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Car
Ford F150
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Honda Civic
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Ford Ranger
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Bronco Raptor
Car
F-150 Raptor
Car
Ford Bronco
Car
Ford Flex
Car
Porsche 959
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G-Class G Wagons
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Hyundai Elantra
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Toyota Prius
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Scion Frs
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Toyota 86
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Wrangler Rubicon
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Rivian R2
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Jeep Gladiator
LIVE
Welcome to the Abant Podcast. I'm Dan.
This is Nick.
Hello.
Sorry, I got a phone call as we started.
Oh, OK.
Yeah.
Surprise.
Yeah, surprise.
How are you?
Oh, all right.
All right.
Yeah.
OK.
So you got some new graphics on the old F-150?
Oh, yeah.
I put a little, what's the name of the company?
Oh, it's Tuskens.
Tuskens.
It's topographical.
Yeah, it's like a, it's very minimal.
I had a rock chip on the grill.
And so I was like, hmm, how can I get creative and cover this?
Because it's a plastic grill.
So it's got a little chip.
Yeah.
And so I got some touch-up paint, of course, which is easy.
But then I was like, I remember seeing some of the Tuskens stuff.
And it's just a nice little ad.
It's very subtle.
It's like a black, somewhat reflective.
It's nice.
Yeah.
Starting to modify your truck again.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
The modifications.
Starting to put out offers to dealers to see what they give me for it for a 250 or 350.
Oh, OK.
Not as much as I'd hoped.
So I'm not like, I'm just kind of putting it out there.
I don't really think that's going to happen for me this year.
But I was just curious.
Looking for another tax right off.
Yeah, pretty much.
Yeah.
350, huh?
It's 250, 350, whatever.
Yeah.
They pretty much the same MSRP.
So if they had one spec'd out, it wouldn't really make a difference to me.
I was looking at one online.
It was a YouTuber selling it.
And he had it.
It was a F-250 trimmer.
And then he did a big suspension package.
It looked pretty good.
Like, I mean, I'm sure it was still towed really well.
I mean, it was, he built it into more of an off-road truck a little bit.
It looked pretty comfortable.
Pretty nice.
Yeah.
So Andy from Vogue has a pretty built-in Carly suspension on it.
It's a Carly suspension.
Yeah, that's what it is.
Yeah, OK.
And Carly's just built.
I'm sure it's cheap too.
Yeah, it's great.
Yeah.
Carly's just building the kit.
They just built from other parts.
They have their own stuff.
But I think Andy's just got foxes on it with remote reservoirs and everything.
I mean, you know, he owns Vogue.
So it's like, you know, it's partially a show truck built to tow and everything.
But, oh man, is it sweet.
But you know, it'll also comfortably fit 40s, which is the exact opposite of what I want.
Yeah.
So I mean, that's been good on gas right now.
Oh, right.
It's diesel at $7 a gallon.
Yeah.
So yeah.
I keep looking at cheap cars for the fun of it too.
Just for the fun of it.
I've been looking at a lot of cars lately.
I'm not actually buying anything.
I'm not shopping for anything, but it's just fun to look.
I mean, I think we all do that.
Right.
Yeah.
We're just car people.
There was a time when you had me looking at cheap cars.
I was like, I don't even need it.
I don't leave my house that much, but I don't need a car.
But it would be nice to have a fun little.
Right.
Like I was, I was, I'm having a very reminiscing, I'm reminiscing back to like the late 90s.
And I'm like, it'd be fun.
It'd be fun to have like a little civic and screw around or a bug-eyed STI or something
like that.
You know, I keep going back to the K truck thing though.
I mean, I will always, I just, if I'm going to buy a cheap car, it's going to be three
to $4,000 and K trucks just, I can't get there.
No, like 10.
Yeah.
And I mean, and that's for good.
And I get it.
It costs money to get them over here and things like that.
I just, I mean, I was looking to even told me, she's like, you know, that is fit in the garage.
And I was like, shush.
I always look at those and I think what can I do and what can't I do when I look at buying
one because they all have, you know, you don't buy a new one, you buy a used one.
And they're 10, 15 years old and they've been out usually working over there.
They're not like show trucks over there.
They, there are over there, but I mean, the ones you find buying online or not.
And so I'm like, I don't want to rush is the biggest concern.
I can't do session.
I shouldn't say that.
I don't have any interest in even attempting to do body work in the shop.
There's not a lot of body.
So, right.
Yeah.
Like if, and I would like, if it was a bed issue, sure, I'll literally just remove the
bed.
Yeah.
It's like six bolts and take it to somebody and that's a different story because you don't
have to bring the car.
You're like, here, fix this piece.
Yeah.
That's a different thing.
I have people for that.
But yeah, the, it's like you said, it's a big investment for something.
It's totally a toy.
Yeah.
Which so is an order cycle.
I feel like I would use it a lot and I think that's why I would have to buy a more expensive
one because I would need one that is built in reliable because I think I would go everywhere.
It would go to the store.
I would, I would drive it on my errands.
I mean, I don't know if I'd want to spend a ton of time on the freeway on it.
But I think I actually do think that I would be, I've sat down and looked at the fact that
I'm barrel.
I don't even have 20,000 miles on the Ranger right now.
Like, and it's two years old.
And the fact that like, I just don't drive it that much because either got the bike or
the Triumph or we've got Kate's new car.
But I'm like, I think this would, that would be a fun errand car.
Like, you know, and I also think it'd be fun to show up like that and watch my big ass
get out of that small little cap.
So yeah,
I think you need to go sit in some of you and think about it.
Yeah.
There's, there's a lot of process to it.
