Hack Automotive Writing

There is so much bad automotive writing tossed at consumers by the large magazines and newspapers it is hard to avoid. And really, why so macho? Analogies that seem to have been learned form these chaps don't help much either. Or the writers are just plain lazy like Bud Wells of the Denver Post. I hope he works for free because 90% of his reviews are recitations of the producer supplied copy points.

But my biggest complaint is the reuse of super-hack phrases, the most obvious of which is 'the tires screamed in protest.'

Really, does it take much to look at the phrase and see something that could do better. Could flip that flippant prose on it's head? What if the tires weren't protesting at all? What if the tires on performance cars were 'howling with joy'?