Tire Design part 1 Basic Tread Design

The contact points between the road and you car consist of four small patches of rubber. The tire too many drivers is probably one of the last things they worry about when driving down the road, that's until one of them goes flat.

Some of you have wondered, others not, why tires have different patterns on the bottom of them. Is there significance in the intricate design molded into them or is it just for looks? A few of you also might not have a clue what I'm talking about.

I could probably argue the reasoning was because of looks, but in reality, some major science goes into those designs. In this post, I'm going to cover the basic design pattern of the tire. In the future posts I'm going to go a little more in depth on how these designs effect performance on dry, wet, and icy pavement along with gravel and dirt.

Symmetric Tread Design
Symmetric tread design is exactly what it sounds like; the design is symmetrical across the center of the tire so that the inboard and the outboard tread patterns are the same. The main benefit to symmetrical treads is multiple tire rotation patterns can be used.

Asymmetric Tread Design
An asymmetric design is used for a mixture of surfaces (dry, wet, and icy). In these tires, the tread design changes across the bottom of the tire. For example, an asymmetrical tire would have smaller pieces of tread by the inboard side of the tire to deal with icy or wet roads. While wider pieces of tread are located on outboard side of the tire for grip on dry roads. These tires also allow for multiple rotation patterns like the symmetrical thread designs.

From tirerack.com

Directional (Unidirectional) Tread Design
They're known as directional tires because they can only rotate in one direction otherwise they don't work properly. Directional are best known for their ability to move water out of the way by single or multiple V-groove(s) located on the bottom of the tire. This helps the tire become more effective at fighting hydroplaning on water at speed. The rotational pattern is limited compared to the symmetric and asymmetric because this type of tire can only be rotated from the front to the back of the car.

Asymmetric and Directional Tread Design
These tires are very similar to directional except that the V-groove(s) is/are offset from the center of the tire. Rotational pattern is same as the directional.

-DK

Tires?

After sitting in a tire shop a week ago, waiting for an oil change, I found myself walking through the ties that they had on display. One display for a performance/premium tire talked about the how parts of the tread increased grip on different surfaces. This got me thinking. There are many different tread designs, rubber compounds, sizes, etc... How much does the average person know about the 4 points of contact their vehicle has w/ the road? In other words, how much do people know about tires? Over the next couple of weeks I'll cover different topics relating to tires from the design of the tread, the compounds used within them, different tire ratings, sizes, along with a few other topics.

The first topic I'll be covering will be the tread design, which should be posted in the next few days.


-DK

P.S. Make sure to vote in the poll on the side for the next spotlight of the week.

Spotlight of the Week 1996 Honda Accord V6

The vote is in and the First Spotlight of the week is the 1996 Honda Accord V6.

After a remodel in 1994, the 1996 Honda Accord received a brief refresh over the previous model year in the front and rear fascia, in addition to a few tech upgrades. The changes loosen up the lines of the car making it look softer looking than the previous year. The inside of the Accord stayed pretty much the same, as the 1995 version, except for the addition of a compliant OBD-II port that was mandated by the US government.

Exterior:
Weighing in at a 3,285 lbs and 188.4" long, 70.1" wide and 55.3" tall the 1996 Honda Accord V6 fits snugly in the mid-size car category. Even though it is a sedan, the Accord still holds some of coupe like design with a long hood and short trunk. The reflector beam headlights help make this car standout as a higher-class car compared to many of the cars during the mid 90's, which still had the Fresnel lens headlights. Standard features that are notable also include a sunroof along with an optional the wing on back.

Exterior of a Honda Accord V6

Interior:
Once inside the Accord, the interior is reminiscent of most mid-90's vehicles. The plastic dashboard materials, flat black gauges and controls all scream 90's car. The console layout is comfortable for reaching the radio and climate controls and the gauges are easy to read. The floor shifter relates information about gear back up to the dash do the driver doesn't need to glance down to see if they are in drive or second.

Interior of a Honda Accord V6

Powertrain:

Loaded with a 2.7L DOHC V6 engine that's rated for about 170 hp and 165 lbs of torque, the accord delivers this adequate power through a 4-speed automatic to the front wheels. To note the transmission is known for its hard shifts that can be sometimes reminiscent of a poorly shifted manual transmission.


Thoughts:
Overall, the 1996 Honda Accord is a nice looking vehicle. It has many details that stand out as a more expensive car for its time. The ride is good not spectacular but just good. At times, it could be described as harsh when going over rough roads, but overall it delivers good feedback to the driver. Really, the only complaint I have is the passenger seat legroom is a tad cramped but that more of a preference over anything.


