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HOW TO CREATE A WINNING CULTURE
CAN YOU BE A GOOD OWNER BUT A BAD OPERATOR?
KEN LANGHALS , MTD’S TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR, PREPARES K&M TIRE FOR THE FUTURE
WORDS AND WISDOM FROM PAST TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
WITH LOVE
Mike Manges By
ALines of thought WORDS AND WISDOM FROM PAST TIRE
DEALER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
s MTD celebrates our 2025 Tire Dealer of the Year in this issue, I’m reminded that our Tire Dealer of the Year Award recipients, going all the way back to 1993, when the honor was established, have never been reluctant to share their thoughts about — well, many things, from the nuts and bolts of running a business to more philosophical matters.
Before this edition of MTD went to press, I combed through several past Tire Dealer of the Year Award articles, looking for quotes that provide a glimpse into the minds and personalities of some of the tire industry’s most successful people. I found the following to be particularly interesting and insightful:
On investing in employees: “The people who work for me are the most important part of this machine,” said Beth Barron, CEO of Morgan City, La.-based Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year in 2024. “There is no doubt about it. Giving them the tools that they need to be profitable — the tools they need to make their jobs easier — is vital.”
On creating opportunities for people: “We’ve had people promoted to levels that were probably a mistake on our part,” said the late Bruce Halle, founder of Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Discount Tire and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year in 2014. “Somebody who’s a great manager — it doesn’t mean he’s going to be a great assistant vice president. So how do you find that out? You give them the chance to try it.”
On doing business today: “Try to find one person who says it’s easier to do business today than it was before, going back to my father and his father’s father,” said John Marshall, executive vice president, retail, at Dayton, Ohio-based Grismer Tire Co. and the 2003 Tire Dealer of the Year. “It’s like the ‘people-don’twork-as-hard-as-they-used-to’ syndrome. I don’t believe that. People work as hard, if not harder.”
On succession planning: “There’s a certain excitement among our employees that we’re planning for the next generation and we’re doing it deliberately,” said Jon Langerak, president and CEO of Byron Center, Mich.-based Wonderland Tire Co. and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year Award winner in 2023. “When employees see that, they appreciate it.”
On the value of introspection: “We’ve also been smart enough to say, ‘If something is not working well, we need to address it,’” said Jim Duff, co-owner of Columbia, Miss.-based Southern Tire Mart LLC, who along with his brother, Tommy Duff, received MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year Award in 2021. “People say, ‘If you have good judgement and common sense, you’ll be successful.’ But I also think if you can’t self-analyze and realize, ‘The problem might be me,’ then you’re in trouble.”
On not selling yourself short: “We treat our customers at a
Beth Barron, CEO of Morgan City, La.-based Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service, was MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year in 2024.
high level and the people who work for Sullivan Tire at a high level, so we need to make a little more profit than somebody who doesn’t care about those things,” said Bob Sullivan, chairman of Norwell, Mass.-based Sullivan Tire Co. Inc. and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year in 2012.
On the thrill of the sale: “This business isn’t a game, but when you win, you get a tremendous feeling,” said the late Bill Ziegler, then-president of Massillon, Ohio-based Ziegler Tire & Supply and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year in 2009. “If you can get a commitment from a good customer and you put a program in place to sell them tires for what hopefully will be a long time, it’s an adrenaline rush.”
On true job security: “When our customers ask, ‘Who’s your competition?’ we tell them, ‘Our competition is your cost,’” said John Snider of Fort Mill, S.C.-based Snider Tire Inc. and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year in 2010. “If we can work together to make their cost trend in the right direction and keep it at a certain level, that’s all the security we’ll ever need.”
On winning together: “Everyone owns this (business),” said Ricky Benton, president of Whiteville, N.C.-based Black’s Tire Service Inc. and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year in 2015. “It’s not me. Money’s just paper. It’s just the vehicle. It just gets you the toys. It’s about having something together.”
On who the real boss is: “I can remember someone telling me, ‘It must be great to have your own business. You don’t have a boss,’” said Chip Wood, chairman of Cincinnati, Ohio-based Tire Discounters Inc. and MTD’s 2020 Tire Dealer of the Year. “I said, ‘That’s not true at all. I have a bunch of bosses. I have to answer to every customer who comes in. And I have to answer to everyone who works here.’”
We hope you enjoy reading about this year’s Tire Dealer of the Year Award recipient, starting on page 22. ■
If you have any questions or comments, please email me at mmanges@endeavorb2b.com.
Photo: Jared Navarre/ Romph Pou Agency
ModernTireDealer.com
DIGITAL RESOURCES FOR THE INDEPENDENT TIRE DEALER
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The showroom at Fremont Tire & Cycle doubles as a showcase for owner Greg Gustafson’s collectibles, including more than 100 vintage tire patch cans. See more of the collection on page 78.
Photo: Fremont Tire & Cycle
Planning for the future
Whether it’s new tires, new sizes, new stores or new strategies, the details — big and small — matter to tire dealers. So even while the U.S. economic picture remains uncertain, these investments prove the tire industry is still moving ahead. It’s good to be reminded of the industry’s resiliency when so many others are waiting for the next shoe to drop.
1. Yokohama talks plans for Goodyear OTR
2. Goodyear CEO discusses distribution strategy
3. TBC partners with Giti Tire
4. Photos: A look inside Greg Gustafson’s showroom
5. Goodyear tire units and sales drop in ‘challenging’ market
6. Michelin adds 20 sizes to BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3
7. Les Schwab makes another acquisition
8. Turbo launches Lionhart Imara H/T
9. Photos: New Kumho Road Venture RT tackles tough terrain
10. Monro store closures affect earnings
DIGITAL EDITION
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MTD READER ADVISORY BOARD
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Modern Tire Dealer (USPS Permit 369170), (ISSN 0026-8496 print) is published monthly by Endeavor Business Media, LLC. 201 N Main St 5th Floor, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Atkinson, WI, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Modern Tire Dealer, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Publisher reserves the right to reject non-qualified subscriptions. Subscription prices: U.S. ($81.25 per year). All subscriptions are payable in U.S. funds. Send subscription inquiries to Modern Tire Dealer, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257. Customer service can be reached toll-free at 877-382-9187 or at moderntiredealer@omeda.com for magazine subscription assistance or questions. Printed in the USA. Copyright 2025 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopies, recordings, or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the publisher. Endeavor Business Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person or company for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident, or any other cause whatsoever. The views and opinions in the articles herein are not to be taken as official expressions of the publishers, unless so stated. The publishers do not warrant either expressly or by implication, the factual accuracy of the articles herein, nor do they so warrant any views or opinions by the authors of said articles.
Industry News
SRNA discusses plans for Dunlop
NEW PRODUCTS, ASSOCIATE DEALER PROGRAM ARE IN THE WORKS
Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc. (SRNA) has big plans for the Dunlop brand, which its parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI), acquired from Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. this past January for $701 million.
Initiatives include new products and an associate dealer program that will encompass both Dunlop and Falken brand dealers, SRNA President and CEO Darren Thomas recently told MTD.
When the Dunlop acquisition was finalized, SRI said it would “position Dunlop as our core brand and advance our brand strengthening activities as a joint effort between our tire and sports businesses,” focusing on new products “that incorporate our innovative Active Tread technology, OE tires for premium vehicles and motor sports.
“In addition, for the Falken brand — which has been deployed in Europe, North America and Oceania — we will utilize the product planning and marketing capabilities we have cultivated in each region to focus on bold, one-of-akind products that appeal to its core fanbase. Through a dual-brand approach to business development, we aim to increase sales volume in each region and raise the proportion of premium products.”
When discussing SRNA’s plans for Dunlop in North America, Thomas recently told MTD that “it would be a mistake to assume that the Dunlop distribution model will mirror the Falken distribution model. Our goal is to make sure that we share our strategies, although possibly controversial and unorthodox, with the marketplace.
“For North America, SRI has purchased blue sky and frankly speaking, SRNA would rather have a condition where we’re starting with a clean slate than starting with a line that’s obscure in the marketplace completely.
“We are in the middle of finalizing our product plans for all segments of Dunlop through 2030 and we are beginning phase two of our product strategy for Dunlop
for 2030 and beyond. These will be the types of products Dunlop needs to be a leader in the marketplace. The products we will introduce between 2026 and 2030 will be more value products to position Dunlop with distributors and retailers — passenger, light truck and TBR.
“This will be a two-phase strategy for us, simply because of the condition of the Dunlop brand in North America and the timeline it takes to develop products for North American sales.”
When asked how SRNA will position Dunlop in relation to Falken, Thomas said he “would encourage the marketplace to change their mindset about how we plan to position Falken in relation to Dunlop because they are non-competitive brands. The question is, ‘Who can Dunlop compete with at retail or wholesale?’
“Any educated retailer or wholesaler will recognize that existing brand recognition for Dunlop is still substantial, so the potential exists to sell Dunlop at premium price zones — for example (at the level of) Bridgestone, Continental and Goodyear.
“We believe in the first generation, the Dunlop brand will offer massive margin potential for retailers who are willing to sell Dunlop at a premium price. At wholesale, then it becomes a slightly different strategy, but not entirely different. Wholesale will be driven mostly by how
our new associate dealer program is coordinated. We’re going to create a new associate Dunlop program that incorporates Dunlop, Falken, potentially Sumitomo and we may coordinate with distributors so their tier-four products of choice may qualify for this program,” which has yet to be named and will replace SRNA’s popular Falken Fanatic program, which has grown substantially over the past several years.
“The fundamentals of the program “are in place,” said Thomas, and the program “may very well be inclusive of our TBR brands, also.”
In the meantime, SRNA will continue to develop new Falken brand tires in the light truck, all-weather and medium truck tire categories. These products “will not be affected whatsoever by the parallel development of new Dunlop products. People can count on the Falken brand to be available and heavily invested in, while we apply similar or increased efforts to Dunlop. The goal is not to reduce the emphasis on something that’s been successful. Our goal is to double down on what’s been successful, while making every investment and effort possible to ensure that Dunlop is successful.”
Goodyear gained control of the Dunlop brand in North America in February 1999, when it acquired 10% of SRI. In 2015, Goodyear reached an agreement with SRI to dissolve the global alliance between the two companies.
As part of the dissolution agreement, Goodyear retained exclusive rights to sell Dunlop-brand tires in both the consumer and commercial replacement markets of the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as to non-Japanese vehicle manufacturers in those countries.
In 2023, as part of its Goodyear Forward plan, Goodyear announced that it was looking for a buyer for the Dunlop brand, as well as buyers for its OTR tire business and chemical division.
Goodyear will continue to manufacture, sell and distribute Dunlop brand consumer tires in Europe through at least Dec. 31, 2025. — Mike Manges
Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc. acquired the Dunlop brand earlier this year.
Photo: Sumitomo Rubber North America Inc.
D I M A X A L L W E A T H E R
Industry News
Yokohama talks plans for Goodyear OTR business
‘WE NOW ENJOY A BROAD, COMPLETE OTR PORTFOLIO.’
What’s next for Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.’s Goodyear OTR tire business? Yokohama finalized its purchase of the Goodyear OTR business unit in February 2025. Loic Ravasio, president, Yokohama Off-theRoad, provides an update in this MTD exclusive:
MTD: How is the integration of Goodyear’s OTR tire operations into Yokohama’s off-highway business coming along? Is it on-track with original expectations?
Ravasio: Integration is a long journey. Our immediate priorities are and always will be our customers and our employees. On those specific points, we can say that we are on track. The teams are now one and able to offer a broader range of products, solutions and services to our customers around the world.
“The two-business combination — Yokohama OTR and Goodyear OTR — will enable us to expand the global footprint and capacity for OTR,” says Loic Ravasio, president, Yokohama Off-the-Road.
Photo:
Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd.
For our customers, we aimed to ensure a smooth transition, business continuity and a combined, more comprehensive portfolio of products, services and solutions to support them in their business growth around the world.
For our employees, we now have a global organization which allows us to support them in developing their talents, leveraging their skill sets and providing an environment for growth and development.
MTD: Where does the Goodyear OTR tire business fit within Yokohama’s overall off-highway portfolio?
Ravasio: The two-business combination — Yokohama OTR and Goodyear OTR — will enable us to expand the global footprint and capacity for OTR by combining resources and expertise. Significant investments in production capabilities and capacities will be made to meet the growing demand in various markets, where it is needed. The two R&D centers in Japan and in the U.S. will collaborate closely to drive cutting-edge advancements and continuously bring innovative solutions to market faster to stay at the forefront of the technological advancement for products and services.
The two portfolios are complementary, offering a comprehensive range of products, services and solutions, catering to a broader spectrum of customer needs for every segment and application. The portfolio focus will be to remain responsive and proactive to continuously meet evolving markets and increasingly stringent performance requirements.
MTD: What opportunities does Yokohama see in Goodyear’s OTR tire business? Are there aspects or areas of the business that Yokohama plans to invest in, moving forward?
Ravasio: The Goodyear OTR acquisition is a key part of Yokohama Rubber’s effort to expand its off-highway tire (OHT) product lineup and its production and supply capabilities in all OHT categories, including tires for mining and construction machinery, as it seeks to strengthen its market position and competitiveness in the OHT business and enhance its corporate value. We now enjoy a broad, complete OTR portfolio offering from the smallest to the biggest tires, delivering top performance and services in any application. If you look at YRC as a whole ... the offering is even broader and can really serve all the needs of our customers.
The Goodyear OTR business was and is a strong business with performing products, experienced teams, innovation capability and a service and solutions offering. Yokohama is planning to invest in this business to deliver further growth in all aspects matching the evolving and stringent requirements of the growing OTR industry.
MTD: Does Yokohama have plans to invest in the Goodyear OTR tire plant in Topeka, Kan., or any other Goodyear OTR tire manufacturing facility?
Ravasio: Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. announced on May 22, 2025, that it has acquired the fixed assets — land, building, and OTR tire production machinery — of a closed plant located in Romania through its OHT subsidiary, Yokohama TWS Romania S.R.L. This asset purchase is a follow-up to the acquisition of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s OTR business with the intention to increase the group’s production capacity of mining and construction machinery tires. This Romanian asset is a first step in our expansion.
We will be producing most of the OTR range in this factory, including the ultra-large tires. We are working diligently on assessing solutions such as greenfield and/or brownfield at the right locations to further grow and better serve our customers. We know our target markets of today and tomorrow and this will help us to make the right decisions in terms of capacity and location for future investments.
MTD: What can we expect to see from Yokohama as it pertains to the Goodyear OTR tire business in the coming year?
Ravasio: We are driven by the success of our customers and market share gains. As we invest in growth, our expansion strategy is based on the right location and the right technology/equipment to deliver top performance and quality and the right cost. Shortterm, we will solidify our position as a strong global player chosen as the preferred supplier by our customers. — Mike Manges
A LONG WAY TOGETHER
WHEREVER YOU ARE, BKT IS WITH YOU
No matter how challenging your needs, BKT is with you offering an extensive product portfolio for every field such as agriculture, OTR and industrial applications.
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Bites
Big O Tires store opens
Karl Gabbard, Desiree Elliott and Shawn Tucker have opened a new Big O Tires store in Goodyear, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix.
Gabbard, a 30-year Big O Tires franchisee, now owns nine Big O locations in the greater Phoenix area, including three in Phoenix itself, two in Goodyear, one in Scottsdale, one in Tempe, one in Surprise and one in Sun City.
Firestone
turns 125
Bridgestone Americas Inc. has kicked off a year-long celebration to mark the 125th anniversary of its Firestone brand. The company will celebrate through August 2026 with new consumer and commercial tire launches and more.
Hankook unveils warranty
Hankook Tire America Corp.’s new SURETIRE warranty plan offers 30- to 100-day free trials on Hankook’s Ventus, Dynapro, Kinergy, Weatherflex, i*cept, i*pike, and iON lineups.
