Modern Tire Dealer - October 2018 by EndeavorBusinessMedia-VehicleRepairGroup

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The Industry’s Leading Publication October 2018, Volume 99, Number 10

DEPARTMENTS 4 Editorial Unsafe used tire laws: If we know what to avoid, why do we need legislation?

F E AT U R E S 22 Gotcha! Are you ready if reporters target you during Sweeps Week?

6 moderntiredealer.com

News and navigation tools for MTD’s website

8 News/Views Hurricane recovery is underway: Nine Black’s Tire stores were damaged

16 Your Marketplace

Commercial Tire DealerTM

28 New stores, strategies and services

Sell-out trends continue to move in a favorable direction

18 On the Rise Nick Fox, Point S Capital City Tire & Auto and Point S J&J Tire & Auto, Helena, Mont.

Commercial dealers adapt to a challenging environment

34 2018 Modern Tire Dealer Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers in the U.S.

20 Numbers that Count Relevant statistics from an industry in constant motion

62 European Notebook Tire dumping is still an ugly reality in Europe: Financial incentives abound for recycling

tire trends 38 Specialty Radialization is maturing, while tariffs are a concern

64 Mergers and Acquisitions Potential buyers expect EBITDA to be at least 10% of sales

Focus on Industry 66 From Amazon to DieHard: Our Q&A with Mike McCarthy sheds light on Sears Automotive

68 Retail tire store No. 1,000!

vs. tires 40 Tracks New technology gives one the edge in most cases

52 Small OTR tire suppliers

talk about the U.S. market

And Discount Tire hopes to double that

Pirelli joins providers offering OTR products to tire dealers

70 Virginia Tire & Auto builds a pipeline for growth: Goal is to take the stress out of auto repair

72 AAPEX 2018 plans to keep you ahead of the curve: Emerging technologies will be examined in educational sessions

60 Commercially Viable

76 TPMS Volvo S-Series 2005-2015

84 Power Products 96 Ad index

97 Classified

ON THE COVER:

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38 w w w . M o d e r n T i r e D e a l e r. c o m

Editorial

Unsafe used tire laws IF WE KNOW WHAT TO AVOID, WHY DO WE NEED LEGISLATION? By

Bob Ulrich

oth the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) and Tire Industry Association (TIA) support legislation specifically designed to prevent the installation of unsafe used tires on motor vehicles. That begs the question, “Who wouldn’t?” Why would anyone support anything that is unsafe? Daredevils and adrenaline junkies aside, no one would. That leads to my next question: Why do we need legislation essentially codifying the obvious? What’s next, legislation banning people from playing with fire or extremely sharp knives? To date, only three states have passed bills that prohibit the installation or sale of unsafe used tires: Maryland in 2013, Colorado in 2014 and New Jersey in 2017. Arizona (HB2160), Indiana (HB1174), Ohio (SB223), Tennessee (HB1986 and SB1985) and Texas (HB2774) have similar legislation in various stages of development. Almost all the bills similarly define when a used tire is unsafe, using language drafted by USTMA and TIA working together. For example, here’s what the latest bill, Ohio SB223, defines as unsafe: • worn-out tires with tread depths of under 2/32 inch; • tires with damage that exposes inner components such as body plies or steel belts; • tires with inner liner damage; • tires with improper repairs; • damaged tires treated with tire sealants but not subsequently repaired to industry standards; • tires missing their U.S. Department of Transportation Identification Number (TIN).

“Safety is the tire manufacturing industry’s number one priority,” said Anne Forristall Luke, CEO and president of USTMA. “Tire manufacturers share the concern of federal and state highway safety officials, safety advocates, the automotive industry and others that our nation must do more to mitigate the risk of vehicle crashes. “That is why USTMA advocates state legislation to prohibit the installation of unsafe used tires. This legislation targets specific used tires that exhibit well-defined criteria that would make a tire unsafe.” USTMA has taken point on rallying state lawmakers around unsafe used tire legislation. TIA has “assisted indirectly with grassroots efforts by mobilizing local dealers and state and regional associations,” said Roy Littlefield IV, TIA’s director of government affairs. “TIA opposes the sale or installation of unsafe used tires.

Used tires that exhibit out-of-service conditions should not be sold or installed. We consider the condition to be a factor.” In truth, USTMA isn’t comfortable with the sale of any used passenger or light truck tires. “Once a used tire is resold as a replacement, it’s a risky proposition for motorists,” says USTMA on its website. USTMA explains that there is risk associated with the installation of used tires “that have uncertain or unknown history.” In addition, not all tire damage is outwardly visible. When I asked Luke if there is any way to make sure a used tire is safe, here is what she told me. “All new tires sold in the U.S. must meet stringent federal safety standards. Once a tire has been mounted on a vehicle and driven, it’s considered a used tire, and it may be resold with virtually no restrictions. “There are many questions consumers should ask when purchasing used tires: How was it previously used? Was it stored properly? Was it safely maintained? Was it ever repaired? Every variable has a major impact on driver safety. Because damaged or improperly maintained tires are outright dangerous to all drivers, USTMA is focused on prohibiting the installation of tires that meet certain conditions known to be unsafe.” USTMA’s definition of an unsafe used tire is more in-depth than the statutory language it promotes at the state level. In Tire Information Service Bulletin Vol. 45, No. 5, it does not recommend installing a used consumer tire if it exhibits any of 16 specific characteristics. Luke is also a realist. “Millions of used tires would still enter the market every year under any USTMA-supported proposal,” she said. As part of its Certified Automotive Tire Service Training Program, TIA teaches tire dealers how to analyze tire conditions for optimum performance. The same inspection steps can be used to help determine whether a used tire is unfit for sale. With the definition of an unsafe used tire pretty well established, plus training available on how to inspect a tire, I still wish we would try and stay away from government intervention on this issue. Governance and micro-management go hand-in-hand all too often. At least neither USTMA nor TIA is pursuing unsafe used tire regulations on the federal level, choosing instead to let states decide for themselves. Independent tire dealers have been successfully selling used tires to people in need for more than 100 years. They know what to do. And if they need help, TIA and the USTMA can guide them. ■ If you have any questions or comments, please email me at bob.ulrich@bobit.com.

MTD October 2018

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Tire prices are on the rise Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC and Bridgestone Americas Inc. and the Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. all announced plans to raise tire prices within the past month. With the exception of Bridgestone upping ag tire prices, the hikes were on PLT tires. “As long as retail remains in growth mode, price increases are likely to stick,” says John Healy of Northcoast Research Holdings LLC (see his “Your Marketplace” column on page 16). Here are our top 10 news items from www.moderntiredealer.com. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Discount Tire opens milestone 1,000th store Updated: Bridgestone will hike PLT tire prices Oct. 1 4 new members join the TIA board of directors Nexen releases tire shopping app for consumers ATD reduces debt by up to $1.1 billion Cooper will raise consumer tire prices on Oct. 1 Virginia Tire & Auto expands in Springfield Sears takes its Amazon tire installation service national Firestone ag tire prices will increase Goodyear tire prices are on their way up

Bob.Marinez@bobit.com (330) 899-2200, ext. 2217

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MODERN TIRE DEALER (ISSN 00268496) (CDN IPM #40013413) (USPS #369-170) is published monthly by Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger St., Torrance, California 90503-1640. Periodicals postage paid at Torrance, CA 90503-9998 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MODERN TIRE DEALER, P.O. Box 3312, Northbrook, IL 60065-3312. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for address changes to take effect. Subscriptions in the U.S. and its possessions, $65; Canadian, $99; Int’l surface mail, $99; Int’l airmail, $198. Single copies, $10, except the January Facts Issue, $30. Address all subscription correspondence to MODERN TIRE DEALER, P.O. Box 3312, Northbrook, IL 60065-3312. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks to receive your first issue. Please address Editorial and Advertising correspondence to MODERN TIRE DEALER, 3515 Massillon Road, Suite 350, Uniontown, OH 44685-6217. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in whole or in part without consent of Bobit Business Media. All statements made, although based on information believed to be reliable and accurate, cannot be guaranteed and no fault or liability can be accepted for error or omission. For your information: We sometimes make our subscriber information (i.e. fax, e-mail or mailing address) available to carefully screened organizations whose products and services may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to have your information made available, please write MODERN TIRE DEALER, P.O. Box 3312, Northbrook, IL 60065-3312.

MTD October 2018

News/Views

Hurricane recovery is underway NINE BLACK’S TIRE STORES WERE DAMAGED

hen Hurricane Florence Benton says the company will made landfall on Sept. repair the stores and give the affected 14, it dropped rain by locations facelifts. In the meantime, the foot, unleashed 90 mph winds Black’s Tire will place trailers on and churned slowly along the Carothose sites so it can continue to lina coast. operate and serve customers safely. “It was our second 500-year flood “We want to make sure we don’t in two years,” says Rick Benton, drop any service.” vice president of purchasing and It’s too early to assign a dollar marketing at Black’s Tire Service amount to the damages. Inc., based in Whiteville, N.C. The “We lost half a month,” he says. “It family-owned tire business also could have been a whole lot worse.” had stores damaged in 2016 by Black’s Tire has three stores in Lumberton, N.C. One store Colony Tire Corp. has 32 stores on the north side of town had 2 feet of water inside and ap- in the Carolinas and Virginia, and Hurricane Matthew. in the Weather Channel’s coverage of the storm. “It Recovery from Hurricane Flor- peared Ashley Aydlett, marketing manhad never flooded before,” says Rick Benton. ence is underway. Benton says ager, says most of its stores made almost one-third of the company’s to impress upon delivery drivers that they it through the storm with minor operations were affected by the storm. Nine can’t follow the regular routes suggested by damage, though the Kinston location was stores suffered a direct hit. GPS. Black’s Tire has maintained contact flooded. Business in other communities has All of the company’s employees are safe, with the North Carolina Department of been interrupted, “but things are slowly but many are displaced from their homes. Transportation to stay on top of which starting to get back to normal.” Two weeks after the storm hit some of roads are open or closed. Jeff Davis is among the lucky ones those workers were finally gaining access In all, nine Black’s Tire retail stores were in Kinston. He’s the general manager of to their homes. One manager discovered damaged — they were the ones closest to Davis Wholesale Tire Co., the business 6 feet of water inside. “That’s the biggest the epicenter of the storm. There are four his father Reuben Davis opened in 1955. thing, your people got hit, too.” Black’s Tire stores in Wilmington, where the Davis Wholesale Tire — which, despite its The company sheltered many displaced storm crossed onto shore. Roofs and facades name, is primarily a retail business — sits employees at its headquarters and training of the buildings were shredded by record only a half mile away from the Neuse River. center, and other locations, including the winds. As the storm made landfall the “But we’re high. We’re probably the highhome of President Ricky Benton. Generators National Weather Service measured peak est business on this stretch of businesses. powered the Black’s Tire headquarters for wind gusts in Wilmington that shattered We’ve been through (Hurricane) Floyd, nearly a week. records set by Hurricane Donna in 1960. Matthew and Florence and we’ve never The company’s wholesale divihad water get into our building.” sion, BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors, Still, business has been interoperates from four main distribution rupted. After the storm hit, floodcenters. Benton says those facilities waters blocked all routes to the store. weathered the wind and rain, but Once there was a path to travel, there flooded roadways remain probwas no internet or telephone service. lematic. The company continued “We’ve had some inconvenience, to make deliveries, and Sept. 24 whereas a lot of people have had was the first day BTS was able to total devastation.” get all of its trucks out on the road, The damage has inspired plenty even though not all of its wholesale of goodwill. TBC Corp. established a customers were open for business. hurricane relief fund so its employees “Some people have wind damage, could help fellow associates affected some had flood damage.” by the storm. The company matched Detours from flooded roads and those gifts and raised almost $25,000. washed out bridges have delayed American Tire Distributors Inc. deliveries to BTS customers, and took similar action, and set a goal also waylaid shipments from tire of raising $10,000 for its associates manufacturers. “We’re so far behind,” in the Carolinas. It exceeded that Benton says, noting it’s been hard Flood waters surrounded a Black’s Tire store in Lumberton. goal in 10 days. — Joy Kopcha

MTD October 2018

WHEREVER

WHENEVER

Firestone Transforce HT2 tires cover 96% of light trucks, SUVs and commercial vans combined.

News/Views

ATD enhances its TireBuyer online sales platform

Bites Bridgestone raises prices

Kumho hikes tire prices Prices of Kumho brand passenger, light truck and medium truck tires sold in the U.S. increased by up to 6% on Oct. 1, 2018. Kumho Tire USA Inc. The price adjustment reflects economic factors such as increased raw material costs, says Shawn Denlein, executive vice president of sales and marketing.

Nexen prices will go up Nov. 1 Price increases of up to 6% on Nexen consumer tires sold in the U.S. will go into effect Nov. 1, 2018. Nexen Tire America Inc. cites growing transportation and logistics costs as two reasons for the price increases, which vary by SKU (www.nexentireusa.com).

Alliance Tire will raise prices Alliance Tire Americas Inc. (ATA) will increase prices up to 4% across its Alliance, Galaxy and Primex product lines on Nov. 1, 2018. The price changes are reflective of market conditions and increased transportation costs, says the company.

Dayton TBR prices are raised In response to increased business costs and other market dynamics, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations increased prices on Dayton radial truck and bus tires by 10%. The prices went into effect Sept. 24, 2018.

Hercules donates tires Hercules Tire & Rubber Co. has donated tires to a pair of Ohio schools to promote the advancement of “future automotive professionals,” says Joshua Simpson, senior vice president of proprietary brands. The schools are: Millstream Career Center in Findlay and Owens Community College in Toledo.

Apollo produces truck tires Apollo Tyres Ltd.’s Hungarian truck tire facility is officially up and running. The first tires produced by the plant, Apollo Endurace RT HD tires in size 385/65R22.5, have been fitted to the trucks of a Belgian transport company.

merican Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) is enhancing its TireBuyer online sales platform to make it easier for consumers to buy tires online. “As consumers’ needs evolve, so does our online platform, making it easier than ever for shoppers to get the tires, wheels and a growing selection of automotive products they need -- where and when they need them,” says Mark Staudinger, president of ATD’s TireBuyer subsidiary. ATD says the enhancements include:

• a new, insightful product recommendation engine; • easy search tools; • proprietary fitments; • seasonal updates and deals; and • enhanced mobile compatibility “for shoppers on the go.”

“The website features will give our shoppers even more confidence when they go to purchase tires,” says Staudinger. “With easy search tools, personalized recommendations, proprietary fitments

and enhanced mobile capability, we are continuing to raise the bar for our shoppers and in doing so, we’re helping transform the tire industry in the digital age.” To view TireBuyer’s new features and fresh look, see www.tirebuyer.com. In 2019, TireBuyer will be implementing additional enhancements to the site, adds ATD. TireBuyer offers consumers not only access to products at ATD’s more than 120 warehouses nationwide, but also a network of nearly 10,000 partnered dealerships and automotive service centers that keep their installation costs and the price of the tire minus ATD’s normal wholesale price. For the consumer, TireBuyer’s exclusive “Installer Advantage” program guarantees install rates, provides 45-day easy returns, and ships tires within one or two days to one of its partnered installers for free. If necessary, tire returns also are free. TireBuyer offers access to ATD’s more than 120 distribution warehouses across the U.S.

Wells returns to Goodyear as CFO

oodyear Tire ciation) agreement with & Rubber Co. the United Steelworkers has named union for post-retirement Darren Wells executive healthcare obligations. vice president and chief Wells later served as financial officer. He sucpresident of Goodyear’s ceeds Laura Thompson, Europe, Middle East who in June announced and Africa (EMEA) her intention to retire in business for two years the first quarter of 2019 before leaving the comfollowing a 35-year capany in early 2016. He reer with the company. is currently executiveIn his first stint, Wells was a key Wells, 52, returns to leader, says Goodyear’s Kramer. in-residence and MBA the company he joined coach at the University in 2002 as vice president and treasurer. of South Florida’s Muma College of He progressed through a series of finance Business. leadership roles and served as executive “With his deep knowledge of Goodyear, vice president and chief financial officer the tire industry and our key markets, for five years from 2008-2013. Darren will be able to contribute immeGoodyear says Wells was the architect diately to advancing our priorities along of its capital allocation plan, the freezing with developing our finance leadership, and funding of its U.S. pension plans talent and teams,” says Richard Kramer, as well as the groundbreaking VEBA Goodyear’s chairman, chief executive (Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Assoofficer and president. COURTESY OF GOODYEAR

Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC increased prices of its consumer tires in the U.S. beginning Oct. 1. The company adjusted prices up to 3.5% “across a range of passenger and light truck replacement tires sold in the U.S.”

MTD October 2018

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All-Steel casing Extra-long tread life Excellent traction Superior stability Steel belts

News/Views

Smithers Rapra expands facility

Bites Dan Nothdurft, founder and president of Tires Tires Tires, has been elected secretary by the Tire Industry Association (TIA) Board of Directors. He will officially join the TIA board as secretary on Oct. 29, 2018, 32 years and one day after he founded his dealership.

Get assistPro via website Rotary Lift, a Vehicle Service Group brand, has made its free professional facility planning assistance service, assistPro, accessible from its website. Customers can now connect to the Rotary Lift Building Information Modeling Library directly from Rotary’s website at rotarylift.com/Home/ Support/assistPRO/.

Atec promotes Eri Muca Eri Muca is the new director of aftermarket sales at Ateq TPMS Tools LC. He will work closely with Bruno Rousseau, global TPMS sales manager, and Davy Leboucher, Ateq North American C

SEMA explains Prop 65 A brochure examining California’s Proposition 65 is available to Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) members by calling (202) 783-6007. It includes tips on how to comply. Prop 65 alerts consumers to potential exposure to chemicals associated with causing cancer or “reproductive harm.”

Index honors tire makers Four tire companies have been named to the global Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 2018: Bridgestone Corp., Hankook Tire Co. Ltd., Nokian Tyres plc and Pirelli & Cie SpA. Pirelli was named the leader in the Auto Components category.

Engelhardt joins Schrader Schrader Performance Sensors, a part of Sensata Technologies, has hired Lee Engelhardt as its regional sales manager for North Central United States. He will be based in Michigan and will report directly to Robert Tinson, Schrader’s senior national sales manager for North America.

