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Narrower and taller tires (with a higher aspect ratio) give a vehicle more progressive breakaway characteristics, with lower limits. However, there is no law that states tires width, aspect ratio, or even tire compound has to be the same, front to rear. There are many ways to "turn down the understeer", but essentially you can do so by adding grip to the front, or taking grip away from the rear. Using a 5% taller aspect ratio in the rear with a slightly less-grippy compound as I've done in my track car results in: a) better highway fuel economy, better speedo and odo accuracy. b) 5% taller gearing across the board c) a slightly less planted rear-end which gives the car better predictability and a more neutral handling balance. d) and it looks better also. When I had Hankook RS-2s all around, the rear end would never chirp, and it understeered like a pig, because the back -end had too much grip. My current combined DD/track setup with 225/45R15 RS-3s up front and 225/50R15 high-performance all-seasons in the back is a win-win-win in all regards. You would be right that perhaps I would be just as well-served with a 195/60R15 RS-3s up front and 195/65R15s in back, but track rubber is no longer available in those sizes (as they would have been in the 1980s) so the availability of the desired tire choice dictates the 195/60-65 or 225/45-50 or 205/50-55 tire selection. If you wanted to impart a greater difference in terms of fine-tuning the handling, then you could select a 10% difference in the aspect ratio, front-to-rear.

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Hey Red Bull –

You seem pretty cool. You sponsor snowboarders, adventure racers, rock climbers and motocross bikers. You launch people into space so that they can skydive back down to earth. That’s all really darn cool. For all I know, you’re reading this while strapping yourself into a Formula One racecar that is about to be lit on fire and jumped over a large chasm of some sort. How cool would that be? Feel free to give it a try.

Here’s the thing, though. You are being extremely uncool to us at Old Ox Brewery. We are a small startup brewery in Ashburn, Virginia. We’re family-run, we love beer, and we love our community. For reasons that we cannot understand, you have attempted to strong arm us into changing our identity for the last 10 months because you believe folks might mistake Old Ox beer for Red Bull energy drinks. We respectfully disagree. The only similarity between our two products is that they are both liquids. You make non-alcoholic (but very extreme) energy drinks. We make delicious (but laid-back) beer. Our consumers are looking for two distinctly different experiences from our respective products.

Basically you are holding us hostage with a list of demands that, if agreed to, would severely limit our ability to use our brand. Demands like, never use the color red, silver or blue; never use red with any bovine term or image; and never produce soft drinks. Do you own the color red? What about fuchsia, scarlet, crimson, or mauve? Are you planting your flag in the color wheel and claiming those shades for Red Bull? Do you claim exclusive rights to all things bovine? Do you plan to herd all heifers, cows, yaks, buffalo, bison, and steer into your intellectual property corral, too?

When we refused to succumb to your demands, you responded by filing a formal opposition to not just our trademark but to the very name Old Ox Brewery. Way to step on our American dream. You say you are protecting your intellectual property rights, but your claim, in our opinion, is Red Bulls**t.

We can only interpret your actions as one thing—bullying. You are a big Red Bully. Just like that mean kid from grade school pushing everyone down on the playground and giving us post-gym class wedgies. You are giving us one hell of a corporate wedgie. We don’t appreciate it and we sure as hell don’t deserve it.

Is this really what you’re about? Are you a bully? Your extensive marketing campaigns (your glitzy advertising, your sponsored sports events, your death defying stunt shows, etc.) certainly don’t project that image. Take a hard look at your “case.” Can you honestly look at our brand and say, “this is a threat to my image?” We don’t think you can. Given that, we repeat our offer: We agree NEVER to produce energy drinks. In exchange, we are asking for one simple thing: Leave us alone. Drop this trademark dispute. The only people benefiting are the lawyers.

Sincerely and Uninfringingly Yours,

Chris Burns

President – Old Ox Brewery

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