
00:09:25
about 9% of the cars that we've tested
came with a full size spare.
00:09:30
Not much. That error is just about gone.
00:09:32
And, based on our test fleet,
00:09:35
about 45% of the cars today
come with any form of spare tire.
00:09:40
To me, the tire inflator
kit is a creative solution,
00:09:43
but it does not address
all types of tire failure.
00:09:46
They're really designed to
to feel a little,
00:09:50
you know,
kind of pinprick hole in the tread.
00:09:52
You put the goo in, spin it around,
inflate it, and you're back on the road.
00:09:57
But, you get a tear or a large hole
and you're stuck.
00:10:01
Yeah.
00:10:02
So then the most important tool becomes,
00:10:05
your cell phone and credit card is
you're going to need roadside assistance.
00:10:09
The good news is, many cars are available
with a at least a compact spare,
00:10:14
if you ask.
00:10:15
The easiest way to tell
is if you lift up the cargo floor in cars,
00:10:19
you'll see if the well happens
to be shaped like a big circle.
00:10:22
So you know, for around $200,
you can often get a donut, spares
00:10:27
the column and the jack or,
you know, tire changing kit.
00:10:31
In my mind, that's well worth having.
00:10:33
You could limp it home.
00:10:35
I mean, in an all wheel drive car,
00:10:36
you can't drive a donut over a certain
amount, you know, a certain speed, right?
00:10:40
Oh, you're totally limited to 50 miles.
00:10:42
At least it'll get you to the tire
set up or where you're going.
00:10:45
It gives you options. Exactly.
00:10:46
You're not on the side of the road
00:10:48
with, like, a complete blowout
trying to put goo in it.
00:10:51
It's just coming out the side.
00:10:52
I mean, anecdotally,
when the Subaru Forester was introduced
00:10:55
and we are an auto show
and I did the first preview video
00:10:58
when I mentioned at the
at the auto show that the Forester
00:11:01
Hybrid didn't come with the spare tire,
we got an amazing number of comments
00:11:05
on our on our YouTube channel
that said no spare tire, no deal.
00:11:09
So but but but so that made,
that makes me think that a lot of,
00:11:14
car buyers today don't have any idea
that there aren't spare tires anymore.
00:11:18
Oh, it may not discover that until you're
stuck on the side of the road.
00:11:22
And, yeah, certainly, having a compact
spare gives you options, right?
00:11:27
You know, really does matter
because you think, well,
00:11:29
if I'm driving cross-country,
I could be in the middle of nowhere.
00:11:31
But even when you're around home,
you can be in an inconvenient
00:11:34
or unsafe place,
like alongside a highway or,
00:11:38
you know, even around here,
we often don't have cell service with us.
00:11:42
Certainly. Yeah.
00:11:43
And that can be pretty inconvenient
in the middle of winter rainstorm or,
00:11:47
you know,
I mean, it's also the difference,
00:11:48
even if it's in your driveway,
you know, you
00:11:50
throw on the the donut
and then you get to the tire shop versus
00:11:54
waiting for a tow truck
to come and pick up your car.
00:11:57
Or if the situation is where
that mobility kit doesn't work.
00:12:02
And I've often given out,
new car buying advice.
00:12:05
And one of the things I brought it
I would bring up is
00:12:07
if you hate the idea of
of paying like premium for premium fuel,
00:12:11
it's a question you ask the salesperson.
00:12:13
If you hate the idea of driving on a car
without a spare tire,
00:12:16
also bring that up to the salesperson
and find out for sure.
00:12:19
Or better yet,
any car you're thinking about buying.
00:12:22
Open up the back hatch, look under
the cargo floor and see what's there.
00:12:26
To to get an idea of, you know, of what
what what you're getting into.
00:12:30
Because sometimes that's that's
a comfort level that people don't want.
00:12:34
And I and I know, Steve, that Jeff
and I have both,
00:12:37
driven test cars and have gotten flats
that happened to have that happen to you.
00:12:40
Yeah, yeah,
it was the Mazda CX 90 that it happened.
00:12:44
And and so it yeah, it was like,
maybe two years ago or something.
00:12:49
And it was in my driveway
like this situation
00:12:50
I just described where I just walked out
in the morning and, you know,
00:12:53
I had hit a nail
the night before or something like that.