Bridgestone hires Vernier Taylor Vernier has joined Bridgestone Americas Inc. as director of marketing and merchandising for the GCR Tires & Service (GCR) business. In this role, he will oversee advertising, promotion and digital activities.

LAB FEATURES A $7 MILLION TIRE TESTING SYSTEM

mithers Rapra recently unveiled the MTS Flat-Trac CT Plus Tire Test System at an open house in Ravenna, Ohio. The $7 million system was added to the test facility in partnership with six tire manufacturers: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Bridgestone Americas Inc., Michelin North America Inc., Continental Tire the Americas LLC, Hankook Tire America Corp. and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. The addition was part of a 15,000-square-foot expansion that also created additional space for offices, conference rooms for client and project meetings, storage, and space for additional testing capabilities that are currently in development. “This expansion at the Ravenna laboratory allows us to offer enhanced capabilities, increased capacity, and even more comprehensive service for our clients,” says Dr. Jim Popio, vice president of North American Operations. “We thank the partner companies who have collaborated with us to address this need to accommodate larger tires for testing as well as the need for more demanding testing conditions. The new MTS Flat-Trac CT Plus features up to 6,000 newton-meters of wheel torque. Thanks to their support, Smithers is strengthening our service portfolio in an automotive market that increasingly favors larger vehicles.” The new CT Plus test system – “the only one in North America,” says Popio -allows Smithers to conduct assessments on most passenger car and light truck tires on the market today by simulating real world driving conditions and collecting tire performance data. The machine provides higher wheel torque as well as increased longitudinal and lateral load limits. It is engineered to deliver accurate and repeatable measurements of tire force and moment properties under steady-state and dynamic conditions in order to provide higher fidelity tire models, which assist in meeting validation and timing requirements. Smithers Rapra, one of six business units under the Smithers Group umbrella, operates laboratories in North America, Europe, and Asia, covering a wide variety of testing and technical consulting services from material chemistry and product durability testing to tire, wheel and winter testing.—Bob Ulrich

Sullivan Tire acquires Montvale Tire

ullivan Tire Co. Inc. has acquired Montvale Tire Car Care Centers in Massachusetts, increasing the number of Sullivan Tire and Auto Service retail locations to 71. The two locations were located in Melrose and Woburn, respectively. Both locations will undergo renovations in the upcoming months but will remain open for business during that time, according to the company. “These locations are a perfect fit for

our growth strategy,” says Paul Sullivan, vice president of marketing. “Former owner Tony Koles has been a fixture in these communities for nearly 50 years and has a very loyal customer base.” Many of the existing Montvale Tire staff will be staying on as Sullivan Tire employees, and Sullivan Tire will honor all of Montvale Tire’s warranty work. In addition to its 71 retail stores, the company operates 15 commercial truck centers, 11 wholesale locations and three retread plants. MTD October 2018

COURTESY OF SMITHERS RAPRA

TIA elects Nothdurft secretary

performance meets art

#Ps4s

#michelinpremiumtouch

more at michelinman.com

News/Views

Dates

TIA welcomes 5 new board members 3 ARE TIRE DEALERS, 2 ARE SUPPLIERS

Oct. 9-12 Tire Industry Association (TIA) Automotive Tire Service (ATS) Advanced Instructor Training Tour, Baltimore, Md. (800) 876-8372 www.tireindustry.org

Oct. 27-31 American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition, Austin Convention Center, Austin, Texas (703) 838-1700 www.trucking.org

Oct. 30-Nov. 2 Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW) including the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show, the Tire Industry Association’s (TIA) Global Tire Expo, and the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX), Las Vegas, Nev. (800) 876-8372 www.tireindustry.org

Nov. 7-10 Automechanika Buenos Aires, La Rural Trade Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina www.automechanika.ar.messefrankfurt.com

Nov. 29-Dec. 2 Automechanika Shanghai, National Exhibition and Convention Center, Puxi, Shanghai, Hong Kong www.automechanika-shanghai. hk.messefrankfurt.com

Feb. 20-23, 2019 Tire Industry Association Annual Off-theRoad Tire Conference, Saddlebrook Resort, Tampa, Fla. (800) 876-8372 www.tireindustry.org

March 8-9, 2019 North Carolina Tire Dealers Association Expo, Raleigh Convention Center/Marriott City Center, Raleigh, N.C. (877) 784-0111 www.nctda.com

April 12-13, 2019 Virginia Automotive Association Convention & Trade Show, Hilton Norfolk The Main, Norfolk, Va. (804 739-1400 www.vaauto.org

ire Industry Association (TIA) members have elected four new members to the board of directors. And a fifth member has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the board. The board members will take office Oct. 29 at TIA’s Board of Directors meeting held at Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas in advance of the 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show and Global Tire Expo. These four members each will serve a three-year term. John Baldwin, Discount Tire Co.: Baldwin is the chief product and technical strategist for Discount Tire. He’s been recognized internationally for his research on tire aging, tire test development, and tire service life prediction, and he was an integral part of the root cause team while working for Ford Motor Co. during the Firestone tire/Explorer recall. In his current role with Baldwin formerly worked Discount Tire he has for Ford. traveled the world to work with tire manufacturers on improving tire construction and performance. Russell Devens, McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc.: Devens is the director of safety and risk management for McCarthy Tire Service. He has more than 30 years of experience in safety, law enforcement, security, insurance and risk management. He is a Level 400 Commercial Tire Service TIA Instructor, a Part 48 Certified and Part 46 Instructor with Mine Safety & Health Administration (MSHA), 30-hour General Industry Certified with OSHA, a Certified Commercial Vehicle Inspector with US DOT, and holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from King’s College. He conducts training, evaluations of workplace safety, emergency response, hazardous materials management, and facility security for more than 50 locations in nine states. Stephen Lyons, Monro Inc.: Lyons is the director of training for Monro. His department supports a tech hotline that’s available for all employees when

they encounter an issue with vehicles or are looking for direction on a specific process or application. This year Monro also is launching Monro Online University, a training platform focusing on teammate development and career path progression. Before he joined Monro, Lyons spent 14 years working for Bridgestone Americas Inc. He served as a retail sales teammate, store manager, district manager and was the National Division Education Manager that supported more than 2,200 retail stores and 22,000 teammates. He also work on the launch and deployments of new products at Bridgestone, including the company’s Olympic partnership and the Maplewood High School Project that incorporated Bridgestone’s team training into the high school’s automotive program curriculum. Don Vanderheyden, Hennessy Industries Inc.: Vanderheyden is vice president of marketing for Hennessy. Since joining the company in 2001, he’s worked in purchasing, marketing, and sales, and in August 2010 he was promoted from director of program distribution to regional vice president of sales and has led the marketing team since June 2015. Prior to joining Hennessy, Vanderheyden joined HenVanderheyden worked nessy in 2001. at Stihl Inc. In addition, a fifth member was appointed to the board. Keith Jarman, president of AME International, replaces Dan Nothdurft, owner of Tires Tires Tires in Sioux Falls, S.D., who has moved up and will serve as secretary of the board. Jarman will serve a one-year term on the board. Jarman has served on the TIA board since 2009. He started AME International in 2007 after working in the industry for more than 14 years. His company regularly participates and supports TIA off-the-road tire training out in the field, and Jarman is the recognized authority on tire bead breaking tools and equipment for changing construction and earthmover tires. ■ MTD October 2018

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Sell-out trends continue to move in a favorable direction By

John Healy

ur recent discussions with dealers provide us further confidence that retail sell-out trends continue to move in a favorable direction. We note this trend of improved sell-out conditions at retail marks the fifth consecutive month of improvement according to our dealer contacts. From a volume standpoint, surveyed dealers reported they saw unit sales volumes improve marginally (approximately 1%) compared to the same period last year. Industry data points relating to shipments and anecdotal commentary regarding the digestion of changes in tire distribution behavior over the last few months from various tire players throughout the value chain give us a cautious optimism that sellout volumes in the second half of the year will revert to healthier levels since the key drivers of intermediate-term replacement demand remain favorable. The dynamism of the tire industry has been on full display lately as over the past month our channel work has shown a number of manufacturers approaching the market with price increases for shipments this fall. Most notably, Goodyear, Bridgestone and Michelin have approached the market with some price increases, which has caused other manufacturers like Cooper to follow suit and begin raising prices alongside the market leaders. This move is not entirely surprising since the cost to build a “generic” tire is up over 10% in the past year. Based on our discussions with dealers, we believe price increases are being initially absorbed with little push back. From our seat, as long as retail remains in growth mode, price increases are likely to stick; this is a stark contrast from the operating environment in 2017 when retail demand was under pressure and manufacturers attempted to implement price increases but were rather unsuccessful in their endeavor. Specifically, nearly half (48%) of respondents saw tire manufacturers implement price increases in July, with that number jumping to nearly 62% in August. Out of our pool of dealers, over 76% of dealers surveyed in August expect price increases to hold. Seeing how these price increases are followed by other manufacturers in combination with the ability of retailers to pass along these increases will have an impact on how the tire business rolls later this year. However, if this upward trajectory in

Average tire tier rankings Tier

Jun’17

Jul ’17

Aug ’17

Jun ’18

Jul ’18

Aug ’18

Tire 1

Tire 2

Tire 3

SOOURCE: NORTHCOAST RESEARCH HOLDINGS LLC

raw material commodity costs continues, manufacturers may be forced to implement further price increases as they will no longer be willing to continue absorbing increased production costs.

MONTHLY SURVEY A number of independent tire dealers were surveyed concerning current business trends. The results of the August 2018 survey are compared with those of August 2017. See the report on www. moderntiredealer.com.

REPLACEMENT TIRE SALES: AUGUST TRENDS RISE WITH THE TEMPERATURES Dealer commentary suggests consumer demand for passenger and light truck replacement was up in August compared to the same period last year. The net number of respondents indicating they saw an increase in demand year-over-year was 13.6%. August’s results are encouraging and given dealer commentary that sales were steady throughout the month, which many expect to continue over the next few months, we are cautiously optimistic that sell-out volumes in 2H18 will closely resemble the improved results in recent months rather than the lackluster volumes through the first few months of the year.

A LOOK AT MIX TRENDS IN THE MARKET Remember how some dealers indicated at the beginning of the year that the projected windfall from tax reform in combination with a strong economy should allow for more trade-up activity in 2018? We may finally be witnessing that pull-through occur. Outside of the last few months, Tier 1 brands appeared to be under performing the market, but we feel the mega-trend of the market shifting to HVA shipments remains a long-term opportunity. It seems that manufacturers have been doing a diligent job of managing supply, which likely has been a tailwind to improved sell-out trends lately. Our channel work suggests that channel inventories are much healthier after much of the excess was cleared from the channel in 4Q17 and positions remained lean through the third quarter. We continue to hear from contacts that manufacturers remain disciplined in their production schedules and are not chasing share with pricing. ■

P.S. If you would like to be included in our monthly discussions with dealers, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly at john.healy@northcoastresearch.com. John Healy is a managing director and research analyst with Northcoast Research Holdings LLC based in Cleveland, Ohio. Healy covers a variety of subsectors of the automotive industry.

MTD October 2018

On the Rise

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB IN THE INDUSTRY?

NICK FOX

Cleaning the tire shop. After I did that for a while I graduated to apprentice tire technician.

VICE PRESIDENT

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE INDUSTRY?

POINT S CAPITAL CITY TIRE & AUTO AND POINT S J&J TIRE & AUTO • HELENA, MONT.

I would have to say that the industry chose me. My dad has been involved with the industry for my entire life. I remember going to the shop before and after school because my dad was busy running a business. I went to college and studied other careers, but always found myself coming back because I loved helping people and have always enjoyed working on cars and being in a shop environment. I also really like the fast-paced environment of the tire industry and knowing that every day could bring a new challenge for me to solve.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU’VE FACED IN YOUR CAREER? The biggest challenge I have faced is trying to understand that I can’t make everyone happy all the time. I’m getting better, but still beat myself up when I don’t get a 5-star rating.

WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER? My dad. I have learned so much from him. Without him I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE INDUSTRY?

Fox, 32, works alongside his dad, Bob Fox, operating two Point S tire stores in Helena, Mont.

I believe my biggest accomplishment in the industry is becoming my dad’s business partner in our two locations. There aren’t a lot of 30- to 35-year-old owners out there. I had to work really hard to get there. And I suppose that if I had to choose something else, I would choose that I have earned the respect of fellow tire dealers and industry veterans as well. ■

A new generation of leaders is influencing the livelihoods of today’s independent tire dealers, and Modern Tire Dealer is recognizing those who are On the Rise. Direct the young stars in your business world to www.moderntiredealer.com/ontheriseform.

MTD October 2018

“Yep, Sure, Of Course, You Got It, Right Away” INTRODUCING MORE WAYS TO SAY YES At TireHub, we want you to be able to say yes to your customers. To us, “yes” means offering the best breadth and depth of Bridgestone and Goodyear tires, a portfolio that covers 97% of the vehicles on the road, and a passion for customer service that helps you give your customers exactly what they ask for, time and time again.

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NumbersThatCount

Relevant statistics from an industry in constant motion

$500,000 The starting cost of a fully built Switchblade flying car (one of a 200 limited edition) when it is available on the market. You will be able to buy a kit for $120,000 to $136,000 plus a $20,000 Builder Assist Program. Samson Motors Inc. expects assembly to take as little as three weeks to complete.

COURTESY OF SAMSON MOTORS INC.

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6,200,000

237

Number of U.S. truck tires imported from China in 2017. That was a 20.5% decrease from the 7,800,000 tires imported in 2016.

38 new car SOURCE: STATISTA.COM

SOURCE: MODERN TIRE DEALER’S 2018 JANUARY FACTS ISSUE.

24.8% Average sales profit margin on passenger tires at retail for independent tire dealers in 2017.

Percent of replacement consumer tires that were sold online in the U.S. in 2017. That was 16.7 million tires (a 1% increase from 2016).

SOURCE: MODERN TIRE DEALER’S 2018 JANUARY FACTS ISSUE.

24.6% Average sales profit margin on light truck tires at retail for independent tire dealers in 2017. SOURCE: MODERN TIRE DEALER’S 2018 JANUARY FACTS ISSUE.

SOURCE: MODERN TIRE DEALER’S 2018 JANUARY FACTS ISSUE.

73% Percent of tire dealers offering air conditioning service in 2017. This compares to only 59% offering this service 10 years ago. SOURCE: MODERN TIRE DEALER’S 2017 AND 2007 AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE SURVEYS.

$135.39

$215.36

Average advertised price for a size 205/55R16 major brand tire in the U.S. in 2017.

Average advertised price for a size LT245/75R17 major brand light truck tire in the U.S. in 2017.

SOURCE: MODERN TIRE DEALER’S 2018 JANUARY FACTS ISSUE.

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MTD October 2018

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catching e story of onalizing th ubt over the whole ti sa en S ing do Gotcha! ple and cast y good. one bad ap an e n o o n oes industry d

MTD October 2018

EE W S P E E

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RGET A T S TER REPOR

he average mid-sized single independent repair shop services about 10,000-12,000 retail customers a year. They do this nobly. They do this generally without incident. Sure, there can be disagreements and miscommunication at times, but since most small businesses are built on reputation, owners must usually be significantly generous in their attempts to resolve conflicts with customers. Truth be told, in my 25 years of experience, it’s the customer who is usually wrong (I like to call it “passionately misinformed”), but if you want to stay in business, it’s the owner and the employees who need to resolve the difference between facts and truth. However, that’s not to say there aren’t bad actors in the retail tire business. Very few are downright morally ambiguous. A handful just lack decency. And some don’t know better. These are the players who give us all a bad name. I want to share with you something I see several times every year. It’s called “Sweeps Week.” Every year in the months of November, February, May and July, television stations collect data from viewers that they use to set their rates for commercials and other promotions. These are the months where the networks really try to juice up a show’s content. w w w . M o d e r n T i r e D e a l e r. c o m

URIN YOU D

Dennis McCarron

One of their favorite targets is the automotive repair industry. In the month prior to Sweeps Weeks (October, January, April and June), you can expect an uptick in “undercover” or “sting” news segments, “gotcha” nightly news reports, and other methods. Here’s what the TV networks are looking for. Fraud. They primarily want to catch a salesperson selling something that isn’t “needed” or selling something that isn’t performed. Some stations legitimately put a marker on a filter to see if it gets replaced. Some stations get a pre-inspection to establish a baseline. Some stations get a little more morally blurry and stage a symptom, hoping to trap a business in a poor diagnosis. In every instance, it is always up to the business to make sure that work sold is legitimate and performed. Never use the word “needed.” It is misleading to customers. Since the conversation between a salesperson and customer is unbalanced (the salesperson holds the majority of power and knowledge), the word “needed” can be seen as manipulative. Does it mean safety? Does it mean convenience? Does it have a meaning of time frame? It’s a bad word for the industry. Get rid of that word from your shop. Ban it. Start a curse jar, $5 for anyone who says the word “needed.”

‘YOUR EMPLOYEES NEED TO KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE PUT ON THE SPOT IN FRONT OF A CAMERA, AND HOW TO REACT.’