USTMA dials back
The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association has scaled back slightly its projection for U.S. tire shipments in 2025. The new forecast, issued Aug. 7, calls for 340.2 million units, down from the 340.4 million units predicted in its March 2025 forecast. OE units are expected to be down, with increases coming in replacement tires.
GreatWater expands
GreatWater 360 Auto Care has acquired Northgate Tire in Cincinnati, Ohio. The business has provided auto care and tires in the metro area for more than 50 years.
Conti names director
Twenty-plus-year truck tire veteran
Wyatt Hamilton Sr. is the new director of sales for Continental Tire the Americas LLC’s replacement commercial truck tire business in the United States.
Goodyear President and CEO Mark Stewart told investors, “We don’t want to work with individuals that aren’t representing our full portfolio.”
Photo: MTD
Goodyear CEO discusses distribution strategy
Mark Stewart, CEO and president of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., says Goodyear wants to work with aligned distributors that represent the company’s full portfolio.
When asked about Goodyear pulling its Cooper brand from American Tire Distributors Inc. (ATD) during an investor call following the release of Goodyear’s second quarter financials, Stewart said the company has done assessments of operational capabilities, service rates, stability and alignment and decided to strengthen distribution through TireHub LLC, its joint venture with Bridgestone Americas Inc.
“We don’t want to work with individuals that aren’t representing our full portfolio,” said Stewart. “We see a lot of benefit of working with fewer but much more aligned distributors to build our Goodyear family brands and servicing our dealers and retailers effectively and efficiently with a full product screen that we have available to the marketplace.”
Christina Zamarro, Goodyear’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, said that the company has made a distribution transition and by the end of July, 95% of Goodyear retailers had voluntarily switched to a new distributor.
Some private label brands are still at ATD, but Zamarro said Goodyear expects to wind those down over time.
Stewart said Goodyear made strategic decisions to rebalance its U.S. distribution to ensure “high levels of customer service and mitigate credit risk following the second fall of ATD,” which had been responsible for “lower than 5% of our total consumer replacement volumes.”
Stewart added that Goodyear will continue to offer new products during the back end of the year and beginning in 2026. The Akron, Ohio-based company is extending its offerings in the 18-inch and above segment, which made “record gains” in the past quarter, according to Stewart. Goodyear is also planning on introducing 11 new products in the back end of the year — in North America, in particular — and will create 500 new SKUs between the U.S. and its Europe, Middle East and Africa region, heavily focused on 18-inch and above products.
On Aug. 7, Goodyear disclosed that its sales dropped 2.3% during the second quarter of 2025 to $4.4 billion from $4.5 billion the same period a year ago. “The second quarter proved challenging,” said Stewart. — Madison Hartline
TBC partners with Giti Tire
TBC Corp. has announced plans to expand its offerings via a new partnership with Giti Tire (USA) Ltd.
“We’re pleased to welcome Giti Tire as a valued supply partner,” says Greg Ortega, group vice president of purchasing for TBC. “Their reputation for innovation, quality, technology and performance aligns well with TBC’s mission to deliver the best products, tools and services to customers to help them win in their markets.”
TBC officials say the partnership “supports TBC’s commitment to enhancing its product assortment and working with high-quality manufacturers to meet the evolving needs of customers across all segments, including retail, franchise and wholesale businesses.”
“This partnership represents a strong alignment in values and vision,” says Wai Yeen Phang, CEO of Giti Tire (USA) Ltd. “We’re excited to work with TBC to explore opportunities and bring the strength of the Giti brand to a wider audience.”
Bites
Ralson expands team
Ralson Tire North America Inc. has hired Bill Dorsey Jr. and Jamie McSwaney to join its sales team. Dorsey Jr. has been appointed as vice president of sales, South, and McSwaney has been appointed as vice president of sales, North.
OK Tire supports hockey
OK Tire Stores Inc. and Hockey Canada have announced the success of the inaugural OK Tire Drive to Play Program, an initiative aimed at supporting minor hockey players and their local associations across Canada.
Turbo promotes Tyler Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC has promoted Todd Tyler to president. Tyler has been with the company for three years and will continue to serve as chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He also will be responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of Turbo’s three brands: Lexani, Lionhart and Rolling Big Power.
OTR registration open
Attendees can sign up for the Tire Industry Association’s 2026 OTR Tire Conference, which will take place Feb. 18-21 in Orlando, Fla.
CMA sponsors contest
CMA LLC/Double Coin is the returning title sponsor for the fourth annual National Truck Driver Appreciation Sweepstakes. During a celebratory week for truck drivers, CMA is hosting events at its warehouses.
TGI offers Ambush Nites
Tire Group International LLC (TGI) has announced its newest Cosmo brand car show concept, Ambush Nites, buoyed by the success of its Kool Kat Ambush series. TGI hosted the first Ambush Nites event at its Miami, Fla., headquarters. The get-together attracted hundreds of cars and more than 1,000 enthusiasts.
ITDG to distribute Eldorado tires
The Independent Tire Dealers Group LLC (ITDG) will be the exclusive vendor of TBC Corp.’s Eldorado tire brand in the United States and Canada.
As the exclusive vendor of the almost 60-year-old Eldorado brand, ITDG will manage the full portfolio of Eldorado passenger and light truck tires to provide streamlined access, consistent supply and expanded support to its members through North America.
“This is a significant win for our members,” says Jason Rook, president and CEO of ITDG.
“Eldorado began as a private brand tire for a member-owned buying group out of Pennsylvania in 1966. Its history and reputation make it a great fit for the member-owned dealer network at ITDG.
“Our partnership with TBC Corporation provides exclusive access to the Eldorado brand and strengthens our position in the market to help ensure independent dealers remain competitive and well supported.”
“TBC has been a key partner of our company for many years with their network of regional distribution centers and ability to efficiently distribute a variety of tires at a competitive price,” says Peter Greenberg, president of City Tire and chairman of ITDG’s board.
“With the exclusive Eldorado brand, now ITDG members have an unprecedented factory-direct option with warehouse fill-ins on a well-established product. It’s a winwin for every member of our buying group.”
Sun Auto Tire expands its southern presence
Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc. has added a large, 22-bay store in Texas, and opened a new store in Mobile, Ala.
The acquisition of Martin’s Automotive in Terrell, Texas, gives Sun Auto Tire 126 locations in the state. Martin’s Automotive is a 22-bay facility. The business opened in 2001.
“Martin’s Automotive is a great new addition to our team”, says Sun Auto Tire & Service Regional Vice President Steve Powell. “Growing our footprint to serve the (Dallas) Metroplex will allow us to continue serving an ever-growing market and keep delivering quality service to our neighbors.
“It’s even better for our guests, as this local facility is now backed by the national resources and commitment of the Sun Auto Tire & Service network.”
Texas is now home to more Sun Auto Tire & Service stores than any other state, followed by Arizona with 83 and California with 64.
In Alabama, the company added to its Fausak Tires & Service brand with a new store in Mobile. The new build spans more than 10,500 square feet and has eight service bays. It is the sixth Fausak Tires & Service store in the region.
“This new development follows just a few months after the acquisition of the long-time Mobile staple,” say Sun Auto Tire & Service officials. “The strategic greenfield serves to further grow the company in the Gulf Coast region, joining existing Fausak locations in Mobile as well as Delta World Tire locations in Mississippi and Louisiana.”
Sun Auto Tire & Service acquired Delta World Tire, which was based in New Orleans, La., in 2021. The deal gave Sun Auto Tire & Service 17 locations throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. Sun Auto Tire & Service has grown into one of the 10 largest independent tire dealerships in the U.S., according to the 2025 MTD 100.
Sun Auto Tire & Service built a 10,500 squarefoot, eight-bay Fausak Tires & Service store to serve the Mobile, Ala., market.
Photo: Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc.
36.8%
Share of repair shops that raised prices due to tari s and cost increases
Source: IMR April 2025 survey
Photo: South Carolina Ports Authority
34%
Share of drivers who want to experience an o -road driving event
Source: Hankook Tire Gauge
Index July 2025
6 Independent tire dealerships with headquarters in Ohio
Source: 2025 MTD 100
Photo: Grismer Tire Co.
$29.34 BILLION
Total mechanical service and parts sales by new car dealers in 2024
Source: National Automobile Dealers Association 2024 annual profile
Number of the 50 largest retreaders that use the Goodyear precure or UniCircle process
Source: 2025 MTD Top Retreaders
Photo: MTD
The DL-CSD-R01 is a regional closed-shoulder drive tire engineered for ultimate durability and exceptionally long tread life. Its advanced KTM6 tread compound delivers a perfectly balanced performance with low rolling resistance for outstanding fuel economy. Your customers can cut operating costs and keep their fleet rolling with our 5-YEAR CASING WARRANTY. Contact us to become a Delinte Commercial tires dealer by scanning the QRC today.
Your Marketplace
John Healy By
OA summertime turnaround? TIRE SELLOUT MAKES GAINS FOR A SECOND MONTH
ur latest checkins with tire dealers show retail sellout trends were up again in July, which gives us two consecutive months of unexpected improvement. Sellout growth was only 0.8%, compared to the 1.7% increase in June. The trends are flat to slightly down compared to the second quarter of 2024.
Regionally, tire dealers in the opposite corners — the Southeast and the Northwest — saw mid-single-digit volume growth gains. Other regions saw positive volume trends, while the Southwest region was lagging with weak numbers, down 6.3% year-over-year.
From our view, it looks like the onset of summer inspired a slight increase in consumer tire replacement.
Miles driven followed a similar trend line and were up low single digits in July — 3.58% — following a positive June. That’s back-to-back months of gains following a slight decrease of 0.18% in May.
RAW MATERIAL REPORT
The cost of the collective inputs needed to build a basic replacement tire fell again in July, this time by 3.4%. This follows an average 4.3% year-over-year decrease from the second quarter of 2025. If raw materials were to hold a steady price now, it would equate to a 6.2% decrease in those collective costs in the third quarter and a 0.1% sequential decrease from the second
quarter. Oil prices are moving the most dramatically of any of the inputs — down 16.6% year-over-year in July, given tensions in the Middle East. Natural rubber prices increased 1.7% compared to yearago prices and synthetic rubber prices are up too, by 0.3%, year-over-year. Carbon black and tire fabric/cordage prices are both down, 7.9% and 7.3%, respectively.
We continue to view 2025 as a year of moderating price movements, with some potential decreases as the index laps increases. Together, we think it is a welcome shift toward stability.
CONSUMER DEMAND IMPROVES
Dealer commentary indicates consumer demand for passenger and light truck replacement tiers was up low-single digits on a net basis in July, when compared to the same month a year ago. Almost half — 45% of independent dealers — saw positive trends in July, up slightly from the 44% who reported gains in June.
Shoppers are still deferring purchases, but July saw a modest uptick in tire replacements. And of those who were buying, they still largely preferred low end, tier-three tires over the tier-one and tier-two options.
CONSISTENT CHOICE
When looking at the mix of products in the market, independent tire dealers report that tier-three tire brands again are the most in-demand at the retail counter.
‘We continue to view 2025 as a year of moderating price movements.’
This marks the 14th time out the last 15 months that tier-three tires have been the most in demand.
As you may recall, this doesn’t match the long-term trends of our survey, which stretches back more than a decade. Historically, it’s been tier-two tire brands that have ranked the highest and been the most in demand at the retail level. In July, tier-one and tier-two brands tied for second place in our survey.
We believe the consumers who are in the market for replacement tires are looking for high-value products at low prices. We know shoppers’ wallets are stretched thin and tariffs continue to influence sentiments and decisions.
We haven’t seen the traditional volatility in this mix recently like we normally do. Typically, tier-two tires are the top performers as they balance price and performance. But we’ve seen tier-three brands at the top of the charts for many months now and we’d expect that to remain the case in the near- to immediate term.
We expect tire price increases to continue to affect buyer behavior, too. Those prices have started to inch higher and independent tire dealers are attributing the increases to tariffs.
Those price hikes are further accelerating consumer trade-downs to more affordable, lower-tier tires. ■
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. If you would like to participate in the monthly dealer discussions, contact him at john.healy@ northcoastresearch.com.
QUALITY ALWAYS WINS
Every tire gets balanced. What are you using? Choose the perfect weight. Choose Perfect.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
“Our dream and our vision is to be the leading and most trusted provider of tires,” says Ken Langhals.
KEN LANGHALS,
MTD’S TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR, PREPARES K&M TIRE FOR THE FUTURE
By Mike Manges
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
Leading with love
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
You could argue that Ken Langhals — having spent the last 55 years building his company, K&M Tire Inc., into one of the largest, most successful tire distributors in North America — could afford to rest on his many laurels.
K&M Tire Inc. has more than 40 distribution centers stretching from Maine to New Mexico. “We’re a large company, but I don’t look at us as a large company,” says Langhals.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
CONGRATULATIONS, KEN LANGHALS!
2025 MTD TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
On behalf of our entire U.S. family of Yokohama employees, please accept our sincere congratulations on being selected MTD’s Tire Dealer of The Year. This recognition is a testament to your commitment to the K&M Tire family of companies, your employees, and the communities they serve.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
But taking it easy has never been his style.
Langhals, MTD’s 2025 Tire Dealer of the Year, is busy positioning K&M Tire for its next half-century of prosperity — not out of ego, but out of love for the people who will continue to make the enterprise that he founded a resounding success. What’s more, he’s enjoying every minute of it.
“I love our employees,” says Langhals. “I love our customers. I love our partners. I love coming to work. We’re a large company, but I don’t look at us as a large company. I look at us as small-town people who just enjoy selling tires.”
GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES
Langhals learned to work hard at an early age. One of 10 children, he grew up on a farm near Delphos, Ohio, a town of 7,000 people that would one day become K&M Tire’s headquarters. Each kid had
a different responsibility. Langhals took care of hogs, chickens and other livestock.
After graduating from high school and serving in the Ohio National Guard, Langhals worked briefly for General Motors. Discovering that it wasn’t his cup of tea, he left the auto manufacturer and at the age of 20, opened Kenny’s Sohio, a two-bay service station, “pumping gas, changing oil and repairing cars. I wasn’t getting rich, but I had enough money for gas and beer. I did that for two years.”
Then the first of many opportunities that would set Langhals on the path to even more success materialized. He met a businessman from Findlay, Ohio, who owned a small retreading plant.
“He offered to sell me the shop, so I left the service station and went into the retreading business. I lost money every day I was there! We had one truck tire mold, but we never retreaded any truck tires.”
Langhals founded K&M Tire in 1970.
“I liked working with other tire dealers more than working with retail customers,” he says.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
Congratulations Ken Langhals of K&M Tire for being named Modern Tire Dealer’s
2025 Tire Dealer of the Year
From your friends at Bridgestone, we appreciate your partnership.
For 55 years, Ken Langhals and the K&M Tire team have partnered with Bridgestone—supporting Core Tire across Consumer, Commercial, OTR and Ag customers with dedication and excellence.
“I love our employees,” says Langhals. “I love our customers. I love our partners. I love coming to work.”
Passenger tires were in a state of transition “and most of the molds we had didn’t fit and we had to buy new molds. I thought we could make (the business) profitable, but even then, passenger tire retreading was on the way out. I just wasn’t smart enough to figure it out. So now, after two years in the retreading business, I’m 24 years old, I’m married and I’m broke. It was just a plain disaster!”
Another opportunity suddenly arose.
“I knew this guy, Bill Altenburger, who had a two-bay Marathon gas station” in Ottoville, Ohio. “He wanted to sell it. I wanted to buy it. But I owed a lot of people money” due to the failed retreading venture.
“After a few meetings, Bill agreed to rent me the building and finance the inventory and equipment.”
Langhals came up with $100 for the shop’s till. “Everything was cash back then,” he notes. “And that’s how we got started. Bill let me take over and pay him over time.”
