What do people mean when they say: this is "where the rubber meets the road"???

Question

This is a saying or something i think. What does it mean?

Answer 1

It means that this is the REAL test that judges the performance, the right decision, the worth of something - a decision, a judgement, an idea etc. etc. Whether it was any good, whether it was workable, whether it was a great concept or a dud. The expression uses an analogy with the automobile, where somebody is saying - quite correctly - that how pretty a vehicle looks isn't really worth a darn if it can't perform. And, of course, the test of an automobile's performance is when the rubber (the wheels) meets the road, and you take that thing for a test of its true ability. THAT's where the rubber meets the road lol.

Answer 2

Literally, the point where car/truck tires contact the road. It is where the up close and personal business is happening, and if that contact stops, not much else that happens has any control over the car. The floor managers and auto workers actually put new cars together. There are middle managers, designers, CEOs etc., but in the end, those workers are where the concept becomes reality. Same thing in the analogy: If the car comes off the ground, it doesn't matter if you turn the steering wheel or hit the brakes... nothing will happen. Just like it doesn't matter what the CEO of Ford does if the workers don't build the cars.

Answer 3

Where the rubber meets the road, is where the action is. The business at hand is taken care of. It's the point at which you put up or shut up. The mouth where you put your money. The proving ground of whatever point you are trying to make

Answer 4

Everything intrinsic to automobile hype means nothing till "the tire hits the road". That's when the proof is in the Pudding. When the car starts putting on the miles. How does everything work together. We'll know when the tire hits the road.

Answer 5

its used usually when your about to take a fairly long road trip and this is where the rubber of the tires start rolling and meet the road youll soon travel.

Answer 6

It refers to accountability. People have a tendency to talk an issue to death, say all the right things, and then never do what they need to do to make the right thing happen. This statement refers to the point in an issue where it is time to either make something happen or shut up and quit pretending you are going to do something you have no intention of doing.

Answer 7

It became an advertising slogan for Firestone tires back whilst all television classified ads have been singing classified ads. "The call it incredibly is commonplace is Firestone whilst the rubber meets the line."

Answer 8

They are talking about the tires of a vehicle hitting pavement.
I suppose they are claiming that "This is where you buy a car" or "This is a good driving area"

Answer 9

I think it means this is when reality kicks in, it is time to prove yourself.

Answer 10

It's a slogan from a tire commercial.