Pace of Change
Michelin North America has declared 2004 to be the "Year of Performance," so there couldn’t have been a better way to start its ultra-high performance push than to give trade and enthusiast journalists a taste of real performance ®€“ on the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona, Spain
Another Twisted Tale
We Americans love to twist the words we think we hear to suit our sensibilities. Politicians understand this, which is why they speak in sound bites. American media does its part by clouding the facts of the news with buzzwords and hype, scaring instead of informing, stretching reality to suit what sells. "Must see" news
Ride & Drives: Looks So Easy, but More Than Just A Little Planning Goes Into Ride & Drive Events
When dealers hear the term "Ride & Drive," they tend to think of their tire supplier hosting an event to show off its hot new product. The event is usually at some nice locale like Phoenix, Las Vegas or Orlando. Generally, the colder the weather at home, the warmer the event location. And, with luck,
Planning the Perfect Bay
eir job is to use the opportunity to make you money. OK, Now What? Once you’ve assembled a list of recommendations, the next thing to figure out is which changes will give you the most bang for your buck. Spending $50,000 on a new state-of-the-art alignment system may not be a wise investment if your
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.
East Beats West
As with so many fads, fashions and technologies, the Japanese – more precisely, the Japanese youth ®€“ are credited with starting the now-burgeoning sport compact tuner business. It started first on Left Coast with Japanese sport compact models, and moved slowly east. Across the continent, European sport compacts were the rides of choice as the East Coast tuner influence headed west.
Know Your Limits
Once again, this fine publication is giving me an opportunity to write an article. For those who aren’t familiar with me, I’m Jimmy Smith, son of the editor of this magazine. You might remember the column I wrote for Tire Review a couple of years ago about driver’s education.
Industry Report
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. received a one-month extension from its various banks to comply with loan agreement covenants that, among other things, would have forced the struggling tiremaker to make a $500 million contribution to its underfunded pension program. The extension was granted Mar. 5, two days before a temporary waiver was set to expire, and expires Apr. 4.
Industry Report
Troubled Goodyear N.A. Unit Gets Rich
Industry Report
Famed Calif. Dealer May Disappear