The Smoking Tire Podcast: Waymo Problems; We're Giving Away a Car!
Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Matt Farah & Zack Klapman
Episode Overview
This episode of The Smoking Tire Podcast is a classic mix of automotive banter, with Matt Farah and Zack Klapman offering stories from their lives, diving into car culture and the quirks of ownership, and of course, deep-diving the news about autonomous vehicles—specifically, the hilarity and challenges of Waymo’s San Francisco taxi service during a power outage. The big headline: the team is giving away their most significant car yet, a brand new Porsche 911 Turbo S. This sprawling episode covers everything from Porsche infotainment hacks and road trip stories, to a lively Q&A. The tone is candid, fast-paced, and laced with signature comedy.
Key Discussion Points
1. Entrepreneurial Life & Scheduling (00:30–05:40)
- Making Your Own Schedule:
- Matt and Zack reflect on how running multiple businesses disrupts any sense of a "regular" week and allows for off-peak vacations and errands—at the cost of near-constant work.
- “Making your own schedule is a double-edged sword. You don’t ask anybody to go anywhere, but you just work so much more.” — Matt (02:41)
- Family Holiday Flexibility:
- A lighthearted debate about moving holiday dates to suit adults' and families' schedules, with Matt awarding a "Point Farah" for parental flexibility.
2. Porsche 911 Turbo S Giveaway! (06:01–11:55)
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Announcement:
- The team reveals their next giveaway car: a 2025 Porsche 911 Turbo S, sourced via Dream Giveaways.
- "The game is changed… We are now doing a Porsche 992 Turbo S. And this thing fucks." — Matt (07:08)
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Specs & Options Discussed:
- Color: Ice Grey, with “rich metallic” vibes.
- Loaded with options: sport design wheels, Bose stereo, PDCC, rear steer, ceramic brakes, extended leather with yellow stitching, glass sunroof, rear wiper.
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Break-in Road Trip:
- Matt and Zack personally took the car on a 1,000-mile road trip to break it in—Zion National Park included.
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“This is a 9-second car from the factory, 200mph car, and Zach and I did a thousand mile road trip in two days. It was easy.” — Matt (09:40)
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Past Giveaways:
- Comparisons to previous TST giveaway cars (BMW 135i, C6 Corvette); highlighting this Turbo S as a huge step up in price and newness.
3. Porsche Infotainment Hack (09:53–13:51)
- The “CarPlay Rearrangement” Discovery:
- A listener tip leads Matt to realize you can rearrange icons in the native Porsche PCM infotainment dock—something he says wasn’t obvious or taught at dealerships, despite a highly Porsche-enthusiastic audience.
- Broader Usability Talk:
- Rant on user interface frustrations in modern cars—wanting systems to automatically surface frequently-used apps.
Notable Quote:
- “I bet none of these other people know this shit either... That is not something that's educated at the dealer.”—Matt (12:06)
4. Porsche 911 Turbo S: Driving and Road Trip Impressions (15:18–27:50)
- Comfort, Utility, and Athleticism:
- Praise for duality: monster acceleration and daily comfort.
- Road trip: Achieved 26–27 MPG while cruising briskly; active aero and efficiency lauded.
- "I don’t know if there's another car on the market that does as many things as well as 911 Turbos do."—Zach (24:47)
- Features:
- Unique options: color-matched vents on the engine cover, rear wiper (both rare/quirky).
- Mods and content plans teased for upcoming coverage.
5. Giveaway Details (28:15–29:44)
- How to Enter:
- Most merchandise purchases count as entries; no-purchase entry available, but requires jumping through more legal hoops.
- Charitable Element:
- Confirmed there will be a charitable donation component.
6. Waymo Problems in San Francisco (31:00–39:40)
- Incident Overview:
- Power outage knocks out traffic lights; a conga line of confused Waymo robo-taxis get stuck, immobilized by lack of traffic signal input.
