With snow a rare sight in southern New England this year, Consumer Reports relied on the good folks at Jay Peak Ski Resort in Vermont (way up near the Canadian border) to provide the frosty conditions necessary to test 71 tire models. Plus, we still need to purchase six additional models, enabling us to evaluate 77 models this year. The tire types being evaluated include regular all-season (S- and T-speed rated) tires, performance all-seasons in H- and V-speed ratings, and winter tires.

More than 68,750 Toyo Extensa all-season tires are being recalled by its manufacture the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today. Certain sizes of the tire have a manufacturing flaw which could cause failure and increase the risk of collision and injury, warns the federal regulators.

Each year, Consumer Reports purchases and tests almost 1,000 tires. During that process, the team checks tire pressures literally thousands of times. Building on that experience, we recently tested and rated 14 different tire-pressure gauges to guide car owners in choosing the best tool for the job.

Repairing flat tires is nothing new. Hence, you’d think there would be a standard practice that all service providers would follow. In fact, the Tire Industry Association (TIA) has been at it for a long time, providing training to service professionals. Also, the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) has had guidelines for professionals to follow. But repairing tires is not an air-tight practice.

Today our home and car teams pooled their collective wisdom and shared tips on how to get ready for winter in a “Live from the Labs” chat on Facebook. It was lively, indeed. From lightbulbs, to tires to putting away your mower and getting out your blower, host Sue LaColla kept the action moving along.

We recently had a visit by Dr. James F. Cuttino, president of Camber Ridge, LLC, a new tire-testing facility being developed from a clean sheet of paper. The company is looking to measure the dynamic properties of tires beyond what is capable today. Backed by nine affiliate members consisting of automotive and tire manufacturers, Camber Ridge was conceived as a completely new concept to take testing to the road, so to speak. (See our tire buying advice and ratings.)

If you’re one of the millions of Americans stretching your family’s budget, chances are you’re keeping your car longer than in the past. The good news is that most modern cars are more reliable than ever, and will last as long as they’re properly maintained. The bad news is, that many motorists are putting off important maintenance and repair needs, which can lead to bigger problems for them later, and make the roads more dangerous.

We have posted the latest SUV and pickup truck tire test results online, covering 46 models. These new ratings cover 23 all-season, 13 all-terrain, and 10 winter models, and they are the result of an intensive, year-long program. In general, we found that there are a lot of good choices in these highly competitive tire categories, but not all tires are created equal.

In our Tire Talk forum, some of our readers have questioned the interchangeability of P-metric and Metric tire size designations. But answering this question is like asking how to solve the national debt crisis. In other words, there are many answers, and some might be more practical solutions than others.

A miserable thing happened last weekend when one of the run-flat tires on our 2011 BMW 750Li was gashed by a pothole during an excursion from Connecticut to New Hampshire: Replacing the tire turned out to be an experience well short of luxurious.

Goodyear has announced a new self-inflating tire technology that would automatically maintain a tire’s air pressure. Currently under development, Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) would do away with the need for manual pressure checks and result in better fuel economy, longer tire life, and enhanced safety. All the components to maintain optimal pressure, including pumps, valves, and sensors, would be contained within the tire.

Nearly all regions of the country have been experiencing hot, repressive temperatures this summer. As we have noted in the past, winter tires generally don’t stop as well as all-season and summer tires on dry and wet roads, and because they wear quicker, it just makes sense to remove them when spring arrives. But how do all-season tires fair with the change of seasons and temperature?

Last fall we tested 53 models of summer and all-season ultra-high-performance (UHP) and performance winter tires suitable for sporty coupes, sedans, and all-out sports cars. Needless to say, it was a highly contested group.

Fun fact: did you know we typically test over 80 new cars and trucks every year? And over time we’ve noticed that full-sized spare tires were going the way of the VCR, replaced with temporary spare tires--commonly called “donuts.”

Let's put the good news right up front: We've logged over 30,000 miles on our latest AWD Toyota Sienna, equipped with run-flat tires, and we still have decent tire life left. Tire wear had been a noted owner concern with the previous model. (See our tire buying ad