Bigger Is Better... Why?

Well, regardless of the mechanism by which fast food is contributing towards health problems...

I encourage every one who has kids or is planning to, to steer them away from junk food. And encourage your friends and family to, as well.

I also encourage you to listen to the NPR science Friday podcast on the US dependence on the corn industry and its relation to fast food, and on the industrialization of the food industry. Among other things, mass-production of meat and fish means antibiotics in our food. A recent study found arsenic in most chicken (saw a story on the local news, but you can read another story about it here http://www.goveg.com/contamination.asp) because of mass production chicken coops, and all the chick-filets and costco rotissiere's that 'must be' produced.

Anyway, since no one else has mentioned it, I guess I wll ask: haven't we gotten a bit off topic? Doesn't seem like this is about the corolla anymore.

A few weeks ago, South Korea officials for food safety found unsafe level of a toxic chemical called dioxin in imported beef from the USA, and demanded the US explain why.

I feel the US government is not doing enough to protect consumers. However, the popular view seems to be to get the government out of our lives. Anyhow, I think we need a stronger government.

A few weeks ago, South Korea officials for food safety found unsafe level of a toxic chemical called dioxin in imported beef from the USA, and demanded the US explain why.

That has to be an accident. Most dioxin is created when using bleach/chlorine. Most beef in the US is steralized via radiation (which is also involved in the homogenization process). I have heard of people researching possible toxins called UltraRadiolytic Byproducts caused when this meat is irradiated. I have also recently read about toxins created when the protiens in meat are burned...i.e. "well done" I'm glad I like my steaks medium-rare.

 

And, to get back on topic: COROLLA

I have also recently read about toxins created when the protiens in meat are burned...i.e. "well done" I'm glad I like my steaks medium-rare.

I hope you're kidding because I burn my steak and chicken most of the time when I'm grilling.

Nope:

http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Storie...ancer_risk.html

Guys the 03 and above toyotas all had 15" rims or larger factory equipped.

The reason for larger cars is public demand.Larger cheaper.

Guys the 03 and above toyotas all had 15" rims or larger factory equipped.

The reason for larger cars is public demand.Larger cheaper.

It becomes cheaper as they make a lot of them at once.

 

I personally prefer my 14" wheels.

The 14" ones certainly are much easier on the wallet. I recently replaced all 4 tires for just $300. Another friend of mine who drives an Audi A4 replaced just 2 of his 17" wheels and it cost him $500. It's also much cheaper for 14" rims, though harder to find a good selection or good designs.

Nope:http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Storie...ancer_risk.html

This is very bad news because I just bought a new grill.

Oh I forgot to mention he bought the cheapest versions they offered him. I certainly don't think he bought OEM. He told me the ones they recommended would have been $750 for 2, or about $1500 for all 4. By the way, the tires I bought are good, all season ones that National Tire & Battery recommended to me. I would never cheap out.

Tires are indeed expensive, but overall, the larger the tire, the more it cost to replace.

Bigger tires do cost more, but 15 and 16" rims are becoming more standard. The cost of tires are reasonable until you start buying 17" sizes.

185/65HR14 Yokohama AVID H4S $51

195/65HR15 Yokohama AVID H4S $67

tirerack.com

I don't know if it's true for the newer Corolla's, but cars now days get bigger wheels for a few reasons. One would be looks and I hope that isn't why they made the Corolla wheels bigger. Another reason would be to fit bigger brakes on the car. Cars can also handle better with bigger tires too. I've been in a rental CE with the 185 tires and that car is squirly on the HWY. Just having the 195s on the same car makes a huge difference.

I think your right gvr4ever - the brakes are slightly bigger for the 9th gen vs the 7th and 8th gen. They pump more safety equipment and more content into the cars - makes them bigger and heavier - so you have to install larger tires to get a similar load rating ratio. Plus the contact patch size of a larger, lower profile tire makes transient response much better than the skinnier tires. Though you will have to trade the increased traction with more rolling/aero resistance of the now wider tire and more driveline losses with more unsprung weight in the corners. Also compare the tires were have currently to the old bias ply tires from several decades ago with better suspension and chassis designs and you see why wider and lower are getting more and more popular.

Guys just be glad you dont drive an SC430 4 tires installed $1600

 

I have forund 215/45r17 and they are 65 each.I work at the dealer and my cash price is 50 and then I install them myself.

Yes being a mech does have its benefits but thats on 60 worth of a discount.

we sell sigma 15" for around 55-65 and integrity are 67 i think.

This is very bad news because I just bought a new grill.

Learn to love your meat a little on the raw side. Trust me, it realy is better this way. Tastes better and almost melts in your mouth.

 

 

This is very bad news because I just bought a new grill.

Learn to love your meat a little on the raw side. Trust me, it realy is better this way. Tastes better and almost melts in your mouth.

 

The only meat to eat not fully cooked is beef. I don't grill beef much, mostly chicken, fish, and pork. We must fully cook those things, unfortunately.

