Tires Archives - Page 145 of 162 - Tire Review Magazine
Badge of Honor: Tire/Wheel Certification Offers Customer-Capturing Credibility

What is your impression of someone who has a professional certification? Admiration? Perhaps respect for the achievement or recognition? When you’re being treated for a common cold, do you go to a first-year med student because it isn’t a life threatening illness? Of course not! You see a licensed professional, such as a doctor or

Brilliant Disguise: All That Glitters is Not Gold, Especially When it Comes to Tire Supply

Reviewing the state of the medium truck tire market in the spring of 2005 is enough to make a fortune teller reach for the Pepto. There is a record demand for tires, what appears to be a tightening supply of those tires (depending on who you ask), a continuing strong demand for Class 8 power

Second Skin: For Retreaders, Technology and Service are the ‘Differentiators’ in Tough Market

Wherever the market for new truck tires decides it is headed, the retreading industry is hot on its heels. Of course, that job is a bit easier for Bridgestone/Firestone, Goodyear and Michelin, because they are involved in both. But even their allocation of time and money must be measured carefully. For companies like Bandag Inc.

Staggering Difference: Truck Fleets and Racing are Vastly Different, Strangely Similar

Many fleet operators still maintain that truck tires represent the second (to fuel) largest operating expense in their budget. This “truism” seems pretty amazing, considering the tremendous advances made in radial tire technology that have led to longer treadlife (original and retread), improved casing durability and much better resistance to injury. And it is surprising,

Back to Basics: Part 3: Compounding Can Be Dumbfounding

In the last issue of Tire Review, we talked about belt packages and left you with the promise that next time we would dig deep into the subject of rubber compounding – particularly multi-compounding. To help understand the complexities of compounding (and there are many) grab a stick of chewing gum and pull it slowly.

Knowledge is Power: Learning About Cutting-Edge Wheel Production Can Boost Sales

As the automotive industry incorporates more and more technology into every part of a vehicle, have you thought about how this technology is being used in the wheel industry? Let’s face it: You can have the most advanced drivetrain, telematics and fuel system known to man, but without a tire and wheel, it’s just a

Action and Reaction: Can Private Brands Survive a Shakeout?

When evaluating the private brand tires you carry, ask yourself one critical question: Can they survive a shakeout? “We are a pull through,” says Pat McLaughlin, president of SURE Tire, a cooperative buying group for private brand tires, about his business. “We can’t push anything into the market. We have to trail.” Reactionary. That’s the

Back to Basics: Part 2: Tire’s Belt Package Affects Comfort, Steering, Durability

In the January issue of Tire Review, we talked about the primary role of a tire’s bead and sidewall. Now, we’re going to move to the belt package. Let’s begin with some things you probably don’t know. For example, did you know that there are more parts in a tire’s belt system and carcass than

Flat-Out Progress?

One of the new technologies introduced recently by a major tire company really has the trucking industry talking – at least in certain vocational segments that have consistent problems with downtime due to tire punctures. In the commercial truck tire market, the problem of punctures peaked as the era of tube-type bias ply tires drew

Let’s Get Vertical

For those of you who have been involved in off-road racing, hill climbing and rock crawling, you know what I’m talking about. And for those of you who think that drifting is the only motorsport showing growth, I have something to tell you! Over the last few years, the popularity of all manner of off-road

Good Times, Hard Times: With Global Demand Straining OTR Tire Supply, Dealers Must Again Look to Customer Service For Profit Growth, Experts Say

After five or so years of just scraping by, the North American OTR tire market is enjoying a happy problem – warehouse-emptying sales. In fact, the global OTR tire business is having the same problem. But that happy problem has created a larger, more ominous issue: inventories are virtually non-existent, backorders are heavy and manufacturers

Aligning Rigs

Several months ago, a trucking industry friend asked me, “How often should I align my trucks?” This is a fair question, to be sure, similar to those asked when establishing proper oil change intervals or setting time and mileage limits for cooling system maintenance. Before giving him a simple time interval, though, it occurred to