00:12:57
It was a slow leak,
but it was sitting in my driveway and,
00:13:00
I called John and he said, check the back,
is there a spare in it?
00:13:05
And I was like,
oh, wow, there's a donut in that.
00:13:08
And that's the same with the limp.
00:13:08
It back to, to the track here
and, you know, get it figured out.
00:13:12
But it was easier than having
to call a tow truck waiting for that.
00:13:15
So I was happy to see that was there.
00:13:17
And what what what hap which which car
were you driving that happened to you?
00:13:20
So I had it in, Hyundai Elantra.
00:13:23
It was a few years ago.
00:13:24
Funny thing is,
I knew when it was about to happen
00:13:27
because I was driving down
this little narrow country road with the,
00:13:30
steep dirt hill right next to me,
say, about six or so feet high.
00:13:34
And I saw a squirrel scamper,
and then a rock tumbled down,
00:13:38
and I don't know if the squirrel smiled
mischievously at me or not,
00:13:42
but as soon as the rock hit boom flat
tire, I knew it wasn't going to work.
00:13:48
But I still tried the kit
just because I never used one before,
00:13:51
and ended up waiting an hour or two
for towed to a local dealership.
00:13:55
They took care of me.
00:13:56
It was there that I am.
00:13:57
Okay, so I use the kit,
so now I need to replace it.
00:14:00
And the cost of replacing
it was almost the exact same cost
00:14:04
as getting a spare tire.
00:14:06
Wow. Like, well, let's do that.
00:14:09
Spare tire.
00:14:10
No. Jack, please. No.
00:14:11
And at that time, no. Small car,
small wheel.
00:14:13
It was around $200.
00:14:15
It happened to me with an Audi, Audi TT.
00:14:18
And, and there was a,
there was a donut that I put on,
00:14:22
but it also happened to be in a Lexus LS
00:14:25
and, run flat tires,
but the pothole just decimated.
00:14:30
I could I could get it to a Lexus dealer
that was near by the highway.
00:14:35
But my family, we had to take a cab
ride home, and we were on Worcester, mass.
00:14:39
And it was. Yeah, it was a long night.
00:14:41
A cab ride from Massachusetts. Oh, yeah.
00:14:44
Wow. Oh, yeah.
00:14:45
Because it must have been nice
to have something in the car.
00:14:46
Well, because it was, it was it,
it was at night.
00:14:48
And so the dealer
wasn't open or anything, and,
00:14:52
the funny part is I
00:14:53
hit the SOS button on the, on the,
the roof of the car, and,
00:14:56
and the person from Lexus answering said,
said, well, did you check for a spare?
00:15:00
And I thought,
you have all the information of the car
00:15:04
at your fingertips
and you don't know it doesn't happen.
00:15:07
That surprised me.
00:15:08
Like, oh, okay.
00:15:09
Because yes, one was available.
00:15:11
Of course I checked.
It doesn't have a spare.
00:15:13
But anyway, we've got a video question,
from someone who
00:15:17
we've heard from in the past.
00:15:19
And this is Darnley from Yonkers,
New York.
00:15:23
Okay.
00:15:23
Team, if you could take a 49 with straight
trip to Georgia like I did, but
00:15:28
you had your choice, of a grand
touring sports car,
00:15:32
a sedan and a family SUV.
00:15:36
Which would you pick? I'm curious.
00:15:39
I did it in my 24 month 90,
and it was great.
00:15:44
Family of four. Thanks.
00:15:45
So, 14 hour trip to Georgia
with a family.
00:15:49
Great question.
00:15:50
I love road trips as people of talking
cars. Nos.
00:15:53
Let's start with you, Steve.
00:15:54
Having a family and wanting something
comfortable to road trip in
00:15:58
my those are really my priorities,
especially because I have little kids.
00:16:03
And when I think road trip for me,
that's like we leave at night, drive
00:16:07
through the night and get to wherever
we are in the morning with that road.
00:16:10
But, you know, it's like, oh, you know,
that going to the Outer Banks one time
00:16:14
and we took the Wagoneer and the girls
slept through the entire drive.
00:16:18
You know, everything fit in the back.
00:16:20
We had a ton of stuff, obviously, given
00:16:22
we have kids, we I think we had strollers
at the time and a pack and play.
