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Vile Gossip | Adventures in tire testing

Jean Jennings has been writing about cars for more than 30 years, after stints as a taxicab driver and as a mechanic in the Chrysler Proving Grounds Impact Lab. She was a staff writer at Car and Driver magazine, the first executive editor and former president and editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine , the founder of the blog Jean Knows Cars and former automotive correspondent for Good Morning America . She has lifetime awards from both the Motor Press Guild and the New England Motor Press Association. This is her first column for Autoblog — look for more Vile Gossip in the future. I began writing at Car and Driver magazine back in its golden age in the 1970s, before I'd actually read it. I knew very little about cars. The only magazine I read religiously was Four Wheeler because I owned big trucks and liked to go off-roading with my Chrysler Proving Grounds friends. My vast 10 years of driving experience up to that point (high-speed dirt-road idiot, taxicab driver, Chrysler Proving Grounds test driver) had less bearing on my being hired at Car and Driver than the fact that the editor just wanted to rile up the all-male staff. He didn't need me for that. They were already in full dudgeon when I arrived. They'd just spent a chunk of time testing a stack of tires for their big tire-test issue, and the editor-in-chief was toe-to-toe with the technical editor over the rankings of the top 10 tires. It was loud, and it was angry. I had no idea that car magazines tested tires. Cab driving had led me to believe that airing up a tire and changing a flat was all you needed to know. I changed so many flats on that cab, I eventually wound up in front of a live audience on the " Oprah Winfrey Show" demonstrating my brilliance with a jack and a tire iron. My point, of course, is that tires are more controversial, and also more essential, than you'd think. My other point is that it's good to get worked up about the subject, but not quite so good to let yourself be seen, as I did, on my hands and knees with my ass up in the air on national TV. This is how I prefer to test a tire: First, pick a top brand. Then accept their invitation to try and beat the crap out of their tire. I chose Yokohama, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The big news for them was the GEOLANDER M/T G003!

Hands on with the concepts of the Moab Easter Jeep Safari

Jeep has a way of tugging at the heartstrings of its enthusiastic owner base when the annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari rolls around. The 2015 version sees all boxes ticked in the off-road event's 49th year: multiple diesel engines on display, a pickup-truck-like model and more than a few nods to the brand's long and storied history book. We were able to get a first-hand look at the seven concepts being shown in Utah's Red Desert in the much cooler, cleaner confines of the FCA Technical Center's Design Dome. Jeep Chief Concept We aren't sure if it's that throwback chrome grille or the eye-catching Ocean Blue paint, but even more than the Red Rock Responder, the Chief drew our eye as soon as we walked into the Design Dome. It's a surprisingly tall vehicle, but it's also very wide. We'd also wager it's longer than your typical four-door Wrangler. Jeep may have used a Wrangler as a base for the Chief, but any similarities to the donor vehicle are extremely difficult to spot. The fenders and doors are probably the biggest giveaways, but you're going to need to squint (and have the benefit of a Wrangler to compare with, like we did) to pick out Wrangler bits. As is the recurring theme throughout all seven concepts, the Jeep design team's attention to detail is borderline fanatical. From the "Surf Rated" badge on the fenders, to the tweaked door handles to the bumper stickers in the cargo area and the Tiki-statue-shaped shifter, the little details are truly the stars of the Chief Concept. The rosewood trim in the rear cargo area is stunning and adds to the Beach-Boy-friendly stylings of the Chief. The throwback grille, round headlights and tall, skinny taillights, meanwhile, add a lot of personality to the exterior. The high beltline and lower roof gives the Chief a chop-topped look, but it's arguably the least successful element to the blue concept's otherwise impressive design. All of the vehicles Jeep put together for Moab are 100-percent functional. That's not surprising with some of the vehicles you'll see below, but it somehow is remarkably impressive given the degree of the changes Jeep made in putting together the Chief. Jeep Wrangler Red Rock Responder The Wrangler-based Red Rock Responder is arguably one of the most capable of these real-world vehicles, both in terms of the way it looks and its actual hardware. We mentioned the special rescue equipment fitted to the bright-red, truck-like Jeep – a compressor and air gun, sockets, tow straps, etc.

Ford F-Series Super Duty earns Truck of Texas award

Texans love their pickup trucks, which you already knew. That means the Texas Auto Writers Association and its "Truck of Texas" award is a big deal. And the latest trophy goes to the 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty. The pickup truck managed to snag TAWA's award at the 2016 Texas Truck Rodeo. The award marks the 13th time Ford's F-Series has been named the pickup king of the Lone Star State. Roughly 70 journalists converged outside at the Longhorn River Ranch, just outside of Austin, TX, for the 23rd annual Texas Truck Rodeo where a host of Ford's vehicles won awards. In addition to the F-Series Super Duty being named the "Truck of Texas," the 2017 Ford Super Duty won the Heavy Duty Pickup Truck award, while the 2017 Ford F-150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine won the Best Powertrain award. The journalists also awarded Ford for having the "Truck Line of Texas." Ford wasn't the only winner at the Texas Truck Rodeo, as Nissan brought home five awards, including one for the 2017 Titan in the fullsize pickup category and one for the Armada in the SUV segment. Ram also won a few accolades with its trucks. The 2017 Ram 1500 won for being the most luxurious pickup truck, while the 2017 Ram 2500 Power Wagon won the off-road pickup truck award. Last year, TAWA named the 2016 Nissan Titan XD the Truck of Texas, but Ford's all-new F-Series Super Duty managed to keep the Japanese automaker's full-size offering at bay. For the 2017 model, Ford placed aluminum body panels into the F-Series Super Duty's body, which not only shed weight, but also make the truck stronger. Scroll down to see the entire list of TAWA's winners from the 2016 Texas Truck Rodeo. Truck of Texas: 2017 Ford Super Duty SUV of Texas: 2017 Nissan Armada CUV of Texas: 2017 Volvo XC90 Truck line of Texas: Ford Motor Co.