The Smoking Tire Podcast – April 30, 2026
Episode: Durango Hellcat Review; Waymo vs Taxi; Mercedes Update
Hosts: Matt Farah & Zack Klapman
Overview
In this energetic, wide-ranging episode, Matt and Zack dive into their review of the Dodge Durango Hellcat Jailbreak after thrashing it at Road America, pit modern tech (Waymo rides) against classic human taxi driving, and update on several ongoing car projects—including a Mercedes-Benz E55 swap. The conversation branches into dealership secrets, travel, car culture, and even watch collecting. The duo’s signature mix of irreverence, deep car knowledge, and banter is in full effect, making this both an entertaining and informative listen for car enthusiasts.
Key Discussion Points
1. Dodge Durango Hellcat Jailbreak Review (07:17–34:41)
- Context: Matt, Zack, and TK took the Durango Hellcat Jailbreak (in ‘Destroyer’ gray) to Road America for a race weekend, using it both for transit and as a practice/pace car.
- Performance:
- Over 700 hp, “So fast…Skyline fast...I think this is faster than a stock Skyline ...it’s more like an Aussie hot rod, you know, like one of those fast Falcons.” – Matt (02:08–02:25)
- Surprising top speeds on track; hit 135 mph in the Durango at Road America, comparable to their race car.
- Despite its speed, “I had to stop way earlier in the Durango than the race car, like hundreds of feet earlier. And I saw speeds that I believe were higher in the Durango than I saw in the race car.” – Matt (14:30)
- Handling/Ride:
- “For a three-row vehicle, [the handling is] appropriate. The steering is communicative.” – Matt (15:37)
- “The ride wasn't great. And in track mode, the ride was like brutally bad.” – Matt (27:24)
- Brakes:
- Brakes were a weak point—warped and faded quickly under track abuse. “The fluid boiled on about the second stop.” – Matt (16:32)
- “Like fiberboard in a hurricane or something.” – Zack (17:48), describing fade after practice laps.
- Tires: OEM all-seasons (Pirelli Scorpions) left a lot to be desired for track use.
- Practicality/Comfort:
- Handled three tall drivers and luggage easily.
- “Seats are very nice and very comfortable.” – Matt (11:02)
- Odd tech choices: separate physical buttons for adaptive and non-adaptive cruise control; odd UI quirks.
- Fuel Economy:
- 16 mpg highway transit; as low as 2 mpg on track!
- “Burned lots of gas…our cumulative for the trip was like 12.4 [mpg].” – Matt (26:34)
- Value:
- “If you never took it on a racetrack, you would find it to be a fairly dynamic and certainly fun family hauler…It’s a true hot rod.” – Matt (23:30)
- Compared with the more expensive Trackhawk; Trackhawk had better brakes/tires.
- Notable Moment: Used as a pace car for the race start. “Made a great sound…Trucker…came back from running those pace laps just like, dude, what the fuck is this thing?” – Matt (23:13)
2. Comparing Waymo vs. Human Taxis (44:46–53:54)
- Waymo Experience (Matt):
- Took a Waymo robotaxi home—criticized its inability to ‘think like a human’ when merging into traffic: “A regular human would have either goosed the throttle for a half a second and gone up or dropped down to 25…The Waymo did neither.” – Matt (46:00)
- Observed the system makes odd, overly-cautious route choices.
- Cab Experience (Zack):
- Cab driver exploits knocked-over cones to avoid traffic, demonstrates clever workarounds human drivers use.
- Discusses Uber’s algorithm ‘punishing’ drivers with short fares after they refuse rides: “So he stops accepting rides for three days, and then they start giving him good rides again to come back. They woo you back.” – Zack (53:25)
- Takeaway: Human drivers find shortcuts and adapt; robots lack that improvisational flexibility—for now.
3. Mercedes E55 Project & Personal Car Updates (36:41–44:45)
- Project E55:
- Matt’s donor car arrives; excitement about the “perfect donor” despite body damage: “The crash isn't that bad. …the powertrain is totally untouched…” – Matt (36:58)
- Project Management:
- Expresses shifting focus toward a curated, keep-for-life set of vehicles.
- Recap of maintenance, including Taycan recall, Porsche canyons car with a gear indicator gremlin, Manx upgrades for summer.
