Spring Brings Plenty of Wiper Sales
Wiper blades are first and foremost a safety item. They improve visibility through a windshield obscured by rain, snow or even mud, giving the driver more time to see and react to traffic or road hazards. They come in a bewildering array of part numbers, brands-within-brands, and with many alternative ways of describing the components.
March 2010 Sales Intelligence
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 dealers to obtain current pricing on replacement tires and vehicle services. InteliChek requests and verifies retail prices via phone calls, using specific vehicles,
Collaboration, Not Consolation, Should Guide Tire Regulations
The European tire industry did not wait until the legislator forced them to make progress on safer or cleaner tires. The industry voluntarily announced in November 2006 that it wanted to contribute to the global efforts for reducing CO2 emission while securing the safest tires on the market.” – European Tire & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association
Rolling Resistance: What Really Makes a Tire Fuel-Efficient?
res are carbon black and silica.The use of lower levels of filler and larger sized particles result inbetter rolling resistance. Carbon black is predominantly used in tires,but the use of silica has become a primary alternative to improverolling resistance. When silica is used to improve rolling resistance,it is traditionally used with a silane coupling agent,
Supply Nearly Meets Demand in OTR Segment, Market Loosening
The OTR tire market has gone through drastic supply and demand changes over the last several years, making it tough for dealers – and manufacturers – to adapt. The good news is things are forecasted to stabilize in the near future, even in the hard-to-produce 57- and 63-inch sizes. In the earlier part of the
Grab That Wheel: Create an Employee Handbook to Take Control
When most owners of tire businesses see the term “employee handbook,” they are likely to have one of several thoughts – usually all negative. You might be thinking that you simply don’t have time for that now, feeling that business is simply too tough to mess with minor details. “I’ll get to it when…”
Up to Snuff: Brake Service Tools & Equipment
s even more affordable if you don’t do much engine work. For more advanced ABS diagnostics, a digital oscilloscope (DSO) or graphing multimeter is a useful tool to own for observing wheel speed sensor outputs as a waveform. Learning how to use a scope properly takes some time, but once you understand it, it can
The ‘New’ Teamwork Approach to Problems
Communication, teamwork, cooperation, and other such buzzwords of the MBA consultants aren’t news to most of us who have been involved in the truck tire industry for more than a few years. No doubt, these are all good words, even worthy goals in many instances. But I’ve long had a bit of a problem with
Are Your Compressor Air Lines Leaking Profits?
As a tire dealer, you know the challenge of maintaining profits while facing ever-increasing costs. What you may not know is you can cut your compressed air costs substantially simply by updating your air piping system. Generating and maintaining compressed air is typically a tire shop’s second largest energy expense. A new, efficient air
After Strong 2009, Hankook Looks to Take it to Another Level
During Hankook Tire America’s recent dealer meeting in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tire Review had the opportunity to sit down and discuss a wide range of issues with its new president Soo Il Lee, Bill Bainbridge, director of brand communications, and Todd Hershberger, senior vice president of sales and marketing. How have you handled all
Why They Stay, Why They Leave
It was about 10 years ago that USA Today ran an article titled "High-Tech Skills Give Auto Mechanics More Power." In the article was a reference to a graduate from the automotive maintenance program of a technical college who was hoping to find a job for $25,000 to $30,000 after a worrisome search. Wasn’t he
The $300 Billion Minority
Who is the "minority" that accounts for 85% of all consumer purchases? Women. Women buy 60% of all new cars, 53% of all used cars, and spend $300 billion annually keeping their cars repaired. And yet, a recent study of 200 Chicago car dealerships by economists Ian Ayres and Peter Siegelman shows that women usually