Used tires -- Watch out, re-grooves!

I had seen this video for the first time around two months ago when it made the front page of a very popular Finnish paper, Ilta-Sanomat.
I thought nothing of it at first just some local Finn having fun and showing off, maybe after a few drinks.
Now, this video has shown up as well on the Road&Track website in this article: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/buying-maintenance/news/a25247/watch-how-scammers-make-dangerously-worn-tires-look-new/

This is no laughing matter, this is extremely dangerous. These people do not care if somebody gets hurt or killed, take a look at this you tube video below.

Under the rubber tread that we see are steel belts which reinforce the tire, at the same time these belts need to be protected from denting by a certain thickness of rubber. Once this rubber is thinned out the steel belt protection is compromised. Steel belts are used to reinforce the area under the tread. These belts provide puncture resistance and help the tire stay flat so that it makes the best contact with the road.
More on how tires are made and work on howstuffworks.com link: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tire1.htm
 

What you should look for in used tires are these wear bars on the above photo. According to most mechanics once this these wear bars are even with the tread the tire's useful life is over.
Be very vigilant when purchasing used tires through private sellers, always look for these wear bars to give you an indication of the tires remaining life. These wear bars would not be present at all if the process used in the video was performed on them.

$120 ticket in Quebec, Canada for using an Apple Watch while driving

Sheer stupidity! What a waste of tax payers money.
This is one of those times in my opinion that this driver is in the right.

Here is the story that took place in a small suburb of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The local highway police here in Quebec is called the SQ, short for Surete du Quebec.

The SQ handed a $120 fine and 4 demerit points to Jeffrey Macesin from Pincourt for using his Apple Watch while driving. (even though he kept one hand on the steering wheel)
The police officer invoked Section 439.1 of the Quebec Highway Safety Code that reads: "No person may, while driving a road vehicle, use a hand-held device that includes a telephone function."
Hold on a second if the watch is on your wrist then how can it be considered "hand-held".
Macesin plans to appeal the ticket since his Apple Watch was strapped to his wrist and therefore can't be considered a hand-held device.

"According to a May 15th article on the Protegez-Vous (French) website, there are circumstances where it is legal to use a phone behind the wheel, like when the device is fixed to the windshield or dashboard, or when using it as a GPS. That being said, you still can't browse through the menus to check your playlist or send a text message, for example."

"In the case of the Apple Watch, Protegez-Vous claims that a police officer can't pull you over if you make a call with your watch, unless you hold the latter in your hand. They can, however, if you appear to be more focused on your watch than the road."

Is there and justice? We will soon find out once this court case is heard.

Full Article on auto123.com : http://www.auto123.com/en/news/a-120-fine-for-using-apple-watch-while-driving/60841/
Photo from Google Images.

2016 Mazda CX-3 vs 2016 Honda HR-V are good looks all it's got?

Mazda is known here in Canada for it's Zoom-Zoom slogan. Following on the new Mazda Kodo design is another addition to the Mazda SUV family, the sub-compact SUV, the Mazda CX-3




The CX-3's power comes from a 2.0 L Skyactiv four cylinder producing 146 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. All Mazda CX-3's have a six-speed automatic and electric power steering. In comparison there is 5 hp and 19 lb-ft more in the CX-3 than the 2016 Honda HR-V (1.8-liter four with 141 hp). The CX-3 is also 100 lbs lighter (45 kg) versus a comparably equipped front-drive HR-V with a CVT transmission. Oddly enough real world fuel consumption ratings for both vehicles with the automatic transmission fell in the 28 to 29 mpg range (in metric that's slightly over 8L/100km). Pretty good numbers for North American standards considering our low octane regular fuel of 87.

The one item missing on the CX-3 is interior space, especially in the rear seat leg room department. As well it does not have the versatility of the Honda HR-V's rear "magic seat".


While the CX-3 is stated to handle and ride better than the HR-V, the lack of interior space and versatility may be it's largest drawback.
Honda reputation has been built primarily on reliability, where as Mazda more on the "fun" factor.

The base sport trim CX-3 will apparently start in the low $20,000 US according to Mazda, but final pricing is not yet finalized.

Link to full Road&Track article 2016 Mazda CX-3: http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/a25682/2016-mazda-cx3-first-drive-review/
Link to full Road&Track article on 2016 Honda HR-V:http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/first-drives/news/a25656/first-drive-2016-honda-hr-v/