“Most of our people who deal with custmers — and even those who don’t necessarily deal with customers — know how we want to treat our customers,” says Langhals.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
Foundation and road map
K&M Tire’s values reflect Langhals’ values
Businesses often take on the personalities of their founders and/or owners. K&M Tire Inc. is no exception. Years ago, Ken Langhals defined what he calls K&M Tire’s “values,” which, in his words, “serve as both our foundation and our road map, guiding all of our decisions” and influencing how K&M Tire employees “work with our customers, business partners, communities and each other.” Here are K&M Tire’s values:
• Make the customer the most important person in our business. In everything we do, we must earn our customers’ business every day. We must deliver value to our customers by providing consistent and dependable service, high-quality products, competitive prices and programs and build trust and effective relationships.
• Live with integrity, character and passion. Integrity is doing the right thing at all times, even if nobody is watching. Character is adhering to the highest ethical standards in all areas of our business. Passion is true enthusiasm about what we do and how we do it.
• Develop trust and respect for each other and work together in a harmonious atmosphere. Trust and respect provide the foundation for all effective relationships, both professional and personal. In all decisions and interactions, we will be thoughtful and receptive to different opinions. We encourage creative solutions, listen and evaluate with care. Once a decision is made, we work together to deliver the best results.
• Commit to the pursuit of perfection. Perfection is our goal as we work to exceed expectations in all of our business and in relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. While perfection is unattainable, we strive for continuous improvement in all we do, getting better every day.
• Accept the urgency of accountability and change. Accountability requires an ownership mentality. If you see something that needs attention, own it and fix it. If you need help, ask immediately and help drive resolution. We must have a sense of urgency in everything we do, making progress every day. We understand that getting good with
change is a true competitive advantage and one that we must own and commit to at all levels of our organization.
• Possess a servant’s attitude. We have a responsibility to assist each other whenever possible. We define a servant’s attitude as helping people get to a higher level. We will work to cultivate an attitude of humility and modesty as we help each other along the way.
• Make a positive difference in our community. Our community is defined as wherever we are or
Langhals is a firm believer in giving back to the community.
“We exist to help improve the lives of others,” he says.
wherever people need support and assistance. We feel that each one of us has unique talents and gifts that truly do make a difference both locally and around the world. Be the change you want to see, be a good neighbor and help others.
• Provide a fair deal for everyone. A fair deal means that the solution or approach is balanced and thoughtful and is good for everyone involved. Fairness is a value that is heavily weighted in all things we do. We strive for win-win solutions for our customers, suppliers, teammates and communities.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
Altenburger also was a gas and oil distributor, “so I bought all of my gas from him. I had a couple of good employees who came with the business. We were pumping gas. We were doing brakes. We were doing tune-ups. We did a good job and made a decent living.”
Langhals paid off his retread shop debts “and things started to look up.”
In 1970, he renamed the business K&M Tire. (Up until then, it was known as Kenny’s Service.) Langhals was selling a modest number of tires, buying all of them from Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. and Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.
Around this time, he began dabbling in wholesale distribution. He quickly learned how challenging that channel could be to break into. “I wanted to distribute tires to some other dealers, but I found out I couldn’t be competitive with other wholesalers due to pricing.”
That’s when another opportunity materialized. Langhals met Paul Zurcher, the founder of Zurcher Tire, which was based in nearby Monroe, Ind. (Zurcher, who went on to establish Best-One Tire Group, was MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year Award recipient in 2005.)
“He’s always focused on the customer,” says K&M Tire President Cheryl Gossard (pictured) of her father, Langhals.
Langhals “is always all-in,” says Gossard. “He jumps in and gets it done. He’s not going to ask you to do something he won’t do.”
“I began buying some of my tires from Paul and asked him how I could buy tires for less and be competitive with everyone else. He said, ‘The easiest way to buy your tires for less is to let me be a partner.’ So in 1977, he became a partner in my business and then I was buying tires at a better price and could be competitive with other distributors.”
Several individual Zurcher family members hold an ownership stake in K&M Tire. “I learned a lot from Paul over the years, watching him run his business and how he led his family,” says Langhals. “He was just an outstanding guy.”
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
Ken Langhals on being named the 2025 MTD Tire Dealer of the Year
DEALER OF THE YEAR
Langhals soon discovered that he enjoyed wholesaling tires more than selling them at retail. “I liked working with other tire dealers more than working with retail customers.”
But to keep up with his growing wholesale business, he needed a hand.
“There was a guy from West Virginia named Larry Lambert who was looking for a job. He had been in the clothing industry and was a born salesman. I hired him and put him on the road selling tires. He could sell to anybody.
“Of course, back then, there were probably fewer than 20 different (tire) sizes. We didn’t need to inventory too much. We had a second floor at our service station and that became our tire warehouse.”
In a word
How K&M Tire employees describe Ken Langhals
When asked, “What word would you use to describe Ken Langhals?” several K&M Tire employees shared their thoughts.
Mark Knippen, vice president of purchasing: “Steady. In an industry and economy that’s constantly changing, Ken has always provided a sense of calm direction. His steadiness builds trust both inside and outside the company.”
Dave Miller, director of marketing: “Grit. Whether it’s unloading trucks side-by-side with our operations team or brainstorming long hours in a department collaboration meeting, his hard work supersedes all else.”
Donna Burgei, executive assistant/administrator manager: “Humble. He’s very humble. He remembers where he came from. He remembers how hard it was to get where he is.”
Jamie Tyrrell, inside sales manager: “Kind. He’s just a kind person — always a nice guy, always willing to help out and take care of others.”
Cheryl Gossard, president: “Humble. He doesn’t want credit for anything. He doesn’t like to be up on stage. He just wants to sit in the background and do his thing.”
In 1979, yet another opportunity presented itself. K&M Tire opened its second location, an acquisition, in Delphos — beginning the long line of acquisitions that would power the company’s growth over the ensuing decades. “I felt like if we wanted to grow, we needed to be in a bigger town and we needed to have more than one location,” says Langhals.
“We were open seven days a week and I was working seven days a week.” Business continued to flourish. In 1983, K&M Tire moved to a larger location in Delphos. “This gave me the opportunity to store more tires and really increase the distribution side of the business. I hired another salesman, Chris Link, and he and Larry Lambert really grew our distribution.”
At the time, K&M Tire was competing against “quite a few smaller distributors and a few of the bigger ones,” including Capital Tire out of Toledo, Ohio, “who did a really good job,” and Detroit, Mich.based Rao Tire, which Langhals would eventually acquire in 1996.
According to Langhals, those distributors specialized in selling to larger tire retailers. Seeing an opportunity, K&M Tire went in the other direction and began “calling on the real small service stations and tire dealers.”
Langhals says Lambert and Link were “excellent salespeople” and convinced many small shops to sign with K&M Tire. As the company’s client list expanded, “I felt comfortable that we could make a go of it” operating solely as a wholesaler, says Langhals, who adds that he “really didn’t want to compete with the customers I was selling tires to” at the retail level.
In 1990, K&M Tire entered another market, Toledo, by opening a new distribution center in the city. Six years later, the company acquired Rao Tire, giving it a foothold in Detroit.
“Detroit was our first step into a bigger market,” which brought its own set of challenges, according to Langhals. “We were coming in as outsiders and it was harder to collect our receivables in Detroit than in other areas. We needed to be more selective” in screening customers.
As K&M Tire became more comfortable doing business in Detroit, another opportunity emerged. In 1997, the company acquired Detroit Tire, another well-established wholesaler.
By this time, Langhals’ daughter, Cheryl Gossard, now president of K&M
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
Tire, had been working full-time at the company for several years. “She started with us part-time,” he says, working nights and on weekends while holding down a day job at an insurance company.
“We had an office manager and it didn’t work out with her. We let her go and I just couldn’t find the right person to watch over the office and handle accounting. It took me a little while, but I finally convinced Cheryl to come work for me full-time. I think she knew I needed the help and I finally got her pay up to what she had been making! In the beginning, she did all the accounting work and as the years went on, she got to know every job there is at K&M Tire.”
Meanwhile, Langhals was very much a hands-on owner, overseeing K&M Tire’s expansion, working in the Delphos office, unloading trucks, meeting with customers and suppliers — whatever was needed.
But as K&M Tire’s business enlarged, “I had to back up a little bit and let other people start taking over. I felt like I needed to let our managers run their departments. Cheryl was the one who really started to develop our managers.”
“We want to be trusted by all the people we deal with,” says Langhals.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
It wasn’t easy to pull back, he admits. “I wanted to be involved with every little detail and every decision. But Cheryl pretty much showed me that I needed to look at the big picture and what we needed and where we needed to go for future growth.”
A major catalyst of K&M Tire’s growth was its entry into another big market, Chicago, Ill., where in 2001, the company acquired Berry Tire, the largest distributor of Goodyear tires in “The Windy City” for many years. “When we bought Berry Tire, they were down to
CONGRATULATES KEN LANGHALS
‘I look at us as small-town people who just enjoy selling tires.’
CONGRATULATIONS KEN LANGHALS
Congratulations to this year’s MTD Tire Dealer of the Year, Ken Langhals! Your friends at Falken Tires commend you for your determination, hard work, and commitment as the CEO of K&M Tire. Thank you for your leadership, dedication to quality, and your valuable contributions to the tire industry. Here’s to your well-deserved accolade! We look forward to many more years of fruitful collaboration and continued success.
three locations” from a high of six and owned several retail stores, which K&M Tire later sold.
“I wanted to be in a bigger city,” says Langhals. “We had the opportunity to sell more tires in a big city.”
K&M Tire continued to move into other markets. In 2010, the company acquired Triton Tire & Battery from Universal Cooperatives, which gave it locations in North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Arkansas. Suddenly, K&M Tire had a presence in several more states.
The Triton Tire & Battery deal was pivotal in another way. Universal Cooperatives, which was based in Minnesota, owned, operated and administered the Mr. Tire associate dealer program, which became property of K&M Tire.
Neither Langhals nor Gossard had considered establishing or running an associate dealer program before. Now they were responsible for servicing a broad network of Mr. Tire dealers, but with a caveat: in certain markets, the Mr. Tire name had been licensed to Monro Inc. and it was unavailable to K&M Tire’s customers in those areas. “So we came up with the Big 3 (associate dealer) program,” says Langhals.
“At the time, all of the major manufacturers were coming up with their own
programs. Mr. Tire and Big 3 fit really well for us. If there was a Mr. Tire on one side of the street and another dealer across the street wanted to buy from us, we’d sign them up as a Big 3 dealer. It gave them a name that was bigger than just their own name.”
K&M Tire offered numerous benefits to Mr. Tire and Big 3 members, including enhanced buying power, but on an a la carte basis. Members were free to choose what they wanted to use. “We left advertising up to our members,” says Langhals. “We’d offer our support, but as far as setting prices, they did that all themselves.”
Today, there are more than 1,600 Big 3/Mr. Tire members. They remain free to pick and choose what they like, though “We can say, ‘If you do this, we’ll give you that,’” says Langhals. “We can give them incentives to do certain things. We want to make sure they get good value.”
With an influx of new customers in high-potential markets, K&M Tire’s business continued to expand, which required further investment in people, technology and products. Gossard took a bigger role in developing and managing K&M Tire’s leadership team, while building its back-office capabilities.
“To be a good supplier, we had to adjust,” says Langhals. “We had to change. But we had to be very careful.
‘I believe we are here on earth to help each other’
How (and why) K&M Tire gives back
“We make an effort to support local organizations because we should try to make a difference, wherever we are,” says Ken Langhals, CEO of K&M Tire Inc. “I feel we all have talents and gifts that can truly make a difference. We should be good neighbors and help each other.”
Langhals and K&M Tire, as a whole, support an array of non-profits and charitable organizations. On a personal level, his favorite group is Angels of Hope, which is part of an organization called Food For the Poor. “Angels of Hope is a child sponsorship initiative that provides support to abandoned or neglected children in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
More locally, Langhals supports the Delphos Economic Sustainability Coalition (DESC), an organization that encourages small businesses in downtown Delphos “to improve the looks of their businesses” through grants and loans that DESC provides, “which in turn, helps everyone to be proud of Delphos and support local businesses.”
Langhals also encourages K&M Tire employees to give back. The company offers employees “the opportunity to receive $50 twice a month if they volunteer to help a local cause after work hours,” he says. If a K&M Tire location holds a collection to benefit a charity in its area, K&M Tire will match the collected amount.
“We also help people and families directly,” he says. On multiple occasions, K&M Tire has helped people with housing. “We’ve had houses built for families who were in need. We sponsor multiple children in different orphanages, so they have a safe place to live. We’ve also renovated some condemned buildings and replaced them with new, modern buildings to help the city.
“I believe we are here on earth to help each other. It’s because of all the great people at K&M, our customers and our suppliers that K&M can make a difference in our communities and the world around us.”
The Group is proud of Ken Langhals’ outstanding achievement and values its partnership with Ken and the team at K&M Tire.
We were very selective of the people we were hiring, trying to make sure they had the right values.”
Langhals and Gossard preferred to promote people from within the company, but sometimes “we brought people in from the outside because we didn’t have enough people to grow fast enough. When we bought Triton, it doubled the number of our locations overnight. We didn’t have the management staff here (in Delphos) and I surely wasn’t ready. That’s where Cheryl started to shine. She brought on the right management, running the back office the way it should be.”
Training also become a higher priority. “Every year, we do more to develop our people,” says Langhals. This includes “traditional classroom training, online videos, mentorship programs” and more. New IT systems with capabilities far
“Developing trust with our team and with our customers and also with our suppliers is what we’re really after,” says Langhals.
beyond what K&M Tire had at the time were also needed. “Back in the early-1980s, we had no computer,” says Langhals, looking back on the company’s initial foray into data processing. “I had a ledger and that’s how we kept track of inventory. We sold two tires, I marked it down and we bought two more tires. It was time-consuming, so we bought a computer. There was no other way that I knew of to download information like tire sizes and all of that.
“After we bought our first computer, my wife and I had to hand-key everything in after work and on weekends. After three months, we had it all keyed-in and then the computer crashed and we lost everything! But we got it back up and running.”
Under Langhals and Gossard’s direction, K&M Tire began developing its own IT systems. “Our online ordering system
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
CongratulationsKEN LANGHALS
MODERN TIRE DEALER 2025 TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
NEXEN TIRE is proud to congratulate our partner Ken Langhals for being named the MTD 2025 Tire Dealer of the Year.
DEALER
THE YEAR
Outside looking in
How suppliers view Ken Langhals and K&M Tire
Ken Langhals has won the respect — and in many cases, the admiration — of his suppliers, some of whom shared their thoughts:
“ In the tire industry, where relationships often define success, BKT and K&M Tire stand out as a testament to what’s possible when shared values drive collaboration,” says Minoo Mehta, managing director, BKT USA Inc. “Both companies are proudly family-run and that common heritage has laid the groundwork for a partnership built on mutual respect and longterm vision. BKT is honored to work with Ken Langhals and the K&M Tire team. Ken’s legacy is one of honesty, integrity and trust — qualities that resonate deeply with BKT’s own ethos. His commitment to treating suppliers with fairness and professionalism has fostered a culture where partnerships thrive. What makes this relationship truly special is the alignment — not just in business goals, but in principles. It’s rare to find a partner whose values so closely mirror our own and BKT considers it a privilege to grow together alongside Ken, Cheryl and the entire K&M Tire family.”
is, ‘How do we get better at serving customers and employees?’
“Ken and Cheryl’s service culture extends beyond customers and employees to include suppliers,” says Hadley. “With numerous suppliers and only so many hours in a day, suppliers can feel like our time and effort isn’t appreciated. This is not the case with K&M. They make you earn it, but you’re treated with dignity and respect. I’ve been fortunate to work with many of our industry’s best. There isn’t a better operator than Cheryl Gossard. And at the end of each meeting, Ken takes the time to shake my hand and offer his appreciation for me. The guy’s a legend and somehow remains that humble.”
