For as long as there have been tires, there have been tire prices. And, price increases.

And for as long as there have been prices increases, there have been lame excuses. No, not the current blame on raw material and energy costs (those are very real, and very dangerous), but rather the excuses we (the media) get from certain tire companies that chose to hide their price hikes.

Back in the day, all of the tiremakers liked to play these “Spy vs. Spy” games with their price increase information (even though those “increases” dissipated literally within hours of the “announcement”). We’d have to go around the horn and suss out the details like a plumber chasing a clog. Except back then there were dozens of these clogs.

Modern days have been kinder. First of all, there are a lot fewer tiremakers. Second, there is much greater cooperation. All of the tire firms based in Japan send out tidy news releases when they have price increases. So do the European producers. South Koreans? Most of them.

All of the “majors” that do direct business in the U.S. send out a press advisory when they have a price increase. All, that is, except two.

Goodyear and Cooper.

Yes, we do carry stories of Cooper and Goodyear price increases. I can’t tell you how we get that information, but let’s just say there is an ample underground for contraband information. One that is wholly unnecessary and quite silly, given current Federal securities laws. For instance, if I call and ask what color socks the chairman is wearing that day, by law they have to tell me. If I inquire as to what the featured entre at the company cafeteria is, they have to find out and tell me.

I’m kidding, of course. I know full well that one of the two gentlemen doesn’t even wear socks.

The point is this: When your company tells your dealers that you are going to be more transparent and easier to do business with, shouldn’t those “promises” extend to the simple things? Shouldn’t those “promises” extend to all of your business partners?

Seems like the whole rest of the world isn’t scared about showing their cards. What exactly are you trying to hide?

* * * * * *

I have left a few welts on plaintiff attorney hides over the years. So in utter fairness I must pat a lawyer on the back, this being “Pat a Lawyer on the Back Day” and all.

In San Francisco, self-described “accident attorney” Claude Wyle recently wrote an article urging drivers buying only two new tires to make sure the fresh rubber is mounted on the rear axle.

I know, I was stunned, too.

Mr. Wyle got it spot on, though, as it is a well-known fact (well, at least until you readers start using this space to argue the subject again) that deeper treaded tires on the rear is the rule of thumb. He even placed a Michelin logo on his blog page!

“Whether you’re driving a front-wheel drive (FWD), rear-wheel drive (RWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicle, it is important for safety to know the basics of tire placements on your vehicle,” he wrote. “ HYPERLINK "http://www.michelinman.com/tire-care/tire-basics/reartire-change/" Reduce car accidents by decreasing your chances of hydroplaning or spinning.

“How do you do this? By making sure that you put your best tires in the rear. If your tires are not as good on the front of the vehicle, this may cause understeer, which is potentially bad, but often correctable. If your tires are not as good on the rear, this may cause oversteer or even spinning, which is much worse and more difficult to correct.”

Straight-forward, honest, truthful advice. From a lawyer, of all people.

Mr. Wyle also included a real life story from his files: “Recently, I represented the family of a woman who rented a car from one of the big rental car companies which will go unidentified here. It was winter and raining when they rented this lady the car. This company had left one bald tire on the rear of a rental car, and even though this car was FWD, the bad tire caused the vehicle to lose traction on wet pavement. The car spun out of control and this woman slid onto the wrong side of the road and was killed. This wrongful death was 100% preventable by simple basic maintenance of the rental car. The rental car company was made accountable. However, preventable death should never come to pass in this day and age in the USA.”

Wish we could all get our facts that straight.