And I mean, again, I think it, I'm at 10 to $12,000 for one that would probably be
that's what I've been fighting to.
Yeah.
So what I want is more than I want to spend on that.
Yeah.
And I'm missing 10 to $12,000.
So it's in bikes and cars, in bikes, cars and the stock market places.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I've been looking at our eight prices, not selling this one, of course, but just for
the fun of it.
Cause Garra was actually, he's got that.
He's like, he wants to be.
God, he didn't ruin it.
Did he get hit again?
No.
Oh, okay.
No, no, no, no, no.
That poor man has the worst luck without ease.
It's never his fault.
No, not his fault at all.
I know.
No, but I was shocked.
Basically, the car is worth more than she bought it for.
Yeah.
Even with the miles.
Even with the miles.
Yeah.
She bought it with like 600 or something.
Yeah, I was going to say, don't sell the car cause she'd kill you.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Yeah.
That's not even a question.
But I'm shocked that, yeah, they've gone up because that is, and my point is it's sort
of an indicator of what the market wants is not what the market is delivering.
The new replacement RA, I forget what they're calling it.
I don't even, that's, it's.
It's polarizing, let's say.
I'm sure some people will buy it, but there's very little interest in the car that costs
that much.
But it's not, it's, I thought they're on, it's the one that they showed is a limited
production.
Yeah.
Limited production.
It's a twin turbo VA, it's basically the rebadged, not Ruelto, with the Temerario in
a different, totally different body, just like the RA, but it's.
But you have to understand that a lot of the RA's, and I mean the older by style and this
by style and the Huracans, those are the entry level cars.
So there's, there's a lot of need or want for them.
And right now Audi's really not going to make many of those other ones.
So people, they're not going to be achievable or obtainable, I should say, like, like this
car when it came out was obtainable because it was a better way to buy a Lamborghini.
Yeah.
Pretty much.
More room inside, a better car, you know, for transportation and having a better front.
But it doesn't surprise me that they're not making them.
So people now want them, it's supply and demand.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So just there's very few, you know, things as time goes on and because these were somewhat
obtainable for a while, the examples have gotten smaller.
They get crashed, they get a ton of miles on them.
Yeah.
They get modded.
So finding a clean stock one, like these are, to buy this car again right now, it'll probably
be $2,520, $2,330.
So what I'm hearing is ZR1 territory.
Right.
Just swap.
I'm hearing a, probably swap.
Yeah.
I'm still asking like $200 over for the, most places for the ZR1X's, but screw that.
Jesus.
If they ever make it, so the funny thing is, is I've talked to different people about
it.
If they made a ZO6X and I think they might, I really don't even have much of an interest
even the ZR1X given the choice.
Is it, like I said, we're, we've reached that diminishing returns on power where it doesn't
make the drive that much better.
It's really just bragging rights.
Yeah.
And a lot of us just don't care anymore.
You don't want to be able to beat a Bugatti.
I don't care if I beat a Bugatti.
I don't want to.
I just don't want.
I, it's, it's, that's again, I'm going to be another supply and demand thing because
Corvette's going to keep chunking those out.
So the idea that something's $200,000, it's going to create, that's not going to happen
for long, much longer.
Yeah.
I don't think right now they're, they're few and far between.
So, you know, they, and, and like normal, they got, when they, when they came out, they
got them in the hands of most of the social media and influencers and all the YouTubers
and stuff like that so that they can make the videos, which has worked, but you know,
yeah, I think Cleo's McFarland has sold more Chevy's in this last year than.
No kidding.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I'm excited to try something new.
I've kind of, I don't know what I want to get though.
So as far as a car or a truck, I don't know.
Oh, okay.
Or both.
It's, it's been a long, they both, it's been a long time since I've had a good sports
car for my, for myself.
I mean, they are, they are it obviously, but I haven't had like my sports car to do my
thing with the Porsche, right?
Since the Porsche.
Yeah.
Wow.
And I've gone through the Raptors.
The Broncos not going anywhere.
If I was going to find another Raptor, I'd buy a Bronco Raptor again.
Yeah.
Like that's it.
I don't, and then for a truck, I would buy a diesel again.
That's kind of where we're at.
So, but man, I'm that itch for a new sports car just never goes away.
Well, I mean, you should scratch it.
That, as much as I love the Bronco Raptor and I would buy one, that new Philsen Broncos
and I would buy a new one.
So, same engine and cooled seats and they're listening.
So, yeah.
Yeah.
Kudos to Ford on that one.
Yeah.
I also feel like people are going to buy those and not drive them and think that they're
going to go up.
Yeah.
That's not going to work that way.
Yeah.
But I was going to say, one of the best things we ever did though for this was put that ass
back on it.
Dan is pointing at the RA.
I'm touching it and caressing it.
He's putting fingerprints all over the car.
I can do that.
It's covered in s-tech.
And that's, I was just going to say, it's one of the best things we've ever done for
this car because it still looks as good as the day we got it.
I still can't believe that wasn't done before.
I know.
The original owner.
But, yeah.
I can't imagine driving a car like this without it because, I mean, every time I look, take
it out and wash it, it looks brand new.
You know, I had a client of mine who's not a car person that was asking me questions
about cars and he said, and it was something I never thought about.
He says, do insurance companies require you to get protective film?
And I said, no.
He goes, that's interesting.
He says because, and he's not a very knowledgeable person.
His words are not mine.
He says, I know you can protect the car and you can protect the glass.
You'd think the insurance company would go, it's going to save us money if you do this.
And I said, okay, thanks for bringing up a topic that I can now talk about on the podcast.
