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Tires/Expert Profile

Barry Smith

U.S.

Available

Expertise

I have over 30 years experience in the design, manufacturing, and testing of tires. I have served as the technical advisor to the "800" number. I have authored or co-authored many publications - usually without credit. I can answer almost any technical question, but please don`t ask me to compare brands. I probably have prejudices because of my work experience.

Experience in the area

Member SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Member Tire Society (Tire Technical Organization) SCCA Regional Competiton License holder Authored many training manuals on tires, their care and use.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

I want to dispell many of the "myths" about tires so people will be better informed.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

Tires are a highly engineered product that face some of the most severe environments - the road.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

The vast majority of tire failures are caused by road hazards and lack of proper tire maintenance, not manufacturing defects.

Average Ratings

Recent Reviews from Users

User	Date	K	C	T	P	Comments
Mark	11/07/09	10	10	10	10
Keith	11/07/09	10	10	10	10	exemplary help! excellent knowledge , very helpful!
Tommy	11/06/09	10	10	10	10
Kim	10/31/09	10	10	10	10
Lynn	10/29/09	10	10	10	10

Recent Answers from Barry Smith

2009-11-07 All Terrain Tires for a car:

Ryan, Yes, I think it would be unsafe to put that tire on a Taurus. But I don't like to use words such as "Safe" and "Unsafe". Too "black and white". I like to use the term "Risk", which is a little

2009-11-07 All Terrain Tires for a car:

Ryan, Your car is not a truck or an SUV, so tires designed for trucks and SUV's are going to be designed with that application in mind - and noise, high speed operation, fuel economy, handling, and

2009-11-07 follow up:

Keith, It has been a while since I looked at a Ford placard, but they always had a single size and a single inflation pressure listed. Is that what your truck has? If so, what does it say for both

2009-11-06 one new tire on an awd vehicle:

Mark, This is a question you need to ask Nissan. They should know what the tolerances are. Because there are so many types of AWD systems and because each of these systems has a different level

2009-11-06 about tires:

Khader, On every vehicle sold in the US, there is a sticker – commonly called the tire placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size. The placard is usually located

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