A Growing Trend: Commercial Light Truck Tire Sizes Continue to Multiply
Not that many years ago, a dealer could cover 80% or more of the commercial light truck tire market with just six 16-inch sizes. That has changed – a lot. More and more OEMs are moving to lower profile sizes, bringing a slew of new SKUs to the market. Newer GM, Ford and Dodge light
TPMS 101: Tire Rack Offers Answers to Top Five TPMS Questions
From professional and college football down to youth-league soccer, everyone has a “Top Something-or-other” list. Why should the tire industry be different? Over the last year or so, Tire Rack has been conducting an informal and unscientific survey of its customers regarding the reoccurrence of issues dealing with tire pressure monitoring systems. Thanks to its
Adding It All Up: Brushing Up on Tire Math Basics Minimizes Customer Headaches
Given the thousands of options available, it has become more than a little difficult to keep up with tire math. Vehicle makers have presented dealers with the opportunity to stock more SKUs than ever before – and that trend continues. Take a look at aspect ratios, for example. The once dominant 75-series has given way
Looking Forward: SEMA Gives a Glimpse of Coming Wheel Trends
Fresh back from the SEMA Show, I saw several trends and designs that indicate where we are headed for the next couple of years and the market potential for each. Some of the innovations came from familiar names, while others were from newcomers looking to make a name. New finishes, or in some cases old
Listen, The Snow is Falling
With temperatures continuing to dip and clouds beginning to form, it won’t be long ’til Old Man Winter’s wrath of rain, sleet, and snow begins to pelt roadways. Combine nature’s moisture with cold temperatures and there are many things to consider when getting ready for winter driving, especially in the colder regions of the country.
Progress or Trade-Offs?
Are we making any progress? It’s always an interesting question. When it comes to tires, the industry and fleets tend to focus on different goals. Fuel economy, maximizing intervals between scheduled maintenance, extending tire removal mileages, increasing driver satisfaction, maintenance outsourcing and a host of issues may compete for top billing. Tire selections are especially
When The Going Gets Tough, Retreads Get Going!
The following two quotes were in a news article in June 2009. “Worst Economy in a Generation,” Says Economist: Trucking especially hard hit, not likely to lead recovery "This is the worst economy in a generation," Robert Costello told the Los Angeles Transportation Club on Tuesday. There is no doubt that the trucking industry is
Studying Scraps: Scrap Tire Analysis May Reveal New Ways to Reduce Costs
Scrap Tire Analysis May Reveal New Ways to Reduce Costs With the thought of stepping away from the trees to view the beauty of the entire forest, consider where the most fertile source of information related not only to your tire program, but many other fleet performance and cost driven variables, can be found. Once
Pulling for Results: Entering Trailer Tire Market May Bring in Tidy Profits, Connections
Entering Trailer Tire Market May Bring in Tidy Profits, Connections With steady growth and little competition, entering the trailer tire market is something worth considering. While the demand isn’t nearly as great as it is for passenger or light truck tires – or even some other specialty tires – being one of a few dealers
Small Business, Big Ideas: Smaller Companies Offer Products to Fill a Niche in Your Business
Smaller Companies Offer Products to Fill a Niche in Your Business David triumphs again! That could be the slogan for many small companies who are pursuing the same consumer dollar that large companies are vying for. Except they are doing it on a tiny budget and throwing every available resource they have to capture the
It’s All About Relationships
“So, what’s new?” A common pitfall is to answer that question only in terms of individual products or services and not to appreciate fully the synergies that flow from component interactions that are becoming more common. For many years, truck manufacturing was accurately viewed as an assembly operation rather than an integrated engineering endeavor. Surely,
When Customers Complain: They Liked The Old Ones Better, But You Need to Know Why
We already know that despite the best efforts of every carmaker in the world, no two cars are the same. It’s the same with tiremakers and parts makers. This is not a finger-pointing expedition, it’s the truth. No two vehicles are identical. It’s impossible. Oh, and let’s not forget that no two drivers are the