The Avants Podcast

This week we’re talking tires—and no, not just the dangerously tempting Avants member deals you should be taking advantage of! California is rolling out a new tire efficiency regulation that’s already stirring up debate across the auto world. On paper, it’s about improving fuel economy and reducing emissions. In reality, it could significantly reshape what tires you can actually buy and make you buy more of them. A lot more. The rule centers around rolling resistance—basically how much energy your tires waste as they roll down the road. Under the proposed program, replacement tires sold in California will need to meet stricter efficiency standards, similar to the low rolling resistance tires that come on new cars from the factory. Here’s where it gets interesting: Tires that don’t meet the standard may no longer be legal to sell in the state. The regulation is expected to roll out in phases starting around January 1, 2028. It applies to most passenger vehicle and light truck replacement tires, with some exemptions (like certain off-road or low-volume tires). The goal is improved fuel efficiency and lower emissions, with "projected" cost savings for drivers over time (hint: that won't happen). Critics argue this could reduce tire choice, especially for enthusiasts, and potentially push the market toward a narrower set of approved options. Some also raise concerns about cost, availability, and how these efficiency-focused tires balance performance factors like grip and longevity. So what does it actually mean for drivers? Fewer options, more regulation—and a lot of unanswered questions about how it’ll play out in the real world. We break it all down, what’s fact vs. speculation, and whether this is a meaningful step forward… or just another case of California virtue signaling with no actual beneficial impact. The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Brian Dallas drops in to give us some updates on the Overland scene for 2026, Nick goes snow wheeling and picks up hitchhikers, and Dan thinks F1 is boring now. Our Avants community question of the week, what is the most beautiful car ever made? Post a pic of your favorite! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

With several emissions rollbacks already taking effect, the automotive industry finds itself at a rare and timely crossroads—one that opens the door for genuinely exciting cars once again. Horsepower figures are now pushing past the 1,000 mark from multiple manufacturers, signaling that the long-running horsepower war is rapidly reaching its natural conclusion. As that race winds down, there’s hope that automakers will redirect their energy toward what truly defines a great car: delivering a more engaging, rewarding, and memorable driving experience. Speaking of memorable driving experiences, what automotive related destinations have you felt called to go back to? For us, it's clearly Moab, Idaho, Colorado, and the hidden roads of Sierra Nevada's. What place has you itching to come back and drive? The Tail of the Dragon, the Alps? Let us know! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

We talk about cars all the time, but we’re not out there test driving them very often so we don’t really consider ourselves “car reviewers”. Reporting in general has changed significantly over the years, and the latest “review” on the F250 by Dan Neil in the WSJ shows how even car reviews aren’t safe from bad taste and political soap boxes. In better car review news, the real car reviews on the new Rivian R2 have started to drop and we all seem to think it’s a great step in the right direction EVs as a whole, but we would love to hear your thoughts on it. Dan is more excited for the Scout and Rivian R3, and we both think the new Slate is unfortunately doomed due to increasing costs. Who do you think was the biggest brand loser of 2025? We give our vote to Ford for having more recalls than we didn’t think possible and the huge failure of the Lightning, which should have been an easy win. In really good consumer news, the Michelin and BF Goodrich discount is renewed for 2026 and you can save more than ever by buying from our partners at Discount Tire! Considering how warm it has been in the PNW, it’s getting close to time to get those new summer tires anyway! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Bring back stereo dolphins! We think there's a market for simplified vehicles that will outlast you with proper maintenance, and we think diesel, non-hybrid, trucks with no built-in infotainment, and manual options would be just the thing. Doug DeMuro disagrees, but do you? It turns out about 1/2 a million Washington drivers have expired tabs. In a surprise to no one living in the area of constantly increasing taxes and costs, more drivers than ever are skipping tab renewals. We often forget the tabs on our motorcycles and trailers, but what about you? Did you hear this episode then suddenly realize your tabs are still from 2021? Living in that RTA zone and it just doesn't make sense to renew them for you? Tesla pulls the plug on the Model S and Model X; is it a sign of decreasing demand for EVs? Questions for the audience this week! Is simplicity something you want and would actually pay for? Is there an actual market for vehicles like the 70 series or is it just a nice idea? What vehicles is close to perfect, except for 1 or 2 glaringly obvious flaws like the Prelude? What other manufacturers are obviously missing the mark on their models besides the Honda Prelude? Did you "forget" to renew your tabs? Is it just too expensive now? The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

We love it when our audience gives us feedback about a topic, so we want to hear how you have used your car for maybe more than its originally intended purpose. The big stories are always fun, but we would love to see and share some of your moments of your car being used to it's fullest. Camping out of your supercar? Towing your track bike with your track car? Converted your Smart car into a tank? Used your Hilux to help overthrow annoying government regime? Let us know in the comments, or send us a voicemail or text message! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!

Are you giving your insurance and law enforcement everything they need to ruin your fun drive? If you've opted in to driving monitoring apps, or even just your cars infotainment system user agreement you just might be. We talk a little about the inevitable use of your data against you, yet another Corvette variant coming around the corner, and more on this weeks show! The Avants Podcast is brought to you by our friends at STEK USA and Carter Seattle! Not an Avants member? https://www.avants.com/member-plans Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! Leave us a voicemail or send us a text any time at 425-298-7873! We're doing give aways! Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and we'll pick a random name every 25th review!