Chicago named top thrill-seeking city in the inaugural BFGoodrich Tires Adrenaline Index

Over half of Chicagoans say they look for adventure; Miami heads list of biggest spenders

GREENVILLE, SC--June 12, 2013: Move aside Denver and Phoenix, it seems Chicagoans are the biggest thrill-seekers in the country, according to the new BFGoodrich Tires Adrenaline Index. The tire maker surveyed 3,500 Americans across the country, revealing that more than one-third of Americans are self-proclaimed thrill seekers who thrive on new adventures and enjoy activities that will provide an adrenaline rush.

Chicago topped the list as the thrill-seeking capital of the U.S., with 58 percent of Chicagoans saying that they seek out adventure or adrenaline-fuelled activities.  New York, Miami, Los Angeles and Orlando rounded out the top five cities with the most adrenaline.  Miami residents actually put their money where their mouth is, with thrill seekers saying they spent an average of $1,637 annually on extreme activities, compared to the national average of $733.

Extreme activities on wheels were the most popular method for feeling an adrenaline rush, with car clubs, auto racing and four-wheeling topping the list of responses. Approximately one in five respondents also said they owned specific equipment, most prominently an extra car or truck, to fuel their adrenaline lifestyle.

"Our survey shows that many Americans get their thrills from driving fast around a track or by taking their vehicles off-road," said Duane Thomas, brand communications manager for BFGoodrich Tires. "Even if your passions aren't on wheels, many extreme activities are in remote, hard to reach places, making the right tire your ticket to what we call 'playground earth.'"

The survey also dispelled the myth that men are the more the adventurous of the sexes. Data shows that women are just as likely to seek out adventure, label themselves "weekend warriors" or set aside money for adrenaline-fueled activities.

Highlights from the BFGoodrich Adrenaline Index include:

• More than one-third of Americans are self-proclaimed thrill seekers, who thrive on new adventures (38 percent) and enjoy activities that will give them an adrenaline rush (36 percent).
• 41 percent of men versus 36 percent of women said they thrive on new adventures, and 29 percent of men thrive on taking new risks while 25 percent of women agreed.
• Those looking for excitement prefer to do it on wheels with car clubs (19 percent), racing (18 percent) and four-wheeling (17 percent) netting out as the most widely pursued activities.
• 16 percent of Americans said they owned an extra car or truck solely for recreational purposes

Methodology: 
The results were taken from a phone survey conducted by BFGoodrich and Braun Research of 3,500 Americans, including a national sample of 1,000 nationally-representative Americans and 100 individuals from the each of 25 largest cities in the county.  The survey was fielded April 9-19, 2013. The margin of error for the national sample is +/-3.1% and for each market +/-9.8%.

To derive the scores for the Index, each metric tracked in the survey was given a value and values were totaled. There was a potential total of 150 points for each participant. Respondents from each market were averaged together to provide an "adrenaline score" for each city included in the study and provide a national average.