Tires

Your car's tires are, simply put, the most important bit of equipment on your car; they are literally where the rubber meets the road, and keeping them in their best condition is paramount in maintaining your vehicle's performance and safety. Tires are a consumable part that eventually wears out, but it can be difficult to tell how worn a tire is simply by looking at it. Designers Gao Fenglin and Zhou Buyi hope that their Discolor Tyre concept can help with that.

The Discolor Tyre is a conceptual tire design that looks like your average black rubber tire, but features a layer of bright-orange rubber that is molded and embedded within.

When the tire has worn down to the legal minimum level (after about 20,000 km or 12,400 miles) that orange rubber is exposed and can be easily seen from curbside by the driver. When you see orange, then it's time to replace the tire. It sounds simple, yet effective.… Read more

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I've been reviewing about 100 cars a year for CNET Car Tech since 2005, but until now, never had a Lamborghini darken my doorstep. That changes this week as we take you into the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. Now, you know me, I seldom like to follow the well-worn path when cars come in. I've shown the miserable failings of some of the most celebrated cars on earth, and stacked up the heroic strengths of some of the most pedestrian. … Read more

When you think of the giant tire manufacturers, names like Goodyear, Firestone, and BFGoodrich probably come to mind. So it might surprise you to learn that the largest maker of tires on the planet is none other than the most famous toy company in the world: Lego.

To be sure, Lego's tires are not all-weather, nor can they go off-road. They also fit in the palm of your hand. But for 50 years, Lego has been churning out its little wheels, millions per year, topping out at an unbelievable 381 million in 2011, the company said.

This tire empire … Read more

How not to get fooled when buying new tires, better tech for a 2007 Prius, and why your best in-car upgrade is often just bringing your phone to the car.

In order to meet consumer demand for truck and bus tires, Bridgestone Americas announced it will invest $36.6 million in its Warren County, Tenn., plant. The investment will boost production to 900 truck and bus tires a day, the company said in a press release.

Bridgestone's planned expansion is slated for completion in the first quarter of 2013, and will create 50 new jobs, the company said.

This is one part of a $1.2 billion investment Bridgestone is making in its U.S. manufacturing operations. The company is also expected to create more than 900 new jobs … Read more

From 1989 to 2001, a company called Used Rubber USA operated a retail store, offering cool gear to city-dwelling hipsters, on the corner of Fillmore and Haight streets in San Francisco. The company still turns old tires into book bags, wallets or belts and other merchandise--now online only.

Recycling used tires isn't a new idea, and now a study shows that most auto repair shops recycle tires rather than send them off to a landfill.

The organization Car Care Council has been urging auto repair shops to recycle more vehicle parts and engine fluids, in a consumer education campaign … Read more

Donald and Eric receive a record number of viewer e-mails, with tons of great suggestions. Stephen unveils his epic intro for Eric's Geek News segment. And of course, there's no shortage of Crave-worthy gadgets to talk about, including the Sony S tablet, a Sony head-mounted display, self-inflating tires, and a fan that might eat your cat.

… Read more

Anyone who rides a bike would agree that flat or low-pressure tires are a drag. But why fiddle with a pump when the tire can inflate itself?

San Francisco-based startup PumpTire has invented just such a self-inflating tire. Aimed at urban cyclists, the tire includes a built-in pumping mechanism that uses the spinning motion of the wheel to gather air and the weight of the bike to push the air into the inner tube.

"Some people do not inflate their tires often enough, which can lead to accidents or flats," said Benjamin Krempel, founder of PumpTire. "With PumpTire automatically inflating your tire, you are increasing the safety and performance of your bike whenever you ride."

Krempel and team have patented their technology and are raising money on Kickstarter in hopes of commercializing two types of tires, the City Cruiser and City Pro (one's for the casual rider, the other for the urban commuter). The tires use a technology called a peristaltic pump. Krempel's inspiration came from his experience in the medical-devices industry; the pumps are used in medical applications such as IV fluid drips and heart-lung machines, he said. … Read more

Tires, oil, brakes, and gas are just about the only common service items left on modern cars, and of those the tires are the ones most people understand the least. The sides of a modern tire are covered in tech specs that tell you exactly what you're buying--if you know how to read them. Brian Cooley shows you how.