Latest / In Wheel Time Podcast / Exploring Formula E Racing and Off-Roading with the 2024 GMC Canyon: Insights from Ross Smith

Transcript

Exploring Formula E Racing and Off-Roading with the 2024 GMC Canyon: Insights from Ross Smith · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Welcome to another In Wheel Time podcast.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: It's the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show Coming up.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: An insider look at Formula E racing.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: Jeff has a feature shagging wagons of the 70s, because Jeff had one.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Sorry, kathy, no it wasn't Mars reviews the 2024 Canyon.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Is it the GMC Canyon?
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Sorry, kathy, no, it wasn't Mars.
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Reviews the 2024 Canyon.
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: Is it the GMC Canyon?
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Yes, sir, okay, I didn't know whether they'd swap names over at.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Chevy or anything.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: No, my bad, it's the.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: GMC Canyon, just ahead here on the Interwheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Howdy, along with Mike out of this world, mars.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: We always need more Jeff Zekin.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong Glad.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: We always need more Jeff Zekin.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong Glad you could join us today.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: David Ainsley is moving a radio station today, so he's not with us, but he'll be with us again soon.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: Sweating his butt off is what he's doing.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Do what he's sweating his butt off is what he's doing.
• 0:52
  Speaker 3: Oh no, he's going to put that there.
• 0:54
  Speaker 4: That's exactly right.
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: Hang that over there, you don't?
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: That's David.
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, you know how we do on remotes.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right.
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: He stands there and tells us what to do Go do this, go do that, or.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Don, are you kidding me?
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: What do you do here?
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: He does it all the time, all the time.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: So I get chastised.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: It doesn't make any difference what I do.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Are you kidding me?
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: You did what?
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: That's so stupid.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: Thank you, david.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: You do that, just like he does, I know he does.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I've had many years of it.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: You have Mmm, mmm.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Thank you, david, we love you.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: David, joining us now, ross Smith insider.
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Look into the Formula E.
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: Ross is also a Houston rep for Garages of America.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, ross, thank you for joining us today.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Good to see you.
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: Glad to be here.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah Well, so where do you want to start?
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: I mean, do you want to start with Garages of America or do you want to start with Formula E?
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Looks like you're in the Formula E suite.
• 2:04
  Speaker 4: So this is what the FIA garage looks like.
• 2:06
  Speaker 4: You can even see the scales behind me there.
• 2:09
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so I took this shot specifically for so give the feel of being there.
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: Well, you could have just said yes, we're here, now, we're coming.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: So where is that garage located?
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: This one is actually in Portland, where we worked Formula E.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Portland, oregon, correct, okay, because there are other Portlands.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: I just wanted to make sure it wasn't Portland Iowa or something.
• 2:35
  Speaker 4: Yeah, portland Oregon.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: Okay, very good, and I assume that that's where you live.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: I live down here in Houston, oh you do Okay.
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: I'm in the woodlands.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: All right, I'm in the woodlands.
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: All right, I'm just trying to get the landscape here, yeah, all of that All right.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: So let's talk about Formula E.
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: And for those that are not familiar with it and I'm not that familiar with it it's the electric version of Formula 1, is it not?
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: Correct absolutely, and there's actually quite a few previous Formula One drivers that run in this particular series.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Alright, so what's the difference between a Formula One car and a Formula E car?
• 3:15
  Speaker 4: So the Formula E is more of a spec series.
• 3:17
  Speaker 4: It's almost like a really hopped up version of Spec Miata, because all of the cars are identical, so the bodies the same, the arrow is the same.
• 3:29
  Speaker 4: They all run the same tires, which are a dual compound tire.
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: They have a wet side and a dry side on that.
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: Where the teams have a lot of flexibility is is the actual suspension itself and then how the power is delivered.
• 3:42
  Speaker 4: But that's pretty much it.
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: Where does the power come from?
• 3:46
  Speaker 4: So it's an electric motor in the back.
• 3:48
  Speaker 4: It's about 400, the equivalent of 400 horsepower.