- "Without a working traffic signal, they're literally unable to make a decision." — Matt (33:13)
- Analysis & Reactions:
- The hosts dig into the limitations of autonomous systems, noting how passive Waymo cars become ‘stuck’ in odd scenarios—amusing in this case, but drawing contrasts to the dangerous failures that occur with rival Tesla’s systems.
- Colorful banter imagining the Waymos ‘cheering each other on.’
- Larger Context:
- Brief commentary on fatal Tesla incidents; a cat run over by Waymo; promises for new undercar sensors.
7. Porsche Customization & Reimagined Classics (44:07–53:48)
- Factory Restomods:
- Porsche is restoring and modifying Carrera GTs and other classics “to order.”
- Debate on the aesthetics of retro racing liveries applied to modern or recent cars.
- "I don’t think those 50s and 60s liveries look good on these modern cars at all." — Matt (46:59)
- Collector Car Color Trends:
- Trends mentioned (green and blue popularity cycles, chalk/Miami Blue, etc.)
- Caution for owners about color choice and long-term values.
8. Miscellaneous Car & Car Culture Talk (53:48–1:40:00+)
Notable Segments:
- Q&A Section (56:31–end):
- Buy/sell/hold advice for used sports cars and insuring vehicles for agreed value.
- Nostalgic stories from Matt and Zack’s time at Gotham Dream Cars, including a memorable “boob popped out” driving tour incident (63:22), and the story of a long-running Lamborghini rental “scam” involving a client who bought the car to keep up appearances.
- Discussion: EVs, Sales, and Market Trends (70:12):
- Contextualizing "slowing" EV sales (still growing, just at a decelerated pace); comparisons to muscle car/malaise eras.
- Resting Bitch Face Cars (101:26):
- Fun riffing on cars with "resting bitch face"—Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Kia Soul get called out.
- **Other vehicle reviews, insurance advice, and extended back-and-forth over enthusiast car market quirks and personal tastes.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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Paul Walker/Lamborghini Rental Scam (66:46):
“He met this chick and told her that it was his car… he had to keep renting the car. Well, once the one he rented was in service… he had to figure out how to tell the girl... Eventually, he buys the rental car from us, to keep up appearances." — Matt -
On the Waymo SF Incident:
“I thought [Waymo cars] bricked… It was not a red flag. It was just that the traffic signal was out, and all the Waymos got real confused.” — Matt (32:29) -
On the Porsche 992 Turbo S:
"There's also no car in the market that less needs to be tuned than this thing." — Matt (24:59) -
On Car Customization & Investment:
"Your shit may or may not be investment grade anymore, you know." — Matt (53:15) -
On AI Imagery and News:
"I hope you people enjoyed photographic evidence while it was a thing." — Matt (42:55) -
On Life and Aging:
"The ideal successful marriage is... both die the same time." — Matt, riffing on “Farah math” (21:43-22:00)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:30–05:40 — Entrepreneurial life, holiday/family flexibility
- 06:01–11:55 — Porsche 911 Turbo S giveaway announcement and specs
- 12:00–13:40 — Porsche infotainment “hack” and UX rant
- 15:18–27:50 — Turbo S driving impressions, road trips, road manners, quirks
- 28:15–29:44 — Contest rules, charity, entries
- 31:00–39:40 — Waymo stuck in SF, full breakdown and analysis
- 44:07–53:48 — Porsche factory restomods, color trends, and customization risks
- 56:31–~end — Extended listener Q&A, car stories, insurance talk
Tone and Style
- Conversational, irreverent, and unfiltered. Banter is sharp, filled with inside jokes and good-natured digs. The hosts are frank about the car industry and their own lives, but always return to deep-dive discussions of driving and automotive technology. Listener questions are taken seriously and often prompt thoughtful (if winding) answers.
Final Thoughts
This episode is a showcase of The Smoking Tire’s strengths: industry insights, hands-on car stories, and the unique dynamic between Matt and Zack. Whether discussing six-figure Porsches, the failures and wonders of self-driving tech, or just riffing on the absurdities of car culture, it’s a lively episode perfect for both car geeks and fans of unscripted radio done right.
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