Modern Tire Dealer - October 2026 by Endeavor Digital Editions

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The Authority for Tire Dealers

MTD’S 2026 TOP 25 COMMERCIAL TIRE DEALERS LIST AN ALLWEATHER FUTURE?

FLAT MARKET RESHAPES COMMERCIAL TIRE DEALER BUSINESS October 2026 | moderntiredealer.com

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The Authority for Tire Dealers October 2026, Volume 107, Number 10

DEPARTMENTS 6

Editorial

moderntiredealer.com

Global or local? Tire manufacturers use both approaches — and for good reason News and navigation tools for MTD’s website

10 Industry News

‘Far from being done’ Sun Auto Tire’s CEO talks growth, private equity

Numbers That Count Relevant statistics for an industry in constant motion

Your Marketplace

Business Insight

Mergers & Acquisitions

Dealer Development

Third tier tops survey Consumers continue to buy less-expensive tires When ‘my way’ isn’t enough Four reasons why employees don’t do what they’re told The best time to sell might be when you don’t want to Buyers want businesses that owners still enjoy running You see it, read it and repeat it — that’s not learning Don’t over-depend on technology for solutions

100 Human Capital

Are you a lifelong learner? Continuing education is not optional in this industry

102 Focus on Dealers

Adaptability, investment in people core to VIP Tires’ success VIP aims to maintain its legacy after 100 years

104 Focus on Dealers

Gills Point S to grow in existing markets With a new CEO, Gills Point S is planning to solidify its presence

106 TPMS Buick Enclave - 2025

110 Power Product Showcase 122 Parting Shot On the cover: Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc. Modern Tire Dealer is a proud member of:

Commercial tire dealers comment on the state of the market, starting on page 76. Photo: Bauer Built

FE AT UR ES 22 An all-weather future?

Tiremakers say technology, adaptability are key improvements

56 Choose your SEMA Show and AAPEX experience

Tire service, repair service, workforce management, shop operations or new technology?

60 ‘An integrated, innovative ecosystem’ Inside Hankook’s South Korea operations

66 When scrap tire collection breaks down

Ontario adopts new recycling requirements as scrap tire backlog grows

72 Profit opportunities in vehicle alignments Leveraging alignment services as the ultimate sales driver

COMMERCIAL TIRE DEALER™

76 Flat market reshapes commercial tire dealer business Top commercial tire dealers say fleets are splitting between long-term tire value and immediate savings

82 Top 25 Independent Commercial Tire Dealers in the U.S. 86 TIA, TRIB seek larger legislative package for retread bills

TIA and TRIB seek more Senate support for federal retread legislation

88 AG Tire Talk: In-shop or in-field Which ag tire mounting method works best?

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Editorial

Global or local? TIRE MANUFACTURERS USE BOTH APPROACHES — AND FOR GOOD REASON By

Mike Manges

he tire industry is global, but most of us tend to think of it in regional terms — North America, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe and so on. While it’s true that many global tire manufacturers give leaders in their regions a considerable amount of autonomy, at many companies, strategic direction, product development and other important functions tend to originate at the home office. A recent whirlwind tour — three cities in three days — of Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd.’s operations in South Korea reminded me of that. I discovered that what Hankook does in South Korea doesn’t always stay in South Korea — by design. You can probably say the same for Clermont-Ferrand, France (home of Michelin Group); Hanover, Germany (worldwide headquarters of Continental AG); Tokyo, Japan (where Bridgestone Corp. and Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. are located); Akron, Ohio (hometown of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.), and places where other global players are domiciled. At the same time, many tiremakers have embraced a “local for local” strategy, including those with operations in North America — also for good reasons. Bridgestone Americas Inc. operates plants in Aiken, S.C.; Warren County, Tenn.; Bloomington, Ill.; Des Moines, Iowa; and two others in the U.S., plus one plant in Canada and two plants in Mexico. The company also produces racing tires at a facility in Akron. Continental Tire the Americas LLC has three plants in the U.S.: one in Mount Vernon, Ill.; one in Sumter, S.C.; and one in Clinton, Miss. Giti Tire (USA) Ltd.’s U.S. plant is in Richburg, S.C. Goodyear has eight plants in the U.S. — Danville, Va.; Fayetteville, N.C., which is scheduled to close next year; Findlay, Ohio; Lawton, Okla.; Texarkana, Ark.; Tupelo, Miss.; and Topeka, Kan. (Like Bridgestone, Goodyear also builds racing tires in Akron.) Goodyear has two plants in Canada and one in Mexico. Hankook Tire America Corp.’s U.S. plant is in Clarksville, Tenn. Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc.’s U.S. plant is in Macon, Ga. Michelin North America Inc.’s U.S. plants can be found in Dothan, Ala.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Greenville, S.C.; Lexington, S.C.; Piedmont, S.C.; Spartanburg, S.C.; Starr, S.C.; and Tuscaloosa, Ala. The company also operates three plants in Canada and a plant in Mexico. Nokian Tyres has a plant in Dayton, Tenn. Pirelli Tire North America Inc. has a plant in Rome, Ga., and another in Mexico. Sailun Tire USA also owns and operates a plant in Mexico. Specialty Tires of America Inc. makes products in Indiana, Pa., and Unicoi, Tenn. 6

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The world was a lot less connected when this map was made. Photo: ID 186863893 © Elena Schweitzer | Dreamstime.com

Titan International Inc. has four U.S. plants — one in Bryan, Ohio; one in Des Moines, Iowa; one in Clinton, Tenn.; and another in Freeport, Ill. Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. has a plant in White, Ga. Yokohama Tire Corp. has a plant in West Point, Miss. Another division of Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., Yokohama TWS, builds tires in Charles City, Iowa. JK Tyre & Industries, Grupo Corso and Corporacion de Occidente SA de CV operate plants in Mexico. (JK Tyre & Industries has two. The others each have one.) Together, all of these plants have the capacity to manufacture slightly more than 929,000 tires per day, according to MTD research. That’s an astounding number of tires. (I would encourage you to grab a copy of MTD’s 2026 Facts Issue, published this past January, to see production capacity estimates for each company.) More plants are in the works. Yokohama and ZC Rubber are at various stages of plant construction in Mexico. Nexen Tire America plans to put up a plant in the U.S. at some point. Other plants have shut down. Michelin stopped making tires at its Ardmore, Okla., plant last year. (The company still uses the factory as a rubber mixing facility.) Bridgestone closed its plant in LaVergne, Tenn., last year. Yokohama TWS closed its plant in Spartanburg, S.C., also in 2025. Yokohama, too, closed its Salem, Va., plant in 2025. Titan announced the closing of its plant in Jackson, Tenn. “Local for local” will remain an important strategy, just as global tiremakers will continue to develop products, technologies and business direction that will radiate to regions in other parts of the world. Both strategies are a must in today’s hyper-connected industry. ■ If you have any questions or comments, please email me at mmanges@endeavorb2b.com.

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ModernTireDealer.com DIGITAL RESOURCES FOR THE INDEPENDENT TIRE DEALER

Stay tuned to MTD’s podcast! THE

MODERN TIRE DEALER SHOW

The Modern Tire Dealer Show is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Audible and MTD’s website.

Sign up for Modern Tire Dealer’s eNewsletters to receive the latest tire news and our most popular articles. Go to www.moderntiredealer.com/subscribe.

Volume 107, Issue 10 3515 Massillon Rd., Suite 200 Uniontown, OH 44685 www.moderntiredealer.com PUBLISHER Greg Smith gsmith@endeavorb2b.com (330) 598-0375 EDITORIAL Editor: Mike Manges (330) 598-0368, mmanges@endeavorb2b.com Managing Editor: Sara Welch swelch@endeavorb2b.com Associate Editor: Aden Graves agraves@endeavorb2b.com PRODUCTION Art Director: Erin Brown Production Manager: Karen Runion (330) 736-1291, krunion@endeavorb2b.com

“Business is a tool,” says Paul Levengood Jr., owner of CJ’s Tire & Auto and MTD’s 2026 Tire Dealer of the Year. “It’s a mechanism to make a difference in our community, our customers and our employees.” Photo: Don Carrick

People at the center of tire service Paul Levengood Jr., president of CJ’s Tire & Auto and MTD’s 2026 Tire Dealer of the Year, is using his business and people-first philosophy to change lives. The story about his dealership’s unconventional journey was among the most-read stories on www.moderntiredealer.com this past month. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

‘People matter most’: MTD’s 2026 Tire Dealer of the Year Dunlop examines California’s tire rolling resistance mandate Gills Point S to grow in existing markets The 2026 MTD 100 Myers Tire Supply gets new owner Les Schwab’s CMC Tire acquires BestDrive locations in Arizona Mavis completes Pep Boys purchase Toyo elevates Americas business as North American sales grow Sun CEO talks growth strategy, private equity Tire Bros blends digital convenience with in-store service

DIGITAL EDITION Check out MTD’s digital edition at www.moderntiredealer. com/magazine

SOCIAL MEDIA Like us Facebook: facebook.com/ModernTireDealer Follow us X: x.com/MTDMagazine Catch the latest on: linkedin.com/company/ modern-tire-dealer

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Darrell Bruggink / dbruggink@endeavorb2b.com Marianne Dyal / mdyal@endeavorb2b.com Mattie Gorman-Greuel / mgorman@endeavorb2b.com Cortni Jones / cjones@endeavorb2b.com Diane Johnston / djohnston@endeavorb2b.com Sean Thornton / sthornton@endeavorb2b.com Kyle Shaw / kshaw@endeavorb2b.com Lisa Mend / lmend@endeavorb2b.com Chad Hjellming / chjellming@endeavorb2b.com MTD READER ADVISORY BOARD Rick Benton, Black’s Tire Service Inc. Jessica Palanjian Rankin, Grand Prix Performance John McCarthy Jr., McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. Jamie Ward, Tire Discounters Inc. CUSTOMER/SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE (877) 382-9187 moderntiredealer@omeda.com ENDEAVOR BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC CEO: Chris Ferrell COO: Patrick Rains CDO: Jacquie Niemiec CALO: Tracy Kane CMO: Amanda Landsaw EVP Transportation Group: Chris Messer VP of Content Strategy, Transportation Group: Josh Fisher VSRG Editorial Director: Chris Jones

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. ($95 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) 498-4668 or at customerservice@moderntiredealer.com for magazine subscription assistance or questions. Printed in the USA. Copyright 2026 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.

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Industry News

‘Far from being done’ SUN AUTO TIRE’S CEO TALKS GROWTH, PRIVATE EQUITY

“This is just such a great business and industry and it’s highly fragmented,” says Tony Puckett, CEO of Mesa, Ariz.-based Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc., which recently opened its 600th location.

un Auto Tire & Service Inc. recently opened its 600 th location. Tony Puckett, the company’s CEO, discusses the company’s growth strategy, the increasing presence of private equity in the tire dealership channel and more in this MTD exclusive.

MTD: Sun continues to expand at a rapid pace. What do you credit that growth to? Puckett: I’d say just taking a disciplined approach to the market. We continue to strengthen our core markets and adjacent markets and then we’re still open to opportunistic growth. We’re just consistently executing our strategy and looking for high-quality M&A and we’ve been fortunate to be able to do that. MTD: Sun has pushed into new markets and states over the last few years. Are there certain geographic areas you’re targeting now? Puckett: We love the markets we’re in. As you know, we started out West and in the Southwest and we continue to love those markets. Most recently with Drive Automotive ... some of the assets we purchased on that platform were in Colorado. In Arizona and the Pacific Northwest, we’re trying to strengthen those core markets. And with the Plaza Tire Service model that we acquired in late-2021, we’ve grown in the Midwest real aggressively. We’re moving into the Southeast more and more and we’re over on the eastern shore in North Carolina. If a business becomes available — a high-quality business — that’s in a new market, we absolutely will pursue that. The partnership we have with Leonard Green & Partners ... their financial support makes it all possible. MTD: Sun operates under nearly 70 different retail banners. Why does the company allow acquired properties to operate under their existing names? 10

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Photo: Sun Auto Tire & Service Inc.

Puckett: If you ask someone if they’ve heard of Sun Auto, they may not have. But depending on their local market, they may know the family business that’s been there for 40, 50 and in some cases, 100 years. We really value the brands we acquire and their teams. We want to leverage their legacy and their legacy brands. If we have a really well-established brand in a particular market, their brand may be stronger than ours. That’s why we keep them. And the Sun Auto Network is something we’re investing more and more in. That’s kind of how we’re operating our network. (Customers) are going to get the same support in Florida as they would in Kentucky or California. MTD: Is the Sun Auto Network more of an internal designation or are you promoting that externally to customers? Puckett: We’ve certainly launched it internally. At our company workshop this year, where we brought all of our managers to Arizona and celebrated the previous year and really set up 2026 and what we’re going to be working on, we launched the Sun Auto Network. The first step was, ‘Let’s make sure our own

team members understand the connectivity.’ It’s relatively new from an external standpoint. A lot of our (stores) are branded Sun Auto. You will still see Sun Auto Network as a component of that, in a sub-position. MTD: You mentioned Leonard Green & Partners, which is a private equity firm. Four out of the 10 largest tire dealerships on the 2026 MTD 100 are owned by private equity. Why is this? Puckett: This is just such a great business and industry and it’s highly fragmented, so there’s a lot of opportunity for growth. It’s an incredibly resilient model. From an investor standpoint and private equity in particular, they like (the tire and auto industry). Automotive performs wonderfully in a great economy and actually performs well in downturn cycles. There’s a lot of demand to enter this space. We’re excited about what’s coming in 2026 and beyond and we’re looking to continue to grow. In our minds, we’re far from being done. It’s pretty much footon-the-gas and we’re looking forward to moving into the end of 2026 and beyond. — Mike Manges

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Industry News

Bites Conti breaks ground Continental Tire the Americas LLC recently broke ground on what will be a highly automated finished goods warehouse at its Mount Vernon, Ill., plant. The new distribution center will have storage capacity for 500,000 tires and will cover an area larger than six American football fields.

Audi picks Nexen The new Audi A6 premium sedan will ride on Nexen’s N’Fera Sport as original equipment tires. Recently redesigned, the new Audi A6 requires tires that can handle high-speed stability, low noise levels and refined ride comfort, say Nexen officials. An ultra-high performance tire, the N’Fera Sport, will be fitted in both 18- and 19-inch specifications for the new vehicle.

Radar names manager Radar Tires has appointed Suzette Wohlgamuth as territory sales manager. Wohlgamuth brings nearly 30 years of tire industry experience to the position. In her new role, she will focus on expanding the Radar brand and supporting retailers throughout her territory.

TWG augments team The Wheel Group (TWG) has announced expanded roles for three executives: Joe Podlovits, Jill Hepp and Brian Campbell. Podlovits is TWG’s vice president of marketing and national accounts. Hepp is the group’s director of marketing and Campbell is director of national accounts.

Labor pact approved Members of the United Steelworkers union have ratified a new master contract with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. The pact covers around 2,600 workers at Goodyear manufacturing facilities in Akron, Ohio; Topeka, Kan.; and Danville, Va., through April 28, 2029.

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Brockel takes CEO role

eiko Brockel, most recently president and CEO of Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc., has been named president and CEO of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas. Brockel is the first woman and first American to hold the position. She joined Nitto in 2008 and has held a range of executive positions during her 18 years with the company, with responsibilities spanning sales, finance, supply chain and operations. Angelo Naval has succeeded Brockel as president and CEO of Nitto Tire U.S.A. Naval most recently served as vice president of sales and business strategy and previously served as vice president of product and business strategy. He joined Nitto in 2000.

Keiko Brockel is the new president and CEO of Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas. Photo: Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc.

Left Lane hits 100-store mark

eft Lane Auto LLC has acquired C. Adam Toney Tire Pros, which has five locations and a wholesale operation in West Virginia. The acquisition gives Left Lane Auto, which is based in Champaign, Ill., more than 100 Left Lane Auto LLC has acquired C. Adam Toney Tire Pros. locations. Photo: Left Lane Auto LLC “Our strategy is to find strong local brands and shops and carry that legacy forward,” Parham Parastaran, Left Lane Auto’s CEO, told MTD in 2025. “We will grow where it makes sense, but much is predicated by the opportunities that come our way and make the most sense, both geographically and in relation to our current footprint,” he added.

Straightaway Tire surpasses 100 outlets

traightaway Tire & Auto is celebrating a milestone of surpassing 100 locations across the United States. The company, which is owned by 02 Investment Partners LP, recently acquired Silverlake Automotive, now one of five brands that Straightaway operates. Hitting the 100-store mark “was never the point,” says John Teddy, CEO of Straightaway. “The point is what a hundred shops make possible.” He says the company will continue to build its network by partnering with multi-location brands and strengthening them through shared support teams and functions.

Straightaway Tire & Auto CEO John Teddy is leading the company’s growth. Photo: Straightaway Tire & Auto

MTD October 2026

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Industry News

Bites TIA elects Foley The Tire Industry Association (TIA) has elected Josephine Foley, manager of safety and fleet for Sullivan Tire Co. Inc., to serve as secretary of the association. Foley, a current member of TIA’s board of directors, was elected during the association’s Mid-Year Board Meeting. She will begin her term on Nov. 2.

Yokohama taps AI Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd. is using a proprietary generative artificial intelligence system to enhance its tire development process. The system “contributes to further accelerating and enhancing tire development by providing rapid and accurate access to technical information,” say Yokohama officials.

New Tireweb service Tireweb has launched Tireweb Marketing, a managed digital marketing service designed for independent tire dealers throughout the United States and Canada. It provides local search engine optimization, content marketing and other benefi ts.

STA adds to board The Safe Tread Alliance (STA) has added Alan Yarcusko, Bridgestone Americas Inc.’s chief risk officer and vice president, to its board. Formed last year, STA is calling for collaboration between tire industry leaders, government agencies and safety organizations to implement tire safety improvements.

Nokian line turns 90 Nokian Tyres is celebrating the 90th year of its signature winter tire, the Hakkapeliitta, with the launch of a new product, the Hakkapeliitta 01, which will be available in North America this fall. “The Hakkapeliitta product family is an iconic part of our heritage and continues to play a central role in our strategy,” says Nokian CEO Paolo Pompei.