“ While working for K&M Tire, I had an opportunity to open a wholesale tire business located on the outskirts of their territory,” says Mark Hadley, vice president, First Choice Sourcing Solutions. “Most employers would consider this grounds for immediate termination. Ken and Cheryl took a very different approach. I was called into Ken’s office for a sit-down with he and Cheryl. I can’t believe I wasn’t fired. What’s more unbelievable is that they mocked up an impromptu five-year P&L to help me understand how the financials might impact me personally versus staying with K&M. They employed me another six months before I left to open the business. I’ve worked for, competed against and have been a vendor for K&M Tire. When they say, ‘Live with integrity, character and passion,’ it’s not just words on a poster. Most companies worry what the competition is doing — not Ken and Cheryl. The center of nearly every discussion
“ Our relationship with K&M has always been more than just business,” says Rob Williams, president, Hankook Tire America Corp. “It’s been grounded in mutual respect, trust and a shared commitment to growth and excellence. From the beginning, Ken has fostered a culture that makes suppliers like Hankook feel not just like partners, but like part of the K&M family.
“Over the years, we’ve had the pleasure of attending many K&M events and each one serves as a reminder of the strength of our partnership. Ken consistently takes the time to connect, asking about how we’re doing, not just in business but also on a personal level. I can fondly recall seeing him walk the trade show floors, actively engaging with suppliers, customers and team members alike. His leadership style is approachable, sincere and deeply appreciated.
“As I travel to events and meetings across the country, Ken’s name frequently comes up in conversation — always mentioned with deep respect. He is recognized as a true industry leader — one who has made a lasting impact on colleagues, partners and peers alike. That kind of reputation is built through years of dedication, authenticity and unwavering commitment to doing things the right way.
“The K&M family approach is a direct reflection of Ken’s values. The sense of community, the commitment to partnerships and the respect shown to everyone involved ... it’s a culture that has created a remarkable and enduring legacy in our industry.”
CONGRATULATIONS KEN LANGHALS
2025 MTD
25 MTD LER THE Y
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
Pirelli is prou to stan alongsi e K&M Tire as one of Ken’s truste partners. Congratulations on this outstan ing achievement!
e as one artners. on this tan ing achievement!
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
was developed by our own people and as far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the best in the industry,” he says. “We control it. We can modify and change it if we want to. And our IT department has done a wonderful job of continuing to build the software. We’re always looking for ways to get better.”
Langhals and Gossard also knew that K&M Tire needed to carry more tire lines and brands to give customers and their clients a broader spectrum of options. “We started very slowly bringing on new brands,” says Langhals. “Since Firestone had truck and ag tires, they were a big supplier for us. Then we took on Uniroyal and Armstrong. BFGoodrich was big in our area. We were trying to have tires on-hand that our customers wanted.”
Today, Langhals estimates that K&M Tire carries more than 40 brands in the passenger tire category alone, in addition to numerous commercial truck, ag and OTR tire brands. “The number of SKUs you have to inventory today ... there’s probably 2,000 sizes.”
Customer expectations were changing. Wholesalers were moving to a just-in-time delivery model as retailers stocked fewer units at their stores. “Up until that point, we were used to — and dealers expected us to — deliver tires to them once a week and maybe twice a week,” says Langhals. “But it changed. They wanted deliveries once a day or maybe twice a day. We needed to have the tire they wanted, when they wanted it, so we needed to have a lot more inventory.”
This helped accelerate the need for more locations. “From 2000 to 2010, we bought three locations. Over the next 10 years, we bought 10 other businesses that had a total of 20 locations,” taking K&M Tire into new markets and geographies.
This past May, K&M Tire acquired three warehouses in Michigan and a distribution center near Chicago from Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC. In September 2024, the company acquired K&W Tire of Lancaster, Pa., which gave K&M Tire six distribution centers throughout New England. At press time, K&M Tire operates more than 40 distribution centers, stretching from Maine to New Mexico and from North Dakota to Texas.
K&M Tire also introduced standard operating procedures to enforce consistent, approved practices across the firm’s
ever-growing footprint. Guidelines were drawn up to address nearly every aspect of K&M Tire’s business. “I don’t know how you can live without them,” says Langhals.
K&M Tire employs around 1,200 people. “To have as many different people as we do and be in as many different areas as we’re in, I feel like we have to follow our standard operating procedures to have any control over things.
“As we purchased other wholesalers, some of them did business much differently than we do. It took some of them a little while to get accustomed” to K&M Tire’s way of doing things, “but just about every time, they said, ‘This is so much better than the way we did it.’”
K&M Tire’s standard operating procedures have evolved to stay current with the times, according to Langhals. “If our people follow them, they’ll be doing the right thing.”
Langhals and Gossard also realized that some situations may fall outside the purview of a standard operating procedure. In those instances, “if our people are doing the right thing for the customer — or even internally, if they’re doing the right thing for their teammates — then we’re OK with it,” he explains.
“If something goes wrong — if something is a bad decision — we’ll sit down and talk about it and discuss what we could have done to make it better for everybody and what we can do in the future to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If there’s a decision that isn’t good, we accept that. We’re allowed to make mistakes, as long as we’re trying to do the right thing.”
As K&M Tire continued to add locations and personnel, Langhals says he was “somewhat concerned about growing too quickly because I’d seen other businesses grow really aggressively and quicker that what their cash flow allowed. I saw them get into trouble. But we kept our eye on it to make sure we were growing at a comfortable place and not outgrowing ourselves.”
Most of K&M Tire’s customers are small tire dealerships — some with only one location. Many are located in small towns and rural areas. “That’s where we started and that’s why I think we connect well with small dealers,” says Langhals. “Another thing is a lot of them sell ag tires and commercial truck tires, whereas in
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
the bigger metro areas, they don’t sell a lot of ag tires. K&M has to be one of the largest ag tire distributors in the country and the same with truck tires.”
Bigger tire dealerships also can buy “direct from the manufacturers,” says Langhals, who adds that access to decision-makers is often easier at smaller dealerships. “At the bigger ones, you may never see the owner. In rural areas, you talk to the owners. They’re out in the shop, doing the work.”
FOCUSED ON OTHERS
“He’s always focused on the customer,” says Gossard of her father. But she adds that he’s equally focused on K&M Tire’s employees and partners, believing that if K&M Tire can engineer outcomes that benefit all parties, the company will continue to prosper.
That level of dedication stems from the early days of K&M Tire, she explains. (Gossard is the only one of Langhals’ five children who currently works in the family business. Her siblings have worked at the company at various points. And her four children work at K&M Tire.)
“Growing up, when we were in the living room watching TV, he always had financials or purchasing reports or some kind of paperwork he was looking through. Occasionally, when we were going somewhere, he’d say, ‘Oh, this is a customer. I’m going to run into his store for a couple of minutes.’”
When she started full time at K&M Tire, “there were only four people in the
Langhals says K&M Tire wants to be “the type of company that people want to be part of.”
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
Langhals
Congratulations to CEO of Ken
We value our partnership and wish you continued success.
on being named THE 2025 MTD TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
Langhals “is very open and honest,” says Gossard. “He isn’t just going to tell you something you want to hear. He’s going to tell you the truth and stand by what he says.”
AutoZone® would like to congratulate Ken Langhals, CEO of K&M Tire, Inc. on being named MTD's 2025 Tire Dealer of the Year. We appreciate your partnership and thank you for being a valued AutoZone® customer.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
office and we had two warehouses. He basically had to teach me everything. And as new things came on and I asked him and he didn’t know, he taught me how to research it. He gave me books sometimes.”
Back then, there was no grand plan for expansion. However, Gossard and Langhals were ready to capitalize on opportunities. “I think he knew that every year we had to continue to grow, so we could hit the numbers with our vendors.”
Gossard describes her move into a leadership role at K&M Tire as “more of a gradual thing. About a year after I started, he was looking to install a new computer system. He came to me and said, ‘You can do this.’ I would then ask for more work and he’d think of things I could do and I’d just jump in and do them.”
As Gossard became proficient in more facets of K&M Tire’s business, Langhals leaned on her more. When the Triton Tire opportunity came about, he told her he could “take it or leave” the deal. But he also asked for her opinion. “I said, ‘We should do it.’ We learned a lot during that one.”
Thank you for your partnership.
KEN LANGHALS
MTD’s 2025 Dealer of the year and decades of leading the industry
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
Working with her father, Gossard saw the need to develop an executive leadership team. Up until then, major decisions like acquisitions were made by Langhals, Gossard and Kevin Schnipke, who began working for Langhals in the 1970s.
“Kevin was like an older brother to me,” she says. “If there was an issue in the warehouse — whatever it was — he’d x it. He’d gure it out.” (Schnipke, a er 49 years of service at K&M Tire, passed away in July 2025.)
Gossard hired Mark Knippen, currently K&M Tire’s vice president of purchasing, in 2004. She brought on Jon Schadl, now K&M Tire’s vice president of sales, six years later.
Knippen was working in the restaurant business
when he saw a want ad placed by K&M Tire in the local newspaper. “I didn’t know anything about the tire industry,” he says. “I applied for an inside sales position and got hired.”
He met Langhals two weeks a er he started at K&M Tire. “We had moved into this o ce and what impressed me is he came up to me and introduced himself and was out with the crew in the warehouse, moving tires and o ce equipment. He was in there, getting his hands dirty.”
Knippen eventually moved into a managing director position, “where I started to interact on a more frequent basis with Ken and Cheryl. One day, they called me and said, ‘We think you might be the right person for the (vice president of purchasing) position.”
He now manages the company’s inventory strategy, leading a team of 19 people “who do all the demand planning for K&M Tire. We oversee all 43 distribution centers and inventory planning across all segments. When I started, we had four locations.”
ough Knippen reports directly to Gossard, he frequently interacts with Langhals, who “leads with a steady hand and clear purpose. Over the years, I think he’s evolved from being very hands-on to empowering a strong leadership team, but what hasn’t changed is his consistency. He still leads with humility and conviction.
“You would never question Ken’s integrity. He’s one of those men who does what he says he’s going to do. And he’s extremely humble. He’s built K&M from a two-bay gas station to 40-plus distribution centers across the country, but I feel he’s the same person I met 21 years ago.
“He started the company to serve customers and that’s never changed,” says Knippen. “We’ll have a conversation (about a topic) and look at Ken and he’ll ask, ‘How does this take care of the customer?’
“One of the things he said probably 15 years ago in a meeting that’s always stuck with me is, ‘Just because you earned the business today doesn’t mean you deserve it tomorrow.’ We talk about continuous improvement all the time. ‘What are we doing to get better?’
“Professionally, he’s certainly helped me learn the procurement side of the business and how to interact with our manufacturing partners,” says Knippen, who
K&M Tire’s values “should guide what we do both at work and at home,” says Langhals.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
describes Langhals as being “very evenkeeled” with a “very even temperament.
“When I came in, I was maybe a little too aggressive in how I approached things, but working with Ken, I understood that these are our partners. These are folks who we’re going to depend on for mutual success for a long time and we want to make it a win-win. We need them to be healthy so we can be healthy. He taught me a lot about that part of the business. I made mistakes early on and he was very patient with me and allowed me to fail forward. That really helped my professional development.
“Ken’s reputation (among suppliers) has always been tough, but fair. We want to get the best opportunities we can, so we can do the best for our customers, but having unreasonable asks will never get you anywhere. We really look at our suppliers as partners.
“If you look at our company’s values, all of those align with how Ken
approaches business,” says Knippen. “He’s here to serve our customers. He’s here to serve us, as employees. What’s really impressed me is (despite) how much we’ve grown in terms of size, reach and operational sophistication, we’ve managed to maintain that personal feel and the values of a family-owned company. That’s something we’re all stewards of.”
Langhals received the key to the city of Delphos, Ohio, K&M Tire’s hometown, in September 2024.
“We’re the tire distributor that doesn’t feel comfortable in a suit and tie,” says Schadl, who worked for an independent tire retailer and then a subsidiary of a major tire manufacturer before joining K&M Tire. “A friend of mine said K&M was looking for a sales manager and I thought I would be a good fit, so I applied.”
Schadl interviewed with both Langhals and Gossard. His first impressions of them? “Thoughtful and deliberate.” When they made him an offer, he accepted without hesitation. “I had other
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
offers, but I was waiting for them to make an offer.”
Langhals’ leadership style has remained consistent over the years, according to Schadl. The same can be said for Gossard. “With Ken and Cheryl, you’re responsible for your area, but you do have to follow our values. And Ken is still very competitive. When we used to go to the SEMA Show and Cheryl’s husband would go with us — he was our purchasing manager at the time — Ken would race him up and down stairs. And he usually didn’t lose!”
Even at this stage in his career, Langhals is “very in-tune” with the business. “He knows what’s going on. We bought a warehouse in Winters, Texas. It was an old manufacturing plant. Ken spent months there, helping refurbish it. When Ken unloads a truck, he’s trying to outwork the younger guys. He wants to unload it faster! He wants to go out there and be the best he can be.”
Schadl and Knippen say Langhals wants every K&M Tire employee to feel appreciated and heard. To that end, last year Gossard launched “K&M On the
K&M Tire launched “K&M On the Road” last year. “We felt like we had to go out and visit employees more,” says Gossard.
Road,” a roadshow where K&M Tire sends a trailer to its locations, along with K&M Tire executives, to spend a day cooking for employees and visiting with them. Gossard and other members of K&M Tire’s leadership team have visited half of the company’s distribution centers so far and plan to visit the rest next year.
“We felt like we had to go out and visit employees more,” she says. “We wanted to talk to our employees and get feedback from them. I thought, ‘We’ll go in, we’ll grill some hamburgers and spend a couple of hours with them and make it an event. And maybe that will stand out more than one person visiting today and someone visiting six months later.’ It went over better than we thought.”
“What we hear (from employees) are simple little problems that we can fix because we’re listening,” says Schadl. “It’s been a really successful thing.”
Another successful program that Langhals and Gossard created is “K&M Cares, which takes care of employees” who are experiencing hardship in their personal lives, says Jamie Tyrrell, K&M Tire’s inside sales manager. “I just had
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
Congratulations!
Ken
Langhals CEO of K&M Tire
2025 TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
Kumho Tire proudly congratulates Ken Langhals on being named Tire Dealer of the Year. For over a decade, we’ve been honored to partner with K&M Tire and are grateful for your continued dedication to the industry.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
an employee die,” he says. “He was only with us for a couple of months, but K&M Cares helped (his family) with money. The whole company came together.”
Tyrrell is one of K&M Tire’s longest-serving employees, joining the company when it acquired Detroit Tire. Around that time, Detroit Tire was struggling, according to Tyrrell. “I had several different wholesalers who wanted to hire me.”
He was familiar with K&M Tire, which was relatively new to the Detroit
Hot topics
Langhals comments on industry trends
Ken Langhals, CEO of K&M Tire Inc. and MTD’s Tire Dealer of the Year, shared his thoughts on several tire industry trends:
Consolidation.
“Consolidation can be good because it can create opportunities for the better retail dealers to expand, but it can be bad because it can take away that personal touch and (the) relationships some of the smaller dealers have with their customers. The consolidation of wholesalers has been good for K&M because it has given us the opportunity to grow and work with more dealers.”
Just-in-time delivery.
“It certainly presented challenges, but we’re here to help our vendor partners and our customers. They depend on us to have the product the customers need, when they need it. With so many sizes and brands, we can’t have everything in every warehouse. So something we did early on was have dedicated transfer trucks that run from warehouse to warehouse.”
Evolving customer expectations.