00:16:26
And I mean,
we probably wouldn't have fit in a sedan
00:16:29
at this stage,
but that is my choice back here.
00:16:32
Fantastic road trip vehicle.
00:16:33
Jeff, if you have a full family
and you're going to be in the car
00:16:37
for a long
time, space is important for me.
00:16:39
The vehicle that came to mind
was, the Lexus NX hybrid.
00:16:43
Which is a balance of, you know,
power and efficiency and all the luxury,
00:16:47
you know, giggles and doodads.
00:16:49
But it's fairly easy to, to drive.
00:16:52
It's got tons of space for the second row.
00:16:54
Fold down that third,
and you have an absolute ton of space.
00:16:58
Now, I have driven
similar trips to this in,
00:17:01
luxury sedans
before without a full family.
00:17:04
And I will say the comfort of a real nice
luxury seat is important.
00:17:08
But if the whole family's along, space's
one of the biggest considerations.
00:17:11
Oh, you guys are talking to my language,
00:17:13
and I'll see your space
and I'll raise you fuel economy.
00:17:16
When my kids were younger, the road trip
vehicle of choice was a Toyota
00:17:21
Sienna minivan.
00:17:22
Yeah, just unbeatable for space,
00:17:25
for cruising range and whatnot.
00:17:28
Now my kids are a lot older,
so it isn't the issues
00:17:32
of the beauty of the minivan
that that that show forth.
00:17:35
But just last weekend,
00:17:37
I went with my oldest son
to the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix.
00:17:42
And we're here, like outside
Hartford, Connecticut.
00:17:44
It's about an eight hour
drive to Pittsburgh.
00:17:46
Old cars, old race cars.
00:17:48
And I drove the Palisade Hybrid nice,
which was plenty of space.
00:17:54
We had the calligraphy model,
which is kind of unlike Consumer Reports.
00:17:58
We bought the top trim, which was pretty
awesome, but it was super comfortable.
00:18:02
Great cruising range.
00:18:04
Lots of space, really nice seats.
00:18:07
It has this automated feature
to give you a little bit of back
00:18:10
massage every 30 minutes or 60 minutes.
00:18:13
You can program it.
So that was that was really nice.
00:18:15
But, listen, Dani, you're definitely
talking my language with road trips,
00:18:19
and we hope we gave you a few a few ideas.
00:18:22
If you're going to be buying one,
let us know, because you do frequently
00:18:27
get in touch with us,
and we really do appreciate it.
00:18:30
Next up is Noah from Richmond, Virginia.
00:18:33
I have a Mazda CX 30 turbo.
00:18:36
I thoroughly enjoy the talk
the car makes, so it's time to start
00:18:40
shopping for tires
before I replace them later this summer.
00:18:43
Last winter was rough.
00:18:45
Working in the medical fields
means snow days are not an option.
00:18:48
I worked a night shift
00:18:49
and had to make my 60 mile commute home
through six inches of fresh snow.
00:18:53
I was impressed with how the car
and my continental control contact sport
00:18:58
SR s plus tires handled the snow,
00:19:02
but I'm wondering if it would be worth it
to upgrade to an all weather tire,
00:19:06
accepting the trade off in dry traction,
or just stick with what I've got.
00:19:11
I figured that
if I buy the all weather tires,
00:19:14
it won't snow again
for the life of the new tires.
00:19:17
So I naturally on the fence.
00:19:19
And, Jeff, you looked into this
and talked to our one of our tire experts,
00:19:23
Ryan Koski.
00:19:25
Yeah, that's right.
00:19:25
I think it's
kind of an interesting question,
00:19:27
because most people who express concern
about winter traction,
00:19:32
once you start breaking down, well,
do you really need
00:19:34
to hit the road in the snow,
or can you wait until the roads are clear?
00:19:40
Fine, that they would get by just fine
with an all season tire,
00:19:43
but there are definitely people
that have to drive no matter what.
00:19:46
You know, we appreciate
00:19:48
those in the medical community
for for doing that for all of us.
00:19:51
So for his vehicle,
I looked up, on our ratings,
00:19:55
I used the tire selector tool,
which was at Corgi Tires.
00:20:00
And, the tires that he has
are very similar to the ones we tested.
00:20:03
Up, the continental extreme
00:20:06
contact DWF zero six plus.
00:20:10
Why are these tire names so long?