Business Insight Use these words instead: “required” and “recommended.” There is very little confusion as to what those two words mean. Required means the item no longer can fulfill its original purpose in some way. Brakes no longer function as indented because there isn’t any friction material left. A bulb is burnt out. An air filter is oily. “Required” means the car does not perform as originally intended. “Recommended” means the car will function fine, but there’s an item you may wish to address now to avoid a future problem or eliminate the need to return for the work. Tires at 3/32nds. A dirty air filter. You get the idea. Emotional reaction. Nothing in human behavior gets people’s interest more than an emotional train wreck. The camera rushes into the store, the reporter breathlessly runs to the advisor or store manager, and exclaims that the store has been caught red handed! “Gotcha! What do you have to say for yourself?” And the manager then angrily pushes the reporter or slams his hand over the camera and yells “Stop filming! You have no right to be here! Get your cameras out of here!” I’ve even seen where the manager goes to his office, but he lets the cameraman follow. He calls his boss, and on TV says, “Uhh, they caught us. What should I do?” Here’s what you need to do. First, you need to practice with your employees. They need to know what it feels like to be put on the spot in front of a camera, and how to react. You can’t just talk about it. You have to practice it so they develop, in a sense, “muscle” memory. The key is to stay calm, cool, collected. Employees must first breathe. Secondly, understand that any action or any words can be taken grossly out of context. Be polite, and simply ask the reporter, repeatedly if necessary, to leave the private property. Just repeat the same way over and over again in a calm manner until the reporter relents. They will, eventually. Reporters cannot interfere with the daily business of the company. When the reporter has left, it’s time to go up the chain of command. The boss (whoever is in charge) should begin some level of investigation to see if the accusations are credible. “Credible” simply means if there is smoke, it doesn’t have to be a five alarm fire to be credible. If it is credible, the owner or

person responsible for media relations (now you know why you shouldn’t have your 22-year-old niece or nephew as your media person just because they are “good” at Facebook) must provide a truthful, but carefully worded statement that after investigation it was found to be credible and the company is taking appropriate steps to correct and prevent this type of incident from ever occurring again. This includes disciplinary action and education of remaining employees. If there were several employees — or worse, you find it was ongoing with multiple incidents — you should be harsh in punishment, as often corruption is a poison that infects the whole shop. If it was isolated, and the person was acting outside the rules of the company, then a simple termination and meeting for other employees explaining acceptable conduct should be enough. Escalation. Reporters during Sweeps Week are out to do one thing: get the viewer to panic so the word spreads, which will increase rates. It’s pretty sneaky how this gets done, but follow me on this: The story starts with “is your mechanic cheating you?” or some version thereof. It’s a broad brush to paint with. Most people don’t know how to work on their cars, so they are vulnerable to manipulation. Then the reporter talks about the one shop they did their sting in by name, but halfway through the story the reporter goes back to general statements like “repair shops” and “employees.” This generalization is done to make people think that this type of fraud is rampant, but what reporters do here is hurt the entire industry. So every time this segment is run on the news, even if you’ve never been targeted, your business will suffer from this type of “associative connection.” When customers become suspicious, every little mistake or hiccup in the process becomes magnified and scrutinized. During Sweeps Weeks, the style of reporting is damaging to the entire automotive repair industry. Sensationalizing the story of catching one bad apple and casting doubt over the whole industry does no one any good. I write this column this month for a few reasons. First, I really dislike the idea of demonizing an entire industry. For example, 1.2 million police officers do their job right every day. One million

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MTD October 2018

Business Insight doctors go to work every day trying to do a good job. Each day, the objective of most working Americans is to go to work, do as good a job as they can, and come home safe to their family, friends and pets. Sure, there are a couple of bad eggs. They exist in every industry. It’s unfair that four times a year the focus comes down on the automotive industry. The next reason is more critical of the industry. News crews come knocking every couple of months because they know it’s a safe bet they will get what they came looking for. There are billions of dollars of undone maintenance in the U.S. every year. There is simply no reason a legitimate inspection and presentation to the customer can’t make you a truckload of cash in this business. Even if there is no actual fraud, they know they will get the reaction they needed to make it the leading story. Please, for just a few times a year, take the time to walk through the scenario. I’ve done it myself and it can even be fun for the team to act it out. Just make sure you bring everyone back and enforce that your store only goes after legitimate work, performs everything that is sold, and if anyone breaks those rules, they will be terminated with prejudice (that means no chance of rehire, ever). As an owner, you and your store manager should be checking and double checking, on a random basis, everyone’s work. Too often, the owner gets caught up in the day-to-day activities of the business, and there is no one left to oversee the business. Trust me, you don’t want to be the focus of your local or regional news station. Ever. Ask yourself these questions: • Are your employees coming to you when they suspect something?

• Does the store have an open door policy where employees feel safe coming to management with concerns of any nature? • Does the manager regularly call customers back and review the purchase or service with them? • Do the advisors regularly go back to the car to review the technician’s recommendations?

Also, consider performing a regular, unannounced inspection of lockers and tool boxes. Look for parts that should be on cars, or other indications that your process isn’t functioning properly. This helps for theft as well. People respect what you inspect. I don’t inspect tool boxes because I don’t trust you. I trust you because I inspect the tool boxes. Do you look at what’s said on social media? If one person says bad things about you, that customer is crazy. If two customers say bad things about you, it could be a conspiracy. If there are multiple complaints every week, you might want to start doubling down on acceptable procedures and reviewing policy with employees. You also might want to look in the mirror and see if you are pushing too hard on sales objectives, and employees are just taking the path of least resistance. Good luck prior to Sweeps Weeks. I hope and pray that no reporter ever graces your front door. And I hope there is good reason for it: because they know they won’t get their story. ■ Dennis McCarron is executive director of Dealer Strategic Planning Inc., a company that manages multiple tire dealer 20 Groups in the U.S. (www.dsp-20group.com). To contact McCarron, email him at dennis@dsp-20group.com.

One way to get respect for the inspection Want to avoid a ‘gotcha!’ moment? MAP can help Our Business Insight columnist, Dennis McCarron, is leery of Sweeps Week. You know, that time of year when television networks are looking to boost ratings so they can raise ad rates. In order to do that, as McCarron says, they sometimes set up local businesses in order to catch them doing wrong. He thinks the automotive aftermarket is a favorite target of the networks. I remember when ABC’s television series “The Lookout” gave a Goodyear companyowned store a black eye in 2013 by showing up with a blown windshield wiper blade fuse. Goodyear handled it like McCarron suggests in his article. McCarron’s feature on how to prevent reporters from showing up on your doorstep during Sweeps Week, and what to do if they do, begins on page 22. We also contacted the Automotive Maintenance Repair Association (AMRA) and asked how its Motorist Assurance Program,

known as MAP, helps both consumers and automotive service technicians. Here is what AMRA President Jeff Cox had to say. “The Motorist Assurance Program helps the consumer by providing the automotive service providers with guidelines for the recommendations of parts and service,” says Cox. “These standardized guidelines consist of conditions for part failure or service recommendations. The result of this is that a motorist who uses a MAP Qualified Repair Facility will have recommendations that are based on industry wide criteria and communicated in a way that the motorist can understand. “Furthermore, the motorist can visit various locations and have the same recommendations based on the same criteria, nearly eliminating the opportunity to be sold services that are not needed. Through our Motorist.org website, the motorist can find one of the MAP qualified shop so they know they are using a trusted service provider.

“There is as much value to the technician as there is to the motorist by using our guidelines,” he said. “For technicians, it gives them a recipe for success during the inspection process. They can look at the various components and use the over four thousand standards established over the past 25 years to determine if that component needs to be serviced or not. “Everything is electronic so the information is always at the technician’s fingertips. This becomes even more valuable for newer technicians who have only be in the industry for a few years by allowing them access to the same criteria as a seasoned master technician.” In summary, Cox said consistency in the inspection process “allows for a thorough evaluation and gives the technician confidence with what is then communicated to the motorist as what components are OK, suggested for service and required for service.”— Bob Ulrich

MTD October 2018

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upgrading his truck… today the tires have over 80,000 miles on them and they

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C o m m e r c i a l T i r e D e a l e r TM

New stores, strategies and services COMMERCIAL DEALERS ADAPT TO A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT By

Ann Neal

Greensboro, N.C., based-Piedmont Truck Tires Inc. added a small truck service facility in Burlington, N.C., and a 67,000-squarefoot commercial service center, showroom and retread plant in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The company purchased part of the assets of the former American Tire Co. retread plant in Murfreesboro in early 2018 as well as the building housing the plant and the service center. “It is one of the best-looking commercial centers out there,” says Dan Rice, president.

Purcell Tire invested $175,000 to convert its outlet in Las Vegas, Nev., from a commercial to a blended store. There are three bays in the front and three bays in the back to offer commercial and retail services to customers.

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lthough the tight labor market is challenging their operations, the nation’s top commercial dealers are finding ways to stay ahead of changing customer needs. “Our current largest threat is finding good people to work for us,” says Barry Schroeder, commercial director for Purcell Tire & Rubber Co., echoing a concern voiced by many respondents to Modern Tire Dealer’s annual survey. Purcell Tire remains focused on improving its competitiveness. “We have invested in new equipment and service vehicles in most of our markets. We’ve updated and remodeled 30% of our locations and have four brand new relocations in the works now,” says Schroeder. “We have also made many of our locations ‘blended’ stores. Our footprint of ‘just commercial’ locations has been greatly reduced and will continue through 2019.” Potosi, Mo.-based Purcell Tire holds the No. 5 spot in the Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers ranking. McCarthy Tire Service Inc. also cites employee recruitment and retention as a significant headwind. But the WilkesBarre, Pa.-based company continues to grow, adding outlets in Mount Joy, Pa., Philadelphia, Pa., and Albany, N.Y. In Horseheads, N.Y., the company moved commercial truck operations to a new facility less than a mile away and renovated an existing building into a retread plant. McCarthy Tire holds the No. 7 spot.

The Piedmont Truck Tires facility in Murfreesboro, Tenn., sells tires for trucks, earthmovers, industrial vehicles, farm equipment, and lawn and garden equipment.

The Murfreesboro location is a fullservice automotive repair, truck repair, and tire store. Six-drive through bays are each 100 feet long. “We have to be able to deliver more value for the dollar. Everybody around us is getting better, so if we don’t get better we won’t make it,” says Rice. The retread plant has six employees and produces 40 medium truck tire retreads a day with capacity for 200 retreads a day. The company also has a retread plant in Graham, N.C. Piedmont Truck Tires is a part of Continental Tire the Americas LLC’s ContiLifeCycle dealership network and carries Continental, General and Ameristeel truck tire brands. Commercial sales represent 90% of business at the company’s 12 outlets. “Every good dealer out there is trying to drive out

costs so they can be more competitive,” says Rice, who employs about 200 people. “In a world where health costs and everything

Also in CTD New stores, strategies and services: Commercial dealers adapt to a challenging environment .......... 28 Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers in the U.S. ........................................ 34 Specialty tire trends: Radialization is maturing, while tariffs are a concern................................................ 38 AG Tire Talk: Tracks vs. tires ..... 40 Small OTR tire suppliers talk about the U.S. market ............... 52 Commercially Viable .................. 60 MTD October 2018

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For what drives you.

To p 2 5 C o m m e r c i a l T i r e D e a l e r s else are going crazy, we have to be able to offer value to our customers and employees.”

BETTER VISIBILITY TO CUSTOMERS

COURTESY OF McCARTHY TIRE SERVICE

Tredroc Tire Services Inc. is concentrating on its core markets of Illinois and Michigan, the states where most of its stores are located, according to Larry Jeffries, chief executive officer. The company also has outlets in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Jeffries was promoted from chief operation officer to CEO on Oct. 1, 2018, succeeding John Boynton, who had been Tredroc’s CEO since Sept. 1, 2016. Under Boynton, Tredroc Tire Services merged with Belle Tire Distributors Inc.’s commercial division and Belleroc Tire Services, a joint venture of Belle Tire and Tredroc. When the merger was completed at the end of 2016, the “new” Tredroc had 25 locations and served a larger geographic area. The company extended its service promise to customers whose fleets travel outside its geographic footprint by joining the Tire Service Solutions (TSS) network in early 2017. TSS is made up of 11 commercial deal-

McCarthy Tire Service has 604 service trucks in its 24/7 roadside service fleet.

ers who have banded together to provide service and product to all customers within an eight-state area. TSS was organized by Gary Van Blaricom, president and CEO of Eastern Iowa Tire Inc. In January 2018, Tredroc closed outlets in markets where growth opportunities were limited or the areas could be served from nearby locations. The closures brought

the store count to 21. At the same time, the company restructured its operations into east and west regions. In September 2018, the company modified its sales structure, going from five to three commercial sales regions and from two to one OTR (off-the-road) sales region. Under the new sales structure, the regional operations managers and regional

MTD October 2018

To p 2 5 C o m m e r c i a l T i r e D e a l e r s sales managers will report to Jeffries. “We removed two layers of management, which gives us better visibility to our teammates and customers. This allows us to operate more efficiently and respond quicker to the business dynamics.” Jeffries sees tremendous opportunity in the Chicagoland and Detroit freight markets. New service offerings are part

of the company’s plans to grow business in its current footprint. “With the increasing margin compression and product commoditization, we are looking at adding complementary products and services,” says Jeffries. The company also sees opportunities for its OTR business. “With a revitalized infrastructure bill on the horizon, we think OTR is a space that

has a lot of growth potential.” Jeffries says Tredroc is anxiously awaiting the impact of tariffs on the retread market. Last January, Tredroc downsized its Toledo, Ohio, facility with the intention to relocate it. Because the process of securing a new site is taking longer than expected, the company is revitalizing the existing location until another facility can be secured. Jeffries expects the Toledo facility to be fully operational by the end of 2018. Tredroc, which is based in Elk Grove Village, Ill., is in the No. 12 spot.

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**Based upon “Technology & Maintenance Council’s S.2 Tire & Wheel Study Group Information Report: 2010-2 Issued: June 2010”.

Black’s Tire Service Inc. of Whiteville, N.C., is growing its commercial and retreading business, according to Rick Benton, vice president. The company is a member of the Goodyear Retread Network and operates a plant in Clarkton, N.C. “We’re trying to grow that. It looks like a new tire coming out of that retread plant, they’re that good,” says Benton. The changes in wholesale distribution since the beginning of 2018 have given a big boost to the company’s wholesale division, BTS Tire & Wheel Distributors. “We are diversified, and it sure creates a lot opportunities,” says Benton. Four distribution centers serve customers in North Carolina, South Carolina and southern Virginia. The company also stores extra inventory at several stores (called satellite wholesale locations) for wholesale customers. The BTS Partner Dealers wholesale program for independent tire dealers and car dealerships has been expanded as well. “They just need quality service and a personal touch,” says Benton. “When December rolls around, we’ll be getting into our 90th year of business. Service has what kept us around. We’re all about families doing business with families so that’s why we support the independent tire dealers and dealerships.” In addition to tires, BTS offers equipment, supplies and training to its partner dealers. Training topics range from computer software and shop equipment to passenger and commercial tire safety. Safety training is led by Joe Humphrey, a Tire Industry Association-certified instructor. A training center is located at the company’s headquarters in Whiteville, N.C. The company is ranked No. 20 on the Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers list. Q MTD October 2018

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Service trucks

Rank based on 2017 estimated commercial sales (in millions)

Points based on number of outlets

Bridgestone, Firestone, Continental, General, Yokohama, Toyo, Double Coin, Duraturn, RoadOne, Gladiator, Triangle, Dayton

700

$1,100

198

2. Best-One Tire Group, Monroe, Ind., Larry Zurcher and Mark Zurcher, CEOs, www.bestonetire.com

91/59

Bridgestone, Firestone, Mastercraft, Roadmaster, 17 Continental, General, Michelin, Goodyear, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Yokohama, Toyo

500plus

$445

239

3. Snider Tire Inc., dba Snider Fleet Solutions, Greensboro, N.C., John Snider, president, www.sniderfleet.com

76/2

BFGoodrich, Continental, General, Longmarch, Michelin, Toyo, Uniroyal, Yokohama, Sumitomo

300

$400

165

4. Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc.1, Bend, Ore., Jack Cuniff, CEO, www.lesschwab.com

0/421

Toyo, Ohtsu, Double Coin, Gladiator, Michelin, Bridgestone, Firestone

1,500

$360

171

5. Purcell Tire & Rubber Co., dba Purcell Tire and Service Centers, Potosi, Mo., Roger Lucas, CEO, www.purcelltire.com

10/52

BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Falken, General, Goodyear, Hankook, Hercules, Michelin, Samson, Sumitomo, Yokohama, Kumho

238

$350

112

6. Pompâ€™s Tire Service Inc., Green Bay, Wis., Jim Wochinske, CEO, www.pompstire.com

43/54

Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton, Continental, General, Goodyear, Michelin, Yokohama, Kelly, Hankook

408

$334

183

7. McCarthy Tire Service Inc., WilkesBarre, Pa., John McCarthy Jr., president, www.mccarthytire.com

32/13

Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton, Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Hercules, Continental, General, Hankook, Westlake, Yokohama, Maxam, Solideal, Trelleborg, Alliance, Titan

604

$325

8. Service Tire Truck Centers Inc., Bethlehem, Pa., Walter Dealtrey, chairman, www.sttc.com

45/3

Michelin, Yokohama, BFGoodrich, Cooper, Goodyear, Dunlop

255

$239

9. Bauer Built Inc., dba Bauer Built Tire, Durand, Wis., Jerry Bauer, chairman and CEO, www.bauerbuilt.com

20/14

BFGoodrich, Continental, General, Hercules, Kumho, Michelin, Uniroyal, Ameristeel, Constellation

$201

10. Earl W. Colvard Inc., dba Boulevard Tire Center, Deland, Fla., Earl Colvard, president, www.boulevardtire.com

18/4

BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Firestone, General, Michelin, Roadmaster, Yokohama, Gladiator, Dayton

176

$175

11. Parkhouse Tire Inc., Bell Gardens, Calif., Jim Parkhouse, CEO, www.parkhousetire.com

12/0

Bridgestone, Michelin, Yokohama, Firestone, BFGoodrich, General, Continental, Double Coin, Titan, Solideal, Triangle, Gladiator

140

$170

12. Tredroc Tire Services Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill., Larry Jeffries, CEO, www.tredroc.com

21/0

Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin, General, Firestone, Yokohama, Roadmaster, Milestar, Falken, Hankook, Cooper

270

$150

13. T&W Tire LLC, Oklahoma City, Okla., Kane Russell, John Theissen and Steve Theissen, owners, www.tandwtire.com

0/29

BFGoodrich, Michelin, Hankook, Yokohama, Uniroyal, Continental

$140

14. Redburn Tire Co., Phoenix, Ariz.,J.D. Chastain, president, www.redburntireco.com

14/0

Bridgestone, Firestone, Michelin, BFGoodrich, General, Continental, Yokohama, Roadmaster, Titan, Double Coin

125

$112

15. McGriff Tire Co. Inc., dba McGriff Tire, Cullman, Ala., Barry McGriff, president, www.mcgrifftire.com

13/0

BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dayton, Firestone, General, Michelin, Uniroyal, Yokohama, Roadlux

$110

Truck tire brands

90/0

Commercialonly outlets/ commercialretail outlets

1. Southern Tire Mart LLC, Columbia, Miss., Thomas and James Duff, owners, www.stmtires.com

Rank, company, headquarters, chief officer, website

Retread plants

2018 Modern Tire Dealer Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers in the U.S.

MTD October 2018

Service trucks

Rank based on 2017 estimated commercial sales (in millions)