• 3:51
  Speaker 4: But what's interesting about this is they actually have a part of the track where you can have a boost up to 470 that you can use once per race.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: So where does that boost come from?
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: Does it come from the batteries of the car?
• 4:07
  Speaker 4: It does, and it's interesting because of the telemetry that's on the car when it reaches a certain point in the track, which is different for every course, they can use that particular part of the track and that kicks the boost in.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: So you hold the button as you approach that little section of the track, and then, once it hits that section, boom, there's your horsepower.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: Yes sir, wow, that sounds like a lot of fun.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: You better hang on.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah, just like in the video games, you cross the edge.
• 4:35
  Speaker 4: It plays a lot into the strategy.
• 4:36
  Speaker 4: I don't know if you're familiar with World Rally Cross, but they have something similar called the Joker Lap that they have to take once a race.
• 4:43
  Speaker 4: This somewhere called the joker lap that they have to take once a race.
• 4:51
  Speaker 4: Well, this is kind of a little bit of the opposite.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: They get an extra boost one time during the race on that particular.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: Where you use it or when are you you use it is up to you.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: Well, did you watch any of the cross-country road course stuff that the bicyclists were?
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Uh, did you know that there is a feeding zone?
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: There's a feeding zone and there's a feeding zone and it's I don't know about three-quarters of the way through this 22-mile course of bicycling for the Olympics.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Right, and you have to if you're going to eat anything.
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: You've got a certain amount of mileage and it's not much to eat and they all get a bag of gel and all of the all the healthy stuff that they eat.
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: Oh sure, and I'm thinking, wow, this is kind of like that.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: You get a boost and you can see you can only use it once you can only use it once during the race, so it's up to you.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: Do you want to use it right out of the gate to try to get up front, or do you want to try to use it to pass somebody mid-race?
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: well, yeah, but you better be in position to to use that horsepower in that boost area absolutely, and it's like I said it's, it's a, it's a driver series there's.
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: I mean I would say that when I was watching the, the lead pat changed six or seven times.
• 6:02
  Speaker 4: I it's really good racing to watch.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about change.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: Do you change batteries in it?
• 6:08
  Speaker 4: You do not.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: Two cars.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: You do not, and Jeff says you got two cars.
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: Yes, you do have two cars.
• 6:16
  Speaker 4: You got two cars that you can use.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: So at what point do you say okay, let's use car two.
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: And also to expand on that, there's only certain times you're allowed to charge.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: Two as well during the weekend Wait, wait, stop During the weekend the weekend.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: So, in other words, you have to qualify, practice, qualify and then race.
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: Correct.
• 6:43
  Speaker 4: So you have two cars to do that with, and that particular weekend in Portland was a doubleheader we raced on Saturday and we had a race on Sunday.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: And you got to charge in between.
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: Correct Now.
• 6:58
  Speaker 3: Aren't there rules that you have to have so much energy left at the end of the race in the second car when you cross the finish line?
• 7:01
  Speaker 4: That is true and that has a lot to do with, like I said, the two things that they have control over is suspension and power delivery.
• 7:09
  Speaker 4: So if you decide that you want to set up your battery to use a certain x amount of power during the race, or whatever that is there's a lot of math that goes into that then, like you, like jeff said you have to have a certain amount left at the end wow, it's like saying I gotta have a quarter tank of gas whenever I get there yeah
• 7:28
  Speaker 4: pretty much looking at your phone and saying, okay, I have to have 15 battery by the time I get home yes, all right, so all right.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: So let's expand on this just a little bit more.
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: What's batteries?
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: Weigh a lot.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: What's the difference in weight between the formula one gasoline powered car and an electric car?
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: so so the weight is actually very similar.
• 7:52
  Speaker 4: So these cars with driver about 1700 pounds and part the battery pack is 750 pounds.
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: Of that just the battery pack alone so there's there's no swapping batteries in the middle of the race they actually one of the gen one cars.