But, yeah, yeah, you make a good point.
It's like protecting your investment.
It's like, it's like when car alarms came out, every insurance company said, if you
put a car alarm in, we're going to lower your rates.
And now they're basically standard on everything, ignition, kill switches.
And then, especially the glass protection.
That's huge.
Like when I look at, like I was going back and forth with Judy because we were looking
at some policy stuff and I've got two dings on my, I didn't even see them as dings because
I had two pieces of glass replaced last year.
Yeah, they hate you for that big time now.
Hard, hard.
Yeah.
Like had I known I would have just, I probably wouldn't have replaced it twice.
Second time was definitely my fault.
The first time was a rock chip, but I probably, yeah, I'm going to pay a pocket for the one
in the Bronco.
That's why we haven't replaced it because the Bronco gets a chip every other week, it
feels like, because it's flat.
Yeah.
I ordered an X of a brick.
Yeah.
But yeah, that's, I would have replaced that one should like four times by now.
And so I just leave the crack in it.
It's not in my field of view.
So I'm like, just like, I'll just let it keep getting hit until it like, I can't see
out of it because it's just the state of being in a Bronco.
So fair enough.
Yeah.
You make a good point.
So I've seen online where, you know, somebody scrapes something minor and that just the
PPF takes it, especially on a bumper where it's plastic.
You don't have metal bumpers on almost anything inside truck these days.
So like on most cars, it's just going to flex in.
And as long as you don't hit something too hard, but if you just, you know, little brushes,
like you get too close to the pole in the parking garage, you're like, you know, something
like that.
Your PPF may scratch a little, but most, most times it'll save your bumper and save you
thousands.
One of those aha moments.
I was like, Oh, that makes a lot of sense.
Like I wonder.
And I was like, do I say it out loud where it then starts happening?
But yeah, you'd think, you'd think they'd be all about it.
Like I said, I don't drive a vehicle without it now.
No.
So I mean, absolutely worth it.
Anyway, let's talk about a car to run over tip of the week.
It's kind of a little fun one.
Some shifters on some cars, on a few cars have a little G on them.
Granny gear, granny gear.
Actually that's in the middle of a lot of places.
It's people still call it that on most cars with a granny gear, quote unquote.
It's a compound gear and first gear and it's made for trucks specifically not for
the reason the G gear is created.
A compound first gear is typically for ultra, ultra low torque.
And that's for old farm vehicles carrying really heavy loads or pulling a really
heavy trailer, not for the road per se.
It's usually you want that compound first gear for like towing a trailer across
your property with something heavy, like moving something.
So as having family on the Palouse, yeah, I've had them.
They would put the truck in the G gear and then the truck and put it straight and
then they would get out and put bales on the car.
The truck would just crawl itself across the Palouse.
So yeah, I learned to drive on a 66 forward with a compound first gear and we would fill
that bed full of cords of wood in the back of the property, put that thing in first
gear, let it clutch and literally you could just walk next to it if you needed to.
It's going like literally .2, .3 miles an hour.
That's right, the whip.
Yeah.
Yeah.
On big commercial trucks, you'll see a compound first gear.
Like I said, for getting started with a really, really heavy load, that's to take
off so you don't burn the clutch up.
But what I'm talking about is the Gallende gear.
Sounds German.
Butchering that German.
Yeah.
Gallende, which is the G in G-Wagen, which Gallende wagon.
I didn't know that.
Yeah.
That's exactly what the G stands for.
You're saying these modern day mall crawlers have a, do they still have it or was
that like an original thing?
I don't know.
I've never driven a modern manual one.
They're not manual though.
I didn't think.
Yeah.
I mean, none of the new ones are.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So, but also, you know, other vehicle has the compound first gear.
K-Tracks.
The Bronco.
That's, that's, but that's C, isn't it?
Crawl.
It's a crawl gear.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's just a, it's a super low gear.
It stands for terrain though.
It's a terrain gear and you're also people are probably screaming and they're like,
what about the 9.59?
Yeah.
That was actually the only car I've ever driven with a G gear was a 9.59.
And so you started in second.
If you wanted to drive it normally.
Yeah.
You start in second gear and it's a, that was for attraction.
Uh, I was going to say, why does the 9.59 need a noise laws actually?
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
There's a bunch of different, it was just for homologation, which is really weird.
Um, yeah.
The first time I drove one, I put it in there and I was like, wait a minute.
I did not know this actually at the time.
The first time I drove one was a long time ago and I just was like, I'd never,
I was, I'd never been in a 9.99.
I'd seen them.
I hadn't looked close enough.
I'm sure the person that owned it, what should have taught you that and said,
Hey, just FYI.
Oh, they showed me.
Yeah.
I thought I was like, Oh, yeah.
Fair enough.
Yeah.
I could figure it out right away, but it was a, it's kind of funny.
Yeah.
Interesting.
Yeah.
So obviously the original G wagons had them because they were manuals.
Cause those, I mean, if you don't know the original G wagons were meant to be
like military vehicles and off-road, they're not meant to be luxury SUVs to
drive to Barney's.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Okay.
Yeah.
They do a great job at it, but yeah.
So yeah, the 9.99 though, let me just get back to that real quick.
It was purely for sound regulation.
That's it.
Um, there was no other reason for it to have it because sound was measured in the
first, the lowest gear.
Oh, and so with a really low first gear, you never got to make it.
Well, it wasn't making a lot of noise.
So it's just purely for her mulligation.
Interesting.
So that car had more trouble.
Yeah.
Depending on getting it here and, and you know, obviously the rest of the world.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, let's see here.
Yeah.