Points based on number of outlets

Michelin, BFGoodrich, Goodyear, Dunlop, Kelly, Continental, General, Yokohama, Pirelli, GT Radial

116

$103

17. Bob Sumerel Tire Co. Inc., Erlanger, Ky., Bob Sumerel, CEO, www.bobsumereltire.com

11/9

Bridgestone, Firestone, Continental, Goodyear, General, Yokohama, Cooper, Michelin, Toyo

$99

18. Ziegler Tire & Supply Co., Massillon, Ohio, Bill Ziegler, president, www.zieglertire.com

0/17

Michelin, BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton, Continental, General, Uniroyal, Goodyear, Dunlop, Kelly, Advance, Constellation, Falken, Hercules, Samson, Sumitomo, Yokohama

$93

19. Commercial Tire Inc., Meridian, Idaho, Bob Schwenkfelder, CEO, www.commercialtire.com

10/29

Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton, Yokohama, Roadmaster, General, Continental, RoadX

147

$86

20. Black’s Tire Service Inc., Whiteville, N.C., Ricky Benton, president, www.blackstire.com

0/46

Goodyear, Dunlop, Kelly, Continental, Roadmaster, Double Coin, Hankook, Falken

120

$77

21. Sullivan Tire Co. Inc., Norwell, Mass., Robert Sullivan, president, www.sullivantire.com

15/1

Bridgestone, Firestone, Goodyear, Dunlop, Kelly, Double Coin, API

$75

22. Nebraskaland Tire Co. Inc., dba Nebraskaland Tire, Kansasland Tire and Coloradoland Tire, Lexington, Neb., Gary Wright, president, www.thetirestore.com

5/24

Goodyear, Dunlop, Kelly, Roadmaster, Aeolus

$70

23. Valley Tire Co. Inc., Charleroi, Pa., Jim Stankiewicz, president, www.valleytire.com

8/9

Michelin, BFGoodrich, Continental, General, Yokohama, Sumitomo, Uniroyal, Firestone

$68

24. Pete’s Tire Barns Inc., Orange, Mass., Peter Gerry, CEO and president, www.petestire.com

0/19

Bridgestone, Firestone, Michelin, Continental, Double Coin, General

121

$65

25. Royal Tire Inc., St. Cloud, Minn., Mick Pickens, president, www.royaltire.com

12/3

Bridgestone, Firestone, Michelin, Toyo, Dayton

121

$49

Truck tire brands

10/11

Commercialonly outlets/ commercialretail outlets

16. Raben Tire Co. LLC, Evansville, Ind., Scott Cisney, CEO, www.rabentire.com

Rank, company, headquarters, chief officer, website

Retread plants

2018 Modern Tire Dealer Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers in the U.S.

Les Schwab’s store total does not include 63 member-affiliated dealers.

Network update: In addition to independent tire dealers, commercial trucking services are available through company-owned networks and truck stop chains. Among these are Continental Tire the Americas LLC, which has expanded its Best Drive LLC network by five outlets (Denver, Colo.; Dallas, Texas; San Antonio, Texas, Marietta, Ga., and Los Angeles, Calif.) since October 2017. BestDrive currently has 26 locations in 15 states. Here is an update on other sources of commercial trucking services: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.: About 200 Goodyear Commercial Tire & Service Centers in the U.S. Bridgestone Americas Inc.: 156 GCR Tires & Service locations in the U.S. Michelin North America Inc.: 6 Tire Centers LLC (TCi) locations in the U.S. Pilot Travel Centers LLC’s Pilot Flying J Truck Care network: 750 locations in 43 states and Canada.

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores: 52 Speedco locations and more than 250 Truck Tire Care centers in the U.S. TravelCenters of America LLC: 244 TA Truck Service Commercial Tire Network locations in the U.S. How the rankings are determined: To be ranked on the MTD Top 25 U.S. Commercial Tire Dealers list, a dealer has to: 1) sell truck tires, 2) have at least one retreading plant, and 3) offer 24/7 road service. Points are tabulated based on number of outlets. Each commercialonly outlet receives two points and each retread plant receives one point. The number of combination commercial/retail stores is multiplied by the estimated percentage of commercial sales and then multiplied by two. The highest 25 point totals make up the list, and then the dealers are ranked based on estimated commercial sales. MTD October 2018

Specialty Tires

Specialty tire trends RADIALIZATION IS MATURING, WHILE TARIFFS ARE A CONCERN able to carry more loads, the tires are getting larger,” said Paulk. “The 1050/50R32 and 1250/50R32 are recent sizes that are being used. COURTESY OF AMERICAN KENDA

here will probably never be a need for a radial wheelbarrow tire. But radialization within the specialty tire segment is increasing. That is one of the major trends specialty tire manufacturers are seeing in the field. The acceptance of radial technology across the broad number of specialty segments such as outdoor power equipment, agriculture, construction and specialty trailer tires is increasing, said Laren Harmon, executive vice president of sales for the Carlstar Group. “We are seeing consumer demand for better ride quality on equipment coupled with larger and faster vehicles that require durability and performance. Radial tires offer a more consistent footprint, which yields better traction and longer tread life.” Other tire trends are related to the evolution in equipment such as grain carts and wagons, and to government regulations (i.e., tariffs).

Stotsenburg said slow speed tires, like the new Kenda Kruizer KR20A, are available in larger-diameter sizes.

Grain cars have more options, he said. “The R-1 can be used for field and hill side applications. An emerging trend of the R-1 design is rounded tread shoulders for reduced soil disturbance. “Another method to reduce soil disturbance is using an R-3 design. The R-3 is used mostly in flat areas and has less soil disturbance than R-1. The float tire similar in tread design to our FL 693 or FL 630 Super and Ultra can be used. This is a hybrid between the two that is good for field and hill side. The hybrids are fairly new to the game. “As grain carts are getting heavier and

MORE AG OPTIONS

COURTESY OF BK

COURTESY OF CARLSTAR

Tires on grain carts and wagons are a big focus in the ag market, said Dave Paulk, manager of field technical services for BKT USA Inc. “A grain cart uses larger tires, lower air pressures, and carries more load. It is mostly used in the field to transport from the combine to the truck. Grain wagon tires are smaller, use more air pressure, carry smaller loads, and are mainly used for highway transportation.” Grain wagons are built for higher speeds and run on wide-base truck tires sizes, said Paulk. “I-1’s and F-1’s, followed by retreaded truck tires, have been the leading option until recently on grain wagons. The new trend is IF/VF tires like the VF445/65R225. These radial implement tires have similar tread designs for rolling resistance and are designed to run with lower air pressures for minimum soil disturbance. They also carry more weight at less air pressure with a maximum speed rating of 40 mph.”

25% TARIFFS!

Carlisle Turf Master Multi Trac CS tires are designed for professional grade and zero turn radius mowers. Courtesy of Carlstar

BKT’s SR 713 farm implement tire is available in two sizes, including VF445/65R22.5. Courtesy of BK

The recent USTR announcement regarding the September 24th tariff increases on $200 billion of Chinese imports as well as the additional January increase up to 25% is a trend impacting the specialty tire market,” said Harmon “This new announcement, which is over and above the March 2018 tariffs, will affect tires, steel and aluminum wheels, and tire/wheel assemblies. Additionally, components and raw materials in domestic manufacturing will be impacted by these pending increases. “Carlstar continues to leverage our U.S. manufacturing advantage combined with our global manufacturing network and worldwide partnerships to seek to minimize the impact,” he added.

TOP 4 TRENDS When asked to list the three biggest trends in the specialty tire market -- not including forklift, material handling or specialty trailer tires -- Brandon Stotsenburg listed four. In addition to radialization, Stotsenburg, automotive vice president for American Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd., said there is growth in personal-use vehicles in retirement and golf communities for slow speed vehicles. He also sees a trend toward larger sizes of slow speed tires, with diameters moving from 8 inches to 12 inches. “We are seeing diameters now as large as 14 inches.” And the fourth trend? Commercial grade mowers, including zero turn radius mowers, are increasing in numbers “as more double-income families hire lawn care companies to do their yards,” he said. In concert with that growth, tires are getting bigger and, from a quality standpoint, better. ■ MTD October 2018

A forgettable trend Chunking is no longer a ‘mainstream technique’ Today’s proper material handling protocol stands in stark contrast to chunking, an outdated practice that was popular for many years. “Chunking was a cost-cutting measure adopted over the past couple of decades,” said Chris Daum, executive director of global OEM sales for Accella Tire Fill Systems, a division of Accella Polyurethane Systems. “It was perceived — at the time it became a mainstream technique — to be a sensible way for industry dealers to reduce costs and shave down their capital overhead. “Technically, chunking refers to the process of utilizing cut up polymer scraps from previously discarded tire filled carcasses and using them in new carcasses, encapsulated in liquid polymer.” Over the years, Daum said everything from rocks and mud to shoes were used to fill tires. “The use of too much chunked material

Accella recycling equipment mixes virgin tire fill with used tire flatproofing, crumb rubber or previously mixed materials, which eliminates the environmental impact of sending used polyurethane and rubber to the landfill.

in theory can compromise not only the operation of OTR equipment — in that improperly filled tires are not as stable as tires filled with virgin material or a homogenous

mixture — but the safety of workers as well. Tires that were improperly filled were at risk for experiencing degradation and, ultimately, tire failure.” Thankfully chunking is no longer a trend, although the practice hasn’t been completely eliminated, said Daum. So, what does he think are the biggest trends in the off-the-road tire flat-proofing market? Extended tire life and a smoother ride are two key “trending” factors. “Additionally, there is an added push within the broader category for dealers and operators to adopt environmentally supportive offerings that deliver the means for better compliance with industry expectations for carbon footprint reduction. This is especially true for operators and management entities that are part of, or owned, by larger multi-national corporations.” Accella Polyurethane Systems is a whollyowned subsidiary of Carlisle Companies Inc.

*Based on a 2016 brand study by a major industry publication

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A G T i r e Ta l k

Tracks vs. tires NEW TECHNOLOGY GIVES ONE THE EDGE IN MOST CASES

James Tuschner

Modern Tire Dealer has partnered with AG Tire Talk to provide answers to the insightful questions farm tire dealers have about farm tire technology. This is the fifth in a series, which is designed to help agricultural tire dealers better connect with their customers. A trending question followed by an abridged version of the answers will appear in our Commercial Tire Dealer section every other month; for the complete answers, check out www.agtiretalk.com!

Bradley Harris, manager of global agricultural field engineering, Firestone Ag Division, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations: Just like asking if apple or orange juice is better, asking if tracks or tires are better systems comes down to customer preference. Both systems have pros and cons, so it is important to understand the facts and benefits about each system and determine which is best for your operation. In many operations, it could be a combination of both systems. When I ask users why they have tracks, the number one response I get is, “I want to get rid of compaction and the track has a much larger footprint area.” While it is true the total footprint area of a track is larger than a tire, the weight of the machine is not equally distributed under the track. When measuring the contact pressure of the track system, there are pressure spikes under each one of the boggy wheels. In wet or moist soils, the soil is damaged by the highest contact pressures, which would be under those boggy wheels. Firestone Ag has conducted studies on soil contact pressures on two- and four-track systems and wheeled tractors and has published technical papers with the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE). The results show:

COURTESY OF CONTITECH USA (LEFT) AND ALLIANCE TIRE AMERICAS

QUESTION: In which applications and fitments do you recommend using rubber tracks vs. tires? What are the performance differences in terms of traction, fuel economy, soil compaction and roading between the two? (Editor’s note: Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations LLC, through its Firestone Ag Division, and Continental AG, through its ContiTech subsidiary, offer both tracks and tires.)

vs. All the manufacturers agree tracks are more expensive to purchase than tires.

• If the inflation pressure of the tires is less than 20 psi, tires transmit less contact pressure to the soil compared to tracks. • From 20 to 35 psi, the tracks and wheel systems were comparable. • If the inflation pressure of the tires is above 35 psi, the track system had lower contact pressure than the tires.

However, there is still the perception that tracks reduce soil compaction when compared to tires in all situations. What we have heard, anecdotally, is that the absence of a rut in the field means there must be no compaction. In wet soils, it does not matter which system is being used – compaction occurs with or without ruts. The rutting is a function on how the wheel and track system operate differently. A tire rotates and the tire lug needs to pull the tractor forward. The rotation of the tire causes a wave in front of the tire, and the tire is climbing out of the rut in wet soils. The lug on the track system is planted in the soil and the tractor is pushed forward. With the track system there is not a wave of soil, so the track lug isn’t trying to climb out of a rut.

When looking at traction, track systems are most efficient at 0–3% slip, while wheeled systems are most efficient at 5–9% slip. The lower slip range of the track system does give users more traction in the field, but that does not result in less fuel used. A track system takes more horsepower to rotate the track, which results in higher fuel consumption. When comparing a tracked tractor to a comparable wheeled tractor with the proper inflation pressure, they both will use similar amounts of fuel to complete a task. If the tires on the wheeled tractor are over inflated, that tractor will not develop the proper footprint, which results in less traction. In this scenario, a tracked tractor would use less fuel. For traction and fuel usage, both tractors will have similar fuel costs. When transporting tractors on the road, a wheeled tractor can operate in the 25 to 30 mph range, while tracked machines are limited to 20 mph. The faster road speeds are better for minimizing wasted time between fields. However, the narrower width of a tracked tractor makes driving on the road less stressful compared to a 4WD tractor MTD October 2018

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A G T i r e Ta l k with duals, especially in areas of the country where roads may only be 15 feet wide. The last item a customer should consider would be total cost of ownership. Typically, a tracked tractor will cost more to purchase versus a similarly equipped wheeled tractor. Both systems require regular maintenance during the life of the tractor. David Graden, operational agriculture market manager, Michelin North America Inc.: Throughout my travels across North America, in all types of farming environments and soil types, I like to ask track owners their

thoughts and how they justify the additional expense for track machines. In all but one instance that I can recall, the owner will drill down to, “it’s my insurance policy,” meaning, their tracks give them the perception of superior traction; pulling power; and/or flotation, which is commonly confused with the reduction of soil compaction. A grower in central Iowa told me tracks require less effort to guide straight down the rows. But at what cost? Tracks have only one advantage over tires: traction in very wet soil. In these conditions, however, their impact on the soil, in terms

of compaction, does the most damage. A machine fitted with Michelin VF tires at proper air pressures has very comparable traction — with reduced compaction. Additionally, although all Michelin tires perform very well with CTIS (Central Tire Inflation Systems), we have brought a new VF Axiobib and VF Evobib to the market, specifically marked as “Tire Inflation Ready,” designed to be used with CTIS. The next question to ask is, “At what point is the soil too wet?” Have you ever seen a track machine sink in the middle of a very wet field? Many of us have!

COURTESY OF ALLIANCE TIRE AMERICAS

Research from the University of Minnesota supports the theory that a properly inflated tire will offer less compaction than a track. SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA STUDY (HTTPS://WWW.EXTENSION.UMN.EDU/AGRICULTURE/SOILS/TILLAGE/TIRES-TRACTION-AND-COMPACTION/)

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A G T i r e Ta l k When roading, track machines are typically limited to the speed in which they can travel roads based upon the width and length of the track they are running. Due to the amount of movement from bogie wheels and the mechanisms required to move the machine on tracks, heat builds up in the rubber of the track. The downward force/ weight of each of these will also cause the rubber to deform/move. The more rubber squirms, compresses, decompresses, the more kinetic energy builds up and creates heat. Heat and rubber do not mix well and ultimately causes the rubber to break down. We believe soil compaction is the greatest of all costs associated with tracks, especially in very wet soil. In fact, tests have shown tracks have a significant difference in how ground pressure is applied. Tracks apply a very non-uniform pressure, while tires, specifically IF & VF tires, apply a very even/ uniform pressure. To be clear, tracks have a market, and depending on the region, farmers may want to achieve different results. However, for most of North America, when you add the

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initial financial cost, fuel cost, maintenance, lower yield due to soil compaction, and less efficiency on the road, choosing tracks over properly inflated IF or VF tires is a very costly “insurance policy.” James Crouch, marketing specialist, Alliance Tire Americas Inc.: At Alliance, we have invested ourselves completely in the development and sale of pneumatic agriculture tires because that is what we believe is the correct solution for providing the best overall performance for farm equipment. Sure, there are applications and field conditions that may lend themselves to belts, but the upfront cost as well as the maintenance costs make it tough to justify even in those conditions. We are continuously expanding our Agriflex line to provide the optimal solution for farmers. A properly inflated VF tire will give any track system a run for its money. To maximize the benefit of VF technology, or even standard radials, the tires must be run at the correct inflation pressure. The more a tire is overinflated, the lesser the potential

performance will be. As a tire increases past its optimal inflation pressure, the footprint gets smaller both in length and eventually in width, while a properly inflated tire will provide the largest footprint available for that sized tire. Footprint is often where people assume a track has an advantage. This may not be completely true. A pneumatic tire, when inflated properly, will evenly distribute the load of the machine throughout the contact area or footprint. This even weight distribution minimizes the damage done to the soil. Tracks are not known for their even weight distribution, and instead provide high pressure spots under the idlers or dollies that cause what is known as deep compaction and assist in the creation of hard pan deep under the surface. Since their spike in popularity, tracks have been researched extensively to try to better understand what actually happens under them in relation to that of a tire. One of the driving forces in Alliance’s R&D program is creating tires that can tackle any challenge — creating the right tire for the job. Tracks are basically a one-solution

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MTD October 2018

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A G T i r e Ta l k approach. In rubber tracks, you’ve got your classic lug or some minor variations that are very close to that theme. In steel tracks, you’ve got perpendicular grousers. Period. If you search out the right tire, you can find plenty of options — thousands of them. Different combinations of width and height to get the footprint you want. Sidewall technologies ranging from sturdy, stiff bias-ply

sidewalls to VF sidewalls that extend your footprint and your load capacity even further. And tread designs that are optimized for different soil types or conditions, paved work sites, over-the-road travel, gravel and rock — literally every possible situation you may be running in. Upfront and long term cost is another huge issue with tracks. A new machine

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equipped with a four-track system will cost over 20% more than a machine with pneumatic tires. This is an upfront cost that likely won’t be recoverable upon trade, either. When the belts wear out, the idlers will also likely need to be retreaded or replaced. Rob Schultz, rubber track global product manager, Continental Agriculture North America, ContiTech USA Inc.: As a broad portfolio provider, Continental offers both rubber track and tires for a complete agriculture solution. To help customers make the right product choice, we have a team of experienced field engineers who visit and consult with customers in the field, as every application is different. Tires are suited for customers looking for an economic option with low purchase and maintenance costs. The low rolling resistance of tires also leads to lower fuel consumption and provides higher transport speeds than rubber tracks. They have low heat buildup while roading, and can be driven loaded and unloaded on both roads and fields, providing versatility in field and on-road performance. The carcasses of Continental agriculture tires are constructed with N.flex technology. The patent-pending material is flexible enough to absorb impact and then return to its original shape without permanent deformation. With tread patterns that have been engineered for efficiency, Continental tires can run on hard and smooth surfaces with high traction, meeting the challenge of smooth roads, rocky lanes, and muddy fields. Continental Trackman rubber tracks, constructed for the most severe and extreme applications, provide the user more transfer torque to the ground, greater traction, and all with more flotation because of the larger footprint. This footprint allows the machine/ equipment weight to be distributed across a greater area and lowers the ground pressure, thus reducing ground compaction equating to greater crop yields in most applications. To improve track machine ride, we developed the guide-lug support system called Armorlug Anti-Vibration Technology that reduces tractor vibration.