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K&M Tire opens D/C in Iowa

&M Tire Inc. has opened a new, 94,000-squarefoot distribution center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. “In just 48 hours, the K&M team successfully relocated an entire warehouse and finished K&M Tire Inc. has opened a new warehouse in eight hours ahead of sched- Council Bluffs, Iowa. ule,” says K&M Tire President Photo: K&M Tire Inc. Cheryl Gossard. The new distribution center “gives K&M Tire the capacity to support our continued growth, strengthen our operations, expand our capabilities and better serve our customers throughout Omaha and the surrounding region.” Based in Delphos, Ohio, K&M Tire has more than 50 distribution centers throughout the United States.

Cosmo event draws 1,000-plus

ire Group International LLC (TGI) welcomed more than 300 vehicles and 1,000 attendees to the second annual Cosmo Tires Portland Kool Kat Ambush at its Portland, Ore., distribu- More than 1,000 enthusiasts came out for the recent Cosmo Tires Portland Kool Kat Ambush. tion center. The event brought together Photo: Tire Group International LLC automotive enthusiasts from across the Pacific Northwest, showcasing exotic cars, lowriders, classics, muscle cars, 4x4s, off-road builds and other vehicles. Activities included awards in 18 categories, a lowrider hopping competition, tire raffles, music, food vendors and children’s face painting. TGI also introduced its Kool Kat Tire Roll game, awarding more than $500 in Kat Kash to winners. Participating retailers included Superior Tire, Liberty Tire and Oregon Tire. Other participants included Dunlop Tires North America, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc., Kenda Rubber Industrial Co. Ltd., Sailun Tire USA’s Vogue Tyre division, Yokohama Tire Corp., Maxxis Tire International-USA and Atturo Tire Corp., plus local wheel companies Wheel World and UniAuto. “This year’s turnout was twice that of last year and we look forward to continued growth throughout Oregon and Washington,” says Sherko Rasouli, vice president of Pacific Northwest sales, Cosmo Tires, TGI, adding that TGI has supported dozens of local car shows and has hosted more than 30 Pop-Up Ambush events this year. The Portland gathering was part of the Cosmo brand’s broader Ambush event series, which connects automotive enthusiasts, tire dealers and communities through cars, music and art. MTD October 2026

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Industry News

Bites Sullivan provides support Norwell, Mass.-based Sullivan Tire Co. Inc. recently supported several organizations in New England during the Worcester, Mass., Red Sox’s First Eye Health Awareness Night event. The dealership made contributions to GoodVision USA, a non-profit that works to extend access to affordable vision care, and the Boston Renegades.

Yokohama ‘High Fives’ Yokohama Tire Corp. has extended its support of the High Fives Foundation and its adaptive “Return to Dirt” motorsports program, which supports people with mobility impairments.. Yokohama supplies its Geolandar light truck, CUV and SUV tires to the group.

DTNA remains concerned Dunlop Tires North America (DTNA) remains concerned about California’s tire fuel efficiency mandate and its potential impact on tire dealers and tire buyers. The regulation could lead to significant trade-offs in tire performance, according to DTNA officials. The tiremaker is adding a California replacement tire course to its Dunlop Academy program.

Firestone helps clubs Bridgestone Americas Inc.’s 100-plus-year-old Firestone brand has been named the official vehicle sponsor of The Great American Road Rally: Celebrity Edition, which will benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. The rally event also celebrates 100 years of Route 66, as well as Firestone’s heritage.

Midas donates vehicles Midas recently donated 11 refurbished vehicles as part of its Project Spark initiative. Nine Midas franchisees representing locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut participated in the event, which took place in Bergen, N.J. Together, those franchisees own and operate more than 280 Midas stores.

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Myers Tire Supply sold

yers Tire Supply has been acquired by Lion Equity Partners, a private equity firm based in Denver, Colo., for $30 million. It had been owned by Akron, Ohio-based Myers Industries Inc. Myers Industries President and CEO Aaron Schapper says the deal “is a defining step in our ongoing transformation.” According to Lion Equity Partners, the sale “advances Myers’ focused transformation into a manufacturer of engineered resin and composite products.” Myers Tire Supply was founded in 1933 in Akron by brothers Meyer and Louis Myers. It employs 233 people nationwide.

Union targets imported tires

he United Steelworkers (USW) union has asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to launch an investigation into imported tires under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. Section 201 gives the federal government the ability to apply temporary tariffs or limits that are designed to protect domestic industries from surges The United Steelworkers union in imported products. wants the federal government It does not require proof of unfair foreign trade to investigate tire imports. practices or policies, unlike traditional anti-dump- Photo: 489947758 | narvikk | Getty Images ing investigations. In a letter sent to Greer, USW officials, citing the closing of U.S. tire manufacturing plants, called Section 201 “a powerful tool that, with the right relief measures, could stabilize” the U.S. tire market “and fuel (its) growth. “A properly designed Section 201 initiation would cover not only passenger vehicle and light truck tires, but truck and bus tires, off-the-road tires and aircraft tires. Each of these major tire segments are key to overall transportation, industrial, mining and agricultural production and our economic and national security.” The rest of the union’s letter to Greer doesn’t specify how Section 201 would be applied to imported tires nor the exact actions the USW wants the government to take, stating that the Trump administration “has the power and the authority to act under existing law” and pledging to work with Greer’s department as it considers “what relief measures would achieve our goals.”

Continental to add 650-plus sizes

ontinental AG, parent company of Continental Tires the Americas LLC, says it will add more than 650 new tire sizes across its global tire lines by the end of 2027 in an effort to expand its original equipment and replacement market presence. With a focus on strengthening its ultra-high performance (UHP) tire portfolio to meet the needs of larger, heavier vehicles and “electrified drive systems,” the company aims to further improve its technologies. “With our expanded UHP portfolio, we are responding directly to the increasing demands of modern vehicles,” says Edwin Goudswaard, head of research and development for Continental’s Tires group sector. “This enables us to offer our customers around the world even more tailored solutions for safety, efficiency and driving dynamics.” MTD October 2026

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LAN

NumbersThatCount

Relevant statistics from an industry in constant motion

223

The number of outlets owned and operated by Southern Tire Mart LLC, the largest commercial tire dealership in the U.S. Source: MTD’s 2026 Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers list, page 82 Photo: Southern Tire Mart LLC

80%

The management requirement Ontario’s tire recycling system adopted to address backlogs.

Source: Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Photo: Ontario Tire Dealers Association

$39.2 BILLION

The total estimated value of the 2025 U.S. replacement passenger tire market. Source: MTD’s 2026 Facts Issue Photo: Pirelli Tire North America

O Z in

17.8%

The average tire sales margin for medium truck tires in 2025. Source: MTD’s 2026 Facts Issue Photo: McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc.

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36.9 MILLION

The estimated number of replacement light truck tire units shipped to the U.S. in 2025. Source: MTD’s 2026 Facts Issue Photo: Central Tire

MTD October 2026

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Yo u r M a r ket p l a ce

Third tier tops survey CONSUMERS CONTINUE TO BUY LESS-EXPENSIVE TIRES By

John Healy

e recently checked in with our tire dealer contacts and feedback suggests that retail sellout trends have deteriorated from the back-to-back positive summer months of July and June. Retail activity is up 0.6% yearover-year, followed by some sequential improvement, with consecutive months turning positive for the first time since October and November of 2025. Sellout trends have returned to the negative year-over-year levels we were seeing earlier in 2026, indicating that a meaningful shift for gains beyond just help from the weather is difficult to envision. When looking at retail activity on a year-to-date basis, we are seeing a slight decrease from 2025. While retail replacement demand has softened following backto-back months of modest gains, dealer sentiment has become less optimistic, suggesting a more cautious outlook for tire replacement activity in the coming months. Many dealers we have surveyed believe the war in Iran and overall uncertainty is a direct headwind to tire purchases. Specifically, the dealers we talked with highlighted average sellout decreases of 1.3% in August, which strays from the trends we observed in June and July, where dealers noted 0.9% and 0.6% gains, respectively. In aggregate, we saw sellout activity that was down roughly 0.6% year to date. Dealer commentary suggests consumer demand for August PLT replacement tires

was flat. This compares to 2025 reports of a 25% net increase. As the summer season came to an end, we note that 60% of dealers are reporting flat to mid-single demand increases, with the remaining 40% noting mid-single-digit decreases. Consumer deferment and trade-down have remained consistent themes. Some of our dealer contacts have also pointed to rising tire prices, which in certain cases have led consumers to view tires as a deferrable maintenance expense. Given persistent cost inflation and continued macro-economic uncertainty, we remain focused on several key indicators of automotive travel demand, which we believe remain closely correlated with tire usage and replacement activity. The recent increase in gasoline prices is worth watching, as higher fuel costs could influence miles driven, if sustained.

TIER-THREE IS TOPS

Looking at the best and worst performers in our survey from a mixed point of view, independent dealers report that tier-three brands are the most in-demand at the retail level. This marks the eighth out of the last nine months where tier-three has been the most in-demand segment of the market. Historically, our tier-two brands have been the most in-demand in our decadeplus history of the monthly survey. Tiertwo brands were the second most sought after, after tier-three brands, last month, while tier-one was the least sought-after.

Snapshot of Dealer’s PLT Tire Volumes (Year-Over-Year Change) Jun-25

Jul-25

Aug-25

Jun-26

Jul-26

Aug-26

Average

Increase

44%

45%

44%

40%

45%

40%

39%

Flat

33%

28%

37%

30%

36%

20%

27%

Decline

23%

27%

19%

30%

19%

40%

34%

Total

100%

SOURCE: NORTHCOAST RESEARCH ESTIMATES

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Consumers currently in the market seem to be focused on value-oriented tires at the most affordable price points, as household budgets remain pressured and broader macroeconomic uncertainty continues to weigh on consumer sentiment.

RAW COSTS RISE

In assessing raw material prices, our base “average cost to build” a tire index suggests input costs are up 18.8% for the month of August on a year-over-year basis. When looking at the third quarter to date, we saw the average cost to build a tire up 16.8% year-over-year, which compares to a 20.7% year-over-year increase on average experienced during the second quarter of 2026. In analyzing specific input costs, natural rubber costs had a sizeable increase of roughly 36% on a year-over-year basis in August, as supply remained constrained and ongoing Middle East tensions supported higher commodity prices. Oil prices increased on average by 31.2% year-over-year and increased on average 6.5% month-over-month, reflecting a reversal from the declines seen in July 2026. August data shows synthetic rubber costs were up 9.4% year-over-year, carbon black prices are up 16.2% yearover-year and tire fabric and cord costs held constant. Holding current prices of raw materials constant, we estimate that the average cost to build a tire will increase 20.7% in the fourth quarter. We note these movements are on a spot basis and have the potential to shift and lag in terms of impacting tiremaker financials. ■ 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.

MTD October 2026

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All-weather tires

T IRE

An all-weather future? MA K

EC H N O L

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E Y IM

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ve s

IT O G Y, A DA P TA BI L

hen tire companies first began rolling out all-weather tires several years ago, the products were largely optimized for strong winter performance in more snowy markets, but the trade-offs were significant. This created some challenges for dealers selling all-weather tires. In recent years, as consumers have increasingly valued year-round tire performance to navigate a variety of driving conditions, manufacturers have stepped up to the plate and are continuing to elevate the all-weather tire category. Today, tiremakers are developing new technologies that no longer sacrifice one critical capability over another. They’re finding ways to balance winter traction with attributes like improved wet braking and dry handling, extended tread life, enhanced comfort, noise reduction and low rolling resistance. All-weather tires are also expanding across numerous vehicle segments and fitments, becoming available for larger wheel diameters and heavier light trucks, SUVs, hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs). What will the future look like for this multi-layered tire category? MTD caught up with a number of companies that produce allweather tires for the U.S. market to understand how the segment is growing — and how the role of dealers is evolving in helping determine the best fit for their customers.

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All-weather tires MTD: How has all-weather tire technol-

ogy evolved over the past couple of years? BOB ABRAM, product manager, auto-

motive division, American Kenda Rubber Industries Co. Ltd.: Tread compound technology and tread design technology are both continuously advancing in the all-weather segment. Tread wear is longer. Snow and wet traction are improved as tires stay more flexible in cold temperatures. All-weather tires are also more fuel efficient. All-weather touring tires have reintroduced directional tread designs

back into the mainstream tire landscape. Sipe design has also evolved as a facet of tread design and in the stabilization of tread blocks. The breadth of segments covered by all-weather tires has also evolved in recent years. Touring, highway-terrain, all-terrain, rugged-terrain and even ultrahigh performance tires have all-weather representation now. The most important performance improvement is going to vary from consumer to consumer. Some want longer mileage, still only delivered by traditional designs. Some are still concerned that the appearance of the tire looks noisy. Whether it’s the technology or application, these evolutions are all designed to present the driver with fewer compromises than standard tires in the segment or the earlier generation of all-weather tires.

Many all-weather tires, according to Michael Mathis, president, Atturo Tire Corp., are “closer in appearance to an all-season tire today,” thanks to improvements in tread design and compounds. Photo: Atturo Tire Corp.

DAN COHEN, X Comp tire solution

“The breadth of segments covered by all-weather tires has also evolved in recent years,” says Bob Abram, product manager, automotive division, American Kenda Rubber Industries Co. Ltd. Photo: American Kenda Rubber Industries Co. Ltd.

specialist, American Pacific Industries Inc. (API): All-weather tire technology has improved significantly. Advanced rubber compounds and tread designs now deliver better flexibility and traction in cold weather — along with enhanced wet-weather performance — without sacrificing dry-road handling. Modern wave siping, optimized grooves and stronger tread blocks have also improved snow traction, braking and handling, without the traditional compromises of a winter-specific tire. Newer designs are engineered for heavier SUVs, EVs and cargo vans. MICHAEL MATHIS, president, Atturo

Dan Cohen, X Comp tire solution specialist, American Pacific Industries Inc., says that “advanced rubber compounds and tread designs now deliver better flexibility and traction in cold weather — along with enhanced wet-weather performance — without sacrificing dry-road handling.” Photo: American Pacific Industries Inc.

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Tire Corp.: The all-weather category has evolved rapidly. The first tires in this segment looked a lot like a regular winter tire. They were directional, with heavy sipe density, and generally unattractive. With improvements in tread design and compound, there are many tires that are closer in appearance to an all-season tire today. These refinements allow an all-weather-capable tire that’s still viable in markets without traditional cold-weather demand. IAN MCKE NNE Y, senior product

manager, Bridgestone Americas Inc.: Over the past few years, all-weather tire technology has undergone a significant evolution. Historically, engineers were forced to compromise on areas like dry braking, tread wear life and comfort to

According to Ian McKenney, senior product manager, Bridgestone Americas Inc., all-weather tire technology “has undergone a significant evolution,” with modern advancements helping to minimize performance trade-offs. Photo: Bridgestone Americas Inc.

achieve the snow performance required for an all-weather tire. Today, modern advancements have minimized these trade-offs. Additionally, while all-weather tires traditionally serviced SUVs and trucks within the all-terrain segment, there has been significant growth in the touring category for traditional sedans and CUVs. Manufacturers are now focusing on this shift in consumer demand by incorporating more touring-oriented features into all-weather tires. With all-weather tires, drivers can enjoy the best of both worlds: a quiet, long-lasting ride combined with the added assurance of 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMS) certification. MTD October 2026

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All-weather tires ADAM KEISER, product manager,

touring and winter, PLT, Continental Tire the Americas LLC: All-weather tires have continued to improve all-weather performance to have one tire that can confidently handle changing conditions throughout the year. The biggest improvement has been the ability to better balance wet braking, snow traction, tread life and ride comfort through advancements in tread compounds, tread design and tire construction. Today, the focus is on delivering severe-snow-certified performance while maintaining comfort, longevity and year-round drivability. JOSH BENSON, vice president, First

Choice Sourcing Solutions: One of the biggest evolutions in recent years has been fitment proliferation. All-weather has moved from a relatively narrow offering into nearly full-size coverage, including 17 inches to 20 inches, with CUV and SUV sizes and increasingly larger premium applications. The technology powering allweather tires has improved, as well, with manufacturers successfully combining the

“All-weather tires have continued to improve that all-weather performance to have one tire that can confidently handle changing conditions throughout the year,” says Adam Keiser, product manager, touring and winter, PLT, Continental Tire the Americas LLC. Photo: Continental Tire the Americas LLC

3PMS capability for winter performance without compromising performance in the other nine or 10 months of the year. NICK CHIN, marketing director, Fury

Off-Road Tires LLC: Today’s drivers expect a lot from their tires. That’s why the all-weather category is growing fast. Modern tread designs, especially directional patterns, are helping tires evacuate water more efficiently, improving wet braking and reducing the risk of hydroplaning.

Pair those designs with advanced rubber compounds and drivers get better yearround traction without giving up dry road performance. The industry’s buzzword is 3PMS certification. Looking ahead, expect better wet weather confidence, improved fuel efficiency and new tire designs built for the demands of EVs and traditional vehicles alike. At the end of the day, choosing the right tire isn’t about chasing the latest trend. It’s about understanding how and where your customers drive.

SEEKING DISTRIBUTORS

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All-weather tires DAVID C. POLING , vice president, R&D

and technical, Giti Tire (USA) Ltd.: All-weather tires continue to evolve from something akin to a winter tire in its earliest incarnations to today, where they are blurring the lines in what used to be a clear delineation between all-season and winter. Technolog y improvements have allowed the industry to improve wet traction and treadwear while maintaining the essence of an all-weather tire, which is its achievement of the industry’s trusted 3PMS rating, designating the tire for severe snow. Additionally, we are seeing some W-rated tires to serve some very specific vehicle fitments. ERIN SPRING, senior director, global

product strategy, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.: The all-weather tire category has evolved significantly in recent years, expanding beyond its traditional role as a solution primarily for drivers in snowy regions. Today, consumers are increasingly looking for tires that deliver confidence across a wide range of weather conditions while also meeting specific performance, comfort and lifestyle needs. As a result, manufacturers have continued to innovate with advanced compounds, tread designs and vehicle-specific technologies that improve wet traction, braking performance, handling and year-round versatility. One of the most notable developments has been the expansion of allweather technology into new segments.

