Tire Rack Takes Honors in Yokohama Dealer Challenge

In addition to serving as a series sponsor for the 18th year and providing Advan racing slicks for the Atlantic cars, Yokohama created a special program designed for some of its top passenger tire dealers from across the country. Eight retail dealers were assigned three current Atlantic drivers to support for the 12 Atlantic races.

The 2006 Yokohama Atlantic Dealer Challenge began in April in Long Beach, Calif. Participating dealers included Big O, Conrad’s Tire Express, Discount Tire, National Tire and Battery (NTB), Tire Kingdom, Tire Rack, Tires Warehouse and Wheel Works.

"It was an exciting ending to a great season for our dealers," said Robert Dole, Yokohama product promotion manager. "Everyone really got into this program, and it was fun to have both our dealer championship contenders at the track together during the weekend. Thank you to all of our dealers for a job well done and special congratulations to Tire Rack and Simon Pagenaud on winning it all."

If you’re a shop looking to sell summer tires, it’s important to know that customers looking for these tires have very specific needs. Let’s talk about why, before recommending summer tires, you need to fully understand customer performance requirements.

Unlike all-season or all-terrain tires built for diverse driving conditions, UHP summer tires are designed with one priority: dry and wet traction for performance driving. Lateral and longitudinal grip in dry and wet conditions are also important, which is achieved through optimized contact patches, high silica tread compounds and circumferential grooves to channel water. Generally, UHP summer tire tread design features large blocks and fewer grooves for more road contact on dry surfaces. The grooves are designed to channel water away from the tire, reducing the risk of hydroplaning on wet roads.