00:20:12
Hahaha. They got out.
00:20:13
They got a whole sidewall, the fillers.
00:20:15
I was like, yeah, yeah.
00:20:16
Can you imagine from a marketing
standpoint of expecting your customer
00:20:20
to know that as opposed to, you know,
just give me the snowy tire?
00:20:24
Yeah,
I want the continental snowy that be easy.
00:20:28
Anyway,
00:20:29
so he's got good tires and he is right
that if you switch to something
00:20:33
that's got greater winter performance, you
are going to have some slight tradeoffs.
00:20:38
But there is one tire in our ratings
that really defies most of the rules.
00:20:43
And that's the,
Michelin Cross Climate two.
00:20:46
So this is an all weather tire, which,
00:20:50
all weather is kind of a subcategory
that refers to
00:20:55
when a tire is an all season,
but also has true
00:20:59
winter traction capability, meaning it
remains pliable and low temperatures,
00:21:03
and it's able to to grip in snow,
which is exactly what he's looking for.
00:21:08
So that would be my recommendation.
00:21:10
I think the trade offs would be very minor
unless he races his car.
00:21:14
But the gains would be
the ultimate in winter traction.
00:21:19
This is not an inexpensive tire though.
00:21:22
It is a, it is a bit pricey.
00:21:24
But the upside,
which probably many customers
00:21:28
may not realize
is that it lasts a long time.
00:21:31
In our tread life test
we predicted has a 95 mile tread life,
00:21:37
which is probably,
00:21:38
yeah, twice or two and a half times
the one he has now.
00:21:43
So the extra 50 bucks, you know, that kind
of washes out one key caveat with this.
00:21:49
The tires are directional.
00:21:50
So you have to make sure,
00:21:51
you tell whoever is changing the tires
not to just move about
00:21:56
willy nilly, they all gotta be facing
the right direction.
00:22:00
But the other little caveat, which,
Ryan wanted us to make sure we we got in,
00:22:04
was when you're switching
00:22:05
tire types like that, you want to pay
particular attention to make sure you're
00:22:09
choosing the same speed rating,
that will ensure that
00:22:12
it has a comparable level of performance
that the vehicle was engineered for.
00:22:17
So with that, that cross climate two is
a great tire available for cars and SUV.
00:22:22
Wow. Great answer.
00:22:22
And thanks to,
you know, Ryan for helping us out.
00:22:24
But Steve, you know that we have this 327
acre here to to to test cars and whatnot.
00:22:30
But we also get a lot of snow
in Connecticut.
00:22:32
We do. Yeah.
00:22:33
And we took that opportunity
this past year to do some testing on
00:22:37
snow tires and test it because of course
you always hear about it and you say,
00:22:42
oh yeah, people say snow tires are way
better than all season tires.
00:22:46
And then you have the other group that's,
00:22:47
you know, they say,
oh, I have all seasons on my Subaru.
00:22:49
I'll be fine.
00:22:50
Well, we wanted to test this,
and the results were that it actually was
00:22:56
much better
to have snow tires in the snow,
00:22:58
both from an acceleration
and a braking standpoint.
00:23:01
And Jeff, I'm glad you brought up
the point about, about, Noah.
00:23:05
He he is he's got to be out to the job
because I'm often asked questions
00:23:10
about this.
00:23:10
I was like, well, I need all wheel drive.
00:23:13
And it's always the question
that I'm asking, what do you have
00:23:15
the kind of job where you have to be
at your emergency room surgery?
00:23:19
You're you're you're a police officer
or a firefighter, whatever.
00:23:22
Or like a lot of us,
where there's a hint of snow,
00:23:25
everything's canceled and no one goes out
until the roads are plowed anyway.
00:23:29
But in this case, definitely worth
worth it to get all wheel drive
00:23:33
and worth it to get, some,
some chunkier tires to, to get through
00:23:38
because you have to be had to be out.
You have to be out. Yep.
00:23:40
So, excellent question.
00:23:42
And and it does highlight how much time
and effort that we spend testing tires.
00:23:47
We have a ton of tire information
consumer reports.org.
00:23:50
So definitely check it out
if you're in the market for tires.
00:23:53
Which brings us to Steve from Tennessee,
who writes,
00:23:57
just bought a 2023 Honda Ridgeline
based in part of your on your reviews.
