Continental And General Tire Media Event - Tire Wars
Over the 26 years that I've been a magazine editor, I've had the privilege of going to some really fun media events. Companies always want a bunch of automotive journalists to come visit and learn about new products, develop connections with the PR people, and hang out with each other.
| Continental and General Tire had a bunch of tires on display and in use on their tracks. Not much for the diesel truck crowd there, but the Grabber series of truck tires are stout.
I wasn't planning to go to the Uvalde Proving Grounds with Continental Tire until almost the last minute. My boss, Steve Warner, had a conflict and asked if I could step in. My schedule was flexible so I booked the trip to El Paso, Texas, and soon found myself staying at the luxurious Omni La Mansion del Rio Hotel-eating at trendy places like Zinc and even being entertained at Howl at the Moon nightclub.
Ahh yes, the life of an automotive journalist is certainly grand. I don't want anyone to think I'm rubbing their nose in anything by relaying the story of my trip, but I just couldn't see keeping the good times to myself.
The Uvalde Proving Grounds have belonged to Continental since 1959, and the 5,000 acres offer just about everything a serious tester could dream of. Dry tracks, wet tracks, skid pads, a lateral grip circle, brake test areas, and much more combine to form one of the most impressive places you would ever walk into . . . that is, if you could. Security is impressive, and the surrounding ranch lands make it a perfect place for other manufacturers who rent the space to test top secret products.
Most of the tires Continental and General Tire were promoting at this event were designed for performance cars like Mustangs and BMWs, so I got in these vehicles and drove them as fast as I wanted to. It's always a ton of fun to drive someone else's car to the limit and beyond in controlled conditions.
I tested some Grabber competition tires on the Baja Experience truck and Grabber HTS tires on some half-ton pickups, so it wasn't all cars.
Anyways, have some fun imagining yourself at a place like Uvalde.