• 8:10
  Speaker 4: They had that capability to actually swap battery packs but we're on the gen three car now and it's.
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: It's a much different car yeah, and how?
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: how much space in the car?
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: I assume that the thing is down underneath the car, the bottom of the car yeah, it's as low.
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: They try to get the center of gravity as low as humanly possible with that battery.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Well, what does it do as far as effect is concerned when it comes to aero underneath the car?
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: Because in these kind of cars, I mean, it's really all about the aero.
• 8:39
  Speaker 4: Right, and that's the thing it's like.
• 8:41
  Speaker 4: On a Formula One car you can adjust aero you can adjust, and on these you can't.
• 8:46
  Speaker 4: The aero is fixed, so it goes along with the spec car.
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: Wow, all right, spec car being the key.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: So everybody's the same in that regard.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: It's basically like going to a circle track race and there are certain divisions, if you will, certain categories of cars.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: You ain't going to touch that engine.
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: The engine is sealed signed, sealed.
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: And delivered and the only thing that you can really do is adjust the suspension on the car and the way it goes around the track.
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: Correct.
• 9:21
  Speaker 4: And these things are fast.
• 9:22
  Speaker 4: I mean they actually beat the 0-60 time for the Formula 1 cars.
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: The fastest they went was 2.49, and the previous record was 2.6.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: What do they sound like?
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: You know, that was kind of a surprise to me.
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: I was expecting it to be very silent, but when these things take off they sound like a jet engine.
• 9:41
  Speaker 4: Yeah, like they have a really high pitched whine to them, and then you can tell when they're going by yeah, well, what is it that's making the?
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: whine what?
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: what is it that's making the whining noise?
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Is it?
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Is it the arrow?
• 9:53
  Speaker 1: Is it the electric motors?
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: What is it?
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: it's actually the electric motors up front, because you have electric motors in the rear that are actually the propulsion, and then you have the electric motors up front, which are actually regenerative, that are charging the battery.
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: From braking.
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: And they also have a different tire as well.
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: They've got a tire with a tread rather than a flat compound, harder tire, softer tire, like a Pirelli would be.
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: But they're're cut tire.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: What's the difference in price between or value, whatever you want to call it, price between a Formula One car with a gasoline motor in it and this car?
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: I mean you're still talking.
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: The Formula One cars are a lot more expensive, just in the fact that the development that goes into those is outrageous.
• 10:41
  Speaker 4: So you factor that into the car.
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: So that's one of the nice things about this series, and a lot of teams are looking at this really hard Because I mean you've got Maserati, you've got Porsche, you've got a lot of manufacturers that are in this type of race.
• 10:56
  Speaker 4: Do you have Cadillac Not?
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: yet.
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: Come on, come on now of manufacturers that are that are in this type of race.
• 11:00
  Speaker 4: You have cadillac not yet.
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: Come on, come on but you know, that kind of makes sense.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: If they're all running the same tire, they're running the same battery setup.
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: I guess they're running.
• 11:10
  Speaker 2: Are the motors the same?
• 11:12
  Speaker 4: the motors are the same as well.
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: They have they have to come from a specific batch and they're all categorized, and that's one thing that we check is make sure that they have the right serial number on the motor and driveline that they're supposed to have so have you ever gone back and gone?
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: no wait, just a minute.
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: He's cheating.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: He's got more ohms and amperage on this motor than I do you ever do that?
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: I.
• 11:37
  Speaker 4: I have not had that issue, but the FIA has definitely caught some folks trying to work within the rules.
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: Let's put it that way.
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: So being FIA, you're still under the umbrella of the Liberty Media.
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: Is that correct or no?
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: You still own, because Liberty Media owns it.
• 11:53
  Speaker 4: We're actually I work for an independent team that the FIA contracts for.
• 11:58
  Speaker 4: We do a lot of stuff.
• 12:00
  Speaker 4: We do Formula One, motogp, we do the World Endurance Challenge, rallycross, formula E, so we do a lot of different stuff.
• 12:07
  Speaker 4: So we work for the FIA.