Historically concentrated in commuter applications, the category now extends into ultra-high-performance offerings. At the same time, advancements in tread compounds and traction technologies have helped improve performance across a wider range of driving conditions. The evolution of the category also reflects a broader consumer trend toward finding the right balance of performance, durability and convenience. DAVID WANG, managing director,

Gripmax Tires Inc.: In the U.S., allweather tires have evolved from a general-purpose product into a much broader and more technically sophisticated category. While conventional all-weather tires remain dominant, the market is increasingly moving toward all-weather, 3PMS-certified products that provide stronger winter capability without sacrificing dry and wet performance. The most important recent advances include next-generation tread compounds, optimized sipe and groove geometry, improved wet braking, longer tread life, lower rolling resistance and better ride and noise performance. At the same time, EV adoption is accelerating the development of tires with greater load capacity, lower rolling resistance, improved durability and reduced cabin noise. ROBERT NASCA, product and training

“Today’s drivers expect a lot from their tires,” says Nick Chin, marketing director, Fury Off-Road Tires LLC. “That’s why the all-weather category is growing fast.” Photo: Fury Off-Road Tires LLC

2610MTD_22-55_AllWeatherTires.indd 28

specialist, Hankook Tire America Corp.: The biggest change I’ve seen is that manufacturers are getting better at reducing the compromises that traditionally came with adding winter performance. Advances in compound technology, silica, tread design and 3D siping are helping deliver strong 3PMS snow performance without giving up the wet and dry handling and ride comfort consumers expect from a true four-season tire.

“The all-weather tire category has evolved significantly in recent years, expanding beyond its traditional role as a solution primarily for drivers in snowy regions,” says Erin Spring, senior director, global product strategy, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Photo: Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

SHAWN DENLEIN, president of sales

and marketing, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc.: All-weather tires have evolved from a compromise tire into a credible year-round solution for drivers who experience real winter weather, but don’t need or want the expense and hassle of dedicated winter tires. The biggest advances go beyond deeper tread, with smarter compounds, more sophisticated tread geometry, improved wet and snow performance, quieter ride quality, longer wear and designs increasingly suited to heavier SUVs and EVs. Over the past several years, all-weather technology has focused on solving the traditional trade-off between winter capability and year-round drivability. Earlier products often prioritized snow traction at the expense of dry-road handling, noise, treadwear and overall comfort. Today’s leading tires are designed to balance cold-weather flexibility and winter traction with wet-road performance, dry-road stability, comfort and durability. The growing importance of 3PMS certification is a clear example of this evolution. Unlike a standard M+S designation, 3PMS indicates the tire has met a recognized severe-snow traction requirement, giving consumers a more meaningful measure of winter capability. ADAM HOMAN, development engineer,

Linglong Americas Inc.: All-weather tire technology has advanced significantly in recent years, narrowing the traditional performance trade-offs that once defined MTD October 2026

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All-weather tires

“All-weather tires have evolved from a general-purpose product into a much broader and more technically sophisticaed category,” says David Wang, managing director, Gripmax Tires Inc. Photo: Gripmax Tires Inc.

the category. Earlier all-weather tires could sacrifice ride quietness, tread life or dryroad handling in order to gain improved winter capability. Today, advancements in materials science, tread design and compounding have made true year-round use more viable without major compromises in non-winter conditions. Asymmetric tread patterns can provide improved performance across different driving conditions while also allowing for more effective tire rotation and maintaining performance as the tire wears. 3D siping and optimized groove geometry can further improve wet and snow traction while helping manage road noise and irregular wear. Advances in compounds — including the use of silica, specialized resins and polymers — are helping manufacturers balance wet and snow grip with tread wear, dry-road performance and rolling resistance. As fuel-efficiency and rolling-resistance requirements continue to evolve, these advancements will become increasingly important to overall tire performance. ERIC SCHMEDDING, product cate-

“The biggest change I’ve seen with all-weather tires is that manufacturers are getting better at reducing the compromises that traditionally came with adding winter performance,” says Robert Nasca, product and training specialist, Hankook Tire America Corp. Photo: Hankook Tire America Corp.

gory manager, Michelin North America Inc.: The all-weather category aims to provide excellent traction in dry, wet and moderate winter conditions while delivering exceptional mileage and tread life. MATTHEW PETERS, senior business

development manager, Momo Tires: In the U.S. market, all-weather tires are gaining popularity, even in areas where extreme winter conditions are rare or non-existent.

CHRISTINE ZHANG, president,

“Over the past several years, allweather technology has focused on solving the traditional trade-off between winter capability and yearround drivability,” says Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc. Photo: Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc.

2610MTD_22-55_AllWeatherTires.indd 30

Nama Tires Inc.: Over the past three to five years, all-weather tire technology has undergone a significant evolution. Historically, all-weather tires were often viewed as a compromise — offering acceptable performance in multiple conditions, but without delivering the level of performance associated with dedicated summer or winter tires. Advances in tread compounds, tread design and tire construction have changed that significantly. Today’s new-generation all-weather tires are increasingly designed to provide a more balanced combination of dry, wet and light-snow performance, making them a practical year-round solution.

“Today, advancements in materials science, tread design and compounding have made true yearround use more viable without major compromises in non-winter conditions,” says Adam Homan, development engineer, Linglong Americas Inc. Photo: Linglong Americas Inc.

“The all-weather category aims to provide excellent traction in dry, wet and moderate winter conditions, while delivering exceptional mileage and tread life,” says Eric Schmedding, product category manager, Michelin North America Inc. Photo: Michelin North America Inc.

“In the U.S. market, all-weather tires are gaining popularity, even in areas where extreme winter conditions are rare or non-existent,” according to Matthew Peters, senior business development manager, Momo Tires. Photo: Momo Tires

One of the most important areas of improvement is the tread compound. The objective is to help the tire maintain balanced grip and handling in both hot and cold conditions. The compound is designed to remain flexible in low temperatures while maintaining stability in warmer conditions, helping provide consistent year-round performance. A low-rolling-resistance formulation also helps improve fuel efficiency for internal-combustion vehicles and energy efficiency for EVs MTD October 2026

9/29/26 3:31 PM

without compromising the tire’s overall safety and durability objectives. Tread design has also become much more sophisticated. Another important development is the ability to combine performance, durability, efficiency and comfort in one tire. Overall, we believe the latest generation of all-weather tires has moved well beyond the traditional concept of a compromise tire. With advances in compounds, tread patterns and construction, the category can now provide a much more balanced year-round driving experience. JOHN HAGAN, executive vice president

of sales, Nexen Tire America Inc.: The all-weather segment represents one of our highest-growth opportunities, driven by consumers who demand true four-season capability without the expense and storage hassle of semi-annual tire swaps. STEPHEN LEU, senior director of marketing, Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc.: We believe the most important aspect of an

all-weather tire is its compound technology. Manufacturers must develop a compound that remains pliable enough to provide dependable traction in cold temperatures and snowy conditions while still delivering long-lasting treadwear. The key attributes Nitto believes an all-weather product should provide are dependable winter capability and strong dry-weather performance, with a variety of V, W and other speed ratings. HANS DYHRMAN, director of market-

ing, Nokian Tyres Inc.: All-weather tire technology is increasingly about balance. The category has always promised winter-certified performance in a tire drivers can use year-round. The biggest advances are coming from more versatile rubber compounds and increasingly sophisticated tread designs. All-weather tires carrying the 3PMS symbol have also passed a standardized snow-traction test, which remains the category’s clearest point of distinction from conventional all-season tires. Durability has become an important part of the technology story as well,

particularly because North American drivers contend with potholes, rough pavement and increasingly heavy vehicles. That reflects the broader evolution of the category: an all-weather tire should not simply perform in snow. It must be a capable, durable tire throughout its entire service life. Ultimately, the most important improvement is that all-weather tires are becoming less of a compromise. The goal is not to maximize one performance characteristic at the expense of every other one. It is to give drivers predictable performance through sudden snow, relentless rain and summer heat. IAN COKE, vice president of technical

strategy and customer relations, Pirelli Tire North America: The all-weather category has continued to evolve as drivers look for greater year-round versatility without compromising performance. Advances in tread compounds, tread patterns and sipe technology are helping all-weather tires deliver stronger cold-weather and snow traction while

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All-weather tires maintaining confident handling, braking and comfort in dry and wet conditions — not only when new, but maintaining high performance as the tire wears. KEN COLTRANE, vice president of prod-

uct development and marketing, Prinx Chengshan Tire North America Inc. (PCTNA): Today’s all-weather tires have moved beyond simply earning a 3PMS rating. The harder job now is improving wet braking, tread life, rolling resistance and everyday dry handling, while still covering cold and mixed conditions on one set of tires. A lot of that evolution has occurred with the development of temperature-adaptive compounds and better tread design. These compounds stay flexible in the cold without giving up stability and grip when the pavement is hot. That matters most in wet conditions, where braking and aquaplaning resistance have become the real safety test for a year-round tire. 3D interlocking sipes add edges for traction in rain and slush while keeping the block stiff enough for dry braking and handling.

The all-weather tire category is heading toward fewer seasonal compromises — one set of tires that stays more consistent across a wider range of temperatures and wet roads, not a product defined only by cold-weather use. ROB MONTASSER, vice president,

North America, Radar Tire: Five years ago, an all-weather tire was mostly a story about compromise. You accepted that you gave up some dry handling and tread life for better wet and snow performance and you lived with it. That trade-off is largely gone. You can now hold wet grip and cold-weather flexibility without giving up dry response and treadwear warranties have improved. Another real shift is EV and hybrid fitment. Those vehicles are heavy, they deliver torque instantly and they’re quiet enough that the customer hears the tires. NICK GUTIERREZ, territory sales

and marketing director, Sentury Tire USA: Traditionally, all-weather

“Today’s new-generation allweather tires are increasingly designed to provide a more balanced combination of dry, wet and light-snow performance, making them a practical year-round solution for a much wider range of drivers,” says Christine Zhang, president, Nama Tires Inc. Photo: Nama Tires Inc.

“The all-weather segment represents one of our highest-growth opportunities, driven by consumers who demand true four-season capability without the expense and storage hassle of semi-annual tire swaps,” says John Hagan, executive vice president of sales, Nexen Tire America Inc. Photo: Nexen Tire America Inc.

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All-weather tires conditions turn to snow and slush. Ultimately, the category is evolving toward a more balanced tire, one that can handle changing seasonal conditions while remaining practical for year-round use. JOAQUIN GONZALEZ, president, Tire

“The biggest advances are coming from more versatile rubber compounds and increasingly sophisticated tread designs,” says Hans Dyhrman, director of marketing, Nokian Tyres Inc. Photo: Nokian Tyres Inc.

“The all-weather category has continued to evolve as drivers look for greater year-round versatility without compromising performance,” says Ian Coke, vice president of technical strategy and customer relations, Pirelli Tire North America Inc. Photo: Pirelli Tire North America

tires have been avoided if customers want better rolling resistance. DANIELLE NEATH, senior manager,

brand management and merchandising, TBC Corp.: All-weather tire technology has advanced significantly as manufacturers work to deliver true year-round versatility without asking drivers to make major compromises in comfort, longevity or performance. Recent improvements in compound technology and multi-purpose tread designs are helping tires maintain flexibility and traction in colder temperatures while still delivering safe wet and dry performance, ride comfort and the tread life consumers expect from an everyday tire. We are also seeing a greater emphasis on 3PMS-certified performance, giving drivers added confidence when 34

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Group International LLC (TGI): Allweather tire innovation is moving beyond simply earning 3PMS designation toward delivering balanced, durable performance in every season. Advances in compounds, siping, tread design and contact-patch engineering are reducing traditional trade-offs among snow traction, wet braking, dry handling, noise, rolling resistance and tread life. Manufacturers are also developing grooves and sipes that preserve water evacuation and snow grip as tires wear, while adapting designs for heavier, higher-torque EVs. As 3PMS becomes a baseline requirement rather than a key differentiator, the focus is shifting to consistent performance throughout the tire’s life: strong snow control, confident wet and dry handling, long mileage, low noise and efficient rolling resistance. The goal is a true four-season tire that performs reliably from the first mile to the last. KEVIN ARIMA, deputy director, con-

sumer tires and business development, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.: As the all-weather segment has matured, tires have become more well-rounded across all performance attributes, making them a great option for users who want to run one tire year-round. Despite their ratings and extra capability for snow and ice, tires in this segment have become competitive options for users who never even see these kinds of weather conditions. Advancements in compounding technology have enabled tires to improve multiple areas of performance that were often at conflict with one another — wet grip, fuel/range efficiency and tread life — without compromise. JOE DAVIS, vice president,

Transamerica Tire Co. Ltd.: I have been in this business long enough to remember when the choice was pretty clear: All-season tires are for everyday driving and dedicated winter tires were for if you lived where winter really meant something. Today, all-weather tires have

become a solid middle ground. The biggest gains have come in the compound and tread design. Newer compounds stay more flexible in cold weather, but they are also holding up better in summer heat than the winter-biased tires of years past. That gives drivers more confidence in cold rain, slush and light-to-moderate snow, without giving up as much tread life, comfort or dry road stability. Tread designs are doing more work, too. There is more effective siping, better water and slush evacuation and tread blocks designed to provide snow grip without making the tire loud or unsettled on the highway. The 3PMS symbol is important because it gives the customer a clear indication that the tire meets a recognized snow-traction standard. It does not make every all-weather tire a replacement for a dedicated winter tire in deep snow and ice, but it gives the driver a meaningful step up from a conventional all-season tire. Demand is growing because people want one set of tires that can stay on their vehicle all year. They don’t want the additional expense and inconvenience of seasonal tire changes, storage and a second set of wheels. That is especially true for crossover, SUV and pickup owners. CHRIS TOLBERT, senior director of

sales, Trimax Tire: Compound chemistry advancements in material science continue to lead the development of new rubber compounds. BRIDNEY JORDAN, product and mar-

keting manager, proprietary brands, Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC: All-weather tire technology has evolved significantly, particularly in manufacturers’ ability to balance performance across a much wider

“The all-weather tire category is heading toward fewer seasonal compromises: one set of tires that stays more consistent across a wider range of temperatures and wet roads, not a product defined only by cold-weather use,” says Ken Coltrane, vice president of product development and marketing, Prinx Chengshan Tire North America Inc. Photo: Prinx Chengshan Tire North America Inc.

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“Five years ago, an all-weather tire was mostly a story about compromise,” says Rob Montasser, vice president, North America, Radar Tires. Photo: Radar Tires

Nick Gutierrez, territory sales and marketing director, Sentury Tire USA, says, “Traditionally, all-weather tires have been avoided if customers want better rolling resistance.” Photo: Sentury Tire USA

range of conditions. Advancements in tread compounds, pattern design and engineering now allow an all-weather tire to deliver dependable traction in wet, dry and snowy conditions, while still providing the mileage, comfort and durability consumers expect from an everyday tire. One of the most important developments is the growing availability of 3PMS-certified all-weather tires. This gives consumers an option that provides enhanced snow performance compared

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with a traditional all-season tire, without requiring them to switch to a dedicated winter tire for year-round driving. IAN HORN, marketing director, Whole-

sale Tire Distributors (WTS)/American Wheel Group (AWG): All-weather tire technology has improved dramatically over the past few years. The biggest change is that consumers no longer have to choose as heavily between year-round performance, longevity and price. You can now get an

affordable all-weather tire with strong wet and winter performance, a legitimate mileage warranty and a lifespan that competes much more closely with some of the best tires in the industry. Manufacturers are now developing better compounds and tread designs that maintain snow and wet weather traction without wearing as quickly during warmer conditions. Tire longevity, probably one of the most important factors for the average consumer, has improved significantly at

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All-weather tires nearly every price point. That creates savings both when the tires are initially purchased and over time because consumers do not need to replace them as frequently. CHRIS CHAU, product planning man-

ager, Yokohama Tire Corp.: The biggest change over the past few years is that there are fewer compromises. All-weather used to mean trading tread life for snow

traction. However, tire compound advancements have closed that gap and mileage warranties are now the norm rather than the exception. Tread designs have become more optimized for winter, with many all-weather treads carrying design elements to boost winter traction. Size availability has caught up, as well. The newest all-weather lines come in dozens of sizes, including higher diameters,

“Ultimately, the category is evolving toward a more balanced tire, one that can handle changing seasonal conditions while remaining practical for year-round use,” says Danielle Neath, senior manager, brand management and merchandising, TBC Corp. Photo: TBC Corp.

“As the all-weather segment has matured, tires have become more well-rounded across all performance attributes, making them a great option for users that want to run one tire year round,” says Kevin Arima, deputy director, consumer tires and business development, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. Photo: Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.

“Today, all-weather tires have become a solid middle ground,” says Joe Davis, vice president, Transamerica Tire Co. Ltd. Photo: Transamerica Tire Co. Ltd.

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which means the crossovers and SUVs that make up a significant amount of the market now have all-weather options.

whether the customer wants one set of tires to use all year.

JEFFREY ZHANG, general manager,

dealer in any encounter is to identify the driving needs of the owner and type of vehicle. Is the customer a parent who has to get kids to school on time throughout the winter? Is this an AWD or 4WD vehicle? Of course, the typical weather conditions

international business department, ZC Rubber: Over the past few years, all-weather tire development has moved beyond the basic promise of year-round versatility. The focus today is on achieving a better balance across winter traction, wet braking, dry handling, ride comfort and tread life. We see this progress coming from closer integration of compound technology, tread design and tire profile design. High-density siping creates additional biting edges for snow and slippery winter conditions, while optimized tread blocks and profile design help support handling and braking on dry roads. Efficient water evacuation remains critical to wet-road stability and braking. At the same time, we are seeing clear progress in tread life, along with continued improvements in noise and rolling resistance. This is important because drivers expect an all-weather tire to deliver winter capability while still providing the comfort, efficiency and mileage they need.