Norberto Herbener, OE applications engineer, Trelleborg Wheel Systems Americas Inc.: There has been — and will be for a long time — the debate over which system is better: tires or tracks. Both sides have advocates, both systems have MTD October 2018

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A G T i r e Ta l k advantages/disadvantages that will have a strong influence on the selection of one system over the other. Most important, this decision depends strongly on the use and soil conditions of each farm. We also have to consider the money the farmer obtains by selling his production and the cost of inputs needed to produce the crops. The following points are what we know as facts:

• Farm machinery equipped with tracks is more expensive than ones equipped with tires. So here is the first consideration when analyzing what system to purchase -- return on investment: “Does my additional upfront expense really pay off with the advantages I could obtain using this equipment during its life cycle?” • Tires don’t have moving parts, but tracks have a lot of them. Moving parts means maintenance and wear. Depending on working conditions and the quality of maintenance this wear could increase rapidly.

• The cost of a set of replacement rubber tracks is significantly higher than replacing a set of tires. This is particularly significant on harder ground, as lugs on the tracks are not as flexible as the lugs on tires. • Changing tread spacing from flotation to row crop with tires is no issue. Track systems normally don’t allow tread spacing or track width changes, as the complete system must be changed. • Units with tracks are generally slower in transport mode than units equipped with tires. This is especially important for farmers with their farming ground spread out, traveling long distances between fields. • Track systems are heavier than tires, increasing the “death weight”… and reducing available horsepower for the real work. • Tires provide a smoother ride on hard surfaces or roads thanks to the cushioning the air inside the tires provides. On the other hand, tracks can provide a smoother ride on rough fields, especially when traveling across the rows. The tracks — due to their longer contact area — can bridge over ruts. However, when crossing ditches, waterways

or small hills, this bridging effect of tracks is less adaptive than tires. • Track tractors are more maneuverable at the end of the rows as they can counter-rotate, providing the possibility of a zero turn on the spot. This maneuver will create berming when turning on end rows, and the farmer will need to level this area before planting -- additional time-consuming labor. There is also the risk to jackknife the tractor into the implement when turning sharp on end rows with an implement that is hooked to the drawbar. There is more care and precaution to be taken with track units. • The flexing property of the tires helps improve the self-cleaning during labor in higher moisture conditions. • One large advantage of tracks is as they don’t have air, they can’t go flat like tires. With superficial compaction, the general assumption is that tracks provide a lower superficial compaction, as there is more surface contact with the ground compared with tires. This idea would be correct if the pressure — total tractor weight — was

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MTD October 2018

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A G T i r e Ta l k distributed uniformly on the complete contact surface of the track with the ground. Studies have shown, however, that this assumption is not the case, and that the largest pressure occurs on the drive wheel… (with) very little pressure applied in between the dolly wheels.

COURTESY OF MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA

Dave Paulk, manager of field technical services, BKT USA, Inc.: The debate between tires versus rubber tracks is ongoing. A lot depends on where and when you are using the equipment. It also depends on gaining flotation and traction in wet ground or reduced ground disturbance and traction in dry dirt. The main difference between tracks and tires is how they distribute weight, and how this benefits you. Tires have footprints that contact the ground during the revolution of the tire. The machine’s weight has to be transferred evenly to the ground during these revolutions. The larger the footprint of the tire the more evenly the weight is distributed, and the less ground bearing pressure it delivers. Tracks have a much greater ground contact area that reduces the tractor weight transfer to the ground. Thus, in theory tracks delivers less pounds per square inch (PSI) of ground bearing pressure than tires. The points of contact of the bogey wheels and drive wheels increase this some. In terms of traction, tracks work better in wet soil. Tires do as well or better in dry soil. Tracks tend to float across the ground in wet dirt, thus not creating ruts. Tires have to work a little harder in wet soil, and can leave ruts. With the advent of IF and VF tires, you can run lower air pressures to give more foot print, traction and flotation. In terms of fuel economy, tracks are designed to work with about 5% slippage. Tires are designed to work with between 8% and 15% slippage, with closer to 8% being optimum. Tracks are possibly a little more fuel efficient with less slippage factored in, but there are other factors to consider, such as the cost of operating and maintaining tracks. Soil compaction has to be considered when using either one. On average, tracks deliver about 4-8 psi of ground bearing pressure to the soil when parked. This can change some when the tractor is under a drawbar load, and because of track stiffness. The points of contact with the drive wheels and bogey wheels increases this some. So, which is better? Tracks definitely have an advantage in wet soil. You have heard the old adage, “If it’s too wet in the field, stay

Michelin says pneumatic tires will transmit up to 29% more power to the ground and are 4 times better at overcoming rolling resistance than tracks, resulting in fuel savings. SOURCE: NEBRASKA TRACTOR TEST LAB, UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, 2013

out.” Sometimes that is not reality, as crops have to be taken out of the field in the fall, no matter the weather or conditions. This is the purpose of tracks on combines and grain carts. The more serious (issue) is the cost of operating tracks or tires. Although the price of tracks has come down a little, they are still expensive. The cost of maintaining the suspension on tracks is expensive compared to a tractor with tires. Scott Sloan, ag product manager/global LSW, Titan International Inc.: Tracks vs. tires has been an ongoing debate in the ag industry for many years. Depending on what side of the fence you are on, each can make the case. But it really boils down to cost. (With) tracks, although they do a fine job in certain applications, the cost to own and operate them always catches up with the end user, from initial purchase cost — $60,000 to $100,000 more for a track machine over a wheeled machine of the same horsepower — to the inevitable maintenance cost on the tracks, which includes not only parts but time to continually lubricate and adjust. There have been numerous studies that show advantages to both for traction and flotation, again depending on the source. When it comes to compaction, the idea that a track has an advantage is a bit of a

misnomer. Flotation and compaction are two different conversations. In studies it has been proven that track machines actually have higher ground bearing pressures than a wheeled machine with correctly inflated tires. Tracks machines tend to be heavier than their wheeled counterparts. That load is being carried and is concentrated on the bogies and idlers in the track itself, not equally distributed across the track. Since a tire has an air chamber the load is distributed more evenly across the footprint. With the release of the Goodyear LSW1250/35R46 and the LSW1400/30R46, it has become apparent that a wheeled machine can match the flotation of a track machine with all the advantages of a wheeled machine like higher road speeds with unlimited durations. Pulling power is identical between the two when tractors are properly ballasted. We are seeing a major trend moving away from tracks and to the super singles going on in the marketplace. OE’s are evaluating and will most likely be offering them in the very near future. ■ James Tuschner has spent 25 years in the tire industry, primarily focused on the agricultural and specialty tire markets. His experience includes time spent at Alliance Tire Americas Inc. (first as director of marketing, then as director of business development) and Denman Tire Corp. He started www.agtiretalk.com in 2016.

MTD October 2018

Small OTR Tires

COURTESY OF JOHN DEERE

“As we grow the replacement business, the next natural step would be to expand into the OE market,” says Vitale.

SMALL OTR TIRE SUPPLIERS TALK ABOUT THE U.S. MARKET PIRELLI JOINS PROVIDERS OFFERING OTR PRODUCTS TO TIRE DEALERS By

Ann Neal

he first Pirelli-brand off-the-road (OTR) replacement tires arrived in the U.S. in late September destined for markets along the country’s southernmost cross-country interstate highway, Interstate 10. “Anything to the south of California to the north of Florida is basically where we are focusing,” says Alex Vitale, CEO North America for Prometeon Tyre Group Commercial Solutions LLC, the commercial arm of Pirelli Tire North America Inc. “We have a good concentration of dealers in this area that sell both truck and OTR products.” The arrival of the Pirelli OTR tires at the Savannah, Ga., port marked the brand’s entry into the U.S. market. “We deliver containers direct to dealers,” says Vitale. “Quite a few of our dealers take mixed loads of truck and OTR tires.” Vitale says Pirelli does not intend to be

heavily involved in distribution. “We give a few dealers their area to work and leave it up to them to push the product all the way through.” The company has a warehouse in Rome, Ga., but it will be used mainly for distributing medium truck tires. “We try to avoid using the warehouse for agricultural and OTR products. Just the size and the movement make us less competitive. We try to ship direct shipments from Brazil right to our customer.” Several dealers are selling Pirelli OTR tires, which range up to 29 inches in diameter, in the U.S. Six models are currently available for loaders, graders, dump trucks, forklifts, and other construction applications, as well as for cargo handling equipment at ports. Prometeon Tyre Group Commercial Solutions is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. The company introduced the first

Pirelli-brand truck tires, the TG:85 and FG:85 series, in the U.S. in April 2017. “With our introduction of our commercial truck tires in the U.S., the plan was always to introduce Pirelli industrial tires to the marketplace,” says Vitale. Vitale says the company intends to expand the OTR tires to the entire U.S. market, but he did not specify a time frame. He did, however, name when Pirelli brand farm tires will be available in the U.S. “We are still testing in the market with great results. We should be introducing ag in January of 2019.” The tires for the U.S. market are made at Pirelli’s OTR and agricultural tire factory in Brazil. Pirelli has been supplying replacement OTR and ag tires and original equipment fitments to the Latin America market since the 1970s. “We’ve had a long history in Latin America both on agricultural and OTR. We are OE to a few companies there, especially MTD October 2018

Small OTR Tires on the agricultural. We’re absolutely market leaders in the Latin American market for small OTR and agricultural tires,” says Vitale.

GOAL IS 5,000 UNITS PER MONTH Vitale sees continued demand for small OTR tires (20-inch to 25-inch diameter) driven by increased construction spending and more powerful machines. “The big machines seem to be used a little bit less because the small ones are becoming more powerful. Smaller equipment, such as skid steers, costs less to run and to transport.” The company’s sales goal is 5,000 units per month in the U.S., and Vitale expect to meet that target. “We are a great name with a great reputation,” says Vitale. “Dealers seem to easily sell our product as soon as we produce it. I don’t know if the market was waiting for another major brand to come in or the market is just booming for construction and needs more tires.” Vitale suggests dealers keep plenty of inventory on hand. “Without inventory and delivery you’re losing out. Nobody’s waiting for these tires. If you don’t have it in inventory or access to it pretty quick, consumers will go elsewhere. That’s where the differential is going to be between dealers. These big bulky tires are not a fast overnight delivery. It’s a lost sale if you don’t have inventory.”

TIPS FOR CLOSING THE OTR SALE Modern Tire Dealer asked manufacturers and marketers for tips that help a dealer close the OTR sale as well as their view of the future for bias tires. In addition to Pirelli, eight other companies responded. They were: Seth Walters, vice president-aftermarket sales (East) for Alliance Tire Americas Inc.; Minoo Mehta, president of BKT USA Inc.; Michael Dembe, executive director of product management for construction at Camso Inc.; T. Shawn Rasey, director of global business development of earthmover tires for Continental AG; Eric Matson, global field engineering manager for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.; Justin Brock, marketing manager for construction at Michelin North America Inc.; Bill Dashiell, senior vice president-commercial tire division at TBC Brands LLC; and Bruce Besancon, vice president of OTR sales for Yokohama Tire Corp. Responses to MTD’s request for tips to close the OTR sale ranged from stocking plenty of inventory to positioning one’s dealership as a knowledgeable partner rather than a seller of a commodity.

Alliance: My biggest advice would be to make sure you’re not ignoring the small OTR sale! So often, dealers get focused on the big machinery and the bigger-ticket tire and they forget that there’s a forklift or skid steer sitting right next to them. Selling those smaller tires would make for a decent margin and would help build relationships with the customer that could yield the big sales later. I’d also recommend that dealers get familiar with several different radial and bias options for small OTR sales. Nowadays, there’s a big range of offerings that can help dealers fit the specific needs of their customers in terms of tread design, price point and other design parameters. That makes the dealer part of the customer’s team instead of a commodity. That’s positioning for the long haul. BKT: Ask questions and get all the information you can on what they are doing with the machine, so that one can suggest the correct tire. Every company offers specialist technical help for the dealers. We encourage dealers to use their help. Handling of OTR tires are challenging to dealers because of their weight and size. It requires special handling, lot of storage space and capital. To sell OTR tires and be successful requires dealer commitment and servicing capability. Vehicle downtime created by wrong tires or tires fitted in wrong applications can be very costly. Camso: Take a consultative approach and engage the customer in a conversation about his needs, don’t try for a quick sale. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Ask questions, reach out to tire manufacturers to funnel down to the best solutions. Recommend after consultation. Lock in that repeat business and gain knowledge. It’s a market with a lot of opportunities where you can separate yourself from competition by becoming a solution provider and OTR expert. Partner with a reliable tire manufacturer. Use online tools. We developed “Sales Intelligence” tools to give dealers and our sales team access to product information, product selector, catalogs and product sheets online. Continental: Know and understand your local market and customer base. Like most OTR tire sales, knowing the customer application is paramount in making good recommendations. Once you match the right tire to those applications, it’s really about planning ahead and making sure you MTD October 2018

Small OTR Tires keep an adequate safety stock to cover your customer needs. The market has been really active, and in many cases demand has been outstripping global supply. So planning ahead and having the right tires on hand is really important. Add to that maintaining the right equipment and trained personnel to do the service work and you have a winning combination!” Goodyear: The ability to track the performance of small OTR tires can be sold to end users as an additional benefit. Goodyear’s recently enhanced EMTrack OTR tire management system enables faster, more accurate collection of critical tire data like inflation and tread depth levels, as well as immediate tire data uploading to a secure, password-protected cloud-based storage platform. Services like Goodyear EMTrack can help dispel the sometimes-held notion that smaller OTR tires are more of a commodity than their larger counterparts. End users will want to do everything within their power to optimize tire performance and longevity. Have you established maintenance programs for your small OTR

tire customers? Maintaining proper inflation levels is one of the most important contributors to achieving optimal tire performance and longer service life. In addition, are you offering value-added services, like site inspections? The removal of rocks and other potentially harmful items from job sites can contribute to longer tire life. Water management is important, too. Has the site been designed so that water drains from it? Is there standing water that can hide tire-damaging debris? Site inspections can help reduce these risks for end users. Michelin: The important aspect is to understand the customer and the application. Based on this information, look to provide solutions to the customer that will help them best complete the job with the maximum uptime, productivity, etc. Being able to quickly meet the needs of customers is critical in this environment. Having easy access to tires and information is critical. The industry is constantly evolving, and staying up to date on the trends and solutions will help one become a trusted source.

TBC Brands: Most important tip is to ensure product availability; a down vehicle means the end user is losing money on the job site and less likely to price shop as much as other products. Second is service: Look for ways to out-service the competitor from delivery, quality and even on-site services to reduce equipment downtime. Yokohama: Dealers must make sure they know their market and their customers. By doing so the successful dealer will have both the knowledge to advise the customer (the dealer’s advice or recommendation of a tire to an end user is what is taken in over 90% of transactions) and have ordered the correct tire and stock to keep their customers safe and productive. In this age of internet, there is nothing more powerful than a dealer that actually knows their customer and what can make that customer more efficient and effective in their operation. All OTR tires are sold to other businesses – not a casual consumer – and these businesses rely on their partner suppliers to help them be more efficient. The OTR world is unique (just like every

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MTD October 2018

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Small OTR Tires other tire segment!). History has shown that expertise in tire design, materials, manufacturing, and on-site advice on proper use will give a customer their best cost per hour. True tire professionals know this, and they make the most successful dealerships.

THE OUTLOOK FOR BIAS TIRES Modern Tire Dealer also asked the respondents for their perspective on the future of bias tires. Alliance: Radials deliver a lot of benefits—longer service life, lower fuel consumption, more efficient delivery of machine horsepower to the ground, and a smoother ride that’s easier on operators and their equipment. There’s still life in the bias part of the segment, though. Radials deliver the best value on machinery that covers more ground, like scrapers, graders and trucks, or switches direction often, like loaders. We’ll probably see continued use of bias in low-mileage machines like dozers, or in certain dump trucks or skid steers where operators want stiff sidewalls for extra stability as their center of gravity changes. Still, expect to see radials grow to dominate small OTR in the next several years. BKT: Bias will still be around for price and application reasons until a more cost effective alternative is available. Bias tires are also used in older and lower usage machines. In places that tear up tires, customers will prefer to run bias tires. Camso: Radial tires are gaining popularity for larger and faster-moving equipment,

and tracks and solid tires have an impact on bias tires, too. However, bias remains very relevant for compact construction and applications where you need versatility and comfort, and it will continue in the future to be the case. Price-wise, it’s also a very economical choice. Bias tires give a lot of options in terms of sizes and tread patterns. Continental: It really depends on the segment. In the general small OTR market, radials continue to expand and command the majority of the market. There is still some demand for lower-priced and less sophisticated bias products that will persist for some time into the future, but that segment is steadily declining. Goodyear: We’re seeing a trend toward radialization, even in small OTR tires. However, there is still a place for small, bias-ply OTR tires in certain applications. The thick, heavy sidewalls of bias tires can offer enhanced cut resistance in severeservice applications and extra stability in some loader applications. Michelin: This really depends on the machine and application. Bias tires are still a popular choice among many machines. For example, bias technology is still a popular choice for skid steer loaders and backhoe loaders. Other technology also has its place in the segment including radial and airless options. The importance is to understand the usage of the machine in order to determine the best solution.