Then they just, they just goes G first.
Kind of funny.
In the 9.59, I thought, I thought it went G second because I've always heard that
people said that you had to start out in second gear, technically.
Technically it's second year, but it goes reverse top left, like a reportia
manual, then G then first.
And it's a one.
It is a first.
Oh, okay.
I thought it was a second.
Yeah.
I had seen one briefly at drivers club years ago when it was sitting there, but
I never, obviously, you know, we didn't touch it.
So I wasn't, I didn't see inside.
Okay.
You really drive the car like a five speed.
Okay.
Even though it's got technically a six speed year pattern, you're never using G.
It's just there.
Yeah.
For those long toes when you have a, your 9.59, I bet, you know what?
I bet that the Raphael, the, the, the rally car, I bet they used it.
Yeah.
Try to get out of the sand or something like that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Interesting.
Okay.
Yeah.
There you go.
Oh, what else?
What should we, let's talk tires.
Yeah.
From our friends in the land of, uh, that's run by people who couldn't get elected
to an HOA with no other opposing members and got kicked out of the PTA.
This is about wearing the right rubbers when you're in California.
That's right.
Always for protection.
That's right.
Oh, okay.
Yeah.
So in ineffective things that won't make a difference, like all those
stickers about getting cancer, if you eat your muffler, this is a, there's a new
tire lock.
Every sticker has somebody that did it.
I'm just saying that cotton candy.
Yeah.
That prop 65 warning is the dumbest thing ever.
My nature tickets course.
If you eat a muffler, that's what happens.
Mazel tov.
Yeah.
No, thanks.
Yeah.
Okay.
It's the stupidest stuff.
I, what are they trying to pull now?
Starting in 20, 28, uh, certain tires that don't meet the energy efficient standard,
which is basically like, uh, low rolling resistance, uh, will not be allowed because
they, well, you would get worse mileage is really all it comes down to.
It's really just about fuel economy.
But the problem is, well, one of many problems is, is like, say, there's a
perfect example here from car and driver, the hand cook, can, hand cook,
cannergy GTs all season tire comes on the Hyundai Elantra.
It weighs 16.9 pounds.
It's a 195 65 R 15.
Okay.
Well, the problem is you can't buy that tire.
That car, that comes with the tire.
You won't be able to buy that tire.
You can't buy that tire.
Oh, it is the, it is the car that is the tire that comes with the vehicle.
It is available.
I mean, you may be able to get it directly from Hyundai, but you cannot buy
that tire from hand cook.
Can't buy it from discount tire.
This has nothing to do with this block that hasn't taken place yet.
Yeah, it does.
I'll explain here.
So that tire has an eight and a half, uh, 30 seconds of tread depth.
Um, and it, because it weighs a pound less, it has a lower rolling
resistance, which is how Hyundai gets those, um, emissions numbers
for the EPA numbers.
But if you go by the exact same tire, a hand cook, energy GT from discount
tire, which our friends can help you out with, we're partners with them by
Michelin's instead, they're better tires.
That same tire is 17.9 pounds.
It weighs, it's a 10 30 second tread depth and it has a 70,000 mile warranty.
Guess what the warranty is on the Hyundai one.
Half zero.
You get no warranty with it at all.
It is just a tire.
It has no official warranty at all.
But it's coming on a Hyundai.
I mean, things are cost effective on those cars.
Exactly.
So there's no, it's got a last 15, 20, 30, maybe.
Uh, I would think 27,000 miles was the estimated tire.
The one you, the aftermarket tire you buy is a 70,000 mile warranty.
So they're already due.
So.
And again, I'm going to be the learning, the learner here.
So right now, Hyundai can buy them and put them on their cars, but you, as
a consumer are not allowed to, but if you had to replace that tire with
something comparable, you would go in and they would give you, there is a
tire, they'll sell you.
But this is along the lines of what they're, this is their basing this off
of for California.
Uh, basically, yeah, but so you would get because the aftermarket tire, quote,
unquote, the same tire, but it's aftermarket sold to the masses, weighs
more and has a different, different tread, not only a different tread depth, but
a different tread composition.
It's made differently.
Okay.
Uh, that's why it gets 70,000 mile warranty, which is in a place like
California, which doesn't see a lot of rain.
That's probably fine.
A harder tire doesn't really matter.
Uh, the problem is, is it's not a low rolling distance tire.
So the tire you would have to buy to meet this standard would probably only
last 30,000 miles or less.
Yeah.
And, uh, if you have, uh, let's, beyond that, this hurts enthusiasts most of
all, because okay, anything with like a 200 treadwear, even a 300 treadwear is
not going to be a low rolling distance tire.
So you're coveted pilot sport for us is your, uh, Diablo course or your
course, uh, Pirelli tires, one of the super trophy ours, any R compound
tires, not going to be street legal there, or even available to buy there.
There's no, there's no performance cars in California.
It's not a problem.
I know, right?
Okay.
Yeah.
They all drive Prius and well, but you're Tesla's, what are they're
working Tesla's with?
I have a question.
Yeah.
If I have lower rolling resistance, which means I have less traction again, I
have less pressure against the tire.
Mm hmm.
Does that mean that I don't stop better in the rain?
Oh,
Oh, yeah.
They are diametrically opposed.
Oh, that's the thing.
Okay.
And that's bad.
That's why performance tires, even though they may look more flat, um, like,
like a pilot sport for us is actually really good rain tire, especially when
it's new, not for long.
Um, it's mainly toward dry, dry weather and higher temperatures, but think
about like the, the example they gave here, the Scion FRS or the Toyota 86
BRZ, whatever they come with the, basically, everybody calls it the
Prius tire.
