Get Pumped Up: Longer Tire Life, Fuel Savings Claims Heat Up Nitrogen Inflation
The gas from the past is making news again, and this time the story has legs. There’s nothing new about nitrogen inflation of tires. It’s been around since Texan Dr. Larry Sperberg brought it to our attention in 1968. That’s when he pronounced that a tire wears out from the inside out – a process
Hot Winter Wheels
If you’re busy ordering winter tires right now, don’t forget about the wheels. It’s July. It’s hot. You’re about to melt, and it’s time to think about winter wheels? That’s right ®“ winter wheel season will be creeping upon us in a few months. So, why not talk about winter wheels now? Just like winter
Livin’ Large
em handy. Over time, you’ll learn most of the bolt patterns and offsets available for each vehicle. Let’s walk through a sale. Your customer has a 1999 Honda Accord with factory 15-inch wheels. This vehicle is a good example to use for this exercise for several reasons. First, it’s a very popular car for customizing.
Heavyweight Challenge: Understanding Customers’ Pain Points Can Boost Your Medium Truck Tire Sales
Turns out country singers are right ®“ a trucker’s life is hard. But we’re not talking about lonely stretches of highway. We’re talking business. “There will be a serious strain on the supply of medium truck tires available in 2004, and possibly through 2006, both at the OE and dealer levels,” says Ron Gilbert, director
Inside Information: RFID Technology Bolsters Tire Management
Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology isn’t new. But when it comes to using RFID technology to track truck tires instead of a skid of laundry soap, what’s old is becoming new again. At his trailer yard in Moses Lake, Wash., Lee McGraw, equipment maintenance manager for regional carrier LTI, scans the tires on 21 tractors
Next Big Thing: Fleets Still Want Retreads But Prefer Greater Cost Efficiencies
Today, retreading is an integral part of most successful commercial tire servicing operations. The synergy gained from combining replacement tire sales with tire/wheel servicing and retreading makes good business sense from the viewpoints of both the fleet customer and the tire dealer. Truck fleet operators, both small and large, have precious little time and few
Fleets to Tire Dealers: Give Me Super Savings
He doesn’t like to talk about his experiences with super wide tires very much. “Gives me a competitive advantage over my competition,” he says. But Jimmy Ray, maintenance manager for Mesilla Valley Transportation in New Mexico, is one of a growing band of fleet converts. The 600 tractors and 1,500 trailers he oversees used to
Mutual Rewards: The Case for Outsourcing Has Never Been Stronger
“We hang on to our tire dealership relationships for dear life,” says Gary F. Petty, president and CEO of the National Private Truck Council (NPTC). Petty presumably speaks for most private fleets when he says, ®a lot of them rely on tire dealerships for servicing the tire function. They need that special expertise.® Without question,
Steel Makeover: There Are Savings, But Not Without Concerns
If you’re a tire dealer that currently provides steel wheel refinishing to your commercial truck tire customers, it may be to your benefit to take a close look at recent progress in new machinery and processes for inspecting and refinishing wheels. If you’re a fleet maintenance manager facing dozens of well-used steel wheels, it®™s a
Futuristic Fleets
Radial truck tires have come a long way in the last several decades. Initial tread mileage, resistance to irregular wear, fuel efficiency and casing durability/retreadability are some of the major areas of advancement. Over the long haul, gains in tire technology are impressive, but progress is historically slow and methodical, evolutionary in nature and not
Marketing Wheels
Over the last several months, you’ve learned a great deal about new products. That’s good, but if you don’t have the right product or, worse, too much of the wrong product, you can’t close a deal. Now, it’s time to develop your business and selling skills. In this first of a two-part segment, we’ll discuss
Get Hitched!: Selling Specialized Trailer and RV Tires Easy Money for Dealers
Trailers and RVs are hot right now, and selling specialized tires for them can mean easy money for dealers Rick Coffey is feeling pretty good these days. As product manager for the high-speed division of Carlisle Tire and Wheel Co., which offers trailer tires, Coffey has watched his sales skyrocket. All high-speed tire plants are