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Uphill Climb: Road to Recovery is Steep for Medium Truck Segment
February 09, 2010
Although 2009 was a tough year across the entire industry, the medium truck tire segment was hit particularly hard. The economic tailspin saw consumers tightening their budgets, which in turn resulted in diminished orders and less shipping. Trucks and other types of freight haulers sat idle, and demand for new tires plummeted.
Freight tonnage was down roughly 25% from 2008, trucking revenues were...
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Diverse Vehicle Makes and Models Create TPMS Challenges
February 09, 2010
Not all tire pressure monitoring systems are created equal. In fact, each new vehicle model year brings with it a variety of updated TPMS replacement, reset, activation and decoding procedures.
Some measures necessitate using the latest tools; all require a thorough understanding of step-by-step maintenance and service procedures.
Learning about a specific TPMS while the vehicle is sitting...
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Rolling Forward: Tiremakers Improve Fleets' Fuel Efficiency Through Technology
February 09, 2010
Modern trucking fleets face difficult challenges on a day-to-day basis. Fuel efficiency is one of the most important concerns to the contemporary fleet owner.
Volatile oil prices dramatically affect the cost of fleet operations and maintenance. Growing environmental concerns push the development of green technologies and shape consumer perceptions of businesses. New government regulations to decrease...
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Cooling Down: Reducing Heat is Key to Improving OTR Tire Performance
January 18, 2010
While the tire market has been soft the last two years, tire development hasn’t slowed, especially in the giant radial OTR sector. We’ll look at the latest tire technologies and how they improve tire performance in the field.
The OTR tire market may have experienced some slowing over the last couple of years but the push by giant OTR radial tire users for faster and more efficient...
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The Sounds of Silence, Truck Tire Style
January 18, 2010
Those of you who have been in the industry more than a few years can remember when trucks were loud.
Sometimes this was intentional, similar to when we, as teenagers, spent hard earned money to put dual glasspack mufflers on our hot rods. At other times the trucks just came that way new.
Objections to this noise reached a level such that the federal government enacted regulations during the...
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Specialized Selling: Smart Dealers Can Stack Up Profits in Skid-Steer Market
January 14, 2010
In work sites across the country, one can find the versatile skid-steer loader. Because of its convenient size and capacity for special attachments, the machine can be used by consumers and pros in a multitude of applications, including construction, farming, excavation, recycling, landscaping, mining and snow removal.
The skid-steer tire niche has changed quite a bit in the last 20 years, growing...
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Taking Stock: Be Ready with Performance Upgrade Options for 2010
December 15, 2009
Many times over the years, the automotive aftermarket has been given a platform that has largely contributed to a $35+ billion industry. This year, that car was the 2010 Camaro.
The paint hasn’t even cured on the production cars yet and there seems to be no limit as to the performance upgrades available. This is a result of SEMA’s Technology Transfer program that allows aftermarket...
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Interpreting Angles: The Important Relationship Between Caster, Camber and Toe
December 15, 2009
When talking about the big three in a vehicle’s suspension, caster is probably the hardest to visualize and the least mentioned. Camber and toe are much easier to wrap your head around, but it’s important that we understand caster because if we don’t, the customer may notice a diminished lack of handling.
Perhaps caster can best be defined as the steering pivot angle of the...
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Finding a Fix: Troubleshooting Customer TPMS Problems
December 15, 2009
The history of how we got to this point with TPMS is not important. It’s here, and tire dealers have learned to deal with it. The next question deals with how we learn to troubleshoot TPMS for our customers, who at this point know virtually nothing about it.
The early version of TPMS, the indirect system, was first used on 1999 to 2003 model year OE applications. There were TPMS trial ap...
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SEMA Show Wrap Up
December 15, 2009
Missed the SEMA Show? We’ve got you covered – from the latest news and announcements to the hottest new tires and equipment.
The Tire Industry Association’s activities at the 2009 SEMA Show encompassed the best of both worlds – familiar events that continued to deliver positive results, as well as new ones that were met with success.