00:24:02
It's a super truck, but I did not purchase
it from Honda dealership.
00:24:06
I know wisdom would say
make sure everything works,
00:24:09
but this has way more technology
than I've ever had in the past,
00:24:13
and I find the Honda owner's
manual borders on useless.
00:24:16
So far it seems like everything is fine,
but I don't know how
00:24:20
I could have sorted out all these features
unless I devoted an afternoon to test
00:24:24
driving, etc..
00:24:25
What would be your recommendation
as to how to go about ensuring
00:24:29
everything is working?
00:24:30
For sure, the salesperson has no clue.
00:24:33
So to Steve, I will say that, in
00:24:37
in all the years
that I've worked here and bought cars,
00:24:40
every time I bought a car,
the salesperson has been
00:24:43
falling over themselves
to to explain the cars.
00:24:46
Yeah. And let me show you how to do this.
00:24:48
Let me show you a pair of phone
and whatnot.
00:24:50
And I understand that, you know, see,
00:24:53
we don't know how the vintage of the car
that you're getting out of.
00:24:57
So, in other words,
if Steve is driving a car that's,
00:25:01
you know, from like 2010 or something
like that, the technology of a car
00:25:05
for 2023 might seem a little overwhelming.
00:25:08
But I will say, Steve,
don't necessarily give up on salespeople.
00:25:13
You know that
if you have a local Honda dealer,
00:25:15
I would go to them and say, listen,
I bought this car and I just
00:25:19
if I could have ten minutes of your time
just just to walk me through a few things,
00:25:22
what I need to know about it,
00:25:23
not only the salesperson
probably think, well, you own a Honda.
00:25:27
This is a Honda dealer.
00:25:28
If we're nice to you, maybe
you'll come back and and get servicing
00:25:31
and maybe you'll you'll get a deal on a
on an oil change or whatnot.
00:25:35
So it's hard for me to help you.
00:25:36
It's certainly in every Honda dealer's
best interest
00:25:40
to spend some time with you,
even if you didn't buy from them.
00:25:44
You know, that being said,
you know, people have mixed,
00:25:47
mixed, experiences
going to new car dealers,
00:25:50
but so so that's that's kind of my initial
gut feeling, my initial reaction.
00:25:55
But Jeff, what would you suggest?
00:25:56
Yeah, I'd like to build on that buy.
00:25:59
I think that's great advice.
00:26:01
Make an appointment
so that you can schedule a time
00:26:04
that's convenient for them, ideally
not during their prime.
00:26:07
Selling hours.
00:26:08
And yeah, you know, ten, 15 minutes,
not on a busy
00:26:11
Saturday
or just show up and expect something.
00:26:15
But by doing that, not only is it
convenient and respectful to them,
00:26:18
but they may be able to designate someone
who this is their specialty.
00:26:23
So I've bought from some dealerships
where,
00:26:26
you know, while the sales staff
is trained in all these things,
00:26:28
there's a delivery expert that then steps
in who really knows the systems.
00:26:33
And the way he framed the question,
you know, how do I know that they work?
00:26:38
First little car alert in my head goes,
00:26:40
don't go out there and start testing
your automatic emergency braking.
00:26:44
Right.
00:26:44
But what he can do in this sales person
or delivery specialists can help
00:26:49
is go through
not just how the systems work
00:26:53
by explaining it,
but look on the screens in all cars.
00:26:57
It'll indicate
00:26:58
if the system is on or off, and sometimes
there are sensitivity settings.
00:27:02
In addition,
you want to make sure that everything's on
00:27:05
so that you're not surprised of,
oh well, I thought it was going to help me
00:27:08
stay in the lane. And,
you know, it didn't.
00:27:10
So I think that's probably the
the most important thing I'd add.
00:27:14
I just want to build on that.
00:27:15
In other words, it's like, well,
how do I know if this stuff works?
00:27:18
If there's a malfunction? Yes.
00:27:20
You will probably get an indicator
00:27:22
on the instrument panel
00:27:23
that that says something is
is is wrong or something is broken.
00:27:26
Correct. Yeah.
00:27:26
And he would certainly get into indicator
light for any of those systems.
00:27:31
You know.
00:27:31
And Steve, there's there's
also other things that that he could do.
00:27:34
Yeah I mean I couldn't have said it
any better myself than you both just did.