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: Now COTA's coming up September 26th, I think, out in Austin.
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: Are you going to be any kind of things going on there with that event?
• 12:24
  Speaker 4: Because it's going to be kind of things going on there with with that event, because it's going to be I think it's a wes, I think it's a world event.
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's that's uh, that is the lone star le mans right, and we will definitely be there in force in the tech garage.
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: Cool, how many cars, uh, how many electric cars, formula e's that you have on the grid when you start every race?
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: Is there a limit?
• 12:41
  Speaker 4: Well, right now, if I'm not mistaken, they have 24 teams.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: So would you be one of the 24 teams on the grid.
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: The starting grid for the Kota race.
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: So we actually work in the tech shed.
• 12:56
  Speaker 4: We're the guys that they have to go through to get on track.
• 12:59
  Speaker 4: So we work with all the teams in compliance and making sure that they're within the rules.
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: So, between you and me, how about this Cadillac Andretti going into F1 for maybe 2025, 2026.
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: What is your opinion on that?
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: Because I'm an Andretti fan and I hope they get it.
• 13:24
  Speaker 4: So I got to talk to Andretti actually at Formula E.
• 13:28
  Speaker 4: He was there in Portland and got to comment to him while we were standing on the grid that I hope that he got there sooner than later.
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: So I'm in full support of them.
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: I can't wait for them to be another team.
• 13:41
  Speaker 3: They're going to be a gorilla in the room they are.
• 13:44
  Speaker 4: They're going to be a force to be reckoned with, and I think that's what they're worried about.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: Well too bad.
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: Somebody's got to be you bet.
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: Oh, no more competition.
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: Well, you said you've got 24 teams on the E side.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: They've only got 10 on the other formula side.
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: So what's one more?
• 14:01
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: exactly.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: Would you allow a 25th?
• 14:05
  Speaker 3: I think it's only a matter of time.
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, hopefully sooner than later.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he was fixing that.
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: Is there a limit to the number of E cars like the 24 they got, or is that just happens to be where they're at?
• 14:17
  Speaker 4: I think that's where they're at right now, so 24 teams.
• 14:19
  Speaker 3: You've got 48 cars.
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: You've got to have garage space.
• 14:22
  Speaker 3: You've got to have all that.
• 14:22
  Speaker 2: Well, I know, but you're only going to have 24 on the track at the time, Right, right, right.
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: So I'm just wondering could you have 30 if there was five more teams showed up?
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: Well, then you're adding double the cars too, for that I understand.
• 14:34
  Speaker 4: I'm just asking yeah, and formally I think they're wanting as much competition as they can get.
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: I don't think that they would turn away another team, and it's growing a lot.
• 14:43
  Speaker 4: It's actually a lot of fun to watch.
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: It is very, very good racing.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: It is.
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: It's cool to watch.
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: I've watched it on TV Ross.
• 14:49
  Speaker 3: Is this your full-time job?
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: No, sir, no, I actually do real estate.
• 14:54
  Speaker 4: You're a real estate developer, a broker, one of them bajillionaire guys, right well, well, easy his tax.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: Man's listening, yeah right yeah, so how many?
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: how many guys are on that support this team when they go race to race?
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: How many?
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: How many guys go to the race?
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: it really depends.
• 15:19
  Speaker 4: So on formula e we had, we have 12 guys, and then you also have the fia particular scrutineers as well, which there's typically 10 to a dozen of them at any given time at a race.
• 15:31
  Speaker 4: But, like for wec, which we're going to do and um, coming up here pretty quick, we're going to have 30 guys out there, because we need somebody in every single garage watching for six hours straight.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: Do you need any help?
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: Well, we'll take all the help we can.
• 15:50
  Speaker 4: Our team is kind of interesting.
• 15:53
  Speaker 4: We're made up of a whole lot of previous engineers from Chrysler, gm, we've got a couple of guys from NASA and you really have somebody to get on this team.
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: Somebody has to die, let's just be honest.