Price:
Then: MSRP-$25,100

Now: $4,475-$5,700 Kelly Blue book

-DK

One more day before the first spotlight

About 17 hours left to vote. So far it's 1 for the 1996 Honda Accord V6 and 1 for the 1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe.

-DK

Spotlight of the week

I'm starting up a new section that should be updated on a weekly basis. In general, it's going to delve into some of the cars currently on the road and some classics. In these spotlights, I'll look at the specs, an overview of the design of both the exterior and interior. Plus I'll discuss the technology that was found on these cars and how much they cost then and now. Along with the basic discussion of the car, I'll throw in my two cents on my general impression of the vehicle so that you can see where I'm coming from.

I'll post my view on the cars, but I'm also looking for your insight on some of the cars I'm discussing and possible ideas for future. Post your comments in the comment box below and check out the poll for your input on what car I'll discuss the coming week.

-DK

How did we get to where we are today?

I read a article over on jalopnik about Beige Bites Back: Is Toyota Paying The Price For Building Dull Cars?. In there they talk about how things that use to be called quirks are now considered huge issues. Ex: Prius abs issue. This kinda got me thinking, consumers have been driving cars for over 100+ years. Why is it seem now that people are helpless when it comes to driving without things like ABS, Traction Control, and Stability Control systems. Whatever happened to the dynamic driver? Is adjusting driving styles for changing weather conditions a thing of the past?


I honestly hope not!

Technology as useful as it can be isn't perfect and at some point will fail. That's when the driver must know what to do or how to react. Grant it ABS, Traction control, and Stability Control have done wonders at reducing the number of accidents on the roadways when the conditions are slippery. At the same time they aren't essential to driving in adverse weather and should only be a backup if equipped. We didn't always have these car technologies. Some have been around since the 1970's while others are fairly new with the incorporation of more sensors built into cars nowadays. To most people in this current day and age a RWD car without ABS or other traction systems installed would be almost taboo to use in winter. I would argue the opposite view. Having experience in both technologically stripped cars and technologically advanced cars, my preference seems to drift to the one with less technology. That said, there are numerous benefits to technologically advanced cars, but at the same time there seems to be a disconnect between the driver, the car, and the road. The systems that control the cars response to a situation does provide some feedback to the driver (dashboard light, rumbling pedal etc...), but in a sense all these systems do is covers up the drivers mistake. Drivers that understand how to be dynamic can enter in adverse weather conditions and effectively make choices, since they understand the limitations of their car, that will get them though safely.  Drivers that believe the car will take care of everything and all they need to push the pedals and steer will be the ones in the ditch or in a accident.

It takes time to learn how to become a dynamic driver and overtime will make you more aware of your situation and overall a better driver.

-DK

Happy National Weatherman's Day!!! To all my fellow meteorologists!

It's February 5 and for most people they found out 3 days earlier that they're in for 6 more months of winter compliments of a groundhog. For Meteorologists though it's National Weatherman's Day. In short, this day honors weathermen and women who are diligently forecasting the changing weather so that the average person knows what to expect today and the next 4-5 days.
This a day isn't just for the forecasters, but also the researchers making breakthroughs in this field through Numerical Weather Prediction, Boundary layer, Meso and Synoptic scale along with Surface Transportation Weather just to name a few.
This day commemorates the birth of John Jeffries, considered one of America's first weathermen. John was born on Feb 5, 1744. He kept weather records for 42 years starting in 1774 and he was one of the first to use balloons for weather measurements.

-DK

Step out of reality for a bit

I talk quite frequently about the technology in cars and future technology coming to them to my readers on here and many of my friends. When you think about it, it's kinda mind-numbing with all the technology we are immersed in on a daily occurrence. I'm going to pick on gamers for a while, more specifically racing simulation gamers. I'll admit I fall into this category of gamer over any other gaming genres. The question I pose is, "Does playing simulation (sim) racing games in turn adjust driving behavior in the real world?" In addition, does it make a driver more situationally aware of their surroundings?

In my personal experience I would say it does have a impact and it does produce a more defensive driver. My hypothesis goes with the "condition", if you want to call it that, that they are using the racing sim for improving driving skills. The games lately that have been labeled as sim racing games include GTR (PC), Race On (PC), rFactor (PC), Forza (xbox 360), GT5 (PS3) and Dirt 2 (cross platform). All of these games allow a driver to attach a steering wheel and pedals to make it more life like. Along with the true to life physics makes the cars feel life like as they go around the digital track.  I'm just barely scratching the surface about these games, but I want you to chime in. Do think sim racing games do have any benefit to a real life commuter or is this some digital smoke and mirrors.

-DK