more SUVs

[Chris Robyn <chris.robyn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry, no Alfa content this time.  In the "letters to the editor" section
of today's Oakland Tribune (SF Bay Area paper) a reader was fuming about
SUVs.  In addition to the high-center of gravity/rollover potential and the
bumper in your face collision aspects of the typical anti-SUV rant, this
writer brought up a point which I had never really considered.  It may be
interesting but there may be nothing to it...

Tires!  SUV tires are, according to the letter, more prone to shredding
"rubber dust" than typical passenger car tires, thus resulting in more
marbles on the side of the road and more grime, in general, on our fair
expressways.  Not to mention increased rolling resistance and increased
tire noise.  Is there anything to this?  The argument seems to be that
because the off-road type tires are never used off-road, when pressed to
the pavement the amount of dust or residue released is significantly
greater than that of normal tires.  Are most SUV's really equipped with off
road tires, or street compound tires that just look off road?  I don't know
enough about tire design and wear to comment on this, but it was a somewhat
interesting point, so I'll throw it into the arena.

Chris Robyn
'84 GTV-6
'91 168

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