“I think customers are more demanding because their customers are more demanding. I think their expectations have changed over the last 25 years because 25 years ago, we delivered tires to them once or twice a week and there were a lot fewer part numbers. Now they want deliveries once or twice a day and they have a lot more parts numbers to choose from.”
Manufacturer-owned distribution.
“We react to the manufacturer-owned distribution companies the same as we react to all our other competitors. We just keep doing the right thing for our customers and think we will continue to win by relying on our vision, mission and values.”
area. “They had a great reputation. They always had great prices. They always had inventory. Their driver, Roger, was at our warehouse first thing every morning.”
Tyrrell asked his friend and then-Bridgestone Americas Inc. executive, Barry Feasel, about K&M Tire. Feasel endorsed the company enthusiastically, telling Tyrell, “If I were to leave Bridgestone, that’s where I would go.”
Tyrrell met with Langhals. “He was very down-to-earth. He was a straight shooter.”
After Tyrrell joined K&M Tire, he managed inside sales for the company. “When I started, Delphos had a call center, Toledo had a call center and we had a call center in Michigan. Every distribution center had its own inside sales department. K&M doesn’t do anything third-party. Everything’s in-house.
“We grew quite a bit. We brought on Chicago” and K&M Tire moved into a new facility in Delphos, “so we added onto our inside sales team.”
Eventually, Tyrrell moved to K&M Tire headquarters in Delphos. “Things have changed at K&M,” he says. “We’ve grown. But Ken has never changed. He’s always been loyal to his employees. He’s always been genuine. I have a sign in my office that shows a quote from Ken. It says, ‘Thank you for making K&M the company customers want to do business with.’ That’s him. He cares about our customers and our employees.
“If something needs done, he’s doing it,” says Tyrrell. “A couple of years ago, everyone in the tire industry was really busy. Every tire you had, you sold. Every day, Ken and Cheryl went out and unloaded trucks. Cheryl had a clipboard and the warehouse guys said, ‘Ken came out here and tossed tires with us!’
“We put Ken on a pedestal, but he doesn’t put himself there. It’s always been, ‘Just take care of the customer and our employees.’ Not everyone treats people with the respect that Ken does.”
“Ken definitely leads by example,” says Donna Burgei, Gossard’s executive assistant and K&M Tire’s administrator manager. She remembers when warehouse workers at the company’s Delphos location said that they would be unable to unload a trailer load of tires in an expected amount of time. “So Ken went home and put his t-shirt and jeans on and helped them unload the trailer. He
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
did it to show them it’s achievable if you stick with it.
“I don’t think he’s ever asked somebody to do anything that he’s never done on his own,” she says. “He’s in the thick of it, all the time. He’s the first one here in the morning. He was the first one in and last to leave for many, many years.”
Burgei joined K&M Tire in 1999. “When I first met Cheryl, I felt like she really had it together. Sometimes you work for a family business and this person is in that position just because they’re the owner’s daughter or grandson or whatever. Cheryl is where she is because she’s worked her tail off.”
Burgei started at K&M Tire as an accounts payable clerk. “I helped with inputting invoices and paying bills out weekly,” while helping with the company’s national accounts. “We were just starting to dip our feet into that.”
Her interactions with Langhals at the time were limited. “He was busy. He was nose-to-the- grindstone. I have a lot more interaction with him now than I did then.
“After I was here about five or six years, Cheryl came to me and said, ‘Our accounts payable manager is going to leave. You do a great job with national accounts. We would really like it if you came in and became our new accounts payable manager.’ I said, ‘Well, I like the national account stuff.’ And Ken said, ‘You have the potential to run both departments. We’ll just change your job description!’
“I did that until 2019, when Cheryl came to me again and said she needed an assistant and (the company) needed an admin department for all of our vice presidents,” says Burgei. “She said, ‘You know me the best out of anyone here and I think you and I would make a great team.’” Burgei accepted the job.
Looking back on her career at K&M Tire, Burgei says, “If it hadn’t been for those nudges, I think I would still be back in my corner. Ken and Cheryl try to pull you up. Their openness to welcoming you in is what draws people to want to be with them.”
Dave Miller, who runs K&M Tire’s marketing department, says he was drawn
Congratulations to Ken Langhals, CEO of K&M Tire, Inc., for being named Modern Tire Dealer’s 2025 Tire Dealer of the Year.
On behalf of Yokohama TWS, we sincerely appreciate your continued partnership.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
to the company because of its “winning ways. As a competitor and a customer of K&M during some stagnant and adverse times in our economy” around 17 years ago, he noticed that K&M Tire “was always growing. Business was booming for them.
“When I came on board with K&M in 2011, I soon realized why K&M was so successful: these folks genuinely lived by their mission, vision and were guided
‘Most people like to deal with down-to-earth, honest, trustworthy people who try to be fair with everybody.’
by their core values — and talked about it consistently during any type of meeting or announcement. As a younger professional, it was very eye-opening to see such a clearly defined road map and future plan for success.
“And Ken is very competitive. We’re here to win and to do that, we have to embrace that competitive spirit that started when he made that $100 handshake to start K&M way back in 1970. Ken bet on himself that day and has been driven by winning ways ever since.”
Miller says Langhals’ most outstanding attribute “is his ability to embody a pinnacle level of leadership in the workplace, with his family and in his community. He’s always advocated for the continuous improvement of his team and it shows by the way he sets the course for leadership, then steps out of the way and allows his leadership team to pursue our vision of becoming the leading and most trusted (tire supplier).”
“God has blessed me with so much,” says Langhals.
Photo: K&M Tire Inc.
KEN LANGHALS CONGRATULATIONS
Ken Langhals CEO of K&M Tire, Inc.
Ken the deal-closer
‘He’s my best selling point’
READY FOR THE FUTURE
K&M Tire’s website notes that the company “strives to operate with Christian-based principles.”
Langhals says that K&M Tire’s values “should guide what we do both at work and at home. I believe in God and I believe the world would be a much better place if everybody had a set of values to live by and follow.
“Most people like to deal with downto-earth, honest, trustworthy people who try to be fair with everybody. I
think myself and most of the people here want to be fair with our customers and suppliers and they want to be fair with each other. If you have people working in a warehouse and one guy does all the work, that’s not fair. K&M is going to stay on the right path because we have people here who want to be on the right path.”
As K&M Tire continues to grow, Langhals says its staff will inevitably expand. “What do you do to get the right people? You keep working at it. You keep training and developing them. Warehousing isn’t
“We do a trade show every year,” says Jon Schadl, K&M Tire Inc.’s vice president of sales. The event is attended by hundreds of K&M Tire customers and some potential customers. (Nearly 900 people attended this year’s event in Columbus, Ohio. Next year’s event will take place in January 2026 in Overland Park, Kan.)
“If I have a customer who’s on the fence and isn’t fully sold on us, I’ll take him to meet Ken. He’s my best selling point.”
Customers react positively to Langhals’ humility, says Schadl. “There aren’t too many people like Ken in the tire industry right now. For somebody to get where Ken is — and to be as humble as he is, especially in today’s world ... it’s hard to not want to do business with him.”
always easy work. It’s manual labor, so there’s going to be turnover.”
K&M Tire trains new employees “as soon as we can,” says Langhals. “One of the things we want them to do is learn the K&M culture as soon as possible. If they learn that we care and we want to keep them and work with them, it’s more likely they will stay here longer. And that takes time. You can’t do that overnight. We feel it’s very important that all of our employees are treated as they should be and as they want to be.”
Langhals inspires loyalty in K&M Tire’s employees “because he cares,” says Gossard. “We’re all here, working hard and enjoying who we’re working with, knowing the person we’re working for is going to work just as hard as we do. Why wouldn’t you want to work for someone who cares about you?”
Gossard says Langhals “is always all-in. He always walks fast. He never walks slow. Even when he’s home, he’s always doing something. He just jumps in and gets it done. He’s not going to ask you to do something he won’t do. If he’s
the first one here in the winter and some snow needs to be shoveled, he’s the first to grab a shovel. He’s not above doing any job that’s needed. He’s the first one leading the way.
“He’s also very open and honest,” she says. “He isn’t just going to tell you something you want to hear. He’s going to tell you the truth and stand behind what he says. He’s also really good at asking questions. He really enjoys talking with our people. If he thought there was an employee who was afraid to talk to him, he would feel terrible.”
K&M Tire’s status as an independently owned and operated business is extremely important to Langhals. He believes the company’s employees, customers and partners appreciate it, too. “I want our employees and customers to be treated like family,” he says. “How would you treat your own kids? I want them to be treated that way — not as a number or a way to make money.
“I believe that family-owned businesses have more invested in their business than what some of the big
‘I want our employees and customers to be treated like family.’
CEO, K&M Tire, Inc.
TIRE DEALER OF THE YEAR
corporations do. They care more about their employees and they care more about their customers. Most of our people who deal with customers — and even those who don’t necessarily deal with customers — know how we want them to treat our customers.”
As Langhals works with Gossard and the rest of K&M Tire’s leadership team to set the stage for future success, he doesn’t envision the company becoming a coast-to-coast enterprise. “That’s not our dream. Our dream and our vision is to be the leading and most trusted provider of tires. That’s our main thing. Developing trust with our team and with our customers and also with our suppliers is what we’re really after.
“We want to be trusted by all the people we deal with. We exist to help improve the lives of others. We continue to develop our people with steady, stable jobs they enjoy. We continue to provide training and development opportunities for those who are interested in growing. We continue to reach out in our communities to provide help when we can.
We want to be the type of company that people want to be part of. To accomplish these things, the company needs to grow. But it has to grow the right way.
“The tire industry has provided me and my family and a lot of people with a good living,” he says. “It has definitely helped me grow and develop through the years. But what really motivates me is coming here to the office. Most of the people here have been with us for years and years. They’re my friends and my family. I just love watching them grow and develop and seeing the whole company continue to grow. That’s what motivates me.
“We’ve had some of our customers for so many years. We’ve seen their kids grow up and take over businesses. A lot of them are my friends and they feel like my family. I feel so blessed and so honored to have been able to be a part of their lives. God has blessed me with so much.”
You can bet that, true to form, Langhals will continue to share those blessings with K&M Tire’s employees, customers and partners.
Store management
Can you be a good owner but a bad operator? HOW
TO IMPROVE YOUR OPERATIONAL SKILLS
By Mike Townsend
As I look at the headline of this article, I realize that some people who own a tire dealership — that means one store or more — may not be able to answer the question listed in the headline. Why? ey might not know what being a bad operator looks like because all they know is how to run their store.
Before we dig into this subject, it’s important to know that I have met thousands of tire store owners since 2006, from the owners of one store up to the owners of 100 stores, and I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that tire dealers are some of the best human beings in the world. e majority truly care about people and, as we say in the South, are “salt of the earth.”
The challenge has been getting some of the ones I’ve met to admit that they were less-than-stellar operators. Of course, this attribute is unintentional on their part. I never knew any tire dealer or tire store manager who went to work on a Monday morning and said, “Let me see if I can be a bad operator at my store today.” e fact is, many didn’t know what they didn’t know and therefore unintentionally harmed their businesses.
I found an owner recently who could be de ned as both a good owner and a good operator. It’s just the way things have unfolded since I met this owner about 15-plus years ago. is being said, I think we can say with almost 100% certainty what makes a good owner and what makes someone a bad operator. So let’s start with the negative and end on the positive. First, what are some of the most signi cant traits of bad operators?
‘What has kept you in business for many years may not keep you in business long-term.’
Earn
Be
Access
Monitor
DEALER RESOURCES
ALER RESOUR
We’re
• A bad operator has a higher than normal turnover rate. Good operators know that employee turnover is bad in the tire and auto repair business. ey also know that turnover is expensive and costs them time and money. Both of these — especially time — are virtually impossible to recoup. Whether they stay or eventually leave, you’ve invested time in training someone. Many times, when someone leaves, it’s not a good experience for either party. To maintain a reputation in your market, you should never have to re anyone. Simply set the expectation, humbly write them up, if necessary, and then when the issues are repeated, have a sit down and ask them a simple question: “You know why we are here. What would you do if you were me?” Most will re themselves or change their behavior. In some cases, a performance improvement plan is warranted or an individual training plan will su ce.
• A bad operator spends almost zero on training. The dealer I mentioned above once said, “Training does not cost. It pays.” It was a huge compliment to us and how we had transformed many of his people through customer experience process training and leadership coaching for his managers, assistant managers and service managers. He saw a need and invested in his team and later reaped higher employee engagement and less turnover. Many larger independent dealerships have their own training people who on-board employees properly and make sure they stay aligned with the company’s mission. Some use a third party, which can give their business a boost if brought in for specialized training.
• Bad operators rarely understand the small stu . To better clarify, they do not understand that there are hundreds of little things that their employees need to be enabled, engaged and energized in order to handle. is takes transforming a worker from someone who is just getting by into someone who gives enough extra e ort that will almost double the amount of
production that a disengaged employee contributes. Let’s face it — people have changed since 2020. And I have said many times that leadership has changed more in the last ve years than it has in the last 25 years. Why? Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and other factors, peoples’ realities are di erent now. is doesn’t make your employees bad. It just means that some — not all — have to be motivated and inspired di erently.
• Bad operators can sometimes be so prideful that they can’t get out of their own way. I remember a tire store owner who was a super-good guy. He was smart, a good owner and I enjoyed being around him. What made him a bad operator was simple and complex at the same time: his pride. Nine out of 10 people around him could see his pride, but he could not. In fact, this owner could not believe that his people saw him di erently than he saw himself. Anyone with minimal observation skills could see the behavior change of his employees when he was in one of their stores. In fact, upon his arrival in the parking lot, the demeanor of everyone would change. When something you say to an employee hits them wrong, set aside your defense mechanism and sleep on it. At least spend some time in silence, thinking about what you said. Ask a trusted employee or co-owner, “What is it like being on the other side of me?” If the answer is negative, ask, “What can I do better?” eir response to this type of question will tell you a lot.
• Bad operators can’t let go. ey are helicopter bosses. Some are micromanagers. The bad operator works many long hours doing tasks that he or she could hire others to do — and most likely have them done better. Bad operators have a harder time working on their business than working in their business. Bad operators don’t want to change. If you own a store and haven’t changed in the last ve years, you are 10 years behind and could be sacri cing pro t and building further equity in your brand. Bad operators also unintentionally paralyze their people and
prevent them from being decision-makers. Employees must be free to make decisions. is includes the possibility of making a mistake.
I could list more attributes of bad operators, but let’s move on to the positive. What do good operators look like?
• They seek wisdom from many and narrow it down to a few trusted advisors. The client I mentioned once asked me, “Who would you hire/ promote as a general manager for my stores? No hurry. Let me know when you have the person in mind.” Nine months later during a lunch meeting, the name of one of his managers I had been coaching came up and I expressed to the owner that this was the guy I would promote. e owner, who happens to be one of the best operators I have ever worked with, said that my pick was also his pick. Good operators lean on others to validate, coach and introduce change to their companies for the good of the business. Good operators not only listen. ey make sound decisions based on advice from people who know more than they do.
• Good operators are humble and understand the importance of training continuously. Training on everything that impacts the sales/pro t of your stores matters. Good operators know this and implement it o en. ey are willing to change and understand that training can help improve the lives of employees. is helps them maintain stellar relations as an employer. Good operators are also patient and will retrain when their people forget some of their training over time and backslide. ey also understand the need for accountability and celebrating positive results.
• Good operators are process-driven. As a Six Sigma black belt, I think I am quali ed to help people with their processes. And I am o en amazed that many tire dealers are successful without having standardized processes in their stores. Over co ee one morning before a training class,
I once asked a good operator what he would have me say to his team directly, speaking on his behalf, and he simply stated, “Tell them to embrace the process.” Good operators have many processes and lean on simple processes to help their people perform at a higher level. Make sure you have standard operating procedures for everything, from opening and closing your store to how you interact with your external customers and your internal customers, who are your employees. And with those processes, make sure you inspect what you expect.