Pirelli: We feel the changeover is much slower than expected. TBC Brands: Currently, we do not see an extinction date for bias tires. This is due to the pricing gap that remains between bias and radial even with the benefits that could justify the cost in the long term. There are also certain applications where bias tires provide benefits in stability over radial. The 24- and 25-inch radial tires will continue to gain share at the expense of the bias business, but in forklift, skid steer and backhoe tires we expect bias to maintain a strong share of the market for the foreseeable future. Yokohama: Bias tires comprise approximately 30% of the market, and more so in many of the smaller dimensions. This has been a relatively consistent level for better than 10 years (and all during that time “some” stated the demise of the bias ply). In many cases the bias offers characteristics that the radial cannot for a given application, in some cases stability, in others longer life and a better cost/hour for the customer. The reality is that there is no “extinction” date in sight for bias tires. They will be around and relevant for the foreseeable future and continue to play a strong role in the applications where the customer sees them as the best option. Never forget that the customer is still demanding these tires because they have seen how productive and efficient they are and not because they are the only option. Q

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MTD October 2018

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Commercially Viable Triangle TRS02 truck tire is available in 10 sizes The Triangle TRS02 all-position truck tire is marketed as a practical solution for regional and urban haul operations. The SmartWay-verified tire offers a long tread life and is built with a durable casing to allow for multiple retreads. Triangle says a split layer compound in the TRS02 delivers long tread life while reducing rolling resistance. A wider footprint also contributes to extended removal miles, the company says. Cornering stability and overall handling are aided by a variable sipe concept and undulating tread base grooves. The 10 sizes range from 265/70R19.5 to 11R24.5. Ply ratings range from 14 to 20. TRIANGLE TIRE USA www.triangletireus.com

Maxam brings a rear farm tire to the U.S. market The MS951R Agrixtra R1W is a rear radial farm tire designed for high-horsepower tractors and harvester equipment applications. Maxam says the tire provides traction in a variety of wet and dry conditions with an advanced tread design and wide footprint to lower soil compaction and minimize soil disturbance. The intelligent self-cleaning tire tread pattern ensures performance in the field, while the premium 45-degree lug profile increases overall ride comfort, reducing vibration on hard surfaces and roads. The tire features a premium compound technology with a reinforced lug design construction for quality and protection from ozone cracking. The MS951R Agrixtra is available in 18 sizes with multiple aspect ratios. MAXAM TIRE NORTH AMERICA INC. www.maxamtirena.com

Hercules adds the CH4 to its Terra Trac line Hercules says the Terra Trac CH4 is designed for cargo vans and light trucks and made to endure the high torque and heavy loads critical to commercial applications. The all-season commercial highway tire features a buttress design purpose-built for high-scrub applications. Enhanced tread blocks provide stability during cornering and promote even wear. Microwave sipes create gripping edges to enhance wet traction. A reinforced cross-link tread compound endures high torque and load applications. The line consists of 11 sizes in 15- to 18-inch wheel diameters and accommodates such popular cargo vans as the Ford Transit, Ram ProMaster, Nissan NV, Mercedes Sprinter and Chevrolet Express, plus light trucks from Dodge, Ford, Chevy and more. HERCULES TIRE & RUBBER CO. www.herculestire.com

Roadmaster RM272 comes in three more sizes Backed by a six-year, two-retread warranty, the Roadmaster RM272 is engineered to withstand the demands of drop deck and spread axle trailers. The tire is now available in sizes 295/75R22.5 LR H, 11R22.5 LR H and 11R24.5 LR H. Cooper says the RM272 features a premium, high-scrub tread compound that provides improved tread wear and long-lasting protection against cutting and chipping in spread axle trailer applications. The stone ejector ribs in the tire’s grooves help preserve the casing for retreading, and the rounded shoulder design helps minimize the effect of high lateral forces on the tire. COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO. www.roadmastertires.com

Branick offers an inflation cage for small utility tires The Model 2010 Utility Tire Inflation Cage is designed to improve safety when inflating non-highway service (NHS) tires such as lawn and garden, golf cart, scooter and other small tires. Branick says Model 2010 has a slotted top and sides that give visibility to the tire while still providing protection from the small debris common with utility tire failures. The sloped top helps strengthen the cage and prevent items from being placed on top that will become projectiles in a failure. The Model 2010 holds tires up to 16 inches wide and 20.5 inches in diameter with pressures up to 100 psi, yet only requires a 20-inch square of floor space. BRANICK INDUSTRIES INC. www.branick.com

Atturo unveils an ST-rated tire for trailers Designed as a complement to Atturo’s tires for light trucks and SUVs, the ST200 tire is ST-rated for trailer use with a construction that’s meant for heavy loads carried at a higher center of gravity. Offering a variety of ply ratings and highload index applications made for utility, recreational and work trailers, the ST200 features four channels to help with wet traction and a solid center rib for tracking the tow vehicle on the highway. Atturo says the interlocking shoulder and inner tread blocks improve traction while also providing a quiet ride. The tire is rated for up to 75 mph. ATTURO TIRE CORP. www.atturo.com

MTD October 2018

European Notebook

Tire dumping is still an ugly reality in Europe FINANCIAL INCENTIVES ABOUND FOR RECYCLING SCRAP TIRES By

John Stone

t is no secret that the tire industry on a global basis revolves around tire sales margins and profits, but this article is going to look at the other less glamorous end of the market — scrap tires — and in particular the latest trends and developments currently in place in Europe. Well over one billion tires reach their end of life around the world on an annual basis. It is a very negative fact that a great deal of these end-of-life tires are finally disposed of in landfill sites, which is a well-recorded threat to the environment. So it would be true to say that all European countries still have a problem handling their waste tires at the moment. And the true extent of how many tires end up in “hidden” landfill sites in each country, I believe is unknown. However, on the bright side of the situation, Europe as a whole appears to be taking the situation seriously. I have recently taken an in-depth look at the very latest new ways of effectively reclaiming scrap tires. My research revealed a number of innovative developments for old, worn tires to avoid landfills, which will always be considered a negative action for the environment. For a start, companies are turning these tires into crumb rubber by grinding them at ambient temperatures (or cooling them with liquid nitrogen) to create fine particles. These particles are currently used in many applications, including paving, playgrounds, a number of molded rubber products for garden landscaping plus artificial reefs for marine life, etc. It is generally considered by engineering experts that whole, shredded and ground tire rubber have significant advantages over other materials in providing the above products. They are lightweight, porous and durable, and therefore provide excellent insulation, shock absorption and noise reduction. There is also a growing interest in biofiltering rubber from old tires. This involves combining waste water with crumb rubber, which has a double impact as it reduces the problem of waste tires going to landfill while effectively treating waste water, storm water and even ship ballast water. Another progressive use for scrap tires is in electric arc furnaces. The old tires (being either shredded or used whole) are mixed with scrap metal in steelworks that use arc furnaces as it helps with the conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide. At the same time there is the practice of “devulcanization” which recovers rubber from tires using mechanical, thermal, bacterial and ultrasound processes to break down the rubber and re-use it in new forms. At the moment it is considered to be a very expensive procedure, but I am reliably informed that ongoing research is currently looking at ways to make it a more viable option for the future. Another alternative is pyrolysis, which like devulcanization is not really cost-effective at the moment but has to be considered as a way forward in due course.

A typical scene of illegal tire dumping.

Huge amounts of dumped tires are a serious fire hazard.

Even now, some (shall we say) less professional and conscientious tire dealers still prefer to use the quicker and, of course, less costly route of dumping their old rubber. For example, in the UK and some European countries there are regular reports of “mountains” of old tires being illegally dumped overnight in fields and even remote country lanes. This makes it extremely hard for the environmentally friendly approach of recycling used tires to become completely widespread. The respective tire industry associations throughout Europe are well aware of this mindless mentality. If caught dumping tires, offenders face financial penalties that can be very severe, and in some cases carry a prison sentence. With so much innovative potential available from old used tires, there is a lot of real incentive for Europe to somehow completely abolish tire dumping. Only time will tell if that is possible. ■ John Stone has been working within the global tire industry for the last 27 years. In 2004 he launched his own consulting company, Sapphire Media Service, which caters to business media clients around the globe. Stone also writes for tire and automotive-related publications in Europe, South Africa and Asia.

MTD October 2018

Mergers and Acquisitions

Potential buyers expect EBITDA to be at least 10% of sales PART 2 OF 3 By

Michael McGregor

ast month we looked at several important considerations that matter to strategic and financial buyers when looking for an acquisition of a multi-unit tire and service retailer. They were revenue size, geography, the stores themselves, area demographics, and growth trajectory and future prospects. Sophisticated buyers want to know everything about your business before acquiring it so they can be responsible to their shareholders and investors, as well as plan for an effective integration after the sale closes. In this second of a three part series, I’m looking at my most recent transactions and highlighting important operational issues that seemed to matter most to acquirers. They are not listed in order of importance as every deal is different. What matters most to your buyer should be your primary concern. People and management. In the tire and service business, experience at the store level counts. People who know how to profitably run stores with a proven customer service delivery system are the most valuable asset. A good store manager can retain great salespeople, who, in turn, help keep experienced and efficient technicians productive, which makes loyal customers happy. It’s a virtuous circle. Break that circle by looking for “change agents” or by “shaking it up” with new ideas is best done slowly and after proven testing. It’s shocking how fast some established operations can slide after experienced people at multiple layers of management retire or are forced out. Turning that around can take many, many years. I’ll get off my soapbox now and simply say that it’s a service business. It’s a relationship business. Store people matter. If you have long-term retention of experienced people at key positions in the stores, that’s a great thing. Profitability, gross profit margins and sustainability. The level of profitability or recast EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) is one of the two primary metrics used when valuing an ongoing profitable business. Recast EBITDA includes a lot of non-recurring and owner-related expenses that are usually stripped away under new ownership. If your EBITDA as a percent of sales is less than 5%, you need to do better. A tire and service business at about 7.5% EBITDA is doing OK, I guess. But 10% is good and what I hope and expect to see; and anywhere close to 15% is great. Some of this is determined by your mix of business. I recently encountered some tire-focused dealers who have overall higher EBITDA margins than some service-focused tire dealers. That was a surprise to me; I’m a service sales-focused guy who believed that improving service sales was the fastest route to profits. I can see now why that is not always the case, in part because their limited services, which focused on undercar and tire-related services, reduced labor costs and had a positive impact on their cost structure and top line.

A lot of EBITDA is determined by your gross profit margins, and that in turn is affected by your pricing strategy. If you have low margins, consider testing some price increases where you can. See if you can improve your purchasing strategies to get better prices, thus lowering your cost of goods sold. Then look at your operating cost structure. In places where you can cut back without impacting customer service and customer retention, do it. Buyers want to see growing, sustainable profits with plausible future upside. Expect all of this to be analyzed by acquirers when they do a “sensitivity analysis” on the financial performance of your business. Synergies and cost savings. One of the more touchy acquisition subjects I deal with is overlap: You have infrastructure, overhead and owner-related expenses that will be duplicative in an acquisition by a larger operation. When I ran a district of 18 tire stores in Los Angeles in the days before laptops, email and smartphones, there was me, my assistant district manager and an administrative assistant. Everything else to support the 18 stores we oversaw was handled by the regional or corporate office. Look at your business from that perspective and you might be able to see how an acquirer can over time “lean up” your group of stores to increase the profitability for themselves. If you can do it first, you’ll reap the benefit of a higher valuation. Business environment matters. Some acquirers view California as a foreign country and plan to never expand there. The regulatory environment, the Bureau of Automotive Repair, the high cost of everything, and a workforce people from other parts of the country sometimes describe as “flaky” makes California a tough market. But for better or worse, that “foreign country” is now the fifth largest economy in the world, and a whole bunch of car owners live there. Can the higher costs of doing business there be overcome with higher pricing? Yep. Can the cultural and business challenges be overcome with patience, good management, persistence and training? Yes, I’ve seen it. Nevertheless, I have to say that Texas is preferred to California. And a more populous state like Ohio is probably preferred to North Dakota. It kind of all depends on the pain versus the opportunity. Businesses are viewed through a variety of filters. Financial ones matter a lot but so do the people issues. In part three next month, we’ll look at quality of financial reporting; delayed investments; seller expectations of value; type of sale; environmental concerns; and other issues that matter to a potential buyer. ■ Michael McGregor is a veteran of the tire and service industry and a partner at Focus Investment Banking LLC (focusbankers.com/tire-and-service). He advises and assists multi-location tire dealers on mergers and acquisitions in the auto aftermarket. For more information contact him at michael.mcgregor@focusbankers.com.

MTD October 2018

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Focus On Industry

From Amazon to DieHard OUR Q&A WITH MIKE MCCARTHY SHEDS LIGHT ON SEARS AUTOMOTIVE By

Bob Ulrich

he reinvention of Sears Auto Centers continues. When Kmart Holding Corp. purchased Sears, Roebuck & Co. in November 2003, there were 870 Sears Auto Centers. Nearly 15 years later, Modern Tire Dealer estimates there will soon be 356 left standing, a decrease of 59%. But in the last two years, Sears Holdings Corp. has made three major moves designed to move its automotive retail chain forward. Sears began selling DieHard brand tires in August 2016. The company decided to leverage the iconic brand following a study of nearly 600 consumers. The first DieHard Auto Center Driven by Sears opened in San Antonio in 2017. Before the year was out, Sears opened two more DieHard Auto Centers in metropolitan Detroit. Sears agreed to provide full-service tire installation and balancing for customers who purchase any brand of tires – including DieHard -- on Amazon.com. The Sears Auto Centers Ship-to-Store tire solution, which is Modern Tire Dealer interviewed Mike McCarthy, vice president integrated into the Amazon.com checkout process, is now and general manager of the Sears Automotive Division, for more available nationwide, including Alaska and Hawaii. insight into where Sears Automotive is headed. MTD: Earlier this year, Sears announced it would be the first portfolio -- good, better or best? How would you characterize installation partner for Amazon.com customers who bought overall sales compared to your other brands? any brand of tires. Does your partnership include the sale and/ McCarthy: In our current tire brand portfolio the DieHard or inventorying of tires for Amazon.com other than your own tire fits into the “better” category. The DieHard tire is a top DieHard brand? For example, if someone bought the tires from selling brand. Amazon and you had them in stock, would they come out of MTD: Are there any plans to introduce new DieHard tire lines? your inventory? McCarthy: As you know, we don’t make forward-looking McCarthy: The partnership between Sears Automotive and statements. However, we believe that there are other tire segments Amazon does not include the sale or inventory responsibilities where the features and benefits of a DieHard tire make sense, for tires sold on Amazon. In conjunction with Amazon, Sears including the premium and light truck tire segments. Automotive offers a bundled per tire “Professional Installation” MTD: Do you still offer RoadHandler, a co-branded tire with package that includes the installation of the tire, wheel balancHankook, and Guardsman, a Sears private brand tire? ing, valve stem or tire pressure monitor McCarthy: After the introduction of rebuild kit and the tire disposal fee. In the ‘THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SEARS AUTOMOTIVE DieHard branded tires, the RoadHandler future, we hope to partner with Amazon and Guardsman private brands were disconAND AMAZON DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SALE OR tinued. We currently have limited quantities to make other auto services we provide available on their platform. DieHard INVENTORY RESPONSIBILITIES FOR TIRES SOLD of the RoadHandler and Guardsman tires tires are currently available and sold on available for sale while quantities last. We ON AMAZON,’ SAYS MIKE MCCARTHY. Amazon through a relationship between will continue to offer all of the important the DieHard brand and Amazon. national brands in our portfolio of brands, MTD: Do you only sell the DieHard brand at your auto centers including Michelin, BFGoodrich, Uniroyal, Goodyear, Continental, and through Amazon.com? How would you describe sales of General, Kumho and Hankook. DieHard tires through Amazon.com? MTD: At last count, there were three DieHard Auto Center McCarthy: Correct, the current points of distribution for Driven by Sears outlets. Have you added any more? Do you have DieHard tires are through Amazon and our company-owned stores a short-term goal as to the number of these stores you would and websites. Although we don’t share specific sales information, like to open? we have been pleased with the sales of DieHard branded tires McCarthy: Correct, we currently have three DieHard Auto through our stores and websites. In addition, we are beginning Centers Driven by Sears located in the San Antonio and Detroit to see increased activity and brand awareness on Amazon as well. markets. At this time, we do not plan on opening any additional MTD: How does the DieHard tire line fit into your brand DieHard branded outlets in 2018. ■

MTD October 2018

Focus On Industry

Michael Zuieback, CEO of Discount Tire, and the late Bruce Halle’s family hosted the opening of the company’s 1,000th store, located in Phoenix near the company’s headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz. Store No. 1 opened in 1960.

Retail tire store No. 1,000! AND DISCOUNT TIRE HOPES TO DOUBLE THAT

n Monday, Sept. 10, 2018, the 1,000th Discount Tire store was opened. The milestone occurred in Phoenix, Ariz., on the corner of 23rd Ave. and Happy Valley Road. “Reaching 1,000 stores is truly a testament to Bruce Halle’s dream and commitment to treating people right,” said Lisa Pedersen, assistant vice president of marketing at Discount Tire. Built from the ground up, the store is in close proximity to a car wash and an outdoor shopping center occupied by the likes of Walmart, Target, Kohl’s and Best Buy. “It’s in a perfect spot,” said Gary Van Brunt, vice chairman. “It is in a growing, upscale area.” With only six tires to his name, Halle, who was 87 when he died Jan. 4, 2018, opened his first Discount Tire store in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1960. The company reached 200 stores in 1990 and 500 stores in 2002. Halle was named Modern Tire Dealer’s

Brad Randall is front and center at his new retail store, surrounded by his staff. The store is located near a number of big box stores and a popular car wash.

Store Manager Brad Randall (left) officially opens Discount Tire’s 1,000 store as Michael Zuieback (center), Scott Fournier and Rich Sommer look on.