00:27:38
But if all else fails
and you're in a pinch
00:27:41
and you're in the car
and you don't know how something works,
00:27:43
I mean, grab your phone and Google it,
or look for a YouTube video,
00:27:47
because especially for a popular vehicle
like the ridgeline, there will be
00:27:51
a wealth of information
out there of people
00:27:52
that put up, you know, 1 or 2 minute
videos of just here's how you do that,
00:27:56
here's how you reset this light, or here's
how you operate the
00:28:01
the infotainment system to change
a setting or something like that.
00:28:05
It's almost like a,
like a generational shift because,
00:28:08
my sons are in their 20s
and they just go on YouTube
00:28:11
and, and figure out how to do everything.
00:28:13
Whereas like some of us grew up,
you know, reading,
00:28:16
reading about it,
I'm afraid to show my age.
00:28:19
But one of the things that we've always
said, a Consumer Reports, is new
00:28:23
car owners read your owner's
manual is a wealth of information.
00:28:28
I'm not trying to get into an argument
or anything, apparently.
00:28:31
But it can be a little
00:28:32
I get it, because you're looking at this
really very two dimensional black
00:28:35
and white thing and, you know, really
you want to know what buttons to push,
00:28:38
right?
00:28:39
And a lot of user manuals
these days are just like a Q, like
00:28:42
a mini user's manual, and then a QR code
that opens up the street.
00:28:46
Right, right right right
right, right. Yeah.
00:28:47
But the car companies do
do spend a lot of time and in some ways
00:28:50
a lot of money, you know, producing
a fairly thick, owner's manual.
00:28:54
And it is
it is a treasure trove of information.
00:28:57
And we always do encourage people
to read them to find out what, what to do,
00:29:01
especially when it comes to maintenance,
tire rotation, things like that.
00:29:05
Of course.
00:29:06
It's all in there.
00:29:07
But if you're not a big reader,
then then there are other
00:29:10
there are other ways to go about this,
but, it kind of gives an idea
00:29:14
the complexity of, of new cars
these days as well.
00:29:17
And looking into this particular vehicle,
00:29:20
I found a bunch of really good videos
on YouTube.
00:29:24
But in general, I'd recommend
also people start at just Google
00:29:28
and search for it
because, several of the manufacturers
00:29:31
have good videos on their own site,
which would come up in the search query
00:29:34
that they break down.
00:29:35
Okay, here's, you know,
how automatic emergency braking works.
00:29:38
And then they'd have a little video
and on something on that
00:29:41
that may not be as easily
found on their site otherwise.
00:29:44
All right.
00:29:44
And this is a Honda Ridgeline
which is a relatively simple vehicle
00:29:49
in terms of controls,
figuring out the settings and whatnot.
00:29:53
It would be a different discussion.
00:29:55
It would be different discussion
if this was a review and
00:29:58
if this is a lucid if this was a Tesla,
if this was some of the Mercedes EVs
00:30:02
that we tested over the years,
that is a different animal all together.
00:30:07
So so luckily, you know, Steve is sort of
lucky that the cars is relatively simple.
00:30:13
And we definitely hope
it works out for you.
00:30:16
And that is all the questions
that we have for today.
00:30:19
But we definitely want more.
00:30:21
So keep them coming.
00:30:23
Send everything
to talking cars at icloud.com.
00:30:26
And just a repeat.
00:30:27
If we use your question on the podcast,
you might get a cool t shirt,
00:30:31
wear it proudly at your local car shows,
and if you're watching on YouTube,
00:30:36
we recently added a donate button
to our page.
00:30:38
Consumer reports is non profit,
so if you're able to help us keep doing
00:30:42
this important work like talking cars,
we always appreciate it.
00:30:46
It all adds up and that'll about do it
for this episode, which was masterfully
00:30:50
orchestrated by super producer Dave Abrams
and expertly edited by Andrew.
00:30:55
I still play hockey, at least.
00:30:57
And Andrew and Anatoly the great Chomsky,
00:31:01
Andrew, Anatoly,
they both begin with a give me a break.
00:31:04
I know I've only said this
a thousand times.
00:31:06
As always, check the show notes
00:31:07
for more information on the vehicles
and topics that we discussed.
00:31:11
Thanks so much for tuning in
and we'll see you next week.