Um, it's crap.
It is a terrible performance tire.
Um, but they do that to keep the mileage basically the same thing on this car.
So everybody's like, buy the car, replace the tire.
First thing you do, like you wouldn't be able to do that.
Um, anybody with a GT2 RS, anybody with an actual supercar, uh, anybody with the
06 Corvettes, especially, uh, any cup twos would be basically illegal to
buy there, probably illegal to buy a car with them on it.
So you'd have to buy a car with all seasons for California.
Um, I don't even know if there's even qualified because even the Pilot Sport
AS I think is a 320 tread, tread wear for that car.
So specific tire specific for the Corvette.
Same with the Corvette.
I'm hearing is you and I have about a year and a half to start a discount tire,
just this side of Nevada to sell tires to people in California.
Right.
I wonder how they're going to do, is that going to be another thing when they
pull you over?
Like, I mean, they'll pop your hood and they'll go, Oh, where'd you get these
tires?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Like, yeah, brought to you by the only state that still does
that look at your date code and go, these are new tires.
Therefore, we know you bought them and therefore, oh wow.
That's, I mean, I'm, I like fuel efficiency and I understand the game that,
that, uh, that automotive manufacturers play when the fact that like when you buy,
like when we bought the Subaru and they're like, Oh, you'll be able to get 590
miles out of it, which I've gotten close, but like they are driving it as,
as commas can be on the best, the lowest, low rolling resistance tire.
They're doing everything they can to get the most mileage out of that and,
and be able to produce that number.
So this is, and obviously if this happens in California, so we're talking
2020, January, 2028.
Yes.
Okay.
Wow.
Yeah.
So they're saying specialty performance tires may be exempt.
So anything that's volumes of 15,000 units or less.
So,
So as long as I have special tires made for me and my friends, I'm fine.
Right.
Well, the prices on those would go up quite a bit, um, or at least you would
have to get, like you said, people would just go and get them somewhere else.
There's, this is California as, and as much as I, I despise the state for many
reasons, I like other reasons.
They're, they're going to be wise to this.
There's something there that's going to say, yeah, this is like, this is,
they're cracking down on the Montana plates.
Yeah.
It's this, you know, there, there will be consequences.
If you're, if you're caught with a date coated tire that is, oh yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's okay.
It's just ridiculous though.
Cause like the main thing is it's, it reduces performance and grip more than
anything, which is going to cause more accidents.
Yeah.
Not that it rains a ton in California, but when it does, it doesn't rain enough.
And therefore all the oils and everything in the roads are horrible.
I've driven in the rain in California.
It sucks.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, but this would also impact like really blocky off road tires.
I don't know how much it would impact all terrains, but nobody's calling a 37
inch all terrain low rolling resistance tire.
No.
Especially a mud terrain, which you don't need so much down there, but I mean,
if you go out, there's a lot of off roading in California.
People don't know there's a ton of off roading.
Calvary.
So where the Rubicon is, it's where Johnson Valley is.
Like there's a bunch of stuff down there.
So you're going to buy your new, buy a new Raptor and it comes with some street
slicks or some, no, it comes with some defender.
Absolutely.
They're going to be like on the Land Cruiser.
Absolutely.
Okay.
No, thank you.
Yeah.
No, thank you.
Um, okay.
I just, it's one of those things that just doesn't need to be there.
Like I understand what they're trying to do, but this only benefits the tire
manufacturer doesn't really benefit the consumer.
So is, I guess this is the question.
It's our job as journalists.
Oh my God, we're journalists.
Um, is big tire behind this?
I assume so.
Okay.
Uh, somebody has to be lobbying for this and saying, Oh, it's bad for the
environment.
You should buy more tires.
I mean, California isn't secretly, they don't like cars.
I mean California don't like cars.
The state of California does not like cars.
Yeah.
So I mean, interesting.
Yeah.
Well, well, don't worry.
They'll lay that, they'll have that mass transit ready and never, it's never going to happen.
Yeah.
Not in our lifetimes.
Well, I'm sure the 100000000000 dollars though, if California does it and they get
away with it, it's, it's coming north.
Oh yeah.
So that's my biggest issue.
It's ridiculous.
Um, yeah.
There's a bunch of car enthusiasts and the car enthusiasts show this.
It's just another, it's more just, I kind of just roll my eyes.
Like this is just the dumbest thing ever.
Well, I'll say it.
I am hoping that a lot of these really rich people in California who have really nice
cars fight it back against this.
Yeah.
Or find a medium.
I mean, I, I, I understand that in the basis of all this and no matter where you
stand politically, I always like to look at something and go, where's it coming from?
Even if I don't understand it or agree with it, where are they coming?
Where are this coming from?
I don't get why the specialists are saying this, you know, less low in
respect, rolling resistance is a good thing on a car.
Okay.
But what if I have to break or break suddenly?
Yeah.
It's, and, and rolling resistance doesn't mean crap.
If I'm sitting on the 405 in the middle of LA doing three miles an hour.
Right.
So exactly on a shitty freeway that's broken down.
Hypothetically, of course.
Hypothetically.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I gotta be careful.
You know, we have, we have tire sponsors, so I can't, the big tires involved.
Yeah.
We want your high performance tires.
Yeah.
Ironically, I want big tires from big tire.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It seems contradictory to me.
Like why wouldn't you, I mean, I guess it makes people buy more tires and the
money is in the cheaper tires.
You know, Michelin isn't probably making their cake from their, you know,
pilot series.
They're probably making it from the, what's the cross climate and all that.
Yeah.
You could, because they're selling more of them.
