Preparing Your Tire Shop for the Winter Season
Oldman Winter is starting to wake up. Before you know it, roads in many parts of the country will look more like skating rinks than areas to drive. While stocking up on winter tires may seem like the best option, things aren’t that simple. In this Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio video, we’ll go
Winter Tire Market Flat, But EV-Specific Products Bring Opportunity
Affected by pandemic supply chain disruptions and the uptick in sales of all-weather tires, the winter tire market in the U.S. has been largely flat in recent years. Despite the expectation that this will continue, tire dealers in snowy regions like the northern U.S. and Canada still should plan ahead to meet consumer demand in
The State of M&A in the Tire Industry for 2022
Merger and acquisition activity was subject to both significant catalysts and developing headwinds in 2022. The continued retail consolidation by the major and mid-tier retail consolidators remained strong coast to coast, with strategic buyers and private-equity-backed platforms driving activity, while new private equity entrants expressed interest in obtaining a retail consolidation platform or pursuing a
Hercules Tires’s Simpson: Adapting to Light Truck Tire Trends [Video]
In the past year, Hercules Tires has launched around six new products—including its first ag tire. Most recently, the company debuted its new mud-terrain tire in partnership with TIS Wheels, the TIS TT1, by Hercules, that targets larger fitments and aesthetics any off-roader would drool over. So, with a wide range of product launches, what’s
Hankook Tire Launches iON Evo EV Tires in the US
Hankook Tire America launched the company’s first tires specifically designed for electric vehicles (EVs) in the US. The iON evo AS and iON evo AS SUV are built with Hankook’s “EVolution” technology, which focuses on tread wear, noise reduction and unique grip performance for EVs, said the company. Rob Williams, senior vice president of North
Should You Re-Use Wheel Weights?
Imagine you’re replacing a customer’s tires. You have a little clip-on wheel weight in your hand you took off earlier and you think, “eh, seems alright, let’s just put it back on.” Well, this might be a mistake. Wheel weights might seem reusable and even inconsequential in the face of other parts, but you’ll be
Last-Mile Delivery Tires Set to Outpace Long-Haul Tire Volumes
Prior to the pandemic, the last-mile delivery (LMD) market was booming. So, when COVID-19 hit, and newly-homebound consumers placed even more online orders — retailers like Amazon shortened delivery times to two days, one day, or even same-day services — and the segment exploded. The surge in business brought even more demand for LMD tires,
Three Things to Keep Your Eye on in the New Year
Let’s face it: it’s harder to be an independent tire dealer today than in years past. That’s what longtime tire dealers we talk to—not only in interviews but also at ride-n-drives, on Johnny g & Friends and in What’s Treading episodes—tell us. From supply challenges to expanding tire sizes, the business has gotten complicated. And
Improve Your Business by Recognizing Employee Milestones
Technician shortages are affecting everybody. Even if you do hire someone right out of a technical school, there’s no guarantee that they will be high performers or have enough basic knowledge to do anything of use on the shop floor right away. With that being said, the shortage of new talent should make shop owners
Don’t Let Electrification Shock Your Shop
As a 50-year veteran of the tire industry, Ron Lautzenheiser is surprised at how many EVs his shops service. Believe it or not, he estimates that 5-10% of service across his four locations – two Big O Tires stores and two Grease Monkey stores in Fort Collins, Colorado—comes from EVs. While Ron has hopped on
Matching Your Customers with the Best Touring Tire
Picture this: You’ve prepared your list of symptoms and questions to ask the doc, but when the time comes to see them, they don’t seem to want to get to the bottom of your issues. Instead, they send you home with a prescription you’ve never heard of before. You pop two of those bad boys
Service Possibilities for Hydraulic Power Steering
While the number of vehicles with electric power steering is growing, hydraulic power steering is the choice for some platforms and applications both new and old. When replacing racks and pumps, not much has changed. But the differences are in the details. More on this in this Tire Review Continental Tire Garage Studio video. Some