• Good operators always embrace change. Good owners expect change, embrace change and lead change within their organization. They expect change because when they’re working on their business, they compare themselves to other stores and even operators in other industries. Furthermore, they look for trends in all retail businesses. ey embrace change by asking for help and understand that utilizing a third party would most likely be the best way to move through and/or to a speci c change. en they get behind the change and lead by example. ey ask tough accountability questions to each person who is working for their store. Good operators do this without making others feel micromanaged. Good operators understand that accountability is simply asking others to give an account of themselves. ey also know how to ask questions and question answers.
• Good operators empower their people to make tough decisions. ey do this by staying current in their training processes and making sure their leaders are leading others in their reality and allowing others to make decisions. All decisions that bene t the customer, the company and the employee are considered and are most o en implemented. is is o en done quickly, without procrastination. Good operators, like a good airplane pilot, understand that “seat time” is important. For a tire store owner who is a good operator, this means that
your people have to understand that perfect practice will always make perfect results. It’s about knowing what to do and when to do it.
All of the above should get your creative juices owing. And remember — what has kept you in business for many years may not keep you in business longterm. Many who are making great pro ts
in today’s climate must understand that this cycle may not last forever. It’s important that you nd out if you are a good owner but a bad operator and then take corrective measures. ■
Mike Townsend is the owner of Townsend Strategies, a sales and leadership training and marketing company that advises independent tire dealerships. To contact Townsend, email him at mike@townsendstrategies.com.
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By
Dennis McCarron
How to create a winning culture
IT GROWS FROM THE BOTTOM UP, INFLUENCED BY YOUR PRIORITIES
Culture in a work environment doesn’t come from the top. It is not created in a “work sesh,” where a carefully curated sentence or two form a mission statement and a vision comes down from on high by the owner with a pithy view of the business. It just doesn’t. Those things can guide a culture. They organize and streamline the efforts of the frontline employees into something productive that the surrounding five-to-50-mile radius of customers and clients are drawn towards.
The culture of a tire dealership is always organic. It’s never AstroTurf lab-created. The systems and beliefs of the employees who do the work are the ones who dictate the culture. The faces, voices and demeanor of the individuals representing the company on a daily basis are the company’s culture.
Sure, charity work, mission statements and a corporate face are important, regardless of whether the corporate office is made up of 200 people or two. But what customers experience and more importantly, what they feel with every experience is what will define your culture.
No amount of little league baseball sponsorships or church bulletin advertising will overcome the feeling by a customer that the person on the other side of the sales counter is about to have a nervous breakdown or the unsettling feeling when a grumpy mechanic swears and slams tools loud enough to be heard through the double glass door sound barrier.
Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has bad days. Not everyone apologizes for them. Some make excuses for a bad experience. Some don’t even notice. Culture permeates throughout the process from key exchange to key exchange.
You don’t train culture. Heck, some tire dealership owners can’t even recite their own mission/vision or if they run a really small shop, simply explain why they repair cars.
Culture also permeates the fabric of how things get done. This is why woodpeckers within your business are so damaging, as I have written before. A customer who feels an employee was indifferent towards them — or worse — is unlikely to return. Mission statements may say, “The customer is everything to us,” but if your culture speaks to profit above all — or service advisors who are indifferent and lack empathy are not only tolerated, but hold store titles like assistant manager — then the culture speaks for itself.
The secret? There is no secret. Culture speaks louder than a 50-foot-wide billboard on the highway. Culture is discussed at dinner tables and around cubicles. Feelings are shared. Sure, properly repairing vehicles and selling tires are important. Those are the basic-entry-level, cost-of-doing-business items. You’ll hear a complaint from a customer if their brakes squeak or the engine light comes back on. You won’t hear that your culture
stinks. Culture is how you make a profit. It is your ultimate proof to customers about why they should choose you over the competition. It’s the consistency of your process, your follow-through on promises, your honesty when things go wrong and how you’re going to make it right. Culture is not overpromising and underdelivering. It’s standing behind your estimate with the belief that it’s priced properly and will correct the problem properly. It’s trust that the vehicle inspection was thorough and accurate and if the problem has 20 thorns to it, each one will be explained to the level of the customer’s experience, knowledge and understanding.
Trust — not marketing — builds repair orders.
‘Culture grows from the bottom up and front-line employees are the direct reflection of management’s priorities.’
Culture grows from the bottom up and front-line employees are the direct reflection of management’s priorities. It’s genuine team building and influence of — and by — peers. Culture is fed by the sunlight of management. If the only message front-line employees ever hear from above is about productivity and quotas, then the culture will become driven by that message.
You get the result you feed. When customer satisfaction is simply asking for surveys or only comes to the forefront when there’s a complaint, front-line employees take notice.
We are entering a phase in retail that’s a paradigm shift from the old ways. It’s not just the technology that’s changing, be it vehicles or kiosks or adaptive robots answering the phone. The more socially disconnected people are from each other, the stronger the pull comes from the places that excel in not just providing a great customer experience, but creating the lasting feeling that lingers in between those events of oil changes and tire replacements.
A fully automated, technology-driven tire replacement experience is likely in the future. It will at least be attempted, that’s for sure. When that happens, pricing structure will immediately become a commodity.
A place I can call and transfer my worry, my fear and my concern to a person who will understand and sympathize with me and will work with my schedule and let me speak about things predictably and honestly? That’s culture. That’s trust. That’s homegrown. And that’s what you want to create at your dealership. ■
Dennis McCarron is a partner at Cardinal Brokers Inc., one of the leading brokers in the tire and automotive industry (www.cardinalbrokers.com.) To contact McCarron, email him at dennis@cardinalbrokers.com.
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Cole Strandberg By
ISelling smart
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT BUYER FOR YOUR BUSINESS
f you’ve built a thriving tire business — whether a single-location shop with deep community ties or a growing, multi-location dealership — there will come a day when you seriously consider selling. For many owners, the first thought is about securing the highest price. You want to make sure you’re rewarded for the value you’ve built.
But an equally important and often overlooked question is, “What happens after the sale?”
The right buyer not only determines the value you get at closing, but also shapes the future of your business, your employees and your legacy.
Not all buyers are created equal and each category comes with its own priorities, strengths and challenges. Here’s a look at four of them:
National consolidators. You know of these guys and you know they are looking for acquisitions that fit neatly into their existing operations — meaning that strong locations, volume potential and operational alignment are key. They often have the resources to pay top dollar and can integrate your business quickly. The trade-off is you may see your branding, processes and culture change rapidly.
Regional consolidators. Regional groups tend to blend some of the scale advantages of the larger consolidators with a more personal, market-focused approach. They’re often looking for strong local reputations and see value in keeping your name and team intact. These buyers can be particularly attractive if preserving your brand matters to you.
Private equity groups. Private equity buyers focus heavily on existing scale, future scalability, clean financials and growth potential. They may invest in your business directly or will partner with an existing operator. Their goal is long-term value creation, often with an eye toward selling again in three to seven years. While they can be aggressive in growth strategies, they often retain strong management teams that give them room to lead.
Individual operators. These buyers may be entrepreneurs who are looking to own and operate a single business or expand a small portfolio. They often bring a personal, hands-on approach and may be more willing to keep things as they are, operationally. However, their access to capital can be more limited than institutional buyers, potentially impacting the purchase price or deal structure.
Before you ever take your business to market, think about what matters most to you. Is it maximizing the sale price? Ensuring your employees have a great future? Preserving your brand? Serving the same customers for decades to come? Once you know your priorities, you can align your preparation accordingly.
The more clearly you position yourself, the more likely you are to attract the right buyer and spark competitive interest that can increase your valuation. Many owners see the closing table as the finish line. In reality, it’s the start of a new chapter for you, your team and your customers. Post-sale integration can bring new systems, reporting requirements and management structures. Even in a smooth transition, your role will shift.
If you’re staying on for a period after selling your business, understand how your responsibilities will change and what authority you’ll retain. If you’re leaving immediately, ensure that your leadership team is prepared to operate without you. Either way, staff will look to you for reassurance during the transition and customers will want to know that the quality and service they trust will remain intact.
‘The highest offer on paper isn’t always the best choice if it comes with strings attached that don’t align with your vision for the future.’
Based on what I’ve seen in deals over the years, here are a few realities that catch sellers off guard:
Cultural shifts. Even if operations stay the same, company culture often changes under new ownership.
Process overhauls. New owners may introduce different software, reporting requirements and/or operational procedures.
Integration timelines. Some buyers move quickly to make changes, while others take a gradual approach.
Your role. Even when there’s an agreement to keep you involved, it’s often in a different capacity and your decision-making authority may be limited.
By anticipating these changes, you can set clear expectations with the buyer and your team, helping avoid friction after the deal closes.
Ultimately, selling your business is about more than just the numbers. The highest offer on paper isn’t always the best choice if it comes with strings attached that don’t align with your vision for the future. When you match your goals with the right buyer, you set the stage for a smoother transaction, a stronger post-sale transition and a legacy you can be proud of. ■
Cole Strandberg is a managing director with Focus Investment Banking’s automotive aftermarket team, specializing in mergers, acquisitions and capital raising for multi-location tire dealerships and automotive service businesses. Email him at cole.strandberg@focusbankers.com.
CUT THE RED TAPE WITH A CHAINSAW?
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Overseas sourcing is a red tape nightmare. Language barriers, cultural differences, and U.S. customs all cause roadblocks in the supply chain. That’s why AOT has built in-person relationships overseas for decades. Our boots on the ground tackle problems head on and bypass any disruptions to ensure quality and consistency every time.
Dealer Development
Randy O’Connor By
FReady to add more locations?
BASE YOUR FUTURE STRUCTURE ON ROLES, NOT RELATIONSHIPS
or many independent tire dealers, expanding beyond one location represents a milestone of success. It’s proof that your business model works, your community supports your brand and your team is capable of delivering results. But what about pushing beyond two, three or more locations? That’s often where skill sets are challenged, growth slows, chaos creeps in and stress levels spike. Why? Because what got you to two or three stores won’t get you to five or six — or even four.
The biggest mistake owners make when growing their store count is underestimating the importance of systems, processes and structure. At the one-to-three-store stage, many businesses are held together by a handful of reliable team members who simply “get it done.” But that becomes a major issue when you add more locations.
Once a fourth or fifth store enters the picture, cracks start to show. You can’t be everywhere. Your reliable “get-it-done” team begins to hit bandwidth limits. Decisions that used to be made instinctively now need documented criteria. Training that once happened by osmosis now requires formalization. Without clear systems, replicable processes and skilled coaches, the culture and performance you built in your first three stores won’t easily translate into new ones.
To grow effectively beyond three stores, you need to shift from an operator mindset to a builder mindset. That means stepping back and developing scalable systems. You need clear KPIs, role accountability and communication/accountability cadences that work without your daily involvement.
This can be uncomfortable for many owners because it feels like slowing down when you want to speed up. Here’s the hard truth: most tire store owners are entrepreneurs, not systems people. They’re driven by vision, instinct and grit. They thrive on solving problems in real time. But systems building is a different muscle. It requires slowing down, documenting, delegating and refining. It’s process-oriented work that often feels tedious to an entrepreneur’s brain. It’s change management and the ability to manage change is a unique skillset.
As a result, many owners delay systemization. They keep pushing forward, creating a litany of scoreboards and random documentation and hiring more “doers” without creating the infrastructure that supports long-term scale. Eventually, the weight of the business becomes too much to carry and growth stalls. Worse, stores underperform and the brand equity suffers.
One solution is to bring in the right kind of help. Whether it’s an executive coach, a fractional chief operating officer, an operations consultant or an internal systems-minded leader, successful growth often depends on pairing entrepreneurial vision with operational discipline. You don’t need to become a systems expert. You just need to respect the need for systems
and empower someone to build and own them. Another major mistake owners make in this growth phase is designing roles around existing team members instead of around what their business truly needs. A loyal manager who’s been with you since store one might get promoted to district manager — not because he or she has the right skill set, but because this individual has been with you since the beginning of your dealership. Or you might carve out a new marketing role for someone with a knack for social media, rather than hiring or training someone with experience in driving multi-store lead generation.
‘You don’t need to become a systems expert. You just need to respect the need for systems and empower someone to build and own them.’
This kind of people-first role design is well-intentioned, but often destructive. Instead of building a business that scales, you end up building a business that’s overly dependent on specific individuals. And when those individuals hit their ceiling — or leave — you’re left with a gap that’s difficult to fill or worse yet, you allow your growth to stall because you’ve relied far too heavily on too few people who have the wrong skillsets.
A better approach is to define the roles your growing business truly needs, based on function, accountability and outcomes, without naming names. Then identify the skills and attributes required to succeed in those roles. Only then should you assess whether existing team members are a fit or if you need to develop or hire to fill the gap. This discipline ensures your organizational structure scales with your store count and isn’t held hostage by personalities or tenure.
If you’re operating one to three or more stores and are eyeing expansion, remember that growth doesn’t start with adding locations. It starts with building the foundation to support those locations. That means systemizing what works, defining what success looks like and building a team structure based on roles, not relationships.
Growing past three stores is where real business maturity begins. Put in the work now to build the systems, roles and processes your business needs. ■
Tire and auto industry veteran Randy O’Connor is the Owner/Principal of D2D Development Group (Dealer to Dealer Development Group.) He can be reached at randy@d2ddevelopmentgroup.com. For more information, please visit www.d2ddevelopmentgroup.com.
EV Intelligence
EVs and the four Ps of marketing
EXCELLING AT THE FIRST THREE WILL MAKE IT
EASIER TO BANK A PROFIT
Craig Van Batenburg By
Whether you have a master’s degree in business or grew up in a family tire store or somewhere in between, the four “Ps” of any business need constant attention. You may remember them: product, place, promotion and price. How do these apply to your business when it concerns new technologies — in this case, the addition of servicing high- voltage vehicles?
What do we call high-voltage vehicles? The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) has called them “xEVs” for the last couple of years. The sub-categories for xEVs are: hybrid electric vehicle (HEV); plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV); battery electric vehicle or electric vehicle (BEV or EV); electric vehicle with a range extender (EV-RE); fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), and plug-in fuel cell electric vehicle (PFCEV). That’s six somewhat different drivelines. Did you know that all six use a powerful three-phase electric motor to power the wheels? The major difference is the fuel sources that are used to drive the vehicle. The majority of vehicles you will see in your shop are HEVs, PHEVs and EVs.
To be successful in your line of work requires repeat business. That means we lead with the first “P,” your product. For most of you, that’s more than just tires. The customer must feel taken care of when they pick up their car, truck or whatever has wheels on it. We all know that sometimes the small things are what matter the most, like a friendly hello, a clean car or a real thank you for their business.
My younger brother, Ray, traded in his Mercedes and bought a Hyundai Tucson PHEV a few months ago. He called me to let me know and I went over to his home to see the new ride. We both live in central Massachusetts. I gave him my old level II electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). That’s technician speak for a 240-volt
Photo: Ford Motor Co.
‘EVs are here to stay and they need a priority spot when thinking about your four Ps.’
charger. His electrician installed a plug for a clothes dryer in the garage and off Ray went to work each day, using only the power of the sun. (A few years back, he installed a solar panel system and he doesn’t use the entire amount of electricity it makes.) His PHEV rarely uses gas as his drive to work is less than 20 miles, round trip. He loves the car.
While I was there, my brother told me a story about his son, Joshua. He lives in Los Angeles and drives a five-year-old Mazda with 60,000 miles. The car had a small coolant leak and he was quoted over $2,000 for a repair by an auto service facility. They listed every coolant hose as needing replacement. Josh, 22, called his dad to get some advice. Ray told him to ask a friend’s parents to get a referral. Under $280 and a day later, the upper radiator hose was replaced. No more leaks. I felt bad for my nephew, worse for Ray and terrible for our industry. The first “P” was violated. Don’t take advantage of any potential customer. Ray asked me
why they tried to “rip off my kid.” It was an ugly conversation.