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: Hey, we can make that happen.
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: I'm probably a guy, we know a guy, I know a guy.
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: I'm probably closer to that than anybody on your team.
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: No, they said not natural causes.
• 16:16
  Speaker 1: Oh, I see Natural causes.
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: Oh, I see Natural causes, not unnatural causes.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: I got you.
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: It is a very, very tough team to get on.
• 16:22
  Speaker 2: I'll bet it sounds like it'd be a lot of fun.
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: Yeah, all the different races and you know, congratulations on that.
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: That's great.
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: Who do we know from Formula One that is driving Formula E?
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: For example, like Nick DeVries.
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: For example, like Nick DeVries.
• 16:37
  Speaker 4: Marco dropped from?
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: What?
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: Was it Alpine?
• 16:40
  Speaker 4: No, it wasn't.
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: Where did he get dropped from?
• 16:42
  Speaker 4: From Red Bull the Alphatari which is now Red Bull Visa Cash App.
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: Whatever the heck they decided to name that team.
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: And Marco's driving, isn't he?
• 16:53
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Marco's driving as well, so DeVries is driving.
• 16:58
  Speaker 4: He actually did a great job that weekend Is there a Fittipaldi involved.
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: What's?
• 17:03
  Speaker 4: that.
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: Is there a Fittipaldi driving?
• 17:06
  Speaker 4: Oh, I want to say that there is but I think I'd have to look at that yeah, I think so All right.
• 17:11
  Speaker 1: Well, so what are you doing today?
• 17:16
  Speaker 4: I'm about to.
• 17:16
  Speaker 4: Actually, when I get done here, I'm headed out to go work on my Corvette, actually.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: Corvette man.
• 17:23
  Speaker 1: Imagine that Formula One and Corvette.
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: What kind of Corvette do you have?
• 17:29
  Speaker 4: I got a 2015 Stingray 7-speed.
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: Nice.
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: Well, I have a C5, an 01, with a 6-speed Very cool.
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: And you're up in the woodlands?
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: Well, I have a C5, an 01, with a 6-speed.
• 17:40
  Speaker 4: Yeah, very cool.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: And you're up in the woodlands.
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: Yes, sir, take me about an hour to get there.
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you can do it.
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: You don't mind if I stop by Sure.
• 17:48
  Speaker 2: He loves your shop the way it looks.
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we love your shop and I want to get some pointers on this shop.
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: There you go.
• 17:55
  Speaker 4: All right.
• 17:58
  Speaker 1: Ross, it's great to talk to you, my friend.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: Thanks for putting up with our sense of humor, if you want to call it that, absolutely yeah.
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: Thanks for having me.
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, let's check in.
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: Next time.
• 18:06
  Speaker 1: When you get done with COTA, let's call, let's talk.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: Okay, all right, definitely do that.
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: You got it, ross.
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much.
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: Ross Smith the insider.
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: Look into Formula E.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, very cool.
• 18:19
  Speaker 1: Hey, the In Real Time Car Talk show is available 24-7 through the iHeartRadio app.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: Just look for In Real Time Car Talk and a new daily podcast is available from your favorite podcast provider too.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: So we have that.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: We also video stream our live two-hour weekly show on Facebook, youtube and InRealTimecom.
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: The In Real Time Car Talk show continues right after this quick break.
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto Accessories has been serving Houston's auto enthusiasts since 1984, providing world-class products for sports cars, european sedans and American muscle.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is known as the place to go to find exclusive and hard-to-find parts and accessories.
• 18:54
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is one of the very first distributors in the USA for brands such as Recaro, redline, momo Corbo and Simpson.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: Located in the heart of Houston's premier retail and service corridor, the Galleria area, pro-am's walk-in storefront includes an 8,000 square foot warehouse, showroom and installation bays.
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: Pro-am not only sells parts and accessories, but also offers installation and service.
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: Pro-am is now reaching a worldwide audience through Pro-Amcom, taking its local reputation to the rest of the world.
