Computer Models vs. Real-World Tire Scenarios
By Mac Demere
December 7, 2011
Sometimes the best-sounding ideas don't work well in the real world. For tires, this is especially true when designers have elaborate computer models to support their fledgling ideas.
...
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Is There Help for the 'Accidental Performance Buyer?'
By Mac Demere
October 14, 2011
Accidental performance buyers almost always identify themselves, especially by the time they get to the tire store.
Accidental performance buyers will complain about the performance of their all-wheel-drive sports car in the snow. They...
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Driving Tires on the Edge? Or Does It Just Feel That Way?
By Mac Demere
August 10, 2011
Two of the best tires I've driven on a wet test track are the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS D3 and the Toyo Proxes T1R. During assertive cornering in the dry, however, both give many non-professional drivers the false feeling that the tires are about to lose ...
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Tire Size Allowances: All 242/43R17s Are Not Created Alike
By Mac Demere
June 13, 2011
Pick a car tire size, any auto tire dimension. Then choose a couple of different performance categories (ultra-high performance and touring work nicely for my example) from three or four manufacturers.
...
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Weighing Summer vs. All-Season UHP Tires
By Mac Demere
April 18, 2011
Swapping UHP summer (or, better said, "three-season") tires for all-season UHP rubber is trading something you want for something you will probably never need.
...
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'Breakfast Cruises' Bring Added Customers to Tire Dealerships
By Joe Severns
December 14, 2010
Most red-blooded Americans will agree with me – many rather enthusiastically – that doughnuts are great, in almost any form. Even vegans enjoy a Boston Cream doughnut. And although most of the officers in blue I know cringe at the old ...
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SEMA Products
December 14, 2010
Hankook introduced the new Ventus V2 Concept high performance all-season tire, which the tiremaker said...
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Keeping Race-Tuned Vehicles on the Road Requires Dedicated Tires
By Joe Severns
November 16, 2010
An eerily maniacal grin emanated from my buddy Steve Lobel’s face, giving me only a hint of what was to come. I arrived in the small burg of Canton, Ga., earlier that morning to see his car – recently retrieved from the tuner s...
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Revised CAFE Standards Afford Tiremakers New Opportunities
By Joe Severns
October 18, 2010
In the August issue of Tire Review, I began to address Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for vehicles sold in the U.S. and what t...
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Steering the Course at the Bridgestone Racing Academy
By Denise Koeth
October 18, 2010
With the sun beating down and heat from nearby engines surrounding me, I thought to myself, “They definitely don’t prepare you fo...
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Giti Tire Blazes New Trail With New Champiro HPY HP Line
By Jim Smith
October 18, 2010
Giti Tire USA certainly made a lasting impression with its very first product demonstration event in North America – blistering track spee...
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Vehicle and Tire Changes Caused by CAFE Standards
By Joe Severns
August 9, 2010
Thirty-five years ago, the U.S. government enacted the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to improve the a...
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Tire-Destroying Drifters Raise Tire Hungry Crowds - and Opportunities
By Joe Severns
July 12, 2010
Clutch drops. Trail braking. Line. Feint. Tansou (speed attack) and Tsuiso (chase attack). Oversteer.
Oh, and tire smoke....
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Digital Revolution Makes Information Available Anytime, Anywhere
By Joe Severns
June 17, 2010
About two years ago, I made the big leap into the 21st century new media by buying an iPod.
At the time, I was driving about 1,000 miles per week – and I thought the novelty of listening to my album collection without havin...
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'Performance' Tires Are Everywhere: Do They Still Stand Out?
By Joe Severns
May 17, 2010
What is performance? A recent commercial by stalwart automaker
Mercedes-Benz asks the question – and then sets about answering it as
completely as 30 seconds of prime-time television can.
Sparing their hyperbole, arguably...
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Reassuring and Serving Customers Suffering From Sticker Shock
By Joe Severns
April 14, 2010
There was never a doubt in my mind that I would own a BMW one day. Call it fate, call it kismet, karma…whatever. I’ve had my eye ...
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Taking Stock: Be Ready with Performance Upgrade Options for 2010
By Scott Blair
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.
...
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Playing it Smart: Companies Adapt Wheel Trends in a Recovering Economy
By Scott Blair
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...
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R-Compound Tires Bring Dealers Recognition, Loyalty
By Denise Koeth
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.
...
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Top Shop Honorees Share More Keys to Success
By Scott Blair
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 der...
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Entries are now being accepted for the
2012 Top Shop Award Program.
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