Yeah.
I mean, they are, there is a higher, there's probably a higher margin on these and
the fact that it costs them about the same to make it.
And they're, people are burning them off.
You know, yeah, there are certain people that are putting the set of tires on
their sports cars or their, or their hypercars once a year.
Yeah.
Or God forbid they're not putting them on the tires and they're, they're, they're
faking, they're phasing out to the point where they're not usable anymore.
Like the Bugatti's and stuff like that.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I used to go through a set of tires a year on average on my sports cars.
Yeah.
I wonder why.
I know.
Weird.
Yeah.
Often all four though.
Good on me.
Proud of that.
That just means you're removing sideways.
Exactly.
Flat spots on the tires.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, interesting.
Uh, I mean, I wonder if there'll be like electric car exemptions and things like
that, like, you know, if you have a Tesla or a Rivian and you know, you're saving
the environment that way, are you allowed to put whatever tire you want on it?
Yeah.
Those are specifically probably the most affected by low rolling resistance.
Like they all come with like the most efficient tires they can get.
So yeah.
Yeah.
I don't know.
Rivian, Rivian seems to think that they're going to save the world with that
new R2.
They've been there.
Yep.
I'm not against it.
No.
A lot of people have been driving.
I wish to talk about that.
Uh, people posted on a bonds, um, and love it.
He said they've learned a lot from the R1, put it into that.
Um, and yeah, it looks great.
It's, you know, said if I was in the market for an EV, I would probably be
looking at the R2.
I'm really like the, what's the Dar three actually is the one that
feels like that thing appeals to me the most.
It looks really fun.
So it's, but there's to that point and not to harp back on California.
That's an infrastructure thing.
And the fact that like a lot of the infrastructure can't.
Yeah.
Can't support it.
Unfortunately.
And you know,
well, it's gone through the roof here.
Yes.
So I mean, it's still cheaper than gas because that's all gone through the roof as
well.
Kind of close.
I mean, I would be more invested in solar if I owned my home.
You know, yeah, I have it for like, I'm out my outdoor lights and things like that.
It's still not enough to power the house.
It's still just not efficient enough.
Yeah.
Um, there are certain things.
I don't know why your giant TVs, the solar panels, but I was talking about,
uh, uh, uh, light the moon, that thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Sure.
Okay.
Okay.
Well, I mean, as automotive enthusiasts, we know the landscape is changing.
We know that the world is against us.
Um, everybody from the, the Karen down the street that says we're driving too fast
to the lobbyist that says that we shouldn't be driving our car because we're
putting too much emissions in there.
And now we are causing too much tire debris or too much has too much traction on our cars.
So.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's, I don't know.
Yeah.
Being a dead horse at this point, I'm just, I want to go to Moab.
Yeah.
I want a high resistance tire and Moab.
We keep saying that's nothing about our group chatter.
We're just like, are we going to Moab yet?
Let's go back.
I'm, I'll tell you at this point, like I'm walking into my garage and my motorcycles
are looking at me like, are we ever going to go outside of here again?
Like I just ordered a new battery for the girl.
I'm actually for you.
I, it's dead.
And so I was like, I'm just going to get a lithium battery.
I have never charged the monkey battery and it is always good.
I don't know what it is.
Yeah.
They're usually fine.
I think it's cause I have some aftermarket stuff hooked up for charging for my
phone on there and I keep, like I plug the bikes in and I forgot to plug in the
grom and then it went dead and I tried charging it, wouldn't take it.
And so I was like, I'll just get a lithium battery.
Ooh, like weight savings.
Yes.
Yeah.
Good for you.
That's right.
Good for you.
Okay.
We got to get back out there.
We got to do it.
So.
Well, the weather's changing.
So, and I've been talking, I've been talking to a lot of people about more road
trips, people have been messaging me and like, what do you think?
Have been in this place?
You got on here.
I was just talking with Todd, who was on last week about the rally.
They've got coming up, modifying that a little bit to be a little bit less iron
butt, a little more.
All right.
We have some eight, 10 hour days on our rallies and his turn to keep it to six or
seven.
So.
Yeah.
I mean, I think our age is showing.
Right.
I don't have to go to the bathroom.
Can I just stand up please?
That's all it is.
So yeah.
Yeah.
Uh, what, where are you going this summer?
I mean, you guys know you're going to Canada.
Unfortunately, I'm going to go back to Canada.
Um, but that's for our anniversary slash, uh, ACDC.
And I'm not, I feel like I'm never going to get a chance to see ACDC.
And then we're going to, we're going to Eastern Washington right now, but cool.
I'm, I'm trying to rally the group.
I've been like, we should go do a monkey run somewhere or we, or take the monkeys
out or go riding.
I just, I need to kind of, I feel like I'm getting a little soft.
Yeah.
Same here.
Oh, well I've even riding the other day.
Um, just took it for a short ride at a town and I was like, Oh yeah.
I need to do this more often because this is harder.
That should be getting old.
I was with a client today and I was dressed like this and he asked me why I
looked like a middle school girl volleyball coach.
And I was like, okay, I need to get out more.
It's like you're a dick.
That's hilarious.
I was like, well learn to spike the ball and it won't be an issue.
That's pretty funny.
I just so we're clear.
I'm in shorts and a cut off sweatshirt.
So I do look like a middle school girls volleyball coach.
So I just need the glasses like from South Park, the, uh, that guy or whatever,
you know, the PC principle, PC principle.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's funny.
Yeah.
I don't know.
I mean, I know you, uh, you guys are in recovery mode here.
Are you, are you thinking about getting out of here?
