The Smoking Tire

Matt Farah and Zack Klapman have been doing this show for years, and it shows in the easy back-and-forth. They are working car journalists in Los Angeles, so the guests rotate between race drivers, shop owners, YouTubers, and the occasional friend who just bought a weird Italian coupe and wants to talk about it. Expect long tangents about parts prices, bad press loans, dumb track-day stories, and which Porsche is actually worth the money right now. Farah is the one who owns a million-mile Lexus and keeps a running tab of every single repair, which tells you the kind of energy the show brings. They care about driving cars, not just owning them. If a guest shows up with a new model, the hosts will push past the marketing pitch and ask what it is like to live with at 5 a.m. on a rainy Tuesday. Episodes can stretch to two hours, which is a gift on a longer drive, and the cussing and off-color jokes mean you will want to keep the kids out of the back seat. Fans love the show for the honesty. You get insider opinions on brands and trends without the PR polish, plus real recommendations on what to buy, what to skip, and what to rent before you ever sign paperwork.