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: At Pro-Am Auto you'll be dealing with a small group of professionals who truly want to help you with your automotive needs.
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: If you don't see what you're looking for on the website, call and Pro-Am will lend you a hand.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Pro-am Auto 6125 Richmond at Greenridge in Houston's Galleria area.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: Call them at 713-781-7755.
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: Want to feel good about something special you did for someone special?
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: In Wheel Time and the original Loopy Tortilla group of Tex-Mex restaurants have joined together to help a very worthy cause God's Garage, a Christian-based 501c3 charity.
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: We know there are lots of places and organizations out there where you can donate a car, truck or SUV, but we're asking you, our car enthusiast family, to consider donating to God's Garage.
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: Visit godsgarageorg and learn about its mission, the women that have been helped, how each one is screened and about their Restore you program.
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: A car donation is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of others.
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: God's Garage needs good operating vehicles but will take all types in working and non-working condition.
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: Make your heart and soul feel good by donating your gently used vehicle and help support single mothers, widows and wives of deployed military at GodsGarageorg.
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: Huh.
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: I was talking to Mike.
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: Never mind, we're catching up.
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: Are you?
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: Yeah, okay, you haven't had enough time to catch up.
• 20:50
  Speaker 2: We haven't seen each other in so long.
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: Exactly, yeah.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: I know it's kind of like the boys club here on Saturday mornings With a guest With a guest.
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: Yes, by the way, if you haven't heard, this is Paige and that's Mike's granddaughter.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, thanks for coming.
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we're so glad that you managed to get up this morning Because you know, I was in high school once, and on Saturday Just once.
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: It was on a Tuesday, that's right Before I got kicked out.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: And I like to sleep in Sunday mornings because Saturdays I've always worked.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: Saturdays, for whatever reason, I always get stuck working Saturday mornings, always.
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: Joys of being famous, yeah, joys of being me.
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: That's something to look forward to.
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: I want to fix your microphone there.
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: It's hanging down in your chin.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: Yeah, we were talking earlier on the way over here about the careers and, uh, you know, working for yourself, and I thought, yeah, I told her, I said people like that work six and seven days a week.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: Seven days a week, yeah 20 hours a day yep because if you think that this ends when we get off the air here, oh no, we start beginning the next show as soon as we get off the air here, oh no, we start beginning the next show as soon as we get off the air.
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: Here we do.
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: It's crazy, yeah, well, I do, we're supposed to do that, don't have to.
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: All right, well, let's get our car review going here for this segment, mr.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: Mars had a chance to drive the GMC Canyon.
• 22:21
  Speaker 2: Yes, sir, it's the 2024 Canyon four-wheel drive AT4X crew cab, if you can put all that together.
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: Oh wow, you can.
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: And this is a midsize pickup offering.
• 22:30
  Speaker 2: It's been out from GMC for quite some time and, like a lot of the vehicles in that category, it's gotten a little bit bigger.
• 22:35
  Speaker 2: Comes in four trim levels elevation the AT4, the Denali and the AT4X.
• 22:41
  Speaker 2: We had the AT4X four-wheel drive crew cab.
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: Now this is a very off-road-centric type of vehicle.
• 22:48
  Speaker 2: It comes lifted, it's got the big tires, big wheels, it's got all that good stuff on.
• 22:53
  Speaker 2: It Looks good.
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: Seats, five people.
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: It looks really good.
• 22:56
  Speaker 2: There's a few things about it.
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: This one we had had the AEV package Now.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: Now that's a deal they cooked up with american expedition vehicles.
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: It's an aftermarket company, so some of the things that we have on this truck are from them, but you can get it through the dealer, like your truck, like I'm going to get to that in a moment god led lighting up front, gonna have the fog lights, the daytime running lights, taillights, all that stuff.
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: It has the aev fender flares on it so that you've got again that off-road deal.
• 23:28
  Speaker 2: And then you've got a rear bumper that comes from AEV as part of the package Skid plates up front for the front, suspension, transfer case, fuel tank, the rear diff all of them have skid plates, got rock rails on the side of it that look very similar to running boards, but they're they're not.