MATHIS (Atturo): The first step for a

for their location are also important. What are the customer’s primary concerns about tire capabilities? If a dealer properly qualifies the customer, they can then decide if the all-weather ability of a tire would be a primary benefit or secondary consideration for that person. The all-weather can be positioned as a premium option to the all-season or a value option instead of maintaining both

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MTD: What questions should tire dealers

ask to determine whether an all-weather tire is the appropriate choice for a customer’s needs and preferences? ABRAM (Kenda): Dealers need to remem-

ber that the 3PMS certification in North America only represents a single, limited measurement of snow acceleration. Realworld winter performance is better tested across a broader range of criteria like snow braking, wet braking, handling, etc. With that said, questioning what vehicle they drive, where the customer drives and the type of driving will lay out the framework for a tire recommendation.

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COHEN (API): The dealer should first

understand where, how and in what conditions the customer drives. Key questions include: “How much rain, snow and ice do you typically encounter? Do you regularly drive in wet or severe winter conditions? What type of roads do you drive most — highway, city, rural or mountain? How important are dry handling, wet traction, comfort, noise and tread life to you?” Dealers should also ask about annual mileage and typical temperatures and

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All-weather tires summer and winter tires. As the technology continues to improve, the price gap from all-season to all-weather continues to narrow. This should help drive more all-weather sales even in moderate climates.

“Compound chemistry advancements in material science continue to lead the development of new rubber compounds,” according to Chris Tolbert, senior director of sales, Trimax Tire.

MCKENNEY (Bridgestone): Selecting

the right set of new tires for a customer starts with understanding their personal driving habits and preferences, as well as how different tire types perform under various road and weather conditions. To determine if all-weather tires are an appropriate fit, dealers should evaluate seasonal and weather factors. Road safety heavily relies on using tires suited to the climate a customer drives in. If they live in a region where temperatures stay above freezing, all-season tires are designed to perform well on both wet and dry roads year-round. In contrast, if customers regularly face harsh winter conditions with snow and ice, winter tires become essential. For areas that experience all four seasons, all-weather tires can be an excellent option because of their ability to

Photo: Trimax Tire

perform in the rain, sleet and mild snow without needing to be changed out come summertime. Dealers should ask customers what type of experience they are looking for from their tires based on how they drive. Do they prefer a relaxed, quiet ride or are they more focused on performance, speed and cornering control? Finally, ask about the roads they travel on most frequently. In urban settings, they likely prioritize

R E A D Y. S E T . R U N O N O M N I .

shorter braking distances, fuel efficiency and long tread life. For mostly highway driving, they should focus on comfort, noise reduction and stability. Given recent enhancements in touring features for allweather tires, they would be an excellent fit for someone navigating either these urban settings or highways. KEISER (Continental): Dealers should

start by understanding where and how the customer drives. What winter conditions do they regularly encounter? Are they trying to avoid seasonal tire changes? How important are tread life, comfort, wet performance and fuel efficiency? For drivers who experience rain, cold temperatures and occasional snow, an all-weather tire carrying the 3PMS designation can provide a strong balance of year-round convenience and capability. BENSON (First Choice): While the all-

weather tire segment is booming, it is not the right fit for every driver. Many drivers still are not familiar with the category, so the dealer can uncover the need through

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All-weather tires a few practical questions. Do they want one set year-round? What conditions do they actually drive through — rain, slush, snow, ice or frequent temperature swings? And do they need to be on the road before conditions improve or roads are cleared? Those answers can help a dealer quickly determine whether all-weather tires are the right fit. CHIN (Fury): Choosing the right tire has

less to do with tread patterns and marketing names than it does with asking the right questions. Before recommending a tire, you need to know the driver. Where do they live? What are their roads like? Do they commute, tow, travel or spend weekends exploring backroads? Do they already swap between summer and winter tires? And what matters most — ride comfort, low noise, long tread life or staying within budget? Most drivers aren’t looking for magic. They want a tire that handles wet and dry roads, keeps their family safe, lasts a long time and doesn’t empty their wallet. POLING (Giti): With the technology

expansion beginning to blur all-season and all-weather, dealers could offer a great all-weather tire in almost any region of America. The current differentiator is winter performance. Dealers need to determine from their customers how much snow they will see in a year and how severe it is. If snow is very extreme, lasts for five months and roads may not get

“All-weather tire technology has evolved significantly, particularly in manufacturers’ ability to balance performance across a much wider range of conditions,” says Bridney Jordan, product and marketing manager, proprietary brands, Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC. Photo: Turbo Wholesale Tires LLC.

plowed as much, then maybe a dedicated winter tire is the way to go. Maybe the snow is severe but mostly moderate, lasts for three to five months and the roads get cleared mostly. This is the perfect use case for all-weather tires. Maybe it is a mixeduse case — such as in areas of America like Southern California, the Pacific Northwest or New England — where you could be at the beach one minute and snow-covered mountains a couple of hours later. This is the perfect case for an all-weather tire. It could be as simple as moderate snow three to four months a year, which an all-weather tire would be an excellent way to deliver enhanced all-season performance. How about tires for a new, inexperienced driver whose parents want that extra assurance? All-weather to the rescue. Someday — and maybe not in the too distant future — technology will allow all-weather tires to replace all-season tires. SPRING (Goodyear): The most important

“Tread designs have become more optimized for winter, with many all-weather treads carrying design elements to boost winter traction,” says Chris Chau, product planning manager, Yokohama Tire Corp. Photo: Yokohama Tire Corp.

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step is understanding how and where the customer drives. While many consumers enter the dealership asking for a yearround tire, the best recommendation often depends on their typical weather conditions, driving habits and performance expectations. Goodyear recommends dealers start by asking questions, such as: • What weather conditions do you experience throughout the year? • Do you frequently drive in heavy rain, changing temperatures or occasional snow?

• Do you travel between regions or elevations where road conditions can vary? • Do you prioritize traction and confidence in changing weather, long tread life, ride comfort, performance handling or a combination of those attributes? • Do you want the convenience of a single tire designed to perform year-round? The answers can help determine whether an all-weather tire is the right fit, whether another year-round solution may better meet the customer’s needs or, in some cases, if a dedicated winter tire is needed for the winter season due to the harsh winter conditions in some regional areas of North America. WANG (Gripmax): When a customer

asks for an all-weather tire, dealers should first understand the application — annual mileage, climate, frequency of snow and ice, highway versus city driving, driving style, vehicle type, load requirements and whether the vehicle is an EV. They should also ask why the customer wants an all-weather tire — for convenience, year-round usability, mileage or cost? For drivers facing severe winter conditions, frequent mountain travel or demanding high-speed use, dedicated summer and winter tires may still be the better solution. NASCA (Hankook): It starts with qual-

ifying the customer’s driving conditions: “How and where do you drive? Do you see frequent rain or snow? Does the temperature stay below 45 degrees for extended periods?” Don’t just ask, “Does it snow where you live?” Understand the conditions they regularly face and what they value most, whether that’s traction, ride comfort or handling. For drivers who experience changing seasons, an all-weather tire offers a great balance. For customers who regularly face severe winter conditions, a dedicated winter tire may still be the better choice. MTD October 2026

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All-weather tires DENLEIN (Kumho): The most effective

dealer conversation should start with the customer’s actual driving needs — not whether they want an all-season or allweather tire, since many consumers may not know the difference. An all-weather tire is generally a good fit for customers who want one set of tires year-round, regularly encounter snow, slush, cold rain or freezing temperatures and want more winter capability than a conventional all-season tire provides. For customers who frequently face deep snow, ice, unplowed roads or severe mountain conditions, a dedicated winter tire may still be the better choice. Ultimately, the conversation should be about matching the tire to the customer’s lifestyle and driving environment. Key questions dealers should ask: • What kind of weather and roads do you typically drive in during the winter? Ask about snow, slush, freezing rain, hills, mountain roads and whether roads are consistently plowed.

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• How often do you encounter winter conditions and do you need to drive regardless of the forecast? A daily caregiver, commuter or contractor who must drive in poor weather may have different needs than someone who can stay home during heavy storms. • Do you travel to areas with heavier snow or more severe winter conditions? Trips to ski areas, mountain passes or rural, unplowed roads may point toward dedicated winter tires. • Would you prefer one set of tires yearround or are you comfortable changing between seasonal tires? This helps identify whether the convenience of an all-weather tire is a priority. • What matters most to you: winter traction, wet-weather braking, long tread life, quietness, handling or upfront cost? This helps determine which tire best matches the customer’s priorities. • How many miles do you drive each year and how do you use the vehicle? The dealer should consider the exact fitment, load index, speed rating and

OE requirements, as well as whether the vehicle is an SUV, pickup, hybrid or EV. Heavier vehicles and EVs can place additional demands on load capacity, treadwear and traction. • What issues have you experienced with your current tires? Asking about performance can help a dealer recommend a tire that directly addresses the customer’s concerns. • What does year-round mean to you? Some customers mean occasional snow and cold rain, while others expect to handle significant snow and ice. Clarifying that expectation is critical.

HOMAN (Linglong): It is very important

to understand the customer’s vehicle and driving habits. Dealers should consider driving conditions. How often does the customer drive in snow, ice, heavy rain or other challenging conditions? Do they experience occasional winter weather or more severe and consistent winter conditions? Vehicle type. Is the vehicle an EV, hybrid, SUV, crossover, sedan or truck?

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All-weather tires For EVs, in particular, dealers should verify that the tire is appropriate for the vehicle’s specific load requirements and performance needs, as not every allweather tire is designed with EV applications in mind. Ultimately, the goal is to match the tire to the customer’s actual driving environment and expectations. For customers who experience a range of weather conditions but do not require a dedicated winter tire, an all-weather tire can provide a practical year-round solution. SCHMEDDING (Michelin): A dealer

should try to understand what the consumer prioritizes and what kind of driving they do. Do they often drive through changing conditions or climates — say, starting somewhere dry, but going up into the mountains for vacation or to somewhere with heavy summer showers? How often is the driver on ice or frozen slush? All-weather tires are a great choice for drivers who prioritize confidence in all climates, experience changing road conditions or drive in moderate to light snow conditions. For regions where frequent ice

PETERS (Momo): When helping a

customer choose a year-round tire, dealers should first understand the customer’s real-world driving conditions. Where do they live and travel? Do they regularly encounter snow, ice, heavy rain or rapidly changing weather? Do they travel outside their immediate area for work or recreation? What type of vehicle do they drive, how many miles do they typically travel and what are their priorities in terms of wet and dry performance, winter capability, ride comfort and tread life? Dealers should also ask whether the customer currently changes between summer or all-season and winter tires and whether they would prefer the convenience of one tire that can remain on the vehicle throughout the year. For many drivers — particularly

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Josh Benson, vice president, First Choice Sourcing Solutions, says that the allweather segment has moved from a relatively narrow offering into nearly full-size coverage, including 17 inches to 20 inches.”

and snow traction may be a particular challenge, consider a dedicated winter tire. For regions with occasional light snow, a standard all-season tire is an excellent choice.

Photo: First Choice Sourcing Solutions

“All-weather tires continue to evolve from something akin to a winter tire in its earliest incarnations,” says David C. Poling, vice president, R&D and technical, Giti Tire (USA) Ltd. Photo: Giti Tire (USA) Ltd.

those who experience occasional winter — an all-weather tire can provide an attractive balance. ZHANG (Nama): We recommend that dealers focus on four key areas: driving conditions, climate, vehicle and current tire concerns and the customer’s personal priorities. First, understand how the vehicle is used. Dealers should ask how and where the customer drives most frequently. Does the customer primarily drive in the city, commute on highways, take long-distance trips or accumulate high annual mileage? For drivers who use their vehicles yearround for daily commuting and highway driving, an all-weather tire can provide a strong combination of performance, convenience and value. Second, understand the customer’s local climate. Geography and weather are critical when selecting an all-weather tire. Dealers should ask how frequently the customer encounters heavy rain, low temperatures, snow and ice. All-weather tires are particularly well-suited to regions with frequent rain, significant temperature changes and occasional or moderate winter weather. Third, understand the vehicle and the customer’s experience with their current tires. The dealer should consider the vehicle type and ask what the customer likes or dislikes about their current tires.

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All-weather tires Are they experiencing excessive road noise, uneven wear, reduced wet-weather traction or poor performance in cold conditions? Fourth, understand the customer’s priorities. In general, we see the all-weather category as particularly attractive to drivers who want a simple, year-round solution without giving up balanced performance. The right tire ultimately depends on the customer’s climate, driving habits, vehicle and expectations, so understanding those four factors is the key to making the right recommendation.

Next, dealers can highlight the major convenience and cost-saving advantages by asking if the driver wants to avoid the routine headache, storage burden and twice-a-year expenses of seasonal changeovers. Finally, identifying the customer’s specific vehicle — particularly if it is a heavy CUV, an AWD model or an EV — ensures the dealer recommends a tire engineered with the proper load capacity, sidewall rigidity and torque resistance necessary to perform safely and wear evenly over time.

HAGAN (Nexen): When a customer walks

responsibilities of a dealer is to understand the customer’s true winter-weather performance needs. As a manufacturer, we need to emphasize that all-weather products are not a replacement for true winter tires, as the winter performance capabilities of these two categories are significantly different. Dealers should carefully assess each customer’s winter driving conditions and requirements before making a recommendation. For example, in markets that

in asking for a year-round tire, dealers can quickly qualify them by assessing their specific driving environment, convenience preferences, vehicle type and expectations for tire longevity. Counter staff should first gauge the driver’s local winter severity. All-weather tires are ideal for customers who encounter freezing cold, slush and moderate snow, while drivers regularly tackling deep, unplowed mountain routes still need a dedicated winter set.

LEU (Nitto): One of the most important

typically experience fewer than one week of snow events per year, an all-weather product may be an excellent solution. DYHRMAN (Nokian): The first question

should be, “What does winter actually look like for this driver?” Dealers should ask where the customer lives, where they regularly travel and whether they occasionally encounter snow, slush or temperatures below 45 F. Dealers should also ask whether winter conditions are occasional or severe. Allweather tires are an upgrade from all-season tires for consumers who visit winter or have winter visit them. They are not a replacement for dedicated winter tires. If a customer spends months driving on persistent ice, packed snow or through frequent heavy snowfall, a dedicated winter tire remains the gold standard. That distinction helps the dealer recommend the safest product rather than simply the most convenient one. Other useful questions include: Does the customer want to use one set of tires throughout the year, or are

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* MAIL-IN REBATE WITH QUALIFYING GENERAL TIRE PURCHASE OFFER: Valid only with qualified purchase made in the 50 United States, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico between 09/01/2026 and 10/31/2026 or while supplies last. Void where restricted or prohibited by law. No rain checks. Submission must include copy or original, dated, paid, itemized receipt and invoice for the purchase of four (4) new qualifying GENERAL TIRES from a participating retail dealer and a completed rebate form. For online purchases, an original, dated, itemized proof of installation also must be submitted. Offer may not be combined with any other offer, discount, rebate, or promotion. Tires must be purchased in a single transaction. Rebate form must be postmarked or submitted online by 11/30/2026. Offer not valid on purchase by wholesalers, dealers, fleets, OEM customers, or other commercial entities or on returned merchandise. Requests from those with an invalid or undeliverable mailing address will be denied. Limit two (2) General Tire Prepaid Mastercard cards per person, household, email or address. The Prepaid Mastercard is given to you as a reward, refund, rebate and no money has been paid by you for the card. Card/Virtual card is issued by Pathward®, N.A., Member FDIC, pursuant to license by Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated. No cash access or recurring payments. Card can be used where Debit Mastercard is accepted. Virtual card can be used where Debit Mastercard is accepted online, for phone/mail orders or in stores that accept mobile wallet. Card/Virtual card valid for up to 6 months; unused funds will forfeit after the valid thru date. Terms and conditions apply. Not responsible for late, lost, stolen, misdirected, illegible, mutilated, or postage due to mail or inability to connect to the website. Any taxes, fees, or costs, including but not limited to installation, are sole responsibility of the recipient. Allow 8 to 12 weeks for fulfillment. Each time you use the card, the amount of the transaction will be deducted from the amount of your available balance. Card will be issued in the name on the rebate form only. Expiration date of card is on the front of card. Card is non-transferable.

SCAN CODE FOR DETAILS.

Visit WWW.GENERALTIRE.COM and click on the Offers tab for rebate form and complete offer conditions and restrictions. WARNING: tampering with, altering, or falsifying purchase information constitutes fraud and could result in state and federal prosecution. Fraudulent submissions will not be honored. All decisions made by Continental Tire the Americas, LLC (CTA) or its authorized representatives regarding the validity of atny submission are final and binding. CTA reserves the right to verify and review eligibility and reject any fraudulent, incomplete, or inaccurate submissions.

GENERALTIRE.COM/PROMOTION CONSUMER PROMOTION

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OFFER VALID: 9/1 - 10/31/26 REBATE FORM MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE OR BY MAIL, POSTMARKED BY 11/30/2026.

9/29/26 3:31 PM 8/28/26 8:45 AM

All-weather tires they comfortable making seasonal tire changes? How much driving do they do in rain, standing water, snow and slush? Do their winter trips take them across regions or between lower elevations and mountain terrain? What matters most to them beyond winter grip, such as wet braking, ride comfort, road noise, tread life or resistance to pothole damage? What vehicle are they driving and does the vehicle’s weight, load requirements or intended use place greater demands on the tire? Have they previously felt that an all-season tire did not provide enough confidence when temperatures or road conditions changed? COKE (Pirelli): The most important

thing is to understand how and where the customer drives. Dealers should ask where the customer lives, how frequently they encounter snow and ice, whether they regularly drive in severe winter conditions and what their typical daily and long-distance driving looks like. They should also understand the customer’s priorities — whether that is wet braking, dry handling,

snow traction, ride comfort, tread life or overall convenience — and confirm the tire is appropriate for the customer’s specific vehicle. An all-weather tire can be an excellent choice for drivers who want yearround convenience and enhanced winter capability, particularly in regions where winter weather is present but not consistently severe. JERRY GRANITO, vice president of sales,

PCTNA: Almost all customers can qualify with an all-weather tire as an option for them. Beyond that, though, today’s allweather tires are truly that — made for all weather types and driving conditions. While driving in cold weather scenarios is what many dealers focus on with all-weather tires, the other big improvement that all-weather tires provide over all-season tires is their ability to handle wet conditions. Rain happens year-round and all-weather products are equipped for better wet braking due to full-depth siping. Losing traction in the rain is a valid fear for most drivers, so minimizing that fear

is a top objective of all-weather products. If a customer has questions about putting a 3PMS-rated tire on their vehicle, the dealer needs to ask them if braking in wet conditions is a concern and, if it is, they likely should recommend an all-weather tire. Dealers also need to remember that a 3PMS-ready tire has different attributes than a winter or snow tire. They can and do handle winter conditions, but they are capable of so much more than just that. Today’s all-weather products have better longevity and performance than yesterday’s all-season products and every dealer should be looking at them as viable options for most current vehicles and drivers. As with any interaction at the sales counter, dealers always need to ask the right questions, but in present day, an allweather tire is an appropriate choice for more vehicles than ever.