- Detail on Issues:
- “When I put the car into fourth gear, the indicator on the dash is getting confused and going like 4, 3, 4, 3…” – Matt (41:07)
- Ongoing detective work and mechanic troubleshooting highlighted.
4. Road America/Travel & Car Nerd Tangents (passim)
- Racing/Trackside Stories:
- Recap of oddities with track surface (planter box/grasscrete naming debate, 28:24).
- Reflections on car choices for towing; stories about towing racecars with Macans, Colorados, etc.
- Flight Misadventures and LAX Transit Routines:
- Hilarity of almost missing flights due to mistaken itinerary (47:01–49:31).
- Tips on negotiating short-fare rides with LAX taxi drivers (51:32–52:17).
5. Miscellaneous: Car Culture, Watches, and Listener Q&A
- Watch Talk (61:13–62:59):
- Matt scores a rare MAD Edition watch, after four failed lotteries.
- “Persistence is key,” reads the ‘Redemption’ edition, a theme for car projects, too.
- Quick Hits:
- Brief excitement over the new turbo AWD rally-spec BRZ in Japan: “A turbo BRZ would be rad.” – Matt (55:21)
- Venting about bad car exhaust sounds—especially catless BRZ/BMWs—vs. the “wheelhouse Mustang” and AMG GT, which sounded great on track.
- Listener Q+A Highlights (63:45–end):
- Parking with spoilers up, popping hoods, “base model” pride
- Corvette depreciation with new LS7 engine rumors (66:06–67:12); perception of Corvette as “white trash” car changing (92:14–94:05)
- Best travel destination for food (77:05): “Italy, Japan, Spain, New York, LA…”
- Miata vs. 86 vs. used Mustang/Camaro as best $30k beginner track car (90:05–91:39)
- Value of analog/refreshed sports cars (Nissan Z) vs. new platforms (111:08–115:48)
Notable Quotes & Moments
- “It's a 700+ horsepower, three row SUV...not fun on track from a braking standpoint, but it's a true hot rod family hauler.” – Matt Farah (23:30)
- On the Durango Hellcat’s fuel use: “The average [on track] was like 2…which is unreal. Two is amazing because Road America's four miles. Two is two gallons, all lap!” – Matt (25:00)
- Waymo vs. Taxi: “A regular human would…goose the throttle…The Waymo did neither...It was a very odd choice.” – Matt Farah (46:00)
- “When you have to pre-defuse the situation with a cab driver at LAX…that’s a fun bit of negotiation that reminds you, you live in a f***ing society.” – Matt (51:32)
- “Persistence is key.” – On getting to buy the MAD2 Redemption watch after losing four lotteries (61:57)
- Regarding the elusive turbo BRZ: “It would be so nice to have a turbocharged [BRZ]. I don't care if it's less balanced.” – Matt (55:24)
- On rising early 2000's Ferrari V8 values: “Yes, I do think that … collectors don't like Ferrari's current hybrid lineup and prefer NA V8 engines.” – Zack (86:18)
- On electric daily drivers & camping: “Are you aware that Rivians are just about the least reliable vehicles being sold today?...People love them but man, these things break a lot.” – Matt (117:01)
Segments & Timestamps
- Durango Hellcat Review – 07:17–34:41
- Waymo vs. Taxi – 44:46–53:54
- Mercedes (and car collection) Updates – 36:41–44:45
- Flight & LAX transit misadventures – 47:01–52:17
- Watches & Miscellaneous – 61:13–62:59
- Q&A (selected highlights throughout, esp. 63:45–end)
Tone & Language
The episode features the hosts’ hallmark blend of humor, sarcasm, blunt honesty, and deeply informed car geekery, sprinkled with NSFW jokes and “inside baseball” asides. Their affection for the absurdity of both cars and travel shines, but they balance fun with delivering genuine consumer and enthusiast advice.
For listeners who missed the episode: You’ll come away caught up on what an aging, 700-hp SUV can (and can’t) do, why human cabbies still sometimes win over AI, the cautionary tales of buying certain used cars, and why car culture’s best storytellers are just as likely to spin off on a tangent about watches, food, or 1980s t-shirts as about turbocharged rally cars.