Tire Dealer of the Year in 2014. At the time, he had 887 stores in 30 states, and said he hoped to have stores in at least 40 states, not including Alaska and Hawaii. Today the parent company, ReinaltThomas Corp., does business as Discount Tire (and America’s Tire in parts of California) in 34 states. Discount Tire said it attributes its success “to the respectful, can-do attitude” that began at Halle’s first store, and is instilled in each of the company’s more than 20,000 employees. “Bruce always said, ‘Once we get to 1,000, let’s go open the next thousand — as long as we stay true to who we are,’” said Pedersen. “We will continue to responsibly grow and honor Bruce’s legacy on which the company was built.” Fittingly on the same day, Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, won his first race of the season, The Brickyard 400, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ■ MTD October 2018

Focus On Dealers

Virginia Tire & Auto builds a pipeline for growth GOAL IS TO TAKE THE STRESS OUT OF AUTO REPAIR By

Joy Kopcha

n the span of a couple months, MSS Inc., dba Virginia Tire & Auto, has renovated one location, opened a new store, and broken ground on yet another. “We’re preparing for our next stage of growth right now and there’s a lot happening,” says Julie Holmes, president of Virginia Tire & Auto. She and her husband Mike, the CEO, are leading the company her father, Myron Boncarosky, started in 1976. And Julie Holmes says they see “a lot of opportunity for growth in Northern Virginia, and Virginia as a whole.” Boncarosky’s life as an entrepreneur began as the owner of a Shell full-service gasoline station. He eventually added more gas stations, but by the late 1970s and early 1980s he felt his business was at the mercy of the oil company. In 1988 he opened his first larger format automotive repair shop. “A lot of our business comes from our heritage of being in the fuel business,” Julie Holmes says. Her dad wanted to maintain the pace of a busy gas station, so from the start Virginia Tire & Auto offered quick oil changes. State inspections and oil changes remain an important part of the company’s business. “Our model has always been built on higher volume.” Typical stores have 11 or 12 bays. They focus on complete automotive service and taking care of customers. The company owns a fleet of 50 loaner cars for customers to use. They operate a shuttle service. And, the company offers VTA Valet: “We come to you, leave you a loaner and take your car to Virginia Tire & Auto. Never set foot in the repair shop. $15 + cost of service.” Julie Holmes says all of those transportation options help the company fulfill its mission. “The reason we’re in business is to take the stress out of auto repair.”

FOCUSING ON THE CUSTOMER Virginia Tire & Auto still operates three fuel stations — in Falls Church, Fairfax and Springfield. The company owns the property where each one is located, and Julie Holmes considers them part of the family’s legacy business. The Springfield station, which dated back to the 1960s, was demolished and rebuilt for the modern era, and it reopened in August. It sits next to a Virginia Tire & Auto store, and the renovation of the Shell station also included an additional bay plus more operational space for the tire business. The Holmeses focus on consumer expectations, and say some things — a clean waiting room with space for children to play, and clean and modern bathrooms — are no longer optional. “They’re not differentiators at this point, especially since we consider ourselves a convenient alternative to the new car dealership,” she says. Mike Holmes agrees. “We have a real opportunity to transform

Virginia Tire & Auto has a team of four full-time employees dedicated to training and developing the company’s workers, something Julie Holmes considers “our real differentiator.”

our industry. I think the customer expectation has changed and our industry has not kept pace.” “We operate high volume stores. Nice big stores at great locations with good demographics,” he says. “We want highly visible, highly accessible retail areas with 40,000 cars going by every day — more like where a McDonald’s or Wawa might go.” Securing those locations requires research. “It takes a long time for us to open our stores. We like to own the real estate. We take it under the development process. It takes a while to get our use permit.” But he sees that process getting a little easier. Generally communities don’t get excited about an automotive service business, but “our brand has gotten some traction. “When we went into Herndon every single council member had been to one of our stores. They recognized our stores and our brand,” Mike Holmes says. “It takes a long time to develop that.”

CHANGING THE TIRE STRATEGY Even though Virginia Tire & Auto’s business is more service oriented, tires remain an important part of the strategy. Mike Holmes says the company is considering making changes. He’s not happy about the joint ventures between Michelin North America Inc. and TBC Inc. and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and Bridgestone Americas Inc. “It’s had a dramatic effect on our business. I’m a little concerned with our manufacturing partners acting more like competition in some cases.” The company had relied on American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) to deliver its Goodyear tires, but when Goodyear dropped ATD as a distributor, it was forced to partner with TireHub LLC. ATD provided “reliable service” and Virginia Tire & Auto had developed relationships with ATD team members. Add those changes to his dissatisfaction with Goodyear’s online platform that sells tires direct to consumers, and Mike Holmes says his company is considering making changes to its tire brands. “We want to own the customer experience and it’s difficult to do that through that program. “We’re trying to get our arms around what’s changing,” he says. “Change brings about opportunities.” ■ MTD October 2018

Focus On Industry

AAPEX 2018 plans to keep you ahead of the curve EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES WILL BE EXAMINED IN EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

utomotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) 2018 will be presented Tuesday, Oct. 30, through Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas. AAPEX is part of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week (AAIW), which also includes the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show going on at the same time at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Tire Industry Association’s Global Tire Expo is part of the SEMA Show (see a schedule of events in MTD’s September issue.) AAPEX is a trade-only event and is not open to the general public. It is co-owned by the Auto Care Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA), the light vehicle aftermarket division of the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). AAPEX 2018 will feature more than 2,500 exhibiting companies displaying the latest products, services and technologies. More than 47,000 targeted buyers are expected to attend, and approximately 162,000 automotive aftermarket professionals from 135 countries are projected to be in Las Vegas during AAPEX 2018. Exhibits will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Approximately 50 educational sessions will be presented at AAPEX 2018 in these tracks: Business Management, Electric Car & Alternate Fuel/Energy, Heating/Cooling, Heavy Duty, Import/Export, Industry Trends, Paint & Body, Remanufacturing Conference, Service Professionals Program, Shop Equipment & Technology, Technology and Young Professionals Program. Eighteen of the sessions will cover the top trends, challenges and opportunities in the automotive aftermarket and how attendees can position themselves to stay ahead of the curve and grow their businesses. Topics include emerging vehicle technologies, shifts in vehicle ownership and fleet management, autonomous vehicles and ongoing North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations. AAPEXedu sessions also will address enabling the connected future and the secure vehicle impact, the digital transformation of China’s automotive aftermarket, predictive part failure, advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), as well as Transportation as a Service (TaaS) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

KEYNOTE ADDRESS John King, CNN’s chief national correspondent and anchor of Inside Politics, and Karl Rove, political strategist, Fox News contributor and Wall Street Journal columnist, will offer the AAPEX 2018 opening keynote, “Breakfast with John King and Karl Rove: How Trade and the Elections Could Impact the Aftermarket.” This is a ticketed event and will be held Oct. 30, from 7 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. The grand opening keynote session will begin with a State of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry presentation by Bill

Multiple educational sessions at AAPEX 2018 will cover emerging vehicle technologies, including the connected car, electrification and automation in vehicles.

Hanvey, president and CEO of the Auto Care Association, and Bill Long, president and chief operating officer of the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA). Hanvey and Long will spotlight the trends and technologies that have the greatest impact on the industry today.

AAPEXEDU SESSIONS Here is a sampling of the educational sessions planned for AAPEX 2018. For a complete schedule, see www.aapexshow.com. Tuesday, Oct. 30 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Start/Stop Technology, presented by Bob Pattengale, national training manager, Robert Bosch LLC. Start/stop vehicles are already on the road in the U.S. This seminar will cover an overview of start/stop systems, a review of start/stop operation strategy, a review of common components on start/stop systems and diagnostic process examples. 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. 2019 Aftermarket Outlook, presented by Nathan Shipley, director of industry analysis, The NPD Group Inc. Shipley will reveal how sales in 2018 are measuring up to expectations, share insights into consumer attitudes that will shape the coming year, and provide his outlook on sales for 2019 and beyond. Insights and analysis will be derived in part from the 2018 Consumer Outlook Survey. In its 13th annual edition, these survey results will once again be unveiled for the first time exclusively to AAPEX attendees. 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Emerging Vehicle Technologies and Their Impact on the Aftermarket, presented by Evan Hirsh, principal of PwC/Strategy. This session will offer a comprehensive review of four emerging vehicle technologies that are certain to affect the aftermarket: the development of connected cars, autonomous driving, shared driving, and electrification. MTD October 2018

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Focus On Industry

Predictive part failure, start/stop technologies, advanced driver assist systems, Transportation as a Service (TaaS) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) will be covered in educational sessions.

Approximately 50 AAPEXedu sessions will be offered which cover topics as varied as emerging vehicle technologies, finding good technicians and keeping the family business going.

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Why Should I Work for You?, Presented by Dan Gilley, director of RLO Training LLC. This session will take a look at what can make your shop stand out for prospective automotive service technicians and service advisers.

Dr. L. Todd Thomas, associate academic dean, DeVos Graduate School of Management, Northwood University. This workshop will look at that you can do to engage your team and improve communication. Tips for creating a team identity will be offered as well as ways to reduce employee turnover and increase customer satisfaction.

Wednesday, Oct. 31 11:30 – 12:30 Increasing Profit Through Team Excellence, presented by

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Trends in Emerging Technologies – Industry Plans and Consumer Reactions, presented by Karl Brauer, executive publisher, Cox Automotive/Kelley Blue Book; Philip Atkins, director of strategic research and planning, Automotive Aftermarket Supplier Association (AASA); and Tim Turvey, global vice president, GM customer care and aftersales, General Motors. Industry representatives will discuss three important emerging vehicle technologies — the connected car, electrification and automation in vehicles. GM’s Turvey will present an OE outlook on each topic, including the marketing opportunity, the benefits, and a technology update. Cox Automotive will share its outlook from the consumers’ point of view and describe how ready they are to embrace these technological advances.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685) PUBLICATION TITLE MODERN TIRE DEALER

PUBLICATION NO. 0026-8496

FILING DATE 10/01/2018

ISSUE FREQUENCY Monthly

NO. OF ISSUES PUBLISHED ANNUALLY 12

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION PRICE $65.00 per year

COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS OF KNOWN OFFICE OF PUBLICATION Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger Street, Torrance, CA 90503-1640, Los Angeles County COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS OF PUBLISHER’S HEADQUARTER’S Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger Street, Torrance, CA 90503-1640, Los Angeles County FULL NAMES AND COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESSES OF PUBLISHER, EDITOR, AND MANAGING EDITOR PUBLISHER: Greg Smith, Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger Street, Torrance, CA 90503-1640, Los Angeles County EDITOR: Robert Ulrich, Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger Street, Torrance, CA 90503-1640, Los Angeles County MANAGING EDITOR: Lori Mavrigian, Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger Street, Torrance, CA 90503-1640, Los Angeles County OWNER Ty F. Bobit, CEO

COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS Bobit Business Media, 3520 Challenger Street, Torrance, CA 90503-1640, Los Angeles County

KNOWN BONDHOLDERS, MORTGAGEES, AND OTHER SECURITY HOLDERS OWNING OR HOLDING 1 PERCENT OR MORE OF TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS, MORTGAGES, OR OTHER SECURITIES None ISSUE DATE FOR CIRCULATION DATA BELOW September 2018

EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION

AVERAGE NO. COPIES EACH ISSUE DURING LAST 12 MONTHS

ACTUAL NO. COPIES OF RECENT SINGLE ISSUE

15a TOTAL NO. COPIES (NET PRESS RUN) 15b PAID/REQUESTED CIRCULATION 15b.1 OUTSIDE COUNTY PAID/REQUESTED MAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS 15b.2 IN-COUNTY PAID/REQUESTED MAIL SUBSCRIPTION 15b.3 SALES THROUGH DEALERS/CARRIERS 15b.4 REQUESTED COPIES USPS OTHER MAIL CLASSES 15c TOTAL PAID/REQUESTED CIRCULATION

36,313 0 30,055 0 0 1,026 31,081

36,646 0 33,990 0 0 1,022 35,279

15d NONREQUESTED CIRCULATION 15d.1 OUTSIDE COUNTY NONREQUESTED COPIES 15d.2 IN-COUNTY NONREQUESTED COPIES 15d.3 NONREQUESTED DISTRIBUTED BY OTHER CLASS OF MAIL 15d.4 NONREQUESTED OUTSIDE USPS 15e TOTAL NONREQUESTED DISTRIBUTION

0 2,144 0 0 200 2,344

0 886 0 0 546 1,432

33,425 209 33,633 93.0%

36,444 214 36,658 96.1%

15f TOTAL DISTRIBUTION 15g COPIES NOT DISTRIBUTED 15h TOTAL 15i PERCENT PAID/REQUESTED CIRCULATION 16 ELECTRONIC COPY CIRCULATION 16a REQUESTED AND PAID ELECTRONIC COPIES 16b TOTAL REQUESTED AND PAID PRINT COPIES + REQUESTED/PAID ELECTRONIC COPIES 16c TOTAL REQUESTED COPY DISTRIBUTION + REQUESTED/PAID ELECTRONIC COPIES 16d PERCENT PAID AND/OR REQUESTED CIRCULATION (BOTH PRINT & ELECTRONIC COPES)

31,081

35,012

33,425

36,444

93.0%

96.1%

This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the October 2018 issue of this publication. I CERTIFY THAT ALL INFORMATION FURNISHED ON THIS FORM IS TRUE AND COMPLETE. I UNDERSTAND THAT ANYONE WHO FURNISHES FALSE OR MISLEADING INFORMATION ON THIS FORM OR WHO OMITS MATERIAL OR INFORMATION REQUESTED ON THE FORM MAY BE SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL SANCTIONS NS (INCLUDING FINES AND IMPRISONM IMPRISONMENT) AND/OR CIVIL SANCTIONS (INCLUDING MULTIPLE DAMAGES AND CIVIL PENALTIES).

x __________________________________________ ______________________________ Publisher

Filed on 10/01/2018

Thursday, Nov. 1 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Seven Steps to Winning a Customer and a Sale, presented by Barry Barrett, CNL, RLO Training LLC. What does it take to deliver a customer experience that will make them return? This session will offer you seven steps to wow your customers and remain profitable. 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. ADAS Forum – Saving Lives Through Retrofitting Advanced Driver-Assist Systems on Existing Cars, presented by a panel of experts including Chris Cook, president, Mobile Electronics Association; Jim Warren, executive director, Vision Zero Automotive Network; John Waraniak, vice president of vehicle technology, SEMA; and Chris Gardner, vice president, AASA. The panel will discuss the growing number of technologies and products that can be installed on millions of vehicles in the car parc that will significantly increase safety functionality. Experts will look at the potential for new business opportunities and how these products can be properly installed on today’s vehicles. Q MTD October 2018

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GRABBER™ X 3

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All-Weather All-Purpose-Terrain

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TPMS

Volvo S-Series 2005-2015 SUBJECT VEHICLES: Volvo S-Series S40 (2008-110, S60 (2005-15) and S80 (2005-15). RELEARN PROCEDURE? No. SPECIAL TOOLS NEEDED? A low frequency initiator (sensor activation tool) can be used instead of driving.

olvo vehicles do not require a formal reset procedure for any of the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) functions. Tire pressure sensor IDs are automatically programmed while driving. See “Reset procedures.” The TPMS in the Volvo S-Series S40 (2008-110, S60 (2005-15) and S80 (2005-15)

uses sensors mounted in the tire valves to check inflation pressure levels. When the vehicle is moving at a speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) or faster, these sensors transmit inflation pressure data to a receiver located in the vehicle. There are programmed tables in the control module containing the recommended air pressure for the vehicle. The information about the air pressure in the tires transmitted from the sensors, is compared with the programmed values in the control module. If the tire pressure deviates too much from the recommended value a warning message is displayed in the driver information module (DIM).

NOTE: This system may not function properly if vehicle is equipped with wheels that do not have appropriate tire pressure sensors.

TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR WARNING INDICATORS When low inflation pressure is detected, the TPMS will illuminate the tire pressure warning light in the instrument panel, and will display a message in the text window. The wording of this message is determined by the degree of inflation pressure loss. If wheels without TPMS sensors are mounted on the vehicle, TIRE PRESS SYST SERVICE REQUIRED will be displayed each time the vehicle is driven above 25

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TPMS

COURTESY OF VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA.

Figure 1: Removing and installing the 1-piece sensor.

Figure 2: Identifying the marked area on the wheel.

mph (40 km/h) for 10 minutes or more. When the tire pressure warning message has been displayed and the warning light comes on, immediately check the air pressure of all tires and adjust to the specified pressure listed on tire label. In certain cases, it may be necessary to drive the vehicle for 10 minutes or more at least 25 mph (40 km/h). Make sure the warning light goes off. If the warning light stays on, there is a malfunction in the TPMS. See the appropriate manufacturer service information. When the system detects a malfunction, the telltale will flash for approximately 1 minute and then remain continuously illuminated. This sequence will continue upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.

TPMS RESET PROCEDURES NOTE: Volvo vehicles do not require a formal reset procedure for any of the TPMS functions. Tire pressure sensor IDs are automatically programmed while driving.

MTD October 2018

WANT A DEALER PROGRAM THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU DO? You’ve worked hard to build your business. Take it to the next level without sacriﬁcing your hard-earned independence. Mr. Tire & Big 3 Tire programs give you national brand recognition, outstanding customer service, preferred partner programs and the support to reach your maximum potential as an independent tire dealer.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO IT ALONE Mr. Tire & Big 3 Tire build their commitment to excellence through partnerships. These partners strengthen the brand and provide us perks we can offer our dealers. Some of these perks are: · Today’s Top Tire Brands

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AUTOMOTIVE INTELLIGENCE

TPMS

PROGRAMMABLE UNIVERSAL TPMS COURTESY OF VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA.

Figure 3: Removing the 2-piece sensor and valve

98%

VEHICLE COVERAGE

TS508

When the tire pressure warning message has been displayed and the warning light comes on, immediately check the air pressure of all tires and adjust to the specified pressure listed on tire label. In certain cases, it may be necessary to drive the vehicle for 10 minutes or more at least 25 mph (40 km/h). This will erase the warning text and the warning light will go out.

