2009 Editions Archives - Page 4 of 12 - Tire Review Magazine
2009 Top Shop Finalist: Jack Williams Tire & Auto Center

Jack Williams Tire Co. is no stranger to disaster. Founded just before the stock market crashed in 1929 and ravaged by a hurricane in the early 1970s, Jack Williams not only survived, it built a successful tire and service business that is integral to eastern Pennsylvania. And that perseverance, coupled with exemplary customer service, innovative

R-Compound Tires Bring Dealers Recognition, Loyalty

– R-compound (racing) tires, to be exact – could be the key to attracting new customers, bringing in added sales opportunities and boosting a dealership’s brand recognition. R-compound tires – AKA street-legal, DOT-compliant tires – are used primarily by weekend racers for autocross, racetrack or rally performance. Because they were never intended to be driven

The Tools and Manuals Needed to Service Today’s TPMS

/>In general, a good TPMS tool should have the following features, according to Bartec: the ability to audit the vehicle before the wheel is broken down; the ability to know all of the different low frequency wakeup patterns to transmit and activate the sensors on each type of make/­model/year combination; and the ability to establish

Dodging Disaster: Follow These Simple Steps to Avoid Costly Wheel-Offs

cy, broken or stripped wheel studs, warped disc brake rotors or loose wheels. Here’s a warning from a major insurance underwriter: Loose and missing lug nuts have resulted in terrible car wrecks, severe injuries, fatalities, bad publicity and expensive litigation. Although you may think technicians would never forget to reinstall and properly tighten the lug

Top Shop Honorees Share More Keys to Success

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 derive the best product for a given application. As we head to Las Vegas and

Manage Inventory Systems to Your Advantage

As we approach 2010 we can no longer look at inventory management as we once did. Now, we must look at not only the best point-of-sale software at the front service counter, but also back office operations and tire storage racks. Making the most use out of tying all three together will make a shop

Today’s Service Trucks Offer New, Improved Features

Versatility is the name of the game in many aspects of today’s tire business, including service trucks. Currently, tire service truck suppliers provide many options. Durability is among the most important features built into every truck – this not only helps offset fuel costs, but prevents the need to purchase a new service truck before

Looking Long Term: Kanwar Has Apollo Tyre Focused…and on the Move

When Onkar Kanwar took over Apollo Tyres Ltd. In 1980, the company was a huge mess. Bad tires and worse management had driven the company – founded by his father in 1976 – into bankruptcy, its net worth wiped out five times over. But nearly 30 years later, the 66-year-old chairman sits atop India’s largest

Fixing a Hole: Total Tariff Fallout Still TBD, But Wrong Parties Were Wronged

The dust still isn’t settled on the president’s ill-advis­ed smackdown of China-made consumer tires. There have been plenty of claims, counterclaims, predictions, wringing of hands and well-moistened crying towels, but few tangibles to date. Despite all of the Chicken Little-ing, the sky has yet to fall and we are no closer to having a handle

Lack of Support? Dealer Says ‘We Don’t Know How to Make Our Voices Heard’

I’m usually the type of dealer that sits back and watches as events happen in our industry. That doesn’t mean I don’t care, it’s just that as an independent dealer I don’t really know how or what I can do to change things. That was until today, when I read the New York Times article

October 2009 Sales Intelligence

Covering Bangor, Maine.; Cheyenne, Wyo.; Cleveland, Ohio; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles, Calif.; and Macon, Ga., retail tire marketsduring period of Sept. 23-25. Tire Re­view and InteliChek present up-to-date tire and service price information from U.S. metropolitan areas. For this monthly feature, InteliChek directly contacts a selection of independent tire dealers, mass merchants and car

2009 Market Influencers

For the last 10 years, Tire Review editors have shined a clear spotlight on the issues, people, companies and products we think will have a significant impact on the North American tire market in the coming year. Sometimes we’ve been right, sometimes we’ve been dead wrong, and sometimes we have really been out there –