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: They're tilted up and they're to protect the bottom of the vehicle, so you got to kind of step up and step over them.
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: Yeah, now we also had the multi-stow tailgate, which is a storage unit on the tailgate.
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: That's really cool, and it's another one of those things you go duh, why didn't somebody come up with this before now?
• 24:02
  Speaker 2: The one thing it does have, and if I, when we get to it, jeff, and we get you to stop it, okay, whenever we get to it, uh, it rolls on some 19 inch beadlock capable wheels and uh, it's got the 35 inch tires that right there.
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: Hold that right there.
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: Now this has an option, and uh, of having a full-size spare mounted in the bed.
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: Now, that's a really cool idea.
• 24:25
  Speaker 2: You can't fit it underneath because it's too big, but they've got it mounted to the back of the cab flush.
• 24:30
  Speaker 2: Now, if you look at it through your rearview mirror, that takes up half your rearview.
• 24:35
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's behind the driver's side.
• 24:36
  Speaker 2: That's right.
• 24:37
  Speaker 2: And then you've got this big, enormous headrest on the other side so that basically your rear view is blocked.
• 24:42
  Speaker 2: I do not understand why they don't have the rear view camera in the mirror, just like the Chevrolet GM product I'm driving right now has.
• 24:51
  Speaker 2: If you're looking behind you, you've got to work your way around to look in between the headrest and that deal.
• 24:58
  Speaker 2: Oh, stop complaining, it ruins a perfectly good truck.
• 25:03
  Speaker 2: Anyway, I wanted to point that out.
• 25:05
  Speaker 4: Engineers, you need something about that.
• 25:07
  Speaker 2: Moving on into the interior, we have the leather front, the leather seating, and front and rear seats are heated and ventilated.
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: The now standard for this year is an 11.3-inch touchscreen.
• 25:19
  Speaker 2: That's where you're going to find your infotainment system and your convenience controls your Apple, carplay, android and Google.
• 25:26
  Speaker 2: Get Google TV.
• 25:29
  Speaker 2: On this thing, we're watching off-road stuff there.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: It's okay.
• 25:30
  Speaker 2: 11 inch digital instrument cluster on it.
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: It's very easy.
• 25:37
  Speaker 2: It's really easy to configure, for the driver had the Premier Bose audio system, so it sounded really really good on the inside of it.
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: Now up under the hood.
• 25:45
  Speaker 2: Now all of the Canyons this year have the 2.7 liter Turbo Max engine in it 310 horsepower, 430 pound-feet of torque, backed by an 8-speed automatic.
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: Now this vehicle is capable of towing 7,700 pounds.
• 25:59
  Speaker 2: When properly equipped, haul 1,640.
• 26:02
  Speaker 2: This is a pretty good-sized load that you're going to put on a mid-sized truck.
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: Now the EPA says you should be able to get 16 miles in the city, 16 on the highway and combined 16.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: I got 15.2 miles out of the 412 miles I drove this vehicle.
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: This vehicle's kind of heavy.
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: It weighs in at 6,100 50 for a mid-sized pickup.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: This this pickup truck is the same size as the old half ton pickup.
• 26:31
  Speaker 2: It's within inches.
• 26:32
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's almost as big as that ram truck that sits beside it in my driveway.
• 26:36
  Speaker 2: So again now, as far as you get out on the highway and you get to driving it, obviously it's geared towards, uh, the off-road, with the suspension and the components that go into that, uh, the raised the body lift kit, and in fact ours has the aev's x gun an extra inch on the lift on it.
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: So it's a very firm ride but it's not harsh.
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: It's surprisingly, and I think that's because of the tires and the sidewall flexibility in it that kind of lightens up on that.
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: Uh, and again, as I said, it does set up high.
• 27:04
  Speaker 2: You've got to step over the rock rails and if you try and use them you've got to be careful and make sure it's not wet because you will slide off of it.
• 27:09
  Speaker 2: Now, the base model price for a Canyon is $37,595.