NOTE: Calibration is done automatically once initiated by the driver and the system does not give any confirmation when calibration is finished. 3) Drive the vehicle at a speed above 25 mph (40 km/h) continuously for at least 10 minutes.

TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR RESET

CAUTION: The tire should be demounted from the wheel using the tire changer manufacturer’s instructions. Use the following information to avoid damage during the demounting/mounting procedures. CAUTION: Only factory-mounted wheels are equipped with TPMS sensors in the valves. If the vehicle is equipped with a temporary spare tire, this tire does not have a TPMS sensor. CAUTION: When inflating tires with TPMS valves, press the pump’s mouthpiece straight onto the valve to help avoid bending or otherwise damaging the valve.

NOTE: When installing TPMS sensors, the vehicle must be parked for at least 15 minutes with the ignition off. If the vehicle is driven before 15 minutes has elapsed, a TPMS error message will be displayed. NOTE: A low frequency initiator (sensor activation tool) can be used instead of driving. NOTE: A low frequency initiator does not work with the sensors on 2007 and later S80 models. Except Canadian models After replacing tire pressure sensors, the control module does not need programming. The control module automatically contacts the sensor itself after driving the vehicle at least 25 mph (40 km/h) for 10 minutes or more. The TPMS indicator light will go out when all sensor IDs are learned. Canadian models 1) With ignition ON and engine OFF, press the MY CAR key in the center console control panel and select SETTINGS > CAR SETTINGS > TIRE PRESSURE. 2) Press OK/MENU, select CALIBRATE TIRE PRESSURE and press OK/MENU again.

DEMOUNTING/MOUNTING PROCEDURES

TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR IMPORTANT: Always make sure the correct sensor is being used and be sure to replace the sensor with the correct part number. The vehicle may be equipped with either a 1-piece type sensor or a 2-piece “snapfit” type sensor. Replace with matching sensor-type, or see manufacturer service information to determine appropriate application. CAUTION: When inflating tires with TPMS valves, press the pump’s mouthpiece straight onto the valve to help avoid bending or otherwise damaging the valve. MTD October 2018

OCTOBER 30–NOVEMBER 2, 2018 • LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

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RE GI ST E R F OR S U CC E S S AT S E M A S HO W. CO M

TPMS Torque specifications Component Wheel nut 1

Ft.-lbs. 103 In.-lbs.

(N.m) (140) (N.m)

(8)

Tire pressure sensor nut (1-piece sensor) Torx screw (2-piece sensor) 44 (5) 1 - Use torque socket (951 2835) if a nut runner is being used. This torque socket is designed for use with a standard, pneumatic impact nut runner providing a torque of 184-258 ft.-lbs. (250-350 N.m)

2-piece sensor Remove 1) Remove the wheel. CAUTION: Do not use tools within the marked area (see Figure 2). CAUTION: Always start outside the marked area and continue in the direction from the valve. CAUTION: Release the tire bead from the wheel rim diagonally opposite to the valve. 2) Remove the tire from the rim. 3) Remove the sensor from the valve (see Figure 3). 4) Remove the valve (see Figure 3).

COURTESY OF VOLVO CARS OF NORTH AMERICA.

1-piece sensor Remove: 1) Remove the wheel. CAUTION: Do not use tools within the marked area (refer to Figure 1 found on page 78). CAUTION: Always start outside the marked area and continue in the direction from the valve. CAUTION: Release the tire bead from the wheel rim diagonally opposite to the valve. 2) Remove the tire from the rim. 3) Remove the sensor nut, and then remove the sensor (see Figure 1). Install: 1) Install the sensor and tighten nut to 44 in.-lbs. (5 N.m). CAUTION: Do not use tools within the marked area (see Figure 1). CAUTION: Always start outside the marked area and continue in the direction from the valve. 2) Fit the tire and balance the wheel. 3) Install the wheel. 4) After replacing the sensors, the control module does not need programming. The control module automatically contacts the sensor itself.

Figure 4: Installing the 2-piece sensor and valve.

Install NOTE: Always use new valves and Torx screws when replacing the tires. 1) Install the sensor on the valve. Tighten a new Torx screw to 44 in.-lbs. (5 N.m). 2) Brush the valve (1) with soapy water and install the valve on the rim (see Figure 4). CAUTION: Do not use tools within the marked area (see Figure 2). CAUTION: Always start outside the marked area and continue in the direction from the valve. 3) Fit the tire and balance the wheel. 4) Install wheel. 5) After replacing the sensors, the control module does not need programming. The control module automatically contacts the sensor itself after a few minutes driving. An low frequency initiator can be used instead of driving. ■ Information for this column comes from the tire pressure monitoring systems data in ProDemand®, Mitchell 1’s auto repair information software for domestic and import vehicles. Headquartered in Poway, Calif., Mitchell 1 has provided quality repair information solutions to the automotive industry since 1918. For more information, visit www.mitchell1.com. To read archived TPMS articles, visit www.moderntiredealer.com.

MTD October 2018

HARNESS THE BUYING POWER OF ITDG Buy like you have 1,500 stores regardless of how many locations you have! Pricing is just one of many benefits you will receive from ITDG. Our members also enjoy other competitive advantages that make joining the ITDG team a very smart business decision.

ITDG’S COMMITMENT TO YOUR BUSINESS IS STRONGER THAN EVER ITDG’S COMMITMENT TO YOUR BUSINESS IS STRONGER THAN EVER • The ITDG team, led by Dave Marks, Chris Barry, and Cheryl Bluman, is working hard to continue • The ITDG team, Dave Marks, Chris Barry, Sherry Bily, members Tony Garrett and Cheryl Bluman, is to add value forled all by of our products and programs for ITDG working hard to continue to add value for all of our products and programs for ITDG members • To best serve the needs of members, we will have offices on both the East and West Coast • Tofor best serve the needs ofinmembers, wetowill have offices on both the East and West Coast maximum efficiency responding your requests for maximum efficiency in responding to your requests • We know that this industry is all about people and relationships and we strive to make ours • We know that this industry is all about people and relationships and we strive to make ours better with our members, suppliers and vendors every day better with our members, suppliers and vendors every day ITDG’S 3 PILLARS OF SUPPORT ITDG’S 3 PILLARS OF SUPPORT • Our preferred vendor programs: tires, wheels, equipment, parts, fluids, and much, much more • Our preferred programs: tires, wheels, equipment, fluids,profits and much, more • Our Captive vendor Insurance Program*: better protection with parts, consistent to you,much the member • Our Captive Insurance Program*: better protection with consistent profits to you, the member • Our Internal Financing Program*: a differentiator for our members • Our Internal Financing Program*: a differentiator for our members *Askabout aboutparameters parameters and and availability availability of *Ask of these theseprograms programsininyour yourarea area OURPROGRAMS PROGRAMSPUT PUTYOU YOUIN INTHE THEDRIVER’S DRIVER’SSEAT, SEAT,AND ANDYOUR YOURGROWTH GROWTHINTO INTOOVERDRIVE OVERDRIVE OUR It’syour yourbusiness! business! It’s • You still make decisions • You still make thethe decisions • From single to multiple locations—ITDG has you covered • From single to multiple locations—ITDG has you covered • You maintain your identity • You maintain your identity • We work you, the dealer • We work forfor you, the dealer Consistent,competitive, competitive,and andcompelling compellingpricing pricing with direct access manufacturer programs Consistent, with direct access to to manufacturer programs

Dave Marks dmarks@itdgusa.com 925-658-0323

Chris Barry cbarry@itdgusa.com 310-251-9528

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MTD October 2018

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ExtremeContact™ Sport

ContiSportContact™ 5P

ExtremeContact™ DWS06

Continental built the ExtremeContactTM Sport tire with you, the car enthusiast, in mind. This dynamic, ultra-high performance street tire is engineered for extreme grip in dry and wet conditions. Our SportPlusTM Technology delivers you improved tread life, enhanced grip on wet roads, and precise steering for maximum control… a tire For What You Do.

A combination of responsive handling and improved grip, allowing for additional steering response, faster cornering, shorter braking distances, and better wet grip.

If you’re seeking true, year-round traction, the ExtremeContactTM DWS 06 is the perfect all-season tire For What You Do. This ultra-high performance tire comes complete with SportPlusTM Technology which provides you precise handling; security on wet, slippery roads; and excellent tread life no matter the weather.

PureContact™ LS

TrueContact™ Tour

ProContact™ lineup

The PureContact™ LS is a luxury sport performance tire that delivers a quiet, comfortable ride blended with long wear, best-in-class wet braking and all-season performance. Whether you’re driving to work, taking the kids to soccer, or going on a family vacation, this tire is built For What You Do.

The TrueContact™ Tour is our longest lasting, all-season touring performance tire. With a focus on long wear, fuel efficiency and best-in-class wet braking, this tire is a confident choice For What You Do.

The ProContact™ GX, ProContact™ RX, and ProContact™ TX are touring performance all-season tires designed for consumers wanting original equipment performance.

CrossContact™ LX20 If you need a tire that provides improved fuel efficiency, extended tread life and a comfortable ride, then the CrossContactTM LX20 with EcoPlusTM Technology is the tire For What You Do. This premium SUV, crossover and light truck all-season tire delivers excellent wet braking, snow performance and reduced noise.

TerrainContact™ A/T

WinterContact™ SI

At the job site, farm or in the woods, the TerrainContactTM A/T is the perfect tire For What You Do. It’s the ideal all-terrain tire for CUV, SUV and light trucks with the durability to conquer dirt, gravel and grass while providing a quiet, comfortable ride on pavement. This tire strikes the perfect balance between off-road traction and on-road manners.

Do you live in a part of the country where the temperature drops below 45 degrees Fahrenheit? The WinterContactTM SI is the tire For What You Do. Designed for snow and ice traction, PolarPlusTM Technology reduces braking distance in wet, snow and ice by keeping the tread pliable in sub-zero temperatures providing enhanced grip.

VISIT CONTINENTALTIRE.COM FOR COMPLETE DETAILS.

MTD October 2018

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G-MAX â„¢ RS

G-MAX â„¢ AS05

AltiMAX â„¢ RT 43

$ VW\OLVK XOWUD KLJK SHUIRUPDQFH WLUH GHVLJQHG IRU PD[LPXP JULS RQ GU\ DQGZHW URDGV JLYLQJ \RX WKH LQVSLULQJ SHUIRUPDQFH \RXÈ‡UH ORRNLQJ IRU 6PDUW 7HFKQRORJLHV PDNH DQ\ZKHUH SRVVLEOH E\ SURYLGLQJ H[FHSWLRQDO KDQGOLQJ UDLQ RU VKLQH

$ EROG XOWUD KLJK SHUIRUPDQFH WLUH R HULQJ DOO VHDVRQ WUDFWLRQ 6PDUW WHFKQRORJLHV SURYLGH YLVXDO ZHDU DOHUWV SHUIRUPDQFH LQ DOO VHDVRQV DQG ORQJHU WUHDG OLIH $ VPDUWHU WLUH IRU D VPDUWHU GULYHU

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Grabber â„¢ HTS 60

Grabber â„¢ APT

Grabber â„¢ A/T X

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A strong and durable all-purpose-terrain tire providing competent all-terrain R URDG FDSDELOLW\ EDODQFHG ZLWK H[FHOOHQW RQ URDG SHUIRUPDQFH GHVLJQHG IRU DOO ZHDWKHU FRQGLWLRQV

7KH QH[W JHQHUDWLRQ DJJUHVVLYH DOO WHUUDLQ WLUH WKDW SURYLGHV H[FHSWLRQDO R URDG FDSDELOLW\ DQG GXUDELOLW\ EDODQFHG ZLWK LPSUHVVLYH RQ URDG SHUIRUPDQFH 7KUHH 3HDN 0RXQWDLQ 6QRZ DNH VWXGGDELOLW\ GHOLYHU FRQ GHQW GULYLQJ LQ DOO ZHDWKHU FRQGLWLRQV

Grabber â„¢ X3

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Arctic lineup

A bold and aggressive mud-terrain WLUH WKDW GHOLYHUV H[WUHPH R URDG SHUIRUPDQFH LQ PXG GLUW DQG URFN FRYHUHG WHUUDLQ &RPHV ZLWK SO\ GXUDELOLW\ DQG EDODQFHG ZLWK LPSUHVVLYH RQ URDG SHUIRUPDQFH

$ KHDY\ GXW\ DOO VHDVRQ WLUH IRU FRPPHUFLDO OLJKW WUXFNV DQG YDQV WKDW GHOLYHUV ORQJ HYHQ WUHDG OLIH GXUDELOLW\ FRQ GHQW WUDFWLRQ DQG KDQGOLQJ RQ DQG R WKH ZRUN VLWH

7KH $OWL0$; â„¢ Arctic12 *UDEEHUâ„¢ Arctic and Grabberâ„¢ $UFWLF /7 DUH ZLQWHU WLUHV WKDW R HU RXWVWDQGLQJ WUDFWLRQ LQ VQRZ LFH DQG ZHW FRQGLWLRQV IRU SDVVHQJHU &89 689 DQG OLJKW WUXFN DSSOLFDWLRQV

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POWER PRODUCTS

Agriculture Tires by

www.gritires.com

Tel: +1 951 202 3993 Tel: +1 615 828 7353

MTD October 2018

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MTD October 2018

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GDH100 GTH100

GDH102

Tel:+86-5358242203 E-mail:lucy_shi@linglong.cn www.linglongtire.com w w w . M o d e r n T i r e D e a l e r. c o m

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MTD October 2018

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They live it. You sell it. We make it happen.

Enroll today lg klYjl gรท]jaf_ . Yf\ )* egfl`k hjgeglagfYd ร fYf[af_ gf imYda^qaf_ hmj[`Yk]k oal` Y Kqf[`jgfq ;Yj ;Yj]ยก [j]\al [Yj\&* Simply visit kq^]fjgdd&[ge and have your tax ID and bank information ready (code: MTD1). Still have questions? Call 844-880-2009 or visit synchronybusiness.com/auto.

Visit us in booth #42055 at SEMA 2018! *Subject to credit approval. Minimum monthly payments required.

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Visit us at SEMA B O OT H

#43177

TRIANGLE TIRE USA 117 SEABOARD LANE, STE F100 FRANKLIN, TN 37067

Satisfaction Guaranteed. Period.

C U S TO M E R S E RV I C E @ T R I A N G L E T I R E U S .C O M 1 . 8 8 8 . 8 4 7. 3 7 4 5 W W W .T R I A N G L E T I R E U S . C O M

MTD October 2018

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Ad Index WHEN YOU CONTACT ONE OF OUR ADVERTISERS PLEASE BE SURE TO MENTION YOU SAW THEIR AD IN MODERN TIRE DEALER

ADVERTISER

PAGE

WEBSITE

Accella Tire Fill Systems ACIMA Credit Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance Inc. Alliance Tire Group American Omni Trading Company American Omni Trading Company Apollo Vredestein Tires Inc. ATEQ TPMS Tools LC AUTEL Bartec USA BendPak Inc. Ranger Products BKT USA Inc. Blackburn OEM Wheel Solutions CEAT Specialty Tyres Limited Continental Tire Continental Tire, Commercial Vehicle Tires Double Coin Tires Falken Tires Firestone Tire Gaither Tool Company Inc. General Tire Giti Commercial Truck Tires Greenball Corporation GRI Tires Hankook Tire Hunter Engineering Company Independent Tire Dealers Group K & M Tire Inc. Kenda Tire USA Kumho Tire USA Inc. KYB Americas Corporation Linglong Americas Inc. Marangoni Tread North America Maxxis Internationalâ€”USA Michelin North America Inc. Mr. Tire/Big 3 Tire Nexen Tire America Inc. Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. Nokian Tyres Inc. Omnicraft Auto Parts Schrader Performance Sensors SEMA Show Sentury Tire Americas Snap Finance Sumitomo Tire Sumitomo Tire Synchrony Financial Tire Profiles TireHub Toyo Tires Triangle Tire USA Vipal Rubber Corporation West Creek Financial Yokohama Tire ZC Rubber America Inc.

30 49 69 47 24 58 56 76 59, 80 82 77 11 73 35 63 32 39 51 9 42 75 41 67 48 71 46 83 79 IBC 17 53 7 31 61 13 43 IFC OBC 55 57 78 81 21 25 5 29 33 54 19 27 45 44 65 15 37

www.accellatirefill.com www.acimacredit.com www.alliance1.com www.atgtire.com www.american-omni.com www.american-omni.com www.vredestein.com www.ateq-tpms.com www.autel.com www.bartecusa.com www.bendpak.com/brakes www.bkt-tires.com www.blackburnwheels.com www.ceatspecialty.com www.continentaltire.com www.continental-truck.com www.doublecointires.com www.falkentire.com www.firestonetire.com www.gaithertool.com www.generaltire.com www.gititrucktires.com www.greenball.com www.gritires.com www.laufenn.com www.hunter.com www.itdgusa.com www.kmtire.com automotive.kendatire.com www.kumhotireusa.com www.kyb.com www.linglongtire.com www.na-marangoni.com www.maxxis.com www.michelinman.com www.mrtirebig3tirectd.com www.nexentireusa.com www.nittotire.com www.nokiantires.com/dealerservices www.omnicraftautoparts.com www.schradersensors.com www.SEMAshow.com www.senturytireusa.com www.snapfinance.com/partner www.sumitomotire.com www.sumitomotrucktires.com www.syfenroll.com www.tireprofiles.com www.tirehub.com www.toyotires.com www.triangletireus.com www.vipal-usa.com www.westcreekfin.com/apply www.yokohamatire.com www.arisuntires.com MTD October 2018

Advertising information (330) 899-2200 ext. 2217

MTD Classifieds USED TIRES FOR SALE

BUSINESSES FOR SALE TIME TO RETIRE Yes that’s what the owners of a very successful southeastern coastal city tire dealership have decided to do. They will sell this 40+ year old very profitable business and retire. This tire and auto service center has a truck division with 7 trucks, including a boom truck, portable press truck, and 5 regular service trucks as well as 4 bay service building. The full service passenger and light truck division has a separate 20 bay building with offices and warehouse. Principals only, no brokers. Respond to ddwade822alum@gmail.com

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Advertising information (330) 899-2200 ext. 2217

MTD Classifieds

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

SpeedPlate EBA www.ezliftconveyors.com

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MTD October 2018