You usually talk about going somewhere for your birthday.
Yeah.
Um, I haven't really decided yet.
I think if I go anyway, if I have my choice, it'll be to Moab.
Yeah.
There's just no question.
Um, I don't know if that'll be what's going to happen yet this year.
It depends.
We just had so much going on with like her missing work and everything.
It's, uh, I'm trying to get back into that rhythm of making plans and trying to go
someplace I'm way overdue for a lot of stuff.
Off-roading for one, I haven't like the last time I really did anything serious
was in Moab, the Utah stuff was really light.
Um, just because I didn't have another vehicle with me.
And then there's a bunch of places I want to explore.
I've made a few maps of Western Colorado that I haven't done, um, off-road stuff.
Actually.
Yeah.
Just overlanding stuff.
Mainly I want to do that.
Um, and then, uh, yeah, that's mainly it right now.
There's some places in Canada, but I'm not eager to go up there just with the,
the high potential for wildfires this year.
Yeah.
That's going to be really high.
I'm worried about that.
Uh, talking to Todd about that as well as like, you know,
I would like to do some off-roading in Canada.
Oh yeah.
Like, yeah, I lost places.
The story till now, over a place he goes, I think it looks amazing.
So yeah, I need to get something.
I'm worried.
This is going to sound really, really stupid.
I'm worried about all the, the tight closed roads.
Everything we have is so wide.
Yeah.
This is in the Bronco and the F-150.
Like everything we have is massively wide and I want to go explore places,
but I also don't want to deal with trail stripes.
I mean, a lot of those guys, I mean, the story till now, I've talked about,
and he's got that, that big ass gladiator.
He gets that's that thing through there.
So yeah.
Well, a lot of trail stripes.
True.
Yeah.
Um, I know, I know Moab's in the car next, next year.
Like I'm not, I'm Kate, I need to take her there.
I, because she's sick of hearing us talk about it.
So, but I'm, we're going to take the van.
So, and I, I'm, I'm looking into, I don't, I don't know if it'll do it.
I've got it.
I think it'll do it, but I'm, I'm thinking about towing the raptor down.
If you had a flat bed, like, I think I'd be fine.
Like that new U-Haul trailer, I think I'd be okay.
The truck's 6,000 pounds, probably 3,500.
No, it's not, it's not because I can't get the deduction.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So it's probably like low five.
Yeah.
But I'm, and I just don't know with that, with that sprinter chassis and that,
that diesel engine and then the raised suspension, how, how much I can tow with that.
I've never.
It's 53, 25.
Okay.
Um, so I just had to figure out what a 2026 sprinter 2,500 tow with the diesel will tow.
Yeah.
Let's see.
Tow rating.
Let's see here.
7,500 pounds.
So as long as I don't have a, if I have over a 3,000 pound trailer,
that's for the 3,540 of under variants.
The standard 2,500 mt with a two liter four cylinder, I have a diesel 5,000 pounds.
So yeah.
So no way I'm going to find the 500 pound trailer.
Yeah.
That probably works, especially with the suspension.
Yeah.
No, I mean, that would be the ideal situation, the fact that I could take it down there.
I mean, cause she's not a huge off-roader.
So I think we'll be fine.
If I don't have an off-road vehicle, God forbid I could just rent some.
Say you can rent side by side or go on a Jeep tour.
Yeah.
They don't mess around on the Jeep tours as we've seen.
They'll do a health gate.
Yes, please.
Um, I don't know.
The more people that I see do that, I was like, it feels less special every day.
You were there.
It's not, I know.
It's just, um, so, some people just have a, a much higher yield
for risk.
That's true.
And like, cause there's a, you watch those videos and they're like, oh,
like I did it with a Subaru.
I'm like, yeah, he could have also rolled down it.
If he had missed it or shoved it into the side.
My favorite part of the video of me coming up there is Tiffany at the
end going, that was different.
Yeah.
Uh, I want, I want to go back.
I want to show her down there.
I mean, I want to, I want to sit on Thelma and Louise point, maybe camp there
that night and just watch.
I don't, can you camp there?
I want to stay there as late as I can.
Yeah.
How's that?
I have, I mean, the van's got full KC lights all the way around.
So I think I get out of there, go back up Shaffer, but yeah,
that's true because it's not like it is a road.
So yeah, I just pulled over.
I just pulled.
Yeah.
Sorry.
We had a bathroom emergency for six hours, eight hours.
So long.
My wife fell asleep.
Yeah.
Yeah.
It's not like we're going to come find you anyway.
So that's, well, I mean, yeah, I mean, I'm not going to do, I would love to do,
um, what's the hundred mile one we did white road,
uh, white rim trail, I would love to do that, but I don't know.
There's one section where I was like, I don't know if I want to do that.
Like you can definitely do it, but it would be tight.
Yeah.
It's what there's, it's not even, it's with, I'm not, I'm a little worried about
with the Bronco did it.
It'd be fine.
It's wider.
It's, it's the height I'm more worried about.
And I think I would do it opposite of the way we did it.
So that, uh, no, I would do it the way we did it.
So that driver's side, I would be on the cliff side so that I'd be the one on
the cliff side.
So yeah, I mean, I've seen people do it in full size trucks.
So it can be done.
Yeah.
You just have to be very careful.
But I don't think it had a problem.
I don't think it would be the smartest thing to do.
I know, I know I want to do Schaefer.
I know I want to do, to do, uh, you know, out to Thelma Louise point and all that.
I want to do that.
I want to go into Canyon lands and all that.
So you can go all the way through onion Creek and then just turn it around.
Yeah.
I think it could be really fun.
It's pretty and easy.