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: The base model for this particular trim, the AT4X, is $54,300.
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: We had a couple of options 4X is $54,300.
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: no-transcript.
• 27:42
  Speaker 3: If you're looking for something to compare it to in the midsize, I'm not good at math, but that's a lot.
• 27:44
  Speaker 2: Ford Ranger for $3,220.
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: Now, if you're looking for something to compare it to in the midsize, I'm not good at math, but that's a lot Ford Ranger for $3,220.
• 27:50
  Speaker 2: The Toyota Tacoma at $3,500.
• 27:52
  Speaker 2: Or even the Gladiator, which starts at $3,795.
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: It's the high one on it.
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: But other than a few little things, this was a pretty neat car.
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: I had one guy stop me at a red light, what do you think?
• 28:01
  Speaker 2: And I said if you want to go off-roading from the factory, get it.
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: Yep open up that wallet, it's all yours, hey.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: Today's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show is sponsored by the group of original Loopy Tortilla restaurants in Houston, beaumont and College Station.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: Also Gulf Coast Auto Shield and Pro-Am Auto Accessories.
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: We continue our show right after this quick break.
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: The original group of Loopy Tortilla restaurants will have you telling your family and friends just what the original recipe means when it comes to the best fajitas in Southeast Texas.
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: Founder Stan Holt invites you to visit the first Loopy Tortilla near I-10 and Highway 6.
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: Here is the original house that inspired the design of all the rest and the original charm that helped make Loopy Tortilla the go-to destination for Houston Tex-Mex.
• 28:41
  Speaker 1: Nothing can compete with the original lime pepper marinade.
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: That everyone will agree makes Loopy Tortilla award-winning beef fajitas the best anywhere.
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: Loopy Tortilla Katie's another location that gives you the same quality and service Houstonians have come to expect at Loopy's.
• 28:54
  Speaker 1: It's located on 99 the Grand Parkway at Kingsland Boulevard in Katie.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: Find yourself in Aggieland Head to the Loopy Tortilla in College Station.
• 29:01
  Speaker 1: Located just around the corner from Kyle Field, it's a great place to enjoy those famous frozen margaritas before or after the game.
• 29:08
  Speaker 1: Going to Louisiana, the Loopy Tortilla in Beaumont is on I-10, so you can't miss it.
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: The original group of Loopy Tortilla restaurants has the best Tex-Mex anywhere and you're invited anytime.
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: Your car is a direct reflection of you, so don't be satisfied with color fade or a dingy, dull appearance.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: Get rid of those terrible automated car wash scratches.
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your save-the-paint company.
• 29:32
  Speaker 1: John Gray and his team of detailing experts can help your cars finish without a full repaint.
• 29:36
  Speaker 1: Searching for the real experts in window tint or windshield protection?
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 29:41
  Speaker 1: Dash cams radar detectors Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: Dash cams radar detectors.
• 29:43
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield Got a new car.
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: Get that thing protected as soon as you take delivery.
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: If you don't know which of the multitude of protection products to go with, john Gray will give you an honest opinion and won't sell you something you don't need or can't afford.
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: John will help you understand the many options and pricing right on the spot.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: He's your guy to have your ride looking its best and protected too.
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: See the state-of-the-art shop yourself.
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: Free tours anytime.
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is easy to get to, located just south of the Southwest Freeway on the Sam Houston Parkway.
• 30:12
  Speaker 1: Gulf Coast Auto Shield Full service luxury car care today and online at gcautoshieldcom.
• 30:19
  Speaker 1: That's it for this podcast episode of the In-wheel time car show.
• 30:24
  Speaker 1: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning on Facebook, youtube, twitch and our in-wheel timecom website.
• 30:34
  Speaker 1: Podcasts are available on Apple podcast, spotify Stitcher I heart podcast podcast addict.
• 30:40
  Speaker 1: Tune in Pandora and Amazon music.
• 30:42
  Speaker 1: Keep listening and we'll see you soon.