MONTASSER (Radar): Does the cus-

tomer currently swap to winter tires? If yes, an all-weather tire should be an easy sell — one set, no seasonal changeover, no storage and a tire that performs all

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All-weather tires year long. A relatively large part of the U.S. gets occasional snow, but rarely sees heavy ice on the roads. For those areas of the country, an all-weather tire is the perfect fit. GUTIERREZ (Sentury): A great place

to start is, “Have you heard of an allweather tire?” This gives the dealer an opportunity to explain why all-weather tires are becoming an important yearround option for today’s drivers. The benefit of an all-weather tire is its versatility. It is designed to provide the handling, control, wet-weather grip and everyday performance customers expect during normal driving while also providing additional capability when temperatures drop and snow or changing weather conditions are encountered. A customer in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Denver or many other markets may spend most of the year driving on mainly dry or wet roads, but their lifestyle can take them into very different conditions. An all-weather tire gives them greater flexibility without requiring them to

customer actually drives. Dealers should ask: “What kind of winter conditions do you regularly encounter? Do you drive in snow and ice or primarily cold, wet conditions? Is your driving mostly city, highway or mountain roads? Do you need to drive regardless of the weather, or can you stay home during a major storm?” Dealers should also understand the vehicle, annual mileage, driving style and whether the customer prioritizes tread life, quietness, handling, fuel economy or maximum winter traction. The key is matching the tire to the customer’s real-world needs rather than simply selling the 3PMS symbol. For many drivers who experience moderate winter conditions and want one tire year-round, an all-weather tire can provide an excellent balance of wet, dry and snow performance without the inconvenience and expense of seasonal changeovers.

live in a traditional snow market. For the dealer, the opportunity is to educate the customer on the features and benefits of all-weather technology first, understand their driving needs and then introduce the different all-weather options available. NEATH (TBC): The conversation should

start with where and how the customer drives. Dealers should ask about the customer’s typical climate, how often they encounter snow or winter conditions, their annual mileage and whether they travel between regions with different weather patterns. It’s also important to understand what they value most: traction, tread life, comfort, convenience or a combination of any of these features. For drivers who experience changing seasonal conditions and want the convenience of using one tire year-round, an all-weather tire can offer a compelling balance of everyday performance and winter capability.

ARIMA (Toyo): It is important to get to

GONZALEZ (TGI): The conversation

know the customer and how they intend to use their vehicle. It would be good to

should start with how and where the

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All-weather tires understand if they have a tire that they’re interested in, where the customer will be driving, how they drive, what weather conditions they might experience, how long they expect to keep their vehicle, what tire was on their vehicle and how satisfied they were about its performance, whether they are currently running a snow tire and a second set during non-winter months, etc. DAVIS (Transamerica): The first question

should not be, “Do you need snow tires?” It ought to be, “Tell me how and where you drive?” That is the honest way to sell it. Match the tire to the customer’s real driving conditions, not just the weather they might see once or twice a year. A dealer should ask: • Where do you drive in the winter? Do you mainly drive around town, on mountain roads or in areas that see regular snow and ice? • How often do you truly encounter snow, slush or freezing conditions? • Can you stay off the road during a serious storm or do you have to be at

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work regardless of the weather? • Do you run separate winter tires now? If not, is cost, storage or changeover convenience the reason? • What vehicle do you drive, and how do you use it? Is it for commuting, family travel, towing, hauling or long highway trips? • What matters most: snow confidence, wet braking, quiet ride, tread life, price or handling? • How many miles do you put on the vehicle each year? • Do you travel into mountain areas or other regions where winter-rated tires may be important? TOLBERT (Trimax): All-weather tires

are often misunderstood or confused with other tire types. Safety in winter driving conditions of ice and snow must be a question to be asked. The tire has to be sold for features and benefits. JORDAN (Turbo): The conversation

should really start with how and where

“The key attributes Nitto believes an all-weather product should provide are dependable winter capability and strong dry-weather performance, with a variety of V, W and other speed ratings,” according to Stephen Leu, senior director of marketing, Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. Photo: Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc.

the customer drives. Does their region experience all four seasons? How frequently do they encounter snow, ice or heavy rain? Do they want to use one set of tires throughout the entire year or are they comfortable switching between dedicated summer and all-season and winter tires? Dealers should also discuss what the customer prioritizes — such as mileage, warranty coverage, wet and dry handling, winter traction, ride comfort and road noise — and determine whether the tire

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All-weather tires carries 3PMS certification if enhanced snow performance is important. It’s also important to explain the distinction between all-season, all-weather and winter tires. For drivers who experience changing seasonal conditions and want the convenience of one set of tires yearround, an all-weather tire can be an excellent solution.

HORN (WTD/AWG): The first and most

important question is where the customer lives and what weather conditions they realistically encounter. Does that customer truly need an all-weather tire or would an all-season — or even a summer tire, depending on the vehicle and driving style — better suit their needs? Snow conditions also make a major

United States Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only) 1. Publication Title: MODERN TIRE DEALER 2. Publication Number: 369-170 3. Filing Date: 9/8/2026 4. Issue of Frequency: Monthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Subscription Price: Free to Qualifed 7. Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication (Not Printer): Endeavor Business Media, LLC, 201 N Main Street, Ste. 5, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538 8. 9.

10.

CHAU (Yokohama): Ultimately, the tire

Contact Person: Tracy Skallman Telephone: (800) 547-7377 Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher (Not Printer): Endeavor Business Media, LLC,30 Burton Hills Blvd., Ste. 185., Nashville, TN 37215 Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor - Publisher: Chris Messer, Endeavor Business Media, 1350 Energy Lane, Ste. 102, St. Paul, MN 55108; Editor: Michael Manges, Endeavor Business Media, 3515 Massillon Rd., Ste. 200, Uniontown, OH 44685; Managing Editor: Sara Welch, Endeavor Business Media, 3515 Massillon Rd., Ste. 200, Uniontown, OH 44685 Owner - Full name and complete mailing address: Endeavor Media Holdings I, LLC, 905 Tower Place, Nashville, TN 37204; Endeavor Media Holdings II, LLC, 905 Tower Place, Nashville, TN 37204;Resolute Capital Partners Fund IV, LP, 20 Burton Hills Blvd, Suite 430, Nashville, TN 37215;RCP Endeavor, Inc, 20 Burton Hills Blvd, Suite 430, ,Nashville, TN 37215;Northcreek Mezzanine Fund II, LP,312 Walnut Street, Suite 2310,Cincinnati, OH 45202;Invegarry Holdings, LP,44235 Hillsboro Pike,Nashville, TN 37215;Everside Fund II, LP,155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central,New York, NY 10017Everside Endeavor F1 Blocker, LLC, 155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central, New York, NY 10017;Everside Endeavor International Blocker, LLC, 155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central, New York, NY 10017;Everside Founders Fund, LP, 155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central, ,New York, NY 10017;Suncap Endeavor Blocker, LLC,155 East 44th St, Suite 2101 - 10 Grand Central,New York, NY 10017;

11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None 12. Tax Status (For completion by nonprofit organizations authorized to mail at nonprofit rates) (Check one) The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: N/A 13. Publication Title: MODERN TIRE DEALER Average No. Copies 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: September 2026 Each Issue During No. Copies of Single Issue Published 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation Preceding 12 Months Nearest to Filing Date a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) 35,243 35,388 b. Legitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written 32,596 33,828 request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies.) (2) In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies.)

(3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or Requested Distribution Outside USPS®

0 32,650

33,880

(1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources)

1,033

(2) In-County Nonrequested Copies Stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources) (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. First-Class Mail, Nonrequestor Copies mailed in excess of 10% Limit mailed at Standard Mail® or Package Services Rates)

845

879

(4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail®) Total Paid and/or Requested Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4))

Nonrequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail)

(4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (Include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows, Showrooms and Other Sources) e.

Total Nonrequested Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4))

1,878

879

Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e)

34,528

34,759

Copies not Distributed

h. i.

715

629

Total (Sum of 15f and g)

35,243

35,388

Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c divided by 15f times 100)

94.56%

97.47%

16 Electronic Copy Circulation a.

Requested and Paid Electronic Copies

Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c)+ Requested/Paid Electronic Copies (Line 16a)

32,650

33,880

Total Requested Copy Distribution Distribution(Line 15f) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies

34,528

34,759

94.56%

97.47%

(Line 16a) d.

Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both Print & Electronic Copies) (16b divided by 16c x 100) x

I certify that 50% of all my distribution copies (electronic and print) are legitimate requests or paid copies:

17. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the issue of this publication.

Oct-26

Date Tracy Skallman, Audience Development Manager

difference. An all-weather tire can be a great year-round option for someone who sees occasional snow, but if the customer lives somewhere that experiences two or three months of consistent snow every year, we would highly recommend a dedicated set of winter tires for that season. As with any tire sale, dealers should also ask how many miles the customer drives, what the vehicle is used for, whether they regularly travel into the mountains and whether they prioritize tread life, performance, fuel efficiency or winter traction.

9/8/26

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties).

dealer that the customer visits will have the best grasp on local weather and how often locals will run into true winter conditions. That will be the biggest indicator of whether or not an all-weather tire will be a good option for their customers and likely will answer many of these questions: • Do you live and drive in an area with true winter conditions? • Do you often travel to areas with snow? • On average, how many days a year would you encounter snow or ice on your drive? • How much of your winter drops below 45 F? • What tires do you have on now and what did you dislike about them last winter? • Have you ever felt unsafe? • Do you own a second set of winter tires? If so, where do you store them? ZHANG (ZC Rubber): The first question

should be how and where the vehicle is actually driven. Dealers should understand the customer’s local climate, how often they encounter snow or ice, whether they drive mainly in the city or on highways and how many miles they typically drive each year. Vehicle type and driving habits are also important, as different drivers may prioritize traction, comfort, mileage or load capability differently. Dealers should also ask whether the customer currently switches between summer and winter tires and how important the convenience of using one set year-round is to them. The recommendation should always start with the customer’s actual driving conditions and priorities, rather than simply the tire category. ■

54 2610MTD_House_SOO.indd 1 2610MTD_22-55_AllWeatherTires.indd 54

MTD October 2026 9/11/26 2:56 PM 9/29/26 3:31 PM

2610MT

INTRODUCING THE ALL NEW

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TerrainContact A/T 2 size 275/65R18 vs. the Michelin LTX A/T 2, Bridgestone Dueler A/T Ascent, and Goodyear Wrangler Outbound AT in size 275/65R18. On road results may vary.

†

Restrictions and limitations apply. See Total Confidence Plan brochure for complete coverage details at www.continentaltire.com/warranty.

THE SMART CHOICE IN TIRES C O N T I N E N T A LT I R E . C O M

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SEM A/A APEX preview The SEMA Show gives tire dealers access to new products, industry suppliers, technical education, emerging vehicle technologies and networking opportunities from across the automotive aftermarket. Photo: MTD

Not sure where to start? Take MTD’s quiz to match your 2026 challenges and 2027 goals with the SEMA Show and AAPEX path that Scan now to best fits your dealership. take the quiz.

TIRE SERVICE

Choose Your SEMA Show and AAPEX Experience TIRE SERVICE, REPAIR SERVICE, WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT, SHOP OPERATIONS OR NEW TECHNOLOGY? By

Sara Welch

ire service training, repair training, business management seminars, new technology, networking events and product introductions will spread across thousands of exhibitors and multiple Las Vegas venues for four days at the SEMA Show and three days at AAPEX. You can’t do it all. Instead, decide what will help your tire dealership most. The 2026 SEMA Show runs Nov. 3-6 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, while AAPEX runs Nov. 3-5 at The Venetian Expo and the new AAPEX Forum. One standard attendee badge provides exhibit-floor access to both shows. For MTD’s SEMA/AAPEX preview, we’re organizing the week around the problems tire dealers are trying to solve. 56

2610MTD_56-58_SEMAAAPEX.indd 56

Pick the area of your business that needs attention and follow that path through Las Vegas: • Want to improve tire and TPMS service? Skip ahead to Tire Service. • Expanding mechanical repair? Check out Repair Service. • Need more productivity from the shop you already have? Choose Operations. • Hiring, retention or leadership keeping you up at night? Try Workforce & Management. • Focused on protecting technicians and limiting risk? Jump to Safety & Compliance. • Wondering what AI, ADAS and emerging technology mean for your dealership? Go to New Technology & Growth.

Choose this path if TPMS problems are tying up bays, diagnosing tire wear is a challenge, commercial tire service is part of your business or you want to understand how ADAS will affect future fitments. Tires are a major part of SEMA. The Global Tire Expo — Powered by TIA and Wheels & Accessories sections in the Lower South Hall will feature hundreds of brands of tires, wheels, balancing and alignment equipment and other technology. On Nov. 3, from 10-11 a.m., pick your specialty. Retail dealers can attend TIA’s “Passenger and Light Truck Tire Conditions Analysis,” which uses real-world examples to separate maintenance-, mechanical- and manufacturer-related wear. Commercial dealers can attend TPMS in Commercial Truck Tires, covering internal sensors, mounting and demounting and relearn procedures. Both are free. From 2-3 p.m. on Nov. 3, TIA’s “ADAS and the Future of Custom Tire and Wheel Fitments” will examine how automatic emergency braking requirements beginning with the 2029 model year could affect modified tire and wheel applications — an important topic for any dealer who installs large tire and wheel packages or performs other vehicle modifications. On Nov. 4 at 10 a.m.,”Curing the TPMS Pain Points” tackles 10 situations that TIA says can waste bay time when shops lack the right information, equipment or training. At AAPEX, add a walkthrough of the Tire Servicing section on Level 2, near Joe’s Garage, and its working service bays. MTD October 2026

9/29/26 3:31 PM

2608MT

THE VENETIAN EXPO & AAPEX FORUM | NOVEMBER 3-5, 2026 | LAS VEGAS, NV | AAPEXSHOW.COM

REAL PRODUCTS. REAL PEOPLE.

PRODUCTS. PEOPLE. RESULTS. At AAPEX, you won’t just hear what’s changing in the aftermarket, you’ll experience it firsthand. True innovation across 1,400+ product categories. Real-world training focused on the mechanics of the business and the service bay. Genuine connections with global suppliers, peers, and leaders steering the future. AAPEX is where the entire industry shows up — and where every driven professional stays ahead.

IT ALL HAPPENS HERE AT AAPEX. | AAPEXSHOW.COM

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SEM A/A APEX preview REPAIR SERVICE

Choose this path if you’re expanding beyond tires, investing in diagnostics or trying to decide which repair capabilities should come in-house next. Dealers can also visit SEMA’s dedicated Tools & Equipment section in the Upper South Hall, where hundreds of exhibitors will showcase hand and power tools, diagnostic equipment, shop systems, lifts, fabrication tools and specialty service equipment. For dealers evaluating new repair capabilities or equipment investments, the section offers another opportunity to compare shop technology before heading to AAPEX. AAPEX provides the deeper technical-training route. Nov. 3 options include “CAN Bus Busters! Tips & Techniques for Network ‘Failures to Communicate’” and “Vehicle Game Plans — Mastering Your Diagnostic Skills,” both priced at $150. Joe’s Garage adds hands-on training throughout the week, including Tesla vehicle networking on Nov. 4 and “Analyzing Waveforms Live: Using PicoScope to Make Real-Time Diagnostic Decisions” on Nov. 5. AAPEX technical seminars are $150 each, with a buy-two-get-one-free training bundle available.

OPERATIONS

Choose this path if the shop is busy, but productivity isn’t where you want it, processes break down between the front counter and bays or too many decisions still depend on the owner. Start Nov. 3 at AAPEX with “Why Your Technicians Only Produce 3-5 Hours a Day — and How to Turn It Into 10-12.” The three-hour, $150 workshop focuses on identifying workflow, communication, estimating and training bottlenecks that suppress billed hours. On Nov. 4, “Numbers That Drive Performance: Turning KPIs Into Daily Shop Behavior” takes a financial approach to operational improvement, while TIA offers a tire-dealer-specific alternative at 2 p.m., “Making Customer Service Part of Your Brand.” This session focuses on how independent dealers can differentiate themselves as private-equity-backed dealerships, warehouse clubs and national retailers increase competitive pressure. For a free option, AAPEX’s Nov. 5 session “Why 58

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Everything in Your Shop Still Runs Through You (And How to Fix It)” is designed for owners whose businesses remain overly dependent on them.

WORKFORCE AND MANAGEMENT

Choose this path if hiring is difficult, turnover is costly or the next generation of managers isn’t ready yet. AAPEX offers several ways into the issue. Nov. 4’s free “Lead from Context, Not Control — How Burned-Out Owners Can Create a Championship Company” focuses on leadership fatigue and building an organization that does not depend on constant owner intervention. Nov. 5’s free “Are You Ready to Step Up Into Leadership?” focuses on the transition from high-performing employee to supervisor. Looking to invest more time in workforce development? Nov. 5’s three-hour “Building Your Dream Team: Attract, Hire & Lead for Long-Term Success” is $150. SEMA is also connecting employers with future automotive workers on Nov. 5. Its “Student Program Industry Networking Breakfast” will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. in the West Hall. Exhibiting companies can host a table at no cost and meet students pursuing aftermarket careers.

SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE

Choose this path if you operate roadside service trucks, are concerned about rightto-repair issues or want to understand how changing vehicle-safety requirements affect the work you perform. TIA starts before the show officially opens with a “Right to Repair Summit” on Nov. 2, from 2-4 p.m. at Planet Hollywood. An RSVP is required. Nov. 3’s “ADAS and the Future of Custom Tire and Wheel Fitments” will offer insight into the safety considerations around non-OE tire and wheel packages. For commercial dealers, Nov. 4’s “Emergency Road Service Safety” may be one of the week’s most valuable sessions. The session will debut a new video provided by TIA on roadside service truck positioning and cover how to choose safer roadside work areas. Shops performing ADAS work can also add I-CAR’s Nov. 3 “Requirements and Considerations for ADAS Calibration” course at SEMA or AAPEX’s

Nov. 4 “ADAS Made Easy for Counter Professionals.” This is a $150 class that covers ADAS recalibration requirements, documentation and explaining ADAS service to customers.

NEW TECHNOLOGY AND GROWTH

Choose this path if you want to separate the technologies that could change your business from those that can wait. At SEMA, start with the FutureTech Studio in Central Hall, booth No. 24401. The exhibit brings together EVs, future propulsion, automation, advanced manufacturing and vehicle-safety technologies, with short presentations on the FutureTech Live Education Stage. AAPEX offers a practical shop-owner entry into artificial intelligence. “AI for Shop Owners: From Curiosity to Competitive Advantage.” This session takes place Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. and is free. Nov. 5’s “AI Tools Every Shop Should Know in 2026” looks at applications in marketing, diagnostics, operations and customer communication. This seminar is also free of charge and open to all attendees. For a broader view, “Aftermarket Outlook 2027” runs Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. at the AAPEX Forum. SEMA is also opening a new business-development avenue with its expanded Powersports, Side-by-Side and Lifestyle section in the West Hall, positioned alongside Trucks and Off-Road. Harley-Davidson has joined an exhibitor roster that also includes Kawasaki Motors, Kymco and other powersports manufacturers. For tire dealers already serving lifted trucks, off-road enthusiasts and recreational vehicles, the powersports crossover — while non-traditional — may be worth exploring and could be educational. The goal isn’t to see everything. It’s to leave Las Vegas with a few ideas, products or practices that can make your dealership better and operate more effectively when you get home. ■ Editor’s note: SEMA, TIA and AAPEX schedules remain subject to change. Attendees should confirm session times, locations and registration requirements before the shows. MTD October 2026

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touch-pad interface that efficiently guides technicians through data entry and balance procedures. Bright LED positioning markers streamline precise weight placement, reducing rework and elevating customer satisfaction. In a fast seven-second cycle, the AB28 calculates the precise amount and placement of corrective weight.

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Tire development

‘An integrated, innovative ecosystem’ INSIDE HANKOOK’S SOUTH KOREA OPERATIONS By

Mike Manges

ankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd. is in global growth mode. And it all starts with the “integrated, innovative ecosystem” the tire manufacturer has developed in its home country of South Korea. During a recent press briefing at the Hankook Technoplex, Hankook’s corporate headquarters in Pangyo, South Korea, company officials discussed the tire manufacturer’s capabilities and how the work it performs in South Korea supports its operations across the globe, including North American subsidiary Hankook Tire America Corp.

“We continuously invest in R&D and upgraded global production facilities and service channels to improve our technology,” Hankook officials said. “We continue to secure future growth channels through our investments.” During the presentation, Hankook officials pointed to “a single financial structure and a balanced business portfolio” as factors that help Hankook “deliver performance and quality to its customers. “Under the strategic leadership at our global headquarters, the whole organization moves in a consistent direction, securing competitiveness

The Hankook Technoplex, which doubles as Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd.’s global headquarters, is one of three facilities in South Korea that form Hankook’s “integrated innovation ecosystem.” Photo: Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd.

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by performing strategies and functions according to regional headquarters.”

‘INTEGRATED ECOSYSTEM’

Hankook has developed what it calls “an integrated, innovative ecosystem” that consists of three facilities in South Korea, starting with the Technoplex and then the Technodome, Hankook’s global research and development center, and the Hankook Technoring, which the tiremaker says is the largest tire proving grounds in Asia and where all Hankook tires are evaluated and deemed fit for the market. Each of the three facilities plays a distinct but connected role within the tiremaker’s product development system and has a direct impact on the company’s North America operations,

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as well as Hankook’s businesses in other regions. (Hankook has seven regional headquarters and five research and development centers worldwide, plus sales operations in 160 countries. The company has eight manufacturing plants, including one in Clarksville, Tenn., that together have a total production capacity of 100 million units.) The Hankook Technoplex, which was completed in January 2020, employs 1,260 people who work in flexible, open workspaces — even executives don’t have fixed seats or personal offices within the facility — and encompasses 10 above-ground floors and six underground floors. Kiosks and apps are used to reserve workstations and meeting rooms when employees arrive at the building. The goal is to foster a “horizontal corporate culture” that optimizes collaboration at all levels, a dynamic that is needed for the development and execution of the tiremaker’s global strategy. Hankook officials describe the Technoplex as the tire manufacturer’s “central hub for product planning, strategic coordination and long-term vision. While OE development and technical collaboration with automakers are carried out through specialized R&D and testing facilities, the Technoplex plays an important role in aligning those efforts with the company’s broader global strategy, future mobility vision and innovation priorities.” The facility “helps connect strategic planning with research, development and real-world testing by supporting collaboration across functions and global operations. This integrated approach helps Hankook turn long-term ideas into practical technologies and products.”

AT THE TECHNORING

Hankook’s Ventus, Dynapro and iON lines are prominently displayed inside the multi-story Technoplex, the tire manufacturer’s “central hub for product planning, strategic coordination and long-term vision,” say Hankook officials. Photo: MTD

real-world vehicle tests based on data gathered from test tracks and major race tracks; and other research stations. In a unique twist, labs are interspersed among offices inside the building and are equipped with large windows. At the Technodome, “fundamental research, material analysis, simulation and performance evaluation all come together,” according to Hankook officials. “In the context of electric-vehicle (EV)-specific technologies, artificial intelligence-driven data analysis and future mobility innovations, such as airless tires, it helps build the technical foundation for development by supporting data-driven research, cross-functional collaboration and the refinement of next-generation technologies that can later be validated through physical testing and real-world driving environments.”

Hankook’s Technoring proving grounds is located in Taean-gun, South Korea. According to Hankook officials, the Technoring, which opened in 2022, spans more than 13 million square feet. It features 13 specialized tracks, including a high-speed oval on which cars can reach speeds of up to 150 miles per hour; separate wet and dry handling circuits; a hydroplaning curve; ride and structural durability courses; a special track that measures noise, vibration and harshness; gravel and off-road driving modules; a wet driving course that is kept perpetually damp thanks to a massive underground water tank; and others. Up to 50 vehicles — ranging from EVs to commercial trucks and buses — can operate simultaneously at the Technoring, which also includes a 12-story control tower, where Hankook employees manage the entire facility from all angles. Every test at the sprawling complex is conducted in a single direction, with no intersections or opposing traffic. The Technoring also contains a workshop where tires are replaced and vehicles are inspected. It’s equipped with space for the storage of 4,500 wheels. “Hankook Technoring is responsible for the final stage of tire testing,” say Hankook officials. “At this stage, we test not only tire performance but how well it fits the vehicle. We compare results with automobile manufacturers. We also evaluate if the tires ... meet environmental regulations and label requirements.” The Technoring also evaluates Hankook’s future technologies, including airless tires for unmanned vehicles and intelligent tires that collect data while rolling.

ENTER THE TECHNODOME

The next link in Hankook’s South Korea operation is the Technodome, located in Daejeon, South Korea, a city of 1.5 million people that’s 90 miles down the road from the Technoplex. The six-floor complex, which opened 10 years ago and employs around 1,160 associates, is the global center of Hankook’s research and development efforts. The facility includes a tire noise measurement lab; a friction energy test lab featuring Hankook’s proprietary Snowmaker Technology, which creates artificial snow for winter tire evaluation; a driving simulation center that mimics w w w . M o d e r n T i r e D e a l e r. c o m

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Hankook’s global sales A region-by-region breakdown North America made up 24.4% of Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd.’s global sales in 2025. Here’s a look at the percentage of sales in all of the South Korea-based tire manufacturer’s regions last year: Europe

45.4%

North America

24.4%

South Korea

11%

China

9% 10.2%

Other regions

Source: Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd.’s presentation

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Tire development

EXPANDING AT OE

Expanding its original equipment (OE) presence on the global stage will be a pillar of Hankook’s continued growth. “We have built strong relationships with 50 vehicle brands worldwide, covering a wide range of the global audience,” Jihye Choi, manager, global OE technology, marketing team, said during a presentation at Hankook’s Technoplex. Hankook’s OE presence “is particularly strong in North America and Europe.” North America accounts for about 32% of the tire manufacturer’s OE tire sales, while Europe makes up around 34% of Hankook’s global OE tire sales. “At the same time, we also see future growth opportunities in China.” Other than a couple of dips, Hankook’s shipments to the OE channel have steadily increased over the last 20 years. In 2006, the company supplied around 20 million OE tires worldwide. By 2018, that number had increased to nearly 36 million units, but two years later dropped to 22.3 million units due to fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, Hankook’s global OE supply has resumed its upward trajectory, with full-year 2026 shipments expected to total around 27 million tires and a predicted 30 million worldwide OE units by 2030. Choi said manufacturers of premium vehicles account for around 18% of Hankook’s OE tire supply. “This shows how our premium OE business is expanding, not only in volume but also into more high performance and demanding (applications).” Hankook is also pursuing more fitments with electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers. “EVs account for around 10% of our global supply and we expect this share to increase to 33% in 2026 and 53% by 2030.” (In North America, Hankook has earned fitments on the Ford Mustang Mach-E and other EVs.) Over the last decade, Hankook has supplied more than 68 million tires to North American OEMs, with 29 million entering the OE stream between 2021 and the first part of this year, Choi revealed. The company expects to ship an estimated 6.1 million OE units for full-year 2026. “Currently, we supply OE tires to seven of the 10 best-selling vehicles in the U.S. market,” said Choi. “This allows us to establish an ideal supply portfolio covering most of North America’s most 62

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The Hankook Technodome is the global center of Hankook’s research and development. At the Technodome, “fundamental research, material analysis, simulation and performance evaluation all come together.” Photo: Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd.

The Technodome contains a driving simulation center that mimics realworld vehicle tests using data collected from test tracks and other sources. Inside the futuristic-looking facility, labs are interspersed among offices and are equipped with windows. Photo: MTD

The Technoring is responsible for the final stage of tire testing at Hankook. The sprawling facility features a 12-story control tower that allows employees to oversee and manage the facility. Photo: Hankook Tire & Technology Co. Ltd.

Dual-brand strategy Hankook describes its two ‘core brands’

“Hankook operates two core brands: Hankook and Laufenn,” said Jihye Choi, manager, global OE technology, marketing team, during a recent presentation at the company’s Technoplex. “Hankook is our premium brand, built on higher performance and innovative technology. Within the Hankook brand, we have the iON (electric vehicle tire) ... (then) the Ventus, our high performance tire, and Dynapro,” a dedicated line for SUVs and light trucks. “Laufenn, on the other hand, focuses on practical quality and value, using Hankook tire technology. It is built around simplicity, practicality and reliable performance for everyday driving.” According to Choi, the Laufenn brand “offers a broad line-up designed for a variety of OE vehicles. Today, the brand offers 17 product lines across major segments by continuing to expand full coverage and market availability. Laufenn has recently been selected as an OE supplier for Volkswagen” and other OEMs, she revealed. “Together, Hankook and Laufenn allow us to cover a wide range of segments.”

W t f t

M M

B i f o

A MTD October 2026

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Tire development popular segments. Moving forward, we’ll continue to expand our OE presence across the region.” Hankook’s Clarksville plant, the beneficiary of a multi-year, $1.6 billion expansion project that will significantly boost its consumer tire production and has enabled U.S.-based TBR tire production, is expected to be a primary driver of the company’s growth in North America, supplying tires to both the OE and replacement channels. Hankook has completed phase two of its consumer tire production investment and phase three of TBR tire expansion at the plant. “This year, we are ramping up production for an annual capacity of 11 million tires,” including 10 million consumer tires and one million TBR tires, said Choi, who added that the Clarksville plant produced around 4.4 million units last year. Passenger tire production makes up the majority (47%) of the plant’s current output. “Most of the production is applied with North America, with 93% going to the U.S., 4% to Mexico and 3% to Canada,” said Choi.

ALL-IN ON EV TIRES

Hankook says it will continue its already-considerable investment in EV tire development. The company says it has 326 “EV-specific patents” and has secured 60 fitments across many of the world’s biggest EV manufacturers, including Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Rivian and others. Central to Hankook’s EV tire business is the iON line, which is sold around the world and was developed “from the ground

Hankook officials say the company’s OE tire business will continue to power its worldwide growth. North America accounts for about 32% of Hankook’s global OE tire sales. (Here, Mun Chul Jong, manager of Hankook’s PCR model development team, discusses features of several Hankook products displayed inside the Technodome.) Photo: MTD

up” in South Korea, said Choi. (The iON range arrived in North America four years ago via the introduction of two products, the iON evo AS and iON evo AS SUV.) iON tires are mainly built at Hankook’s plants in South Korea and Hungary, said Mun Chul Jong, manager of Hankook’s PCR model development team.

LEADING WITH AI

Hankook is moving to a virtual tire development process and is incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into its system. “Currently, development goes through a process that includes both physical and virtual testing,” said Antoine Boyadjian, senior manager, CAE technology research team, during a panel discussion at the Technodome. “We are trying to replace a number of physical tests with a simulator, so it’s still an iterative process, but a much faster process.” Virtual testing will reduce new Hankook products’ time to market by about half, said Boyadjian. “We have a designer who produces sketches of (tread) patterns that our engineers start modeling. Then they submit those to simulations. Instead of those sketches, we can use generative models, which can generate a virtually unlimited number of patterns. “We then use AI to create an assistant. These chatbots have access to our entire database of specifications, our test results and also our design specifications. For compound development, we have a chatbot. “What makes it difficult to create a new compound is that there is a large amount of materials used and properties that have a direct impact on tire performance,” he noted. “That’s why it takes about two years to create a new compound. With our AI models, we are able to generate up to 100,000 (compound) recipes per minute. “So on one side, you have tire engineers and on the other side, AI software engineers, and we work together,” said Boyadjian. “We try to model ... using our historical data of actual test results that we have accumulated over the past 10 years or so. Predictive models are all about data. We also use these tools in all of our factories, all around the world. Technicians can run simulations and we can apply predictions” generated by Hankook’s AI system. Hankook officials say the company will continue to leverage AI and other capabilities emanating from its facilities in South Korea to position itself for continued growth. ■

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Scrap tires

When scrap tire collection breaks down ONTARIO ADOPTS NEW RECYCLING REQUIREMENTS AS SCRAP TIRE BACKLOG GROWS

Sara Welch

irecraft Ontario’s delivery trucks used to come back with empty space. Increasingly, that space is fi lled with scrap tires. As routine scrap tire collection has become less predictable across Ontario, Tirecraft has begun using its own distribution network to move tires from stores back to its distribution center. Trucks delivering new tires to Tirecraft locations use available space on the return trip to bring scrap tires back with them. The workaround keeps tires moving, but creates work that previously wasn’t necessary. Tires have to be loaded at the store, unloaded at Tirecraft’s distribution center, stored and eventually loaded again for processing. “It’s just a lot of extra handling that has to happen,” says Christine McClay, president of Tirecraft Ontario. Industry stakeholders say scrap tire backlogs have become increasingly visible at dealerships and municipal collection sites across Ontario. Photo: Ontario Tire Dealers Association

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Tirecraft’s network includes nearly 100 Ontario locations and McClay says all have experienced some level of collection disruption. At Tirecraft Ontario’s distribution center, she estimates the company is storing several thousand scrap tires, compared with only a few hundred under normal conditions. At many stores, inventories are roughly twice normal levels. At one downtown Toronto store, approximately 300 scrap tires have accumulated — enough that the location has lost the use of a service bay because there is nowhere else to put them. Similar problems are appearing elsewhere in Ontario’s tire recycling system. Interviews conducted by MTD with tire dealers, a scrap tire hauler, a scrap tire processor and the Ontario Tire Dealers Association (OTDA) show scrap tires getting stranded at several points in the system. Dealers report sporadic or missed pickups. One hauler says limits on the volume he can move have forced him to ration service. One Ontario processor has dramatically increased its sourcing of tires from the United States to maintain the steady supply of raw material its operation requires. The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA), which administers and enforces Ontario’s Tires Regulation, told MTD that “collection delays are occurring across the system.” As a result of the mounting backlog, Ontario has now adopted new requirements intended to get more scrap tires moving. On Sept. 21, the province finalized amendments that increase the amount of tire material producers must manage beginning in 2026 and expand the collection networks they must maintain starting in 2027. But the effect of those changes on Ontario’s existing backlog — and on the dealers already storing, moving and in some cases, paying extra to dispose of scrap tires — remains uncertain.

HOW BIG IS ONTARIO’S BACKLOG?

There is no official province-wide count of the tires currently waiting to be collected or processed. RPRA told MTD it does not have an estimate of the number or tonnage of tires backlogged at dealers, haulers or other collection sites. The regulator also said 2025 recovery data will not be published until this fall. OTDA has developed its own estimate MTD October 2026

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based on what it is seeing through members and other industry contacts. Adam Moffatt, executive director of OTDA, estimates Ontario ended 2025 with roughly two million scrap tires accumulated outside normal recycling flows. About half of that estimate came from two major stockpiles — one in the Sudbury/Azilda area and another in the Stittsville/Ottawa area — that Moffatt estimated contained roughly 500,000 tires each. OTDA estimated another approximately one million tires remained at dealerships, automotive facilities, municipal depots and other collection sites throughout the province. The two large stockpiles are being addressed separately. Moffatt told MTD tires were being removed from the sites, although significant quantities remained when he was interviewed. Before the Sept. 21 amendments were announced, OTDA estimated another one million to 1.25 million tires were backlogged at collectors and haulers during 2026, excluding the two large 2025 stockpiles. Moffatt projected that if collection conditions remained unchanged, the backlog could reach 2.5 million to 3.5 million tires by year-end. That projection predates the new requirements and does not account for any increase in collection activity that could result from them. OTDA’s figures are industry estimates, not a regulatory count, but other data points demonstrate the scale of the collection pressure. The Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility reported that it was storing approximately 8,000 to 9,000 scrap tires in August, compared with 3,000 to 4,000 normally. The City of Peterborough attributed the increase to delays within Ontario’s tire recycling system. Toronto has stopped accepting tires at its drop-off depots until further notice. The Regional Municipality of Durham suspended tire acceptance at its waste management facilities in June because of overstock, saying tires were arriving faster than third-party haulers and processors were removing them. Wellington County also temporarily paused tire acceptance after its facilities reached capacity. When municipalities stop accepting tires, consumers lose another disposal option. McClay says one Tirecraft store experienced the consequences first-hand. After its local municipality stopped w w w . M o d e r n T i r e D e a l e r. c o m

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accepting tires, employees began arriving in the morning to find tires dumped outside the dealership overnight.