Yeah.
It would just be a slow, easy drive.
Yeah.
It'd be fun.
Yeah.
So where are you guys going this summer?
Tell share your plans.
I want to know where you guys are all going.
Um, if you could be a race car, what race car would you be?
And that I want, okay.
I'm going to say this.
They got released yesterday.
I need that buzz.
Lightly light your GT three.
All right.
It's like there is no better person to drive that car.
A goofy fucker like me.
I need that car.
Yeah.
It's one on one though.
I'm sure.
I'm sure somebody's going to buy it for a good cause and it'll money will go to
charity and all that.
Yeah, probably.
Yeah.
What a lame excuse.
Yeah.
Drive it.
I tire say light year.
The tires say light year.
They paid good year to put.
Okay.
Sorry.
I'm using that to go.
He, but yeah, we need more than that though.
We do.
We need more goofy cars.
Right.
K trucks.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah.
Where are you going?
I have to swap.
Where are you going?
What are you taking?
What, what's your road trip car this year?
Yeah, we've asked about this.
I really want to know where you guys are going.
Give me some ideas, ask for some feedback.
Vance has been a great gold mine of people playing in trips and doing stuff.
And you should definitely plan a trip this summer.
You ever notice everybody always asks us where to go, but nobody asked us to go
anymore.
I know.
They're like, Oh, thanks guys.
We're good.
You guys stay there.
Volleyball teachers need to go places too.
They're just scared of our trucks.
That's what it is.
So are we.
I would not want to take that guy.
I tell you, like I would have fun on the, on a road rally in the F 150.
Absolutely.
Obviously I wouldn't be doing what I was doing.
The Porsche or the Corvette, but I mean,
it'll be fun.
So yeah, tell us, tell us what you think.
Uh, again, I want to say, uh, thank last week's guests.
Uh, Brian did a great job.
It was a wonderful episode.
It was fun episode.
Um, thank you Todd for dragging him in here, kicking and screaming, but, uh,
it was good and everybody knows him and, and I had a fun time chatting with him.
Yeah.
Uh, we also got a message.
Uh, this one, uh, Toby Butler Brown, he's a listener down in Portland.
He's going to come up our way.
Um, this month actually, he's up here around the 21st.
And I meant to respond.
I just, my week's been a little busy with everything going on, but yes.
And he's doing a half day session at dirt fish, which, uh, he won volunteering,
planning to be Ramon during an organ trail rally.
Okay.
Uh, and so yeah, if you're coming up here, yeah, you are welcome.
Let's, let's, let's say hi.
Let's grab a drink, um, come hang out for the show, whatever you want to do.
Toby, we'd love to have you.
Um, and we keep telling our guests that there are listeners and stuff too.
If you want to come hang out, enjoy the show, have a drink, whatever.
You're welcome to swing on by.
We like the company.
Yeah.
So we'll even put pants on.
That's right.
Yeah.
Maybe not Nick.
Nah, he's wearing shorts.
I'm wearing shorts.
Yeah.
But yeah, if you want to, to get ahold of us, it's 425-298-7873.
Leave us a voicemail, send us a picture, text message,
whatever you want to do.
Also, uh, on a Vance news, uh, tickets are going fast for, uh, Vance on the green,
which is coming up very quickly.
The 12th of the 12th, I think the email, it'd probably be too late when this one
comes out with for the advanced tickets, but, um, it's going to be a huge thing.
Unfortunately, I'm actually going to miss it this year.
I've got to go to a wedding, um, but, uh, it's, it'll be great as always.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Don't miss that if you're around.
Yeah.
Uh, for this episode of Vance podcast, as always, I'm Nick, I'm Dan.
Don't just get there.
Enjoy the drive.
About this episode
Dan and Nick swap garage updates and market talk: Dan’s F-150 gets subtle Tuskens topographical graphics to cover a grill rock chip, and they discuss dealer trade offers for a Super Duty. The conversation shifts to “cheap car” daydreams—why K-trucks are pricey, what it takes to buy used, and how a small, reliable errand toy could fit their lives. They also debate why certain limited-run supercars (like entry-level Lamborghinis) are surging in value due to supply/demand, plus the role of protective film in keeping cars looking new.
Original notes
This week we’re talking tires—and no, not just the dangerously tempting Avants member deals you should be taking advantage of!
California is rolling out a new tire efficiency regulation that’s already stirring up debate across the auto world. On paper, it’s about improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. In reality, it could significantly reshape what tires you can actually buy and make you buy more of them. A lot more.
The rule centers around rolling resistance—basically how much energy your tires waste as they roll down the road. Under the proposed program, replacement tires sold in California will need to meet stricter efficiency standards, similar to the low rolling resistance tires that come on new cars from the factory.
Here’s where it gets interesting:
- Tires that don’t meet the standard may no longer be legal to sell in the state.
- The regulation is expected to roll out in phases starting around January 1, 2028.
- It applies to most passenger vehicle and light truck replacement tires, with some exemptions (like certain off-road or low-volume tires).
- The goal is improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions, with "projected" cost savings for drivers over time (hint: that won't happen).
Critics argue this could reduce tire choice, especially for enthusiasts, and potentially push the market toward a narrower set of approved options. Some also raise concerns about cost, availability, and how these efficiency-focused tires balance performance factors like grip and longevity.
So what does it actually mean for drivers? Fewer options, more regulation—and a lot of unanswered questions about how it’ll play out in the real world.
We break it all down, what’s fact vs. speculation, and whether this is a meaningful step forward… or just another case of California virtue signaling with no actual beneficial impact.
The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle!
Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans
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