Tackling Important Issues
At its annual...
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Staying Strong: Despite Downturn, Farm Outlook 'Looks Quite Positive'
December 15, 2009
By most measures, 2008 was a banner, record-setting year for the North American agricultural community, even considering the sudden, sharp economic decline that started in October 2008.
2009, though, is much different. After posting an all-time record of $87 billion in 2008, net farm income is projected to fall 34.5% to $57 billion for the year, according to an August report by the U.S. Agricultural...
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Multiple Components Can Influence Truck Handling
December 14, 2009
Change is a constant, even accelerating, part of the trucking industry and never has this been more obvious than in the increasing diversity of vehicle sizes, configurations and the service conditions they are expected to endure.
The days of typical trucking fleets being composed of simply line haul tractors and smaller delivery trucks are rapidly disappearing. Truck brands, many new to the North...
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Moving Business: Container Handling Niche Offers Dealers Unique Opportunities
November 23, 2009
In a global economy where products are imported and exported worldwide, it takes a multitude of resources to keep things moving and on track. From load docks to loading bays, container handling equipment is everywhere products are being shipped, moved and inventoried. And vital to that equipment’s operation is – you guessed it – tires.
Tire dealers who find themselves in the right...
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Playing it Smart: Companies Adapt Wheel Trends in a Recovering Economy
November 23, 2009
The best thing about being at the bottom is that there is only one way to go: Up.
2009 has been a dismal year for the aftermarket industry, especially custom wheels. Manufacturers and distributors felt the downturn in 2008 and held off on new styles that required capital investment in molds and inventory. Going in to 2009, orders were cut, canceled or just not placed. Inventories were already fat...
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The Most Important Environmentally Friendly Products In The World
November 16, 2009
Every time a tire is retreaded many gallons of oil are saved and one more tire is kept out of scrap tire piles.
Hundreds of millions of passenger cars, trucks and all types of commercial vehicles worldwide have safely been using retreaded tires for many years. Even commercial and military airlines worldwide are users of retreaded tires.
Thanks to retreading more than a billion gallons of oil...
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Commercial Dealers Can Improve Response, Revenue
October 26, 2009
Before the fleetHQ Solution Center began handling Donald B. Rice Tire Co.’s after-hour calls, the tire dealer’s customers may have had better luck reaching a medical or law office than getting the right tire for their trucks.
“Our after-hour calls were being answered by a local answering service that also works for doctors and lawyers,” said Chris Chase, executive vice...
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Dodging Disaster: Follow These Simple Steps to Avoid Costly Wheel-Offs
October 14, 2009
There are always problems in a tire dealership that can be very difficult to solve. A disagreement over vacation time that leaves you short handed. An angry customer who is back for the third time with brake problems.
Fortunately, these are generally dealt with through some good negotiations resulting in an amicable agreement – and, hopefully, a satisfied customer.
Then there are problems...
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R-Compound Tires Bring Dealers Recognition, Loyalty
October 14, 2009
Imagine a niche tire segment with relatively low profit margins, fewer consumers and a low-volume product line. At first glance, this may not seem like something a sane tire dealer would want to consider, especially in today’s economy.
But a second look just may reveal that entering such a segment – R-compound (racing) tires, to be exact – could be the key to attracting new customers...
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The Tools and Manuals Needed to Service Today's TPMS
October 14, 2009
Did you know that right now 100% of new vehicles built in this country come equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system? Add to that a giant gaggle of older cars with indirect or direct TPMS systems, and you’ve got a service component that is definitely here to stay. No surprise, then, that there are more than 52 companies selling TPMS tools – 76 different required or optional tools...
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Top Shop Honorees Share More Keys to Success
October 14, 2009
I have written this column for several years now, many times discussing various aspects of performance, whether it is tires, wheels or suspensions. And I’ve tried to focus on tangible items we can touch and measure, one against another, to derive the best product for a given application.
As we head to Las Vegas and the SEMA Show, we’ll be crowning the winner of this year’s Tire...
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