WHY SCRAP TIRES PILED UP

Ontario regulates scrap tires through an extended producer responsibility, or EPR, system. Companies that supply tires to the province are responsible for establishing systems to collect and manage used tires, either themselves or through producer responsibility organizations, or PROs. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks develops the province’s producer-responsibility policies and regulations. RPRA administers and enforces those requirements. Before the current backlog developed, Ontario changed the rules governing tire collection and management on Jan. 1, 2025. Through 2024, producers in the alltires category faced two separate requirements. They had to collect a weight of used tires equal to at least 85% of their three-year average tire supply and recover — through reuse, retreading or processing — at least 85% of the tires they collected. Beginning in 2025, Ontario eliminated the minimum collection weight requirement. Instead, producers were required to manage tire material equal to 65% of their three-year average supply through 2029, with the requirement originally scheduled to increase to 70% in 2030. Ontario’s latest amendments increase that management requirement to 80%, effective for the 2026 performance year and subsequent years. They do not restore the separate minimum collection-weight requirement eliminated in 2025. When the province finalized the 2025 changes, it said the amendments were intended to give producers more f lexibility, reduce regulatory burden and simplify requirements. But Ontario entered that new system with an existing collection shortfall. RPRA’s public data show that in 2024, producers in the all-tires category reported collecting 149,837.55 metric tons of tires, for a 73.49% collection rate against the 85% requirement. At the same time, producers exceeded the separate recovery requirement, reporting a 90.11% recovery rate. The collection requirement was not achieved in any year from 2019 through 2024, while the 85% recovery requirement was met each year. The 2025 amendments didn’t create

Ontario’s collection shortfall. They changed how the province regulated a system where that shortfall already existed while the collection network also changed. RPRA told MTD that the 2025 amendments reduced the minimum number of required collection sites to 4,332, compared with 4,872 under the previous version. They also gave producers more f lexibility in meeting collection-system requirements, including through collection events and alternative sites in neighboring municipalities. Those requirements will change again in 2027. Under the Sept. 21 amendments, approximately 2,200 additional collection sites will be required, bringing the provincial requirement to about 6,500. At least 220 of the additional sites must be located in northern Ontario. PROs will also be required to report their planned collection networks to RPRA by Jan. 1 each year, beginning in 2027, and the new rules limit when reported collection sites can be removed or replaced during the year. RPRA says producers and PROs must also continue collecting tires from sites included in their reported collection systems even after minimum management requirements are met. However, while producers are required to maintain collection networks that meet provincial accessibility requirements, neither the existing regulation nor the Sept. 21 amendments guarantee that every individual tire-generating business will be included in a network. For dealers, the question is whether the expanded network and greater restrictions on changing collection sites will improve access for tire-generating businesses that currently do not belong to a collection system — and how quickly.

WHERE TIRES STOP MOVING

For Tirecraft Ontario, collection problems existed before the 2025 amendments, but McClay says service deteriorated more noticeably beginning in fall 2025 and continued into 2026. Previously, pickup schedules generally reflected the needs of each store. A high-volume dealership might have a trailer exchanged when full while an urban location might receive weekly service. “Our stores were getting very regular pick-up before,” McClay says. “There were very few issues with the program.” 67

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Scrap tires When MTD interviewed her before the latest amendments were finalized, she described service as “extremely sporadic.” Some Tirecraft locations had reported going a month without a pickup and unsuccessfully calling for emergency collection. The problem looks different from the perspective of a hauler. Fabiano Sales, of ANA Tire Recycling, says the amount of program tire volume he is allocated to move has been reduced by roughly half since May 2026. Before the reduction, Sales built routes around customers requiring weekly, biweekly or monthly collection. Now, he says, much of his work consists of responding to emergency calls and deciding which customers he can keep serving. Sales says his processor communicates a monthly tonnage limit on the program tire volume he can move under the PRO arrangement. Once he reaches that limit, he says he cannot deliver additional program tires to the facility until more volume becomes available. Sales’ volume limits have reduced the collection service he can provide and affected his workforce. Sales says he has scaled his operation back to just himself. A dealer can therefore experience reduced or delayed collection even when no PRO has specifically told the hauler to stop servicing that location. The hauler may still have customers requesting pickups and the ability to collect more tires, but a limited amount of material it can move through a particular commercial arrangement. The new 80% management requirement could increase the amount of tire material moving through the regulated system. How quickly it translates into larger allocations for haulers like Sales remains uncertain.

AN ONTARIO PROCESSOR LOOKS TO THE U.S.

Processing capacity adds another layer to Ontario’s tire collection shortfalls. Granulum Inc. President Kyle Gregoire says his Windsor, Ontario, crumb rubber operation can process approximately 200 tonnes of scrap tires per week — roughly 20,000 tires. Gregoire describes Granulum not simply as a tire recycler, but as a manufacturer. “I’m not a recycling company,” he told MTD. “I’m a crumb production company.” Granulum supplies crumb rubber to manufacturing companies in Ontario, 68

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which means the operation needs a consistent supply of tire stock every week — regardless of how many scrap tires Ontario consumers generate in a given month. Granulum’s sourcing has changed dramatically this year. Gregoire says approximately 15% of the feedstock Granulum required in 2025 came from the U.S. That figure has climbed to roughly 70% in 2026. However, Gregoire cautions against assuming Granulum’s experience reflects every processor in the province. The company is located directly across the Detroit River from Michigan, making U.S. supply particularly accessible. The province considered additional measures intended to encourage more tire processing within Ontario during its latest regulatory review but did not adopt them, citing mixed feedback and the need for additional analysis of local processing capacity.

WHAT THE BACKLOG COSTS TIRE DEALERS

For tire dealers, collection disruptions translate into additional labor, lost storage and service space and, in some cases, another bill to have tires removed. Private collection remains an option. RPRA told MTD that nothing in the Tires Regulation prohibits haulers or processors from entering private collection agreements with tire-generating businesses. Gregoire says Granulum has offered a private collection option for dealers in its region, arranging collection and processing for roughly $5 Canadian per tire. Sales estimates a comparable private arrangement through his operation could cost a dealer roughly $4 Canadian per tire when hauling and processing are combined. At least one Tirecraft associate dealer is already paying extra. McClay says the dealer recently told her he is paying an additional $2 per tire to have scrap tires collected after being told the charge was necessary if he wanted the tires removed. “He just thought it was standard process,” she says. For McClay, the larger issue is that Tirecraft dealers are already bearing recycling costs through the tires they purchase. “For me, it’s the integrity of the program,” she says. “There’s a program in place. The program’s not doing what it needs to do. So we’ve already paid for this.” Even Tirecraft’s internal workaround carries a cost. Using otherwise empty

truck space to retrieve scrap tires may reduce the immediate storage problem at stores, but employees still have to load and unload the tires. Tirecraft has to provide storage space at its distribution center. One dealer has lost productive bay space, while other locations have devoted more property to scrap tire inventories. Those growing inventories can also create problems beyond added costs and lost productivity. McClay says some Tirecraft locations have faced attention from bylaw enforcement officials and fire departments because of the amount of scrap tires accumulating on their properties — pressures that could intensify as Ontario moves into winter tire season.

THE NEW RULES

Ontario’s Sept. 21 amendments are intended to increase collection and reduce disruptions. The most immediate change raises the management requirement from 65% to 80% for 2026 and subsequent years. Beginning in 2027, the province will also require approximately 2,200 additional collection sites and restrict when reported collection sites can be removed or replaced. MECP says the expanded network is intended to give more tire-generating businesses access to collection service and provide greater stability for businesses already in those networks. The amendments also include additional financial reporting requirements for PROs and remove the $1 million cap on administrative penalties for violations occurring after the amended regulation was filed. The final rules do not include everything Ontario originally proposed. MECP did not adopt a provision that would have required PROs to collect tires from any site requesting service once at least 50 tires had accumulated, with guaranteed pickup times. It also rejected a proposed requirement that collected tires be managed within three months. The ministry said consultation feedback indicated the broader call-in requirement would be overly prescriptive, complex and potentially burdensome. It cited the need for flexibility in declining to impose the three-month management requirement. OTDA welcomed several pieces of the final rule but said questions remain about how quickly they will improve conditions. “Increasing the management target from 65% to 80% should result in more MTD October 2026

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Scrap tires tires being collected, but we need MECP and RPRA to release year-to-date collection data before we can determine how much additional collection will actually be required and take place,” the association said in a statement provided to MTD. OTDA also welcomed the expanded collection network and greater financial reporting requirements but said historical data are needed to determine how the additional sites compare with the system that existed before the 2025 amendments. Stakeholders also question how quickly collection capacity can respond if more volume begins moving through the system. “For much of this year, tire haulers and processors have been operating under reduced volumes and quotas, resulting in reduced services, parked equipment and staff layoffs,” OTDA said. “Some of that capacity cannot be restored overnight.” Sales’ experience illustrates the concern. After his allocated volume was cut roughly in half, he reduced his workforce to just himself. Even if the higher management requirement results in greater collection

volume, rebuilding capacity could take time. In a Sept. 23 email to MTD, Moffatt said OTDA was meeting with PROs and regulatory authorities throughout the week. As of that date, the association had not been given an indication of when or how changes would be implemented to meet the new requirements. The uncertainty is particularly significant for businesses outside existing PRO collection networks. Although Ontario will require a larger network and impose greater restrictions on removing collection sites, those changes do not take effect until 2027. The province also declined to adopt the broader call-in requirement that would have guaranteed collection service for qualifying sites requesting pickup.

WINTER TIRE SEASON IS COMING

Ontario’s higher management target is taking effect as the province enters one of its busiest tire replacement periods of the year, creating another layer of concern — and urgency. “What we see today in Ontario, this

backlog of tires, we don’t typically see this time of year ... any backlog of tires,” Moffatt told MTD. According to Moffatt, late summer is normally one of the slowest periods for scrap tire generation in Ontario and demand picks up in the fall with winter tire purchases. Sales says his normal collection volume can increase sharply during the fall tire-change period. McClay worries tires already sitting on dealership properties will become even more difficult to manage as winter arrives. “When you get to January, you can’t clean those piles up because they’re covered in snow. So we’re just going to end up with a bigger mess going into next spring,” she says. Ontario now has a higher recycling target and plans for a substantially larger collection network, starting next year, but dealers are generating scrap tires every day. The immediate question for Ontario tire dealers is: How quickly will the new regulatory requirements translate into reliable pickups at the businesses already waiting for tires to move? ■

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Auto service

“Best-in-class shops are the ones that for every car that comes in, they’re checking alignment proactively,” says Alan Hagerty, senior product manager at Hunter Engineering Co. Photo: Hunter Engineering Co.

Profit opportunities in vehicle alignments LEVERAGING ALIGNMENT SERVICES AS THE ULTIMATE SALES DRIVER By

Carley Millhone

ehicle alignment is one of the most lucrative automotive services thanks to high labor margins and additional sales opportunities. Still, many shops take a passive approach to alignments. These shops may only perform alignments with tire sales or when customers experience tire wear or poor handling. “Alignments carry some of the highest gross margins in automotive service — frequently exceeding 70% to 80% — because the billable hour requires zero replacement part costs,” says Scott Reinholt, national director of sales and business development for CEMB USA’s Garage Equipment Division. “For a tire 72

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dealer, offering alignments directly protects tire investments. It prevents premature, irregular tire wear and eliminates post-installation come-backs caused by pulling or steering off-center.” Because an alignment requires a full chassis and suspension inspection, it’s also a gateway to high-ticket repairs related to worn tie rods, ball joints, control arm bushings, strut mounts and wheel bearings.

PROACTIVE ALIGNMENT APPROACH

How tire dealers integrate alignments in their day-to-day operations can be the difference between average and high profits. “Average shops treat alignments

as a reactive, bottom-of-the-funnel task. Top-tier shops treat them as a proactive, front-of-counter conversion tool,” says CEMB USA’s Reinholt. Alan Hagerty, senior product manager at Hunter Engineering Co., says base-level shops act as order takers that only perform alignments when a customer comes in with a problem. A step up is following the industry standard of recommending an alignment after selling a set of tires, which helps sell the value of increased tire life and a happier customer. “The last thing you want is someone to spend $1,200 to $1,500 — or more — on a set of tires and come back a few months later and they’re completely worn because they didn’t get an alignment,” adds Hagerty. “Best-in-class shops are the ones that for every car that comes in, they’re checking alignment proactively. Maybe they’re doing that as part of a multi-point inspection and what they’ll find is about half the cars on the road need an alignment.” Hagerty adds that two out of every 10 cars coming through the door could add additional alignment profits. Even standard alignments offer high profit margins because consumers rarely priceshop alignments like they price-shop tires, he notes.

LEVERAGE ALIGNMENT LANES

It is often common for tire dealerships to have a designated aligner, or two, to check alignment. However, this alignment sales approach is likely causing costly bottlenecks. “The catch is that when you get busy or you have a car on the rack, you stop checking alignments,” says Hagerty. “And that’s just reality. People get busy.” Transitioning alignment operation into a top-tier profit driver starts with mandatory check-in alignment audits. Back-in/back-out and drive-through inspection lanes can automatically check alignment and tires in seconds and provide visual reports, says Hagerty. This helps avoid tying up an actual alignment bay, while also building value and trust by explaining why those services are needed. “Customers distrust vague verbal recommendations,” adds CEMB USA’s Reinholt. “Providing a clear, color-coded printout or digital inspection showing red MTD October 2026

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Auto service (out-of-spec) versus green (in-spec) angles makes the sale frictionless.” Reinholt also notes that touchless, drive-over inspection systems help convert walk-in service traffic into alignment sales, with zero labor expenditure. These automated check systems measure toe, camber and thrust angle in seconds without touching the rim. Slow, outdated clamping and target hardware also cost shops time and precious alignment space, limiting profitability. “Older equipment requiring heavy, runout-compensated rim clamps wastes 10 to 15 minutes per car,” says Renholt. “Modern 3D systems with non-marring grips and lightweight HD targets bypass these bottlenecks entirely.”

EXPAND ALIGNMENT OFFERINGS

Creative sales packages can also drive recurring alignment profits. Reinholt recommends offering value packages to upscale alignment profitability. “Sell multi-year or lifetime alignment programs alongside full sets of premium tires, locking in customer retention and scheduled recurring bay visits.” Any customer can benefit from these packages, but they can be even more beneficial to customers driving electric vehicles (EVs), CUVs and light trucks. EVs coming are likely going through tires faster and need more frequent alignments. Reinholt notes that EVs consume tires up to 30% faster than internal combustion engine vehicles due to heavy battery packs, high instantaneous torque and low-rolling-resistance compound tires. As a result, EVs require precise wheel alignment to maintain rated driving range and prevent rapid shoulder wear. Heavier SUVs and trucks equipped with large-diameter wheel assemblies (20plus inches) also exert greater suspension stress, notes Reinholt. These vehicles are more susceptible to out-of-spec misalignment from potholes and rough roads. Reinholt also recommends expanding alignment services to include fleet and commercial capabilities. This is possible by equipping alignment bays with clamp extensions that support custom wheels up to 30 inches or light truck dually applications. With the ability to handle wide footprints and heavy-duty chassis, Reinholt notes that shops can service profitable 74

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“Alignments carry some of the highest gross margins in automotive service — frequently exceeding 70% to 80% — because the billable hour requires zero replacement part costs,” says Scott Reinholt, national director of sales and business development for CEMB USA’s Garage Equipment Division. Image: CEMB USA

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DON’T IGNORE ADAS CALIBRATIONS

Traditionally, some shops performed mechanical alignment where they made adjustments and called it a day. Today, more modern vehicles require electronic resets after an alignment, essentially creating a second alignment phase. Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) — including cameras, radar and lidar — need recalibration whenever thrust angle or ride height changes. Highprofit shops often prioritize integrating ADAS calibration into alignment procedures as a high-ticket package. “Letting these cars leave uncalibrated leaves money on the table and exposes the shop to serious liability,” says Reinholt. “Lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control reference the vehicle’s mechanical thrust angle,” notes Reinholt. “Even a fraction-of-a-degree variance in rear toe can throw safety camera trajectories off-center, making alignments a vital safety service rather than just a tire-wear consideration.” Hagerty estimates roughly 50% of vehicle manufacturers require a steering angle sensor reset. The problem is that not every shop performs this reset. As a result, a light may pop up on the customer’s dash after an alignment or the customer experiences driving issues where the vehicle kind of fights back as it drives. Ignoring this common ADAS reset not only creates an unpleasant driving experience and safety issue for your customers, but it can leave your shop susceptible to costly lawsuits. “With alignment, it’s important to check and of course, adjust correctly and be mindful of any other systems

that can be impacted by alignment,” says Hagerty. Modern alignment equipment often includes tools that tell techs upfront what resets a vehicle needs based on the manufacturer’s specifications. High-profit shops may also pair alignments with wheel uniformity diagnostics. “Average-profit operations treat balancing and alignment as two completely separate, unconnected services,” says Reinholt. Reinholt recommends pairing an alignment rack with a premium diagnostic wheel balancer that measures lateral and radial tire/wheel run-out. This creates a complete ride quality diagnostic station. “Shops solve complex vibration and pull issues in a single visit, unlocking high-margin suspension repairs, custom balance packages and new tire sales.”