The second “P” is place. My business, Automotive Career Development Center, is getting a makeover — a new parking lot, a fence and a fresh paint on the exterior.
Your place extends beyond your business. It’s also your website, social media, your business card, your uniform, the company truck — really anything people may see and associate the “feeling” they have for your business.
Most, if not all of us, have a building. Keep it in good shape, even if that means scaling back occasionally on a purchase that can wait. (Though how about installing an EV charging station at your dealership?)
“Promotion,” the third in line, needs constant output. You need to talk with your customers and tell your own story. It’s not enough to let others talk about your company. To make any company grow, you need to be better than the competition — without bad mouthing them — and you need to be unique. Educating your customers is key here. Make sure you’re the person who’s telling your business’ story.
The fourth, “price,” is so hard today and has been for a long time. If you excel at the first three “Ps,” then it is easier to make a profit. All of your employees will need to be well-trained with smiling faces. Your managers must love people and your top decision-makers will need a pretty good crystal ball.
EVs are here to stay and they need a priority spot when thinking about your four “Ps.” ■
Craig Van Batenburg is the CEO of Van Batenburg’s Garage Inc., dba Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC), which is based in Worcester, Mass. A 50-year automotive service industry veteran, Van Batenburg provides training for facilities that service — or want to service — electric and hybrid vehicles. For more information, see www. fixhybrid.com or email him at craig@fixhybrid.com.
Focus on Dealers
Tires, service and nostalgia
GREG GUSTAFSON SERVES IT ALL UP AT FREMONT TIRE & CYCLE
Mike Manges By
Customers take a stroll down memory lane each time they set foot in Greg Gustafson’s dealership.
“When people come in, their jaws drop,” he says. “I feel so blessed to be able to display all of this stuff.”
The “stuff” Gustafson refers to is a carefully curated collection of tire and automobile industry memorabilia — everything from antique porcelain signs, tire ashtrays and vintage gas pumps to model cars, toy replicas of old-fashioned service stations and more than 100 tire patch cans, accumulated over the course of several decades.
“Every time I buy something, I try to find a spot for it,” says Greg Gustafson, owner of Fremont Tire & Cycle in Galesburg, Ill. “You have to get creative sometimes!”
Photo: Fremont Tire & Cycle
They’re all displayed in the spacious, sun-drenched waiting room of his dealership, Fremont Tire & Cycle, in Galesburg, Ill. (In addition to selling passenger and light truck tires and offering auto repair service, Fremont Tire & Cycle sells motorcycles and scooters.)
Gustafson, who opened his store in 1987, began collecting in the early-1990s, “picking up items that were tire-related — maybe a tire ashtray or a tire patch can or an old antique tool that might have
been used for tire work ... an antique tire machine or something of that order.”
As Gustafson combed swap meets and met other collectors, his assortment of artifacts quickly expanded.
His tire patch can collection started “as one of those flukes.
“One popped up and I bought it and thought, ‘This is a unique thing that not a lot of people collect.’”
He soon met other tire patch can collectors.
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“I found that some of these cans can be expensive!”
The porcelain signs that he’s collected also “are somewhat expensive and somewhat rare. I have a big BFGoodrich sign that’s pretty valuable and some older Firestone, General, Atlas, U.S. Royal, Gates, Seiberling and Goodyear signs. It seems that they’re very sought-after.”
Also rare are the seven toy service stations on display inside Gustfason’s shop. “I remember having one as a kid and when
I saw one at a swap meet, it really grabbed my interest, so I bought it and added to it a little bit and began buying others. Another item I really like is the old-fashioned air pump” on display at his store that was manufactured in the 1950s.
“Each shop only had one air pump in those days,” making them more collectable today.
His favorite piece is a vintage National cash register that dates back to 1914. The machine, he laughs, is strictly for show
Seven toy service stations are on display in Gustafson’s showroom. Photo: Fremont Tire & Cycle
and isn’t used to process transactions at his store.
It all adds up to a fun experience for customers. “They just love it. They tell me, ‘This is the neatest shop. It’s so unusual to come into an old-fashioned setting and see this.’ Just the other day, a customer came in and was looking at it all said, ‘You don’t mind if I film this, do you?’”
The customer proceeded to take “a fullblown video” of Gustafson’s collection.
“He walked around the shop and narrated as he was looking at stuff and then sent the video to me.”
Gustafson concedes that his collecting days are winding down. But there’s always space for one more item.
“I don’t have too much more room to put things, but if I see something that trips my trigger, I’ll probably buy it.
“Every time I buy something, I try to find a spot for it. You have to get creative sometimes!” ■
Focus on Dealers
Call him ‘chief cheerleader’
NEALEY FOCUSES ON ‘FIRING UP THE TROOPS’
Mike Manges By
A.J.Nealey doesn’t call himself the president or CEO of Nealey Tire & Auto, his fivestore dealership. He calls himself “chief cheerleader.” And he takes that designation seriously.
“I’m trying to rally our employees and remind them of why we’re doing what we’re doing,” he says. “That’s what cheerleaders do. We may not be in the fight each and every day, but we know what it’s like.
“Having worn every hat in a shop, I know what it’s like to be a technician. I know what it’s like to be an advisor at the front counter, selling work and dealing with customer conflict. I know what it’s like to run a store. I’m now in the role of managing managers and I know you can’t do things for them. You have to work through them. And I want to continue being their chief cheerleader.”
Another hat that Nealey, age 41, proudly wears is that of an entrepreneur. “Growing up, I had a knack for working with my hands and putting things together. That culminated with having a passion to work on vehicles.”
Nealey says he “pestered his way” into a technician job at a local service station after high school, “but I already knew that I wanted to have my own company some day.”
He left the facility in 2011 and began working on cars out of his home garage.
“In 2014, I took a business management course that really opened my eyes” to the opportunities inherent in owning and running his own business.
Nealey also saw the need to have a more professional facility. After a long search, he found a nine-bay property, which “was a diamond in the rough,” bought the shop in 2016, refurbished it and reopened the facility under his name a few months later.
Starting in 2021, Nealey proceeded to add four more stores — all fixer-uppers — within a span of 18 months. The locations “were broken,” complete with outdated equipment, disheartened employees and a depleted customer base.
“I’m trying to rally our employees and remind them of why we’re doing what we’re doing,” says A.J. Nealey, “chief cheerleader” at Nealey Tire & Auto, a five-store dealership based in Edgewater, Md.
Photo: Nealey Tire & Auto
“There’s so much opportunity within the five stores we have and excelling at creating an amazing experience for our customers,” says Nealey.
Photo: Nealey Tire & Auto
“A lot of sweat equity went into” the locations’ revitalization. “If you’re buying a place that has a bad reputation, you have to be in it for the long-haul. You have to invest in branding and marketing and just trying to regain the customer’s trust.”
It didn’t happen overnight, but all of Nealey Tire’s locations in central Maryland — Edgewater, Deale, Owings, Pasadena and Rockville — are now turning handsome profits.
“One of the slogans I keep using is, ‘There’s no silver bullet,’” says Nealey. “The vision, the passion and the messaging — it all starts at the top. We have a playbook. We have a process. And the expectation is that each shop is executing the same way, every time. We don’t allow much leeway in the basics and fundamentals. There isn’t a lot of wiggle room. We’re always open to feedback, but at the end of the day, the basics must be executed upon.”
Nealey Tire’s employees have become “the champions of our vision, the champions of our culture and the champions of our process. And as a byproduct of that, they’re creating amazing experiences for our customers.
“We want to be a soup-to-nuts, onestop shop for customers. We offer loaner vehicles. We offer shuttles. We offer financing options. We want to make sure we can reduce any friction with the people who are doing business with us.”
In the meantime, Nealey says he’ll continue “to fire up the troops. I’ve put my ego off to the side. There’s so much opportunity within the five stores we have and excelling at creating an amazing experience for our customers.” ■
Focus on Industry
All under one roof
TRC INVESTS AND EXPANDS FOR THE FUTURE
Mike Manges By
“We’re investing in state-of-the-art automation equipment for mixing, fi lling and packaging, which improves product consistency and throughput,” said Kyle Sinks, general manager, Americas, Technical Rubber Co., pictured at what will be the company’s new facility in Johnstown, Ohio.
Photo: MTD
Technical Rubber Co. (TRC) says its One Roof Initiative will provide customers with faster lead times, insulation against tari s and other bene ts.
e multi-million-dollar e ort, rst envisioned more than a decade ago, will “consolidate our manufacturing, warehousing and o ce operations under a single, modern footprint in Johnstown, Ohio,” TRC’s home for more than 80 years, Brent Klomparens, global business line leader, Tech Tire & Wheel, told MTD before a recent tour of what will become the new facility.
Under its Tech brand, TRC manufactures and distributes tire repair materials and chemicals for a wide range of applications.
“For 86 years, as we kept growing, we simply continued adding onto our manu-
facturing plant,” Kyle Sinks, general manager, Americas, told MTD. “Over time, our building aged and that growth created an ine cient layout where products and people traversed multiple buildings to complete processes. One Roof is our opportunity to reimagine that footprint and innovate” by streamlining production, increasing automation “and improving cross-functional collaboration.”
MAJOR INVESTMENTS
e One Roof Initiative will add 64,000 square feet to an existing TRC facility in Johnstown. More than half of what TRC manufactures in the United States is sold throughout North America. e rest is exported to more than 100 countries. TRC also has locations in Europe, China, Japan, Brazil and South Africa that serve customers within those geographies.
“We’ve taken some liberties to invest for more production and to enhance quality” in Johnstown, said Sinks. “We’re investing in state-of-the-art automation equipment for mixing, lling and packaging, which improves product consistency and throughput. Major tire repair material work centers are being upgraded. We’re also implementing smarter warehouse systems designed to deliver over 99% stock accuracy. is means customers can count on receiving exactly what they ordered, faster, with fewer errors.
“ ese are areas where we saw clear opportunities. Our legacy systems worked, but they required manual processes and didn’t scale as e ectively with our growth.”
Investing in domestic production also will help insulate TRC and its customers from the impact of tari s imposed on oshore-made products, according to Sinks.
“In today’s climate of tari s, volatile shipping costs and supply chain uncertainty, our U.S.-based production isn’t just a point of pride. It’s a critical advantage that helps our customers every day. By manufacturing here, we can deliver faster lead times, more consistent inventory availability and greater supply chain resilience, while maintaining strict control over quality.”
TRC employees also will benefit from the One Roof Initiative, said Sinks. (Nearly half of the company’s 500-person workforce is based in Johnstown.)
“We’ve increased natural lighting” within the new facility, which also is climate-controlled. “We’re incorporating experiential design elements ... to help us share our story with both employees and customers.”
Other enhancements include a modern cafeteria. All are designed “to help us compete for talent in a region where other major employers are expanding.”
‘CENTRAL TO OUR IDENTITY’
Demand for tire repair is closely mirroring “what (new) tire manufacturers are experiencing,” Klomparens told MTD.
The Mr. Tire/Big 3 Tire Commercial Tire Dealer of the Year Award is designed to recognize the tire dealership that is quite simply “The Best” among independent commercial tire shops. K&M Tire has partnered again with Modern Tire Dealer to bring you the 9th annual Commercial Tire Dealer of the Year Award. The winner will be announced this January at the 2026 K&M Tire Dealer Conference.
Winner Receives:
$2,000 in cash.
$1,000 towards the charity of their choice.
$1,000 towards a physical improvement project at their dealership.
Trophy along with the distinction of being the Mr. Tire/Big 3 Commercial Tire Dealer of the Year.
A feature story on the winning Commercial Dealer in a custom publication distributed at the K&M Tire Dealer Conference.
Nominations* will open July 1st, 2025 and will be accepted through September 30th, 2025. Please register by visiting the online registration site www.mrtirebig3tirectd.com and nominate your dealership today!
*This contest is for all eligible Mr. Tire and Big 3 Tire dealers only. Winner will be announced during the 2026 K&M Tire Dealer Conference!
“One on hand, strong vehicle utilization and the rising cost of new tires have driven steady demand for repairs across the passenger, light truck and commercial segments. Fleet and consumers alike are
extending tire
and managing budgets more carefully.”
At the same time, he said, the popularity of less-expensive tires is convincing some customers to simply replace tires
“We’ve taken some liberties to invest for more production and to enhance quality,” said Kyle Sinks, pictured with Mitch Langford, marketing manager, TRC, on the left and Brent Klomparens, global business line leader, Tech Tire & Wheel, on the right. The One Roof Initiative is scheduled to wrap up near the end of the first quarter of 2026.
Photo: MTD
instead of repairing them “because the economics favor short-term replacement over repair. This dynamic has put pressure on repair volumes, even as the value of premium repairs remains clear for higher-quality and retreaded tires.”
Klomparens said TRC will continue to invest in its operations and capabilities, even after the One Roof Initiative wraps up near the end of the first quarter 2026. “TRC has been dedicated to American manufacturing since our founding in 1939, when Charles Cornell invented the cold vulcanization tire repair process here in Johnstown. Over eight decades later, that commitment remains central to our identity.” ■
Focus on Industry
Kumho targets rugged-terrain segment
NEW ROAD VENTURE RT WILL FILL GAP IN LINEUP
Mike Manges By
Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. has entered the rugged-terrain light truck tire segment with the new Kumho Road Venture RT.
The tire will be available this month in 27 sizes, fitting wheels ranging from 17 inches to 22 inches in diameter. It comes with a 50,000-mile limited tread wear warranty.
“We have recently seen a consumer segment emerge that is interested in off-road traction performance, as well as on-road driving performance with aggressive tire design and longer tread life,” Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing for Kumho, told MTD after a recent ride-and-drive event in California’s Mojave Desert.
“This consumer interest has resulted in an increased market demand for rugged-terrain tires. We wanted to deliver on our brand promise of performance without compromise with a new solution that meets the needs of this growing segment.”
FEEDBACK-DRIVEN
“We listened carefully to our customers” when developing the Road Venture RT, said Ed Cho, CEO of Kumho Tire U.S.A., before the ride-and-drive event kicked off. “They want a product that gives them confidence.”
“As we design these products, we do it with your feedback,” Rick Cunat, managing director, Kumho Americas Technical Center, told dealers and distributors. “Because this is a new entry into (the R/T segment) for Kumho, it was very important to get this right.
“Durability and traction are very important in this segment and also a quiet, comfortable ride on the road. When we talk about some of the technology we’ve put into this tire, we talk about interlocking tread blocks. What that provides is stability for handling. Variable pitch design is all about noise minimization. Wet performance is very important. We optimized groove designs so water can evacuate (the tire’s) footprint.
“We see a lot of potential in the rugged-terrain segment,” Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc., told MTD after a recent ride-and-drive event in California’s Mojave Desert.
“Wear is another big (consideration.) As the tire rolls over the ground, we wanted to make sure the pressure distribution across the footprint is even. That’s very critical when it comes to wear performance. Aesthetically, we wanted to make this tire very pleasing. Aesthetics are very important in the R/T segment.”
PRODUCT POSITIONING
When asked how Kumho is positioning the new Road Venture RT, Denlein told MTD that “the Kumho Road Venture RT sits between the Road Venture AT all-terrain tires and the Road Venture MT mud-terrain tires.
“The RT bridges the gap between our existing Road Venture tires and combines strong, rugged-terrain traction and enhanced off-road durability with great on-road comfort and quietness.
“We see a lot of potential in the rugged-terrain segment as truck and SUV owners seek hybrid tires that provide durability and traction for off-road activities without compromising daily driving performance,” said Denlein.
DEALER REACTIONS
Haris Nadeem, CEO of USA Wheel and Tire, a wholesaler with four distribution centers in Texas and a warehouse in Georgia, told MTD that the R/T segment “is very, very big, especially in Texas.”
