Though we don’t see many on the road anymore, bias tires still have their uses. Today’s bias light truck tires, for example, are like any other niche product. Don’t expect them to fly off the shelves.
Dewey Beach, director of product management at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., says, “there’s just not much demand there anymore. The market has been relatively flat for the last five or six years.”
However, dealers that do business in certain regional markets shouldn’t discount the potential opportunity. “In rural or agricultural areas, customers are looking for sidewall cut and snag resistance, which is one advantage a bias tire has over a radial,” says Beach.
As a result, the primary buyers of bias light truck tires are owners and operators of farming and other commercial operations, Beach says.
Cooper offers two main bias light truck tire lines – the Super Road Service highway rib and the Coarser Traction LT tire. The highway rib comes in five sizes and C, D and E load ratings, and the Coarser Traction is available in two sizes. A few of the top-selling sizes are 7.50-16, 8.75-16.5 and 9.50-16.5.
“It’s a limited offering,” acknowledges Beach, but that’s intentional. “It is directed at certain customers in areas of the country who need more sidewall durability, cut-and-snag resistance and on- and off-road performance.”
Greenball Corp. also carries a relatively limited range of bias light truck tires. Its 7.50-16 bias comes in 10-, 12- or 14-ply for utility trailer applications. The company also offers a 9.50-16.5 10-ply tire. “The 235/85R16 radial pretty much took over the 7.50-16 bias,” says Tim Landis, vice president of aftermarket sales at Greenball.
Nevertheless, Greenball continues to produce and market its 7.50-16 LT bias tire. “A lot of the selling point is price,” says Landis. Commercial customers doing work in rough areas where the tire may scrub a curb may desire a tough yet inexpensive tire.
“Farmers and contractors sometimes don’t want to use a high-dollar radial for those applications,” explains Greenball’s Landis. “Dealers still carry them,” he says. “It’s just not a major market.”
Niche Within a Niche
For a few tiremakers, though, it’s another story. Maxxis International, for example, considers bias light truck tires “valuable niche items.”
“We do very well with bias light truck tires,” says Doug Addis, sales manager of the auto and light truck tire division for Maxxis.
How can Maxxis have such a different experience with this segment?
Take a deeper look, and you’ll see that it’s all about marketing. Maxxis markets bias light truck tires as specially designed products for rock crawling – for use by professional competitors as well as motorsports enthusiasts. Its Creepy Crawler was manufactured specifically for rock crawling, and its Trepador tire followed a few years later.
“We produced a bias for rock crawling because the tendency is for the tire to be more durable,” says Addis. “The sidewalls are heavier, so there is less of a tendency for damage and tearing. While some rock-crawling competitors run radials, none of our sponsored teams do.”
Maxxis sponsors W.E.ROCK and UROC (United Rock Crawling and Off Road Challenge) series and provides its Creepy Crawler, size 37×12.50-16, and Trepador, size 37×12.50-17, tires to sponsored teams.
Cooper, also, has tapped into the niche-within-a-niche rock crawling segment through its Mickey Thompson division. “Offering a competition tire can result in some brand awareness,” says Beach.
And, that’s where the value proposition lies for tire manufacturers. “Rock crawling has actually become pretty popular, and it’s created a decent fan following,” Addis says. “That has opened up a relatively small niche enthusiast market.”
Sponsoring rock crawling teams has earned Maxxis brand recognition among the so-called “weekend warriors” – those who don’t necessarily compete on the tires but still want the look.
“Maybe they go off road; maybe they don’t,” Addis says. For this small segment of the population, riding on a big, tough-looking tire is about style, not performance. “Our connection with off-road racing has opened up a new market for us,” according to Addis.
Creating a Market
That’s great news for a few big tiremakers. But, what about the independent tire dealer? Where’s the payoff for a small business that just sells tires and can’t afford to sponsor competitive teams?
Addis says dealers can cash in by doing some creative marketing of their own. “For dealers and distributors that are tuned in to that part of the business – off road, accessories, parts, etc. – it’s a natural tie in. They can not only offer the tires, but also roll bars and lift kits for weekend warriors as well as competitors.”
In short, selling bias light truck tires can be profitable for tire dealers looking to market to that small consumer niche.
“Dealers don’t have to be experts, but they should try to learn about the various types of off-road racing,” Addis remarks. Organizations, such as CORR (Championship Off-Road Racing) and SCORE International (responsible for the Baja 1000), may be good sources of information.
Besides a bit of research, little else is required for a dealer to enter the bias light truck tire market. First, there are only about four or five popular sizes, so a dealer doesn’t have to make a tremendous investment in inventory.
“If you have three or four sets in a handful of sizes, you have about 90% coverage,” Addis tells dealers.
Secondly, conventional tire changers can be used, and special servicing expertise, for the most part, is not required.
The biggest investment will go towards getting to know this niche consumer. “There is an untapped market out there for this type of product,” Addis says. “The amount of inquires through our Web site shows this.”