This is very bad news because I just bought a new grill.

Learn to love your meat a little on the raw side. Trust me, it realy is better this way. Tastes better and almost melts in your mouth.

 

The only meat to eat not fully cooked is beef. I don't grill beef much, mostly chicken, fish, and pork. We must fully cook those things, unfortunately.

Nothing like a good steak!!

 

 

How many sets of tires does the average person go thru??

I've often wondered why cars seem to be getting bigger, and I think something that appears to be fairly commonly overlooked is simply competition. I like to call it the "bigger d--k" theory. I'd like to note that I don't necessarily believe in this theory of mine, but it's just something to think about.

I think the most simplest I can put it is in a hypothetical situation such as this; Honda puts out an "updated" and "upgraded" Civic with an extra .5 inch of extra headroom, which is exactly .233 inches more than the current Corolla. Not to be outdone, Toyota adds an extra .5 inch of headroom to their "updated" and "upgraded" Corolla, which is exactly .367 inches more than the most recent Civic. Ford says "oh hell no!" and adds an extra whole 1 inch of headroom to the newest Focus. The cycle continues. Unfortunately, most people in the market for a new car don't really know or care to learn what the difference between basic things like RWD, FWD, or AWD. Then [car company] puts out a commercial saying, "[car company]'s [new car] came in 1st place and beat out [other car companies and cars] for most headroom in it's class!" A person looking for a new car sees the commercial, and heads to the dealership the next day to buy this car that has the most headroom in it's class, despite their being about 5'7" and perfectly comfortable in the cars with "lesser" headroom. And that's my theory.

I haven't actually talked to anyone who's purchased a vehicle based solely on headroom, but I'm sure it's happened. As hairbrained as the theory sounds, I actually know a chick who bought her used Jetta from a Toyota dealership because it "looked cute." She stood by her reasoning, despite the fact that before she even bought the car, the passenger side front window literally fell into the door as the door was closed. I asked her if she trusted if the airbags, or even the seatbelts, and she said something along the lines of "they're probably fine."

I also know a guy who put his faith in Toyota's reliability, and bought his late Toyota Echo because he wanted "something reliable," even though the car dealer said that the specific Echo he wanted to purchase had a history of engine/tranny problems. I know another dude who bought his Accord instead of the Civic he was lookin' at because he liked the Accord's rims. He had money to get different rims on the Civic, and in the end, replaced the rims on his Accord anyway.

So yeah, I'd pretty much say cars are getting bigger as a gimmick.

Guys just be glad you dont drive an SC430 4 tires installed $1600

That isn't comparing apples to apples.

Lets say a set of tires for a A4 cost 1750 USD and the A4 had a sticker of 32k when it was new

Now a set of tires for a Mazda3s cost 1250 USD and the 3s has a sticker of around 21k

A Lexus SC430 has tires that cost 1600 USD, but that car has a 66k sticker.

A Hyundai Tiburon has tires that cost 1200 USD, but has a 15k sticker

Doing some math, we find:

The tires on the Audi cost 5.47% of the original sticker price of the car

The tires on the Mazda cost 5.95% of the sticker price of the car

The tires on the Lexus cost a whopping 2.42% of the sticker price of the car.

The tires on the Hyundai cost a astounding 8.00% of the sticker price of the car.

Thing is, the person who buys a Audi A4 or a SC430 (especially the SC430 buyer) shouldn't ever have a problem paying for the tires on the car. Your average 21k car buyer can't afford to spend 5.95% of the cost of a new one on 1 set of tires that last 30k, 40k at most. This is especially true if the car is driven a lot.

For comparison, my Corolla's sticker was somewhere between 18 and 19k, but for our purposes, we'll say it is 18k. I can replace my tires with real downtown tires that are substantially better than stock for 400 USD for a set of four, including installation, or I can replace stock with stock for 340 USD. That being said, my tires cost 1.81% of the the sticker price of my car.

My point is that all things being equal, cars like Mazda3s and Hyundai Tiburons are more expensive to replace tires on.

I don't know where you are getting your numbers, but I have never spent anything close to that, or known anyone to spend so much on tires. One of our friends bought OEM tires for a Trans Am RS6 and I think that broke a grand, but Tiburon costing more then a grand?!?!?! Maybe if you buy them at Bend me Over tires or something.

How many sets of tires does the average person go thru??

Since the average driver drives 15k miles a year, they will have to replace their tires once every year, two years, three years or four years. Depending on how long you keep your car and what type of tires you buy, you may need to replace your tires a lot.

If you drive 25k a year like my Dad does and your car has ultra high performance all season tires, you get 2 years tops out of them, and that is if you're willing to drive on tires with 5% tread left. If you're only willing to drive on tires with 20% or greater tread remaining, then you're replacing them every 16 or so months.

Do tires that advertise as 40,000 miles actually last that long?

 

Who gets tires that last only 15,000 miles?

I think people probably buy new tires once, then tire of their cars and sell them before a second set of tires is needed.