I know this article is satire, but to answer your question: The standard tread on the M1 has rubber track pads.
Fun fact: The exhaust from the Abrams blows away from the rear of the vehicle and is very hot, as more than one tailgating driver on the autobahn would discover. We used that same exhaust to boil water for coffee and shaving.
Cheers!
“The way I heard it-—”
An M1 was traveling alone on a tank road around Graf was stopped by an MP for speeding. The MP parked his patrol car behind it and got out to give the driver and TC a ticket. Before he got to the front, the TC told the drive to turn on the ‘Tactical Idle’ causing the engine to idle faster for electric and hydraulic power. It also increases the exhaust temp and velocity. When the MP was done, the crew drove off and the MP found his vehicle half melted! Anything plastic was sagging and warped, glass was sagging and paint was blistered.
I cannot swear this is true, but that’s the way I heard it.
And that exhaust is HOT.