Nadeem sells more R/T tires than mud-terrain (M/T) and all-terrain (A/T) tires. “An R/T (tire) is what we were lacking from Kumho. We had an A/T, we had an M/T and the new Road Venture RT will fill the gap.”
He also likes the tire’s price point, adding that “we’re getting a tier-two tire at a tier-three price.”
Glenn Flath, vice president of sales for Miami, Fla.-based Tire Group International LLC, told MTD that the new Road Venture RT “hits the spot. It fills a category for Kumho that they haven’t been in.”
Flath was especially impressed by the lack of noise generated by the tire. “The cosmetic value in (the R/T) segment is important, too.”
He’s convinced that the Road Venture RT will be an easy sell. ■
Photo: MTD
Products
Michelin expands BFGoodrich brand
Michelin North America Inc. has unveiled the g-Force Rival+ tire under its BFGoodrich brand. The g-Force Rival+ tire is a complement to the g-Force Rival S. The Rival+ features a fresh compound to deliver long-lasting performance and wet-handling capability for the endurance-based track enthusiasts. The tire features a reinforced internal structure engineered to reduce sidewall fl ex for instant steering response. There are 14 sizes of the g-Force Rival+ currently available.
MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA INC.
www.bfgoodrichtires.com
Continental rolls out VikingContact 8 Winter Tire
Continental Tire the Americas LLC has introduced the VikingContact 8 winter tire. The new tire is available in over 80 standard sizes and designed to fi t wheel diameters from 15 to 22 inches. The VikingContact 8 is built for passenger cars, SUVs, crossovers and light trucks. The VikingContact 8 is Ice-Grip certifi ed, an industry designation that demonstrates the tire’s ability to maintain traction on icy surfaces under demanding conditions. The tire is also 3-Peak Mountain Snowfl ake certifi ed.
CONTINENTAL TIRE
THE AMERICAS LLC
www.continental-tires.com
Bridgestone launches allweather medium truck tire
Bridgestone Americas Inc. has introduced the Bridgestone W920, a tandem-axle radial drive tire designed for all weather conditions. The W920 features Bridgestone’s next-generation ENLITEN technology, tailored for extended tire life and maximum traction while promoting enhanced sustainability. The Bridgestone W920, which replaces the Bridgestone W919, features 3-Peak Mountain Snowfl ake certification; a non-directional tread pattern to simplify mounting and rotation; a premium casing; and more. The new tire will initially launch in size 11R22.5, with additional sizes coming in 2026.
BRIDGESTONE AMERICAS INC. www.bridgestonetire.com
Cosmo RoadHunter designed for SUVs, CUVs
Tire Group International LLC has launched the Cosmo RoadHunter, its newest all-season tire for SUV and CUV applications. The tire features Cosmo’s Quiet Kat Technology, including Geometric Isolation; an advanced tread compound with Directed Super Silica; and an optimized tread design that uses Cosmo’s Ultimate Tire Technology. The Cosmo RoadHunter comes with Cosmo’s hassle-free road hazard warranty and a 60,000-mile warranty. The RoadHunter line is comprised of 52 SKUs, covering 14-inch to 22-inch wheel diameters. TIRE GROUP INTERNATIONAL LLC www.cosmotires.com
Turbo introduces Lionhart Imara H/T
Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC has introduced the Lionhart Imara H/T highway-terrain tire, available in 47 sizes. The tire sports four bold, wide grooves to efficiently evacuate water from the tire tread. This maximizes contact and grip, which helps when navigating sudden downpours or slick city streets. Other features of the Lionhart Imara H/T, which is backed by a 50,000-mile treadwear warranty and comprehensive road hazard coverage, include a tread pattern that minimizes road noise and an advanced tread block design to minimize distortion under pressure.
TURBO WHOLESALE TIRES LLC www.turbotires.com
Goodyear unveils
Assurance MaxLife 2
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. says the new Goodyear Assurance MaxLife 2 is its “longest-lasting tire” with an 85,000-mile limited tread life warranty. The all-season product comes in 58 sizes. Featuring Goodyear’s proprietary TredLife Technology, the tire combines an enhanced compound with a treadpattern for long-lasting performance and all-season traction. Four deep tread grooves and zigzag sipes provide a confi dent grip in wet or dry conditions, while a built-in wear gauge makes it easy to monitor tread depth over time.
GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. www.goodyear.com
Sentury rolls out Delinte Centurion series
Sentury Tire USA has announced the launch of Delinte’s new Centurion series for light trucks featuring Sentury Tire USA’s CLIMAGRIP technology, which offers advanced engineering for optimal durability. The Centurion series is accompanied by Delinte’s highest mileage warranty, covering up to 60,000 miles. The series offers all-terrain, highway-terrain and a crossover X/T option, with the rough-terrain model arriving during the third quarter. All tires are designed for use on light trucks, SUVs and CUVs.
SENTURY TIRE USA www.senturytireusa.com
Yokohama adds Geolandar A/T4
sizes
Yokohama Tire Corp.’s Geolandar A/T4 G018 light truck tire is now available in 100 sizes. The newly expanded range includes 33 newly added Euro-metric and P-metric sizes to go along with 67 LT-metric sizes. The A/T4 is offered in sizes that fi t wheels ranging from 15 inches to 22 inches in diameter. More sizes are expected to be rolled out in the near future. The tire offers off-road resilience and is severe snow service-rated. The A/T4 features a dual-sidewall design and carries a 55,000- to 65,000mile limited treadwear warranty.
YOKOHAMA TIRE CORP. www.yokohamatire.com
Sailun unveils SDM80 medium truck tire
The new SDM80 medium truck tire from Sailun Tire Americas has been designed for high-scrub mixed service applications. The SDM80 features a robust, stabilized shoulder and tread block design that minimizes scrub wear, ensuring the tire can withstand twisting and turning in operations. Also equipped with stone protectors at the base of its tread void, the Sailun SDM80 minimizes stone damage, ultimately extending casing life and improving retreadability. Sailun says the tire is built to perform on both highway and mixed road surfaces.
SAILUN TIRE AMERICAS
www.gosailun.com/en-us/tbr
Ascenso launches FLS 692
Ascenso Tires North America has introduced the FLS 692, a premium threestage, high-performance solid tire for medium to hard three-shift operations running 12 to 18 hours per day. Crafted for intense material handling environments, the FLS 692 features three-stage solid technology for durability and consistent performance, square shoulders and a fl at footprint for grip and stability, wide tread with a continuous center rib, high resistance to lug shuffl ing and chunking, cross-sectional steel wire creel beads and more. The tire is also available in both standard heel and quick lip-type confi gurations.
ASCENSO TIRES NORTH AMERICA www.ascensotiresna.com
Pirelli makes bio-based P Zero available
Pirelli & Cie SpA has introduced a standard production tire made with more than 70% bio-based and recycled materials. The tire belongs to Pirelli’s P Zero line and will be available in select, 22-inch options for the Range Rover. It features the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) symbol, “identifying Pirelli tires made with more than 50% bio-based and recycled materials,” according to Pirelli officials. In 2021, Pirelli produced the fi rst tire made with FSC-certifi ed natural rubber.
PIRELLI & CIE SPA www.pirelli.com
Transamerica introduces all-season UHP tire
Transamerica Tire Co. Ltd. has launched its Comptrax PR1 A/S, an ultra high-performance all-season tire marketed under its Predator brand. The new tire is engineered for passenger cars, crossovers, trucks and SUVs and is available in 37 sizes fi tting wheels ranging from 16 inches to 24 inches in diameter. It comes with a 40,000-mile limited tread life warranty and a full year of road hazard protection. The new tire also features three main grooves and curved lateral channels for rapid water evacuation and wet weather conditions.
There are two tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) available, a base system and a premium system. The base system does not specify how many tires are low or where they are located. The premium system does so.
Both systems consist of tire pressure sensors attached to each road wheel through the valve stem mounting hole. The TPMS is fixed to a metal bracket mounted to the inner wheel well located behind the splash shield. The TPMS decodes the radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted by each of the vehicle’s tire pressure sensors. The decoded information is used to determine if “warning” or “fault” conditions exist within the system.
Upon detection of a warning or fault condition, the TPMS will send a request to the module that controls the indicator lamp and the text display via the vehicle bus system to illuminate or flash the indicator lamp. Also, upon detection of a warning or fault condition, the electronic display will send a request to sound the chime. The TPMS will store all warning and fault conditions, placard pressure values and low pressure threshold values (lamp ON and OFF) in memory that can be accessed through diagnostic communication.
If new sensors are introduced to the vehicle, the data stored for the sensor being replaced will be deleted once the new sensor ID has been learned. The TPMS will store all wheel sensor IDs, locations and faults in memory that can be accessed through diagnostic communication.
OPERATION
The TPMS is designed to operate without loss of function for all OEM tire construction for this vehicle. Sensors, mounted to each road wheel as part of the valve stem, transmit a RF signal indicating their individual pressure to a receiver located in the TPMS module. These transmissions occur approximately once every minute at speeds over 15 mph.
If the module detects that the tire pressure in any road tire is going low, beyond
TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS
the Low Pressure (lamp) ON threshold, a chime will sound and the indicator lamp will turn on. In addition, a graphic display of the pressure value(s) and position of the low tire(s) will flash in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC).
Once pressure in the suspect tire(s) raises above the Low Pressure (lamp) OFF Threshold, and the module receives a valid transmission from the sensor, the lamp will go out. If a system fault is detected due to a missing sensor signal, in addition to a chime and an indicator lamp flashing, a check TPMS text message will be displayed in the instrument cluster, and the tire pressure graphic display on the premium system will have “- -” in place of the pressure value. After the flash sequence, the TPMS indicator lamp will remain illuminated. The system will return to normal once the TPMS module receives a valid transmission from that sensor location.
If a system fault is detected, the indicator lamp will flash on/off for 75 seconds and then remain on solid. If the module detects a warning or fault condition at ignition key “ON,” it will wait approximately 10 seconds before sending the first request to illuminate the indicator lamp. This will ensure that the display module has concluded its bulb check period. The display module will request a chime once per ignition cycle when a “warning” or “fault” condition is detected. A “warning” or “fault” condition will remain enabled until the problem causing the condition is corrected and reset.
The TPMS module shall continuously monitor for the receipt of tire pressure RF message transmissions from the wheel sensors during the ignition key “ON” cycle.
The wheel sensor IDs and the location of each sensor (e.g. Tire 1, Tire 2 and others) are learned by the TPMS control module using signal strength and direction of wheel rotation as received by the module from each of the sensors, and updates the graphic display when necessary or during a service procedure, as required.
The TPMS will continue to warn the driver of low tire pressure as long as the
Fig. 3
condition exists, and will not turn off the indicator lamp until the tire pressure is at or above the Low Pressure (lamp) OFF threshold. The system will automatically update and the TPMS indicator lamp will turn off once the updated tire pressures have been received.
Tire pressure will vary with temperature by about 1 psi for every 12 degrees Fahrenheit. When the outside temperature decreases, the tire pressure will decrease. Tire pressure should always be set based on cold inflation tire pressure (placard pressure). This is defined as the tire pressure after a vehicle has not been driven for more than three hours (and in outside ambient temperature). The tire pressure will also increase as the vehicle is driven, this is normal and there should be no adjustment for this increased pressure. For further information, refer to the Owners Manual or the Appropriate Diagnostic Information.
TPMS LEARNING PROCEDURE
The TPMS automatically learns and stores the sensor IDs while driving
within 20 minutes continuously above 15 mph after a sensor has been replaced. The learning sequence will initiate when the vehicle has been off for 20 minutes or longer.
TPMS SENSOR REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION
Each sensor’s transmitter broadcast is uniquely coded so that the module can monitor the state of each of the sensors on the four rotating road wheels. The module can automatically learn and store the sensor IDs while driving normally within 10 minutes, and continuously above 15 mph. Once a new sensor has been installed, the vehicle must be stationary for more then 20 minutes in order to initiate the learning sequence. The sensor IDs can also be programmed using the Scan Tool. Scan each sensor at each road wheel using the tool and store each Sensor ID in the correct location:
• LEFT FRONT
• LEFT REAR
• RIGHT FRONT
• RIGHT REAR
Connect the Scan Tool. Then follow the programming steps outlined in the Scan Tool.
REMOVAL
1. Raise and support vehicle.
2. Remove tire and wheel assembly. CAUTION: The cap used on this valve stem contains an O-ring seal to prevent contamination and moisture from entering the valve stem. Do not substitute a regular valve stem cap in its place.
3. Demount the tire from the wheel. To avoid damaging the TPMS sensor, do the following:
a. When breaking the tire bead loose from the wheel rim, do not use a Bead Breaker in the area of the sensor, on both the outer and inner beads of the tire.
b. Before demounting the tire from the wheel, carefully insert the mounting/demounting tool 280 degrees (plus or minus 10 degrees) from the valve stem, on both the outer and inner beads of the tire as in Fig. 1. Demount the tire from the wheel.
4. Remove the sensor to valve stem retainer screw and remove the sensor from the valve stem as in Fig. 2.
5. Remove the valve stem from the wheel.
INSTALLATION
If replacing the tire pressure sensor, a new valve stem will be pre-mounted to the sensor as an assembly. Verify that the sensor is positioned properly before seating the valve stem. If replacing a valve stem only (using the existing tire pressure sensor), the new valve stem will include a new tire pressure sensor mounting screw. Always use a new mounting screw when attaching a sensor to a valve stem.
Any time a sensor is to be reinstalled in a wheel, a new valve stem assembly must be installed to ensure air tight sealing.
1. Wipe area clean around sensor/valve stem mounting hole in wheel. Make sure surface of wheel is not damaged. (Note: A new valve stem is pre-lubricated for proper installation with a standard tool.)
2. Insert valve stem through wheel and pull through to seat with standard valve stem installation tool as in Fig. 3.
3. If replacing the valve stem only (using the existing tire pressure sensor), verify that the flat sides of the brass extension on the bottom of the valve stem are at a 90 degree angle with the wheel. Position the pressure sensor over the brass extension, install the retainer screw and tighten to the proper torque specifications.
4. Mount tire on wheel following tire changer manufacturers instructions, paying special attention to the following to avoid damaging tire pressure sensor:
a. Rotating Wheel Tire Changers: Once the wheel is mounted to the changer, position the sensor valve stem approximately 280 degrees from the head of the changer in a clockwise direction before rotating the wheel (also in a clockwise direction) to mount the tire. Use this procedure on both the outer and inner tire beads. The positioning angle is shown in Fig. 4.
b. Rotating Tool Tire Changers: Position the wheel on the changer so that the sensor valve stem is located approximately 210 degrees clockwise from the installation end of the mounting/demounting tool once the tool is mounted for tire installation. Make sure the sensor is clear of the lower bead breaker area to avoid damaging the sensor when the breaker rises. Rotate the tool in a counterclockwise direction to mount the tire. Use this procedure on both the outer and inner tire beads. The positioning of the tool, valve stem and bead breaker is shown in Fig. 5.
c. Adjust air pressure to match what is listed on Tire Inflation Pressure Label (Placard) provided with vehicle. Make sure original style valve stem cap is securely installed to keep moisture out of sensor.
d. Install tire and wheel assembly on the vehicle.
e. Remove the support and lower the vehicle.
f. Perform one of the following to make the system learn the new sensor ID. (Both are part of the TPMS Diagnostic Verification Test.)
• Use the with the Scan Tool to program the TPMS module with the tire pressure sensor ID.
• Once the vehicle has remained stationary for more than 20 minutes, drive vehicle for a minimum of 10 minutes while maintaining a continuous speed above 15 mph. During this time, the system will learn the new sensor ID.
If a sensor cannot be trained, refer to appropriate diagnostic information.
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