Lead the Charge: Hybrid Vehicles Need Hybrid Care – So Be the Local Expert
No sense in ignoring hybrid vehicles any longer. They’re here to stay. They are not a trend. Every year since 2000, the sale of hybrid vehicles in the U.S. has doubled. According to ABI Research, by 2006, sales of hybrid vehicles will account for 10% of the two million mid-size vehicles sold annually in the
Profit in Steel Wheels?: Advances in Steel-Alloy Wheels Can Mean Profitable Upgrades
You read that right. There’s profit in steel wheels – if you offer a wheel that looks like chrome but is priced like steel. Over the last several years, you’ve probably noticed a few OE wheels that were basically steel but had a chrome-plated ‘skin’ applied over the base. Most were simple in design and
Patterns & Offsets: More New Bolt Pattern/Offset Combinations Have Emerged
More new bolt pattern/offset combinations have emerged in the last few years than in the last 20 years combined. Remember when there were only a dozen common bolt patterns, and almost everything had a standard offset? Oh, how I long for those days. Today, though, we have double that number, and it seems we are
Wheel Anatomy: Part II
Last month, we began a multi-part series on the concepting, design and production of today’s hot custom wheels with an inside look at cast one-piece aluminum wheels. This month, we’re going to touch on the newest forged one-piece wheels and then describe two-piece wheels. Forged wheels are literally forged in a press and made into
Call of the Wild: BFGoodrich Off-Road Tires Take on 400-Mile Stretch of the Open Baja
BFGoodrich Off-Road Tires Take on 400-Mile Stretch of the Open Baja
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
Industry Report
Still a Long Road Ahead for Troubled TiremakerDespite posting the worst losses in the company’s 105-year history, things began to look up for the financially troubled Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. during a hectic early spring.
When in Rome
Anyone in this industry will tell you, when Pirelli does something, they do it big. Pirelli Tire North America’s (PTNA) recent rollout of four new tires was a two-week worldwide event, with dozens of enthusiast, tire and financial journalists and well over 100 North American dealers in attendance.
Altering the Landscape: Dealers Battle Consolidations, Competition For OTR Business
Altering the Landscape Dealers Battle Consolidations, Competition For OTR Business Consolidations, tighter budgets, increased competition. Sounds like any type of industry. But not every industry deals with vehicles capable of moving 100 tons of earth and mineral. Much like the landscapes it works in, the OTR business has changed over the years. The number of
Industry Report
Gone In Name Only‘New’ BFAH Gets $1.3 Billion Infusion