TRAIN AND UPDATE EQUIPMENT

Alignment equipment should be fast, easy-to-use and offer excellent service and support. Beyond alignment equipment, dealers also need additional training and tools to capture more alignment profit opportunities. Structured alignment and chassis training can offer an excellent return on investment for shops looking to improve alignment profits. “Equipping technicians with formal steering geometry and specialty alignment training — such as OEM-certified suspension courses and aftermarket eccentric/shim installation — ensures they can correct complex angles rather than passing on non-standard adjustments,” says Reinholt. Hagerty recommends investing in alignment equipment systems that connect dealers with local sales representatives for service or training. While online training is still a great tool, it isn’t as interactive as in-person training. Investing in shims and bushing tools also helps techs and bottom lines. “Stocking adjustable cams, shims and specialty tools prevents delays and allows technicians to correct fi xed-geometry suspensions profitably,” adds Reinholt. Purchasing additional alignment equipment may also help improve alignment profits. According to Reinholt, a high-speed 3D optical aligner that can track the lift provides an immediate ROI. “Technicians make adjustments at various rack heights without manual tower positioning, cutting set-up time in half.” ■ MTD October 2026

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Commercial Tire Dealer®

Flat market reshapes commercial tire dealer business TOP COMMERCIAL TIRE DEALERS SAY FLEETS ARE SPLITTING BETWEEN LONG-TERM TIRE VALUE AND IMMEDIATE SAVINGS By

Sara Welch

edium truck tire demand hasn’t changed dramatically for most of the commercial tire dealers on MTD’s 2026 Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers list, but the business around that demand has. Dealers describe a market where overall volume ranges from flat to modestly higher, yet fleets are changing what they buy, when they buy it and what they expect from their tire suppliers. Lower-tier products are taking share. Retread demand is rising in many markets. Customers are holding less inventory and buying closer to immediate need. At the same time, sophisticated fleets are asking for more data, stronger service coverage and clearer proof that a tire will reduce their total operating cost. Simultaneously, dealers are absorbing higher fuel, insurance, labor and inventory costs. The result is a commercial tire market where selling the tire is only one part of winning and keeping the business. When MTD asked commercial truck tire manufacturers about the market earlier this year, they described soft or uneven demand, growing interest in tier-three and tier-four tires and greater attention to cost per mile, fuel efficiency, casing value and retreadability. The dealer side confirms those trends and shows how differently fleets are responding to the same cost pressure. Black’s Tire Service Inc. and Bauer Built Tire & Service characterized their 2026 medium truck tire volume as flat.

Also in CTD TIA, TRIB seek larger legislative package for retread bills..................86 AG Tire Talk: In-shop or in-field.......88 76

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A Bauer Built Tire & Service employee loads a medium truck tire onto a road service truck. Bauer Built moved up two positions to No. 9 on MTD’s 2026 Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers list. Photo: Bauer Built Tire & Service

Rice Tire Co. said new tire business was flat to slightly down. Commercial Tire Inc. reported flat to slightly higher business, while Best-One Tire & Service said 2026 has been slightly better than 2025. Ziegler Tire & Supply Co. said sales and unit demand were up a few percentage points from a solid 2025. Southern Tire Mart LLC, the No. 1 dealership on MTD’s Top 25 list, is the notable exception. Tom Fanning of Southern Tire Mart said the company was up by double digits even though the broader trucking and commercial tire markets remained difficult. He attributed the increase to gains across existing locations, new stores and acquisitions, along with continued expansion by Southern Tire Mart at Pilot Flying J travel centers. Beneath a relatively flat top line, customers are increasingly splitting into two groups: those trying to optimize a tire throughout its lifecycle and those trying to minimize the upfront cost.

FLEETS DEFINE VALUE DIFFERENTLY

Dan Horn, vice president of sales at McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc., said the company’s larger fleet and national account customers have provided the greatest consistency. Those fleets generally continue to evaluate tire performance over time. “The biggest change is the level of attention customers are placing on total operating cost,” said Horn. “Price has always mattered, but fleets today are looking much more closely at cost per mile, casing value, retreadability, fuel efficiency and overall tire performance.” Smaller fleets and owner-operators, however, are more likely to move among price tiers as freight rates, fuel, insurance and other expenses strain cash flow, he said. Mike Morast, vice president of commercial operations for Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc., sees the same divide. Sophisticated fleets are “looking beyond the acquisition price” at the total economics of a tire program, he said, but tier MTD October 2026

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Commercial Tire Dealer® trade-down has still been significant. Les Schwab’s tier-three inventory footprint is larger than it was 12 to 24 months ago, requiring the dealership to forecast demand and account for the longer lead times associated with imported products. At Rice Tire, the pressure on upfront price is reaching applications in which premium products traditionally had a stronger hold. “A larger portion is looking for the cheapest option available, even on steer tires,” said Brian Chase, Rice Tire’s president. Rice Tire has seen tier-one tires lose share to lower-cost imports. Eastern Iowa Tire Inc. President Gary Van Blaricom summarized the change in his market as customers “buying more imports.” John Ziegler III, regional sales and operations manager of Ziegler Tire, said smaller fleets are purchasing more tier-four products and do not appear to weigh cost-per-mile as heavily as they once did. The change involves timing, as well as product tier. Chris Watson, director of commercial sales for Commercial Tire, said large-volume and bulk purchases have declined as customers buy closer to their immediate needs and manage inventory more conservatively. S&S Tire President Brooks Swentzel described the choice as one between the total cost at purchase and the long-term benefits of cost-per-mile and preventative maintenance. Fuel costs are pushing more customers toward the first calculation. Southern Tire Mart sees the split largely along customer segments. Major fleets remain more likely to purchase premium products through national account programs, which give them product performance and pricing stability. Middle-market fleets and owner-operators are more frequently moving from tier-two to tier-three and, in some cases, directly to tier-four.

RETREADING PROVIDES RELIEF

The renewed focus on immediate savings and lifecycle cost is supporting retreading from both directions. Rice Tire reported higher retread demand even as its new tire business softened. Black’s Tire said retreading is growing as customers seek more economical options. Ziegler Tire has recorded a significant increase in retread demand during the last six to nine months while 78

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A Southern Tire Mart technician inspects a vehicle in a service bay. Southern Tire Mart is expanding its maintenance and other service capabilities as trucking fleets seek ways to reduce downtime and control operating costs. Photo: Southern Tire Mart LLC

Best-One said its customers showed more interest in retreading during the second half of 2026. Southern Tire Mart has also experienced a large increase. Fanning said retreading gives f leets performance comparable to a new tire in appropriate applications at a significantly lower acquisition cost, making it attractive to customers trying to preserve cash without abandoning lifecycle management. However, the trend is not universal across the entire market. S&S Tire said its retreading business has declined this year even as its off-the-road and industrial tire and service businesses have remained strong. The retread gains place more importance on casing management and product selection. Dealers must help customers determine when a lower-cost new tire, a premium retreadable casing or another retread cycle provides the best economic answer.

DEALER COSTS INTENSIFY MARGIN PRESSURE

Fleets are not the only businesses dealing with higher expenses. Dealers must deliver enhanced service while their cost of operating continues to rise. Rice Tire cited substantial increases in fuel, wages and insurance. S&S Tire also pointed to fuel and insurance, while Ziegler Tire said employee and fuel

expenses continue to climb. Southern Tire Mart feels fuel volatility on an unusually large scale because the company operates over 2,200 mobile service vehicles. It has used fuel surcharges where possible and focused on more efficient dispatching, but emergency service still requires sending a truck when and where the customer needs it. Black’s Tire Managing Owner Rick Benton said pricing has not fully reflected the cost of stocking, distributing and installing commercial tires. “The commercial industry needs to find ways to build more pricing margins for the operating and installing dealers, as well as the high cost to distribute and stock truck tires,” he said. Labor adds another constraint. Bauer Built, Ziegler Tire and Commercial Tire all identified recruiting and retaining qualified commercial tire technicians as a central challenge. Commercial Tire is responding with more aggressive recruiting, training and career development. S&S Tire is investing in training, development and employee incentives. Southern Tire Mart continues to support leadership programs and technician certifications. Inventory creates a different balancing act. Customers want immediate availability but are less willing to carry excess tires themselves. Dealers therefore must hold the right mix without tying up too much capital or being caught on the wrong side of price changes. Van Blaricom said low fill rates have forced Eastern Iowa Tire to alternate among manufacturers. Les Schwab has increased earthmover tire inventory in certain markets because justin-time availability has been less reliable, while its medium truck tire supply has remained comparatively stable.

UPTIME BECOMES THE PRODUCT

As tire margins tighten, dealers are placing more emphasis on availability, fleet management, road service, documentation and speed. “Commercial f leets increasingly value uptime and downtime can quickly become more expensive than the tire itself,” said McCarthy Tire’s Horn. McCarthy Tire continues to invest in commercial tire service, emergency road service, fleet support, technology, equipment and employee development. Horn said those capabilities help customers keep equipment operating, extend tire life MTD October 2026

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Commercial Tire Dealer® and lower total operating cost. S&S Tire is following the same principle through roadside service, mechanical work and quick turnaround. Commercial Tire is using technology to improve fleet communication, monitor tire performance and make service operations more efficient. Morast said data becomes valuable when a dealer can respond to it quickly. “Having that data and being able to act on those metrics immediately” helps fleets control costs, he said. For Les Schwab, that responsiveness is part of a broader focus on execution, inventory placement and problem solving. Southern Tire Mart’s STM Connect platform provides fleets with a record of a service event, including photos, roll times and pricing. Its locations at Pilot travel centers address uptime from another direction. Drivers can combine fueling, showering, tire work and maintenance during one stop — an important consideration when hours-of-service requirements limit their available time. These services turn dealer scale into an advantage only when the network executes

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consistently. A large footprint may help a dealership win a fleet account, but keeping that account depends on product availability, response time and the quality of each service event.

GROWTH BEYOND MEDIUM TRUCK TIRES

Several of the largest commercial tire dealers are finding growth in adjacent businesses rather than waiting for a broad freight recovery. Commercial Tire said construction-related business remains strong, creating opportunities in the commercial truck, OTR and service segments. S&S Tire also reported strength in OTR and industrial tires and service. Les Schwab is investing in construction, earthmover and mining tire capabilities. Morast said those segments require specialized equipment, service trucks, tooling, safety processes and trained technicians. Large data center projects and strong mining activity have helped create demand in markets where Les Schwab already has those capabilities.

Southern Tire Mart is expanding in passenger and light truck service, industrial and material handling tires, OTR work and construction tires. Fanning said the company increasingly follows large contractors to project sites and, in some cases, locates service operations on-site to reduce travel time and equipment downtime. “When there’s only so much pie, you have to figure out a way to grow the plate,” he said. Continued investments also showed up alongside movement within MTD’s Top 25 ranking. Bauer Built advanced two positions to No. 9 after acquiring two Jack’s Tire Sales & Service locations and investing in robotics for retread and wheel manufacturing. Ziegler Tire moved one position to No. 15 while reporting higher sales, unit demand and retread activity. S&S Tire entered the ranking at No. 22 after opening a location in Delbarton, W.Va., and expanding its Columbia, Tenn., location. ■

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We don’t ask for your trust, we earn it. Apollo guarantees the best cost per mile, or we pay the difference. Add in a 7-year warranty, 3 retreads, and road hazard coverage, and you’ve got the only tire brand that turns promises into paybacks. Scan to learn more.

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Top 25 Independent Commercial T ire Dealer s

Commercialonly outlets/ commercialretail outlets

Retread plants

Service trucks

1. Southern Tire Mart LLC Columbia, Miss. www.stmtires.com

Thomas and James Duff, owners

181/42

Bridgestone, Continental, Dayton, Double Coin, Firestone, General, Gladiator, Toyo, Yokohama

2,228

2. Pomp's Tire Service Inc. Green Bay, Wis. www.pompstire.com

Jim Wochinske, CEO; Paul Wochinske, president

100/88

Bridgestone, Continental, Double Coin, Firestone, General, Gladiator, Goodyear, Hankook, Kelly, Michelin, Yokohama

810

3. Best-One Tire & Service Monroe, Ind. www.bestonetire.com

Larry and Mark Zurcher, 115/60 CEOs

Bridgestone, Continental, Firestone, General, Goodyear, Ironhead, Michelin, Roadmaster, Toyo, Yokohama

750+

4. McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. www.mccarthytire.com

John D. McCarthy Jr., president

56/18

Bridgestone, Continental, Defiance, Double Coin, Firestone, General, Hankook, Maxam, Yokohama, Zenna

906

5. Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc. Bend, Ore. www.lesschwab.com

Tom J. Nolan, CEO and chairman of the board

25/605

Advance, Blackhawk, Continental, Defiance, Double Coin, Dynamo, Falken, General, Hankook, Michelin, Toyo, Westlake

2,144

6. Snider Tire Inc. dba Snider Fleet Solutions Fort Mill, S.C. www.sniderfleet.com

Marty Herndon, CEO, president and chairman

59/0

BFGoodrich, Continental, General, Michelin, Sailun, Sumitomo, Triangle, Yokohama

750+

7. Service Tire Truck Centers Inc. Bethlehem, Pa. www.sttc.com

Walter Dealtrey, CEO and president

51/0

Apollo, BFGoodrich, Continental, Double Coin, Fortune, General, Goodyear, Michelin, Roadmaster, Yokohama

250+

8. Purcell Tire & Rubber Co. dba Purcell Tire and Service Centers Potosi, Mo. www.purcelltire.com

Roger Lucas, CEO

19/32

BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper, Firestone, Goodyear, Mastertrack, Maxam, Michelin, Roadmaster, Titan, Yokohama

360+

9. Bauer Built Inc. dba Bauer Built Tire & Service Durand, Wis. www.bauerbuilt.com"

Jerry Bauer, CEO and chairman

20/30

Apollo, BFGoodrich, Continental, Falken, Galaxy, General, Kumho, Michelin, Transmax

125

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

Earl Colvard, president

28/4

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

291

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

Jim Parkhouse, CEO

12/0

BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper, Firestone, General, Michelin, Roadmaster, Yokohama

100+

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

Todd Sumerel, president

19/10

Bridgestone, Continental, Falken, Firestone, General, Goodyear, Roadmaster, Yokohama

135

13. Commercial Tire Inc. Meridian, Idaho www.commercialtire.com

Trent Schwenkfelder, CEO

11/38

Bridgestone, Cooper, Firestone, Galaxy, Giti, Milestar, Roadmaster, RoadX, Westlake, Yokohama

205

14. Conlan Tire LLC Mulberry, Fla. www.conlantire.com

Alex Conlan, president

25/0

Ameristeel, Continental, General, Sumitomo

140

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Truck tire brands

Chief Officer

Rank, Company, Headquarters, Website

2026 Modern Tire Dealer Top 25 Independent Commercial Tire Dealers in the U.S.

MTD October 2026

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Commercialonly outlets/ commercialretail outlets

Retread plants

Service trucks

15. Ziegler Tire & Supply Co. dba Ziegler Tire Massillon, Ohio www.zieglertire.com

Nate Clements, president

10/14

Apollo, BFGoodrich, Continental, Firestone, General, Hankook, Michelin, Navitrac, Ralson, RoadX, Samson, Sumitomo, Yokohama

190

16. Pete's Tire Barns Inc. Orange, Mass. www.petestire.com

Pete Gerry, CEO

0/25

ACTN (private label), BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Double Coin, Firestone, Fortune, General, Michelin, Nokian

200

17. T&W Tire LLC Oklahoma City, Olka. www.tandwtire.com

Steve Thiessen and Kane Russell, owners

0/30

BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Falken, Firestone, General, Hankook, Hercules, Ironman, Kumho, Michelin, Roadmaster, Samson, Toyo, Yokohama

18. Black's Tire Service Inc. Whiteville, N.C. www.blackstire.com

Ricky Benton, chairman

0/62

Continental, Cooper, Double Coin, Falken, Goodyear, Hankook, Roadmaster

230

19. Colony Tire Corp. Edenton, N.C. www.colonytire.com

C. Scott Creighton, president

15/18

BFGoodrich, Blackhawk, Continental, Falken, General, Geoquest, Michelin, Prinx, Toyo, Yokohama

325

20. Rice Tire Co. Frederick, Md. www.ricetire.com

Chris Chase, CEO

0/13

Continental, Falken, Goodyear, Michelin, Sailun

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

Joseph Zaccheo, president and CEO

21/0

Arisun, Bridgestone, Cooper, Firestone, Goodyear, Maxam, Roadmaster

22. S&S Tire Lexington, KY www.sstire.com www.sstire.com/commercial

Brooks Swentzel, president

16/0

Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper, Dayton, Double Coin, Firestone, Galaxy, General, Goodyear, Hankook, Kelly, MasterTrack, Michelin, SuperCargo, Roadmaster, Yokohama, Westlake

132

23. Nebraskaland Tire Inc., dba Nebraskaland Tire, Kansasland Tire and Coloradoland Tire, and McWhorter's Tire and Service Lexington, Neb. www.thetirestore.com

Gary Wright, president

7/28

Armstrong, Cooper, Galaxy, Goodyear, Roadmaster, Prinx

24. Valley Tire Co. Charleroi, Pa. www.valleytire.com

Jim Stankiewicz, president

8/6

BFGoodrich, Continental, General, Michelin, Sumitomo, Yokohama

25. Eastern Iowa Tire Inc. Davenport, Iowa www.eitire.com

Gary Van Blaricom, president

0/11

Bridgestone, Continental, Falken, Firestone, General, Long March, Road One

Truck tire brands

Chief Officer

Rank, Company, Headquarters, Website

Top 25 Independent Commercial T ire Dealer s

Rankings are based on MTD’s estimates of each dealership’s 2025 commercial sales.

HOW RANKINGS ARE DETERMINED: To qualify for the MTD Top 25 Commercial Tire Dealers list, a dealership has to sell medium truck tires, have at least one retread plant and must offer 24/7 emergency roadside service. Dealerships are then ranked based on MTD’s best estimate of their commercial sales. TIRE MANUFACTURER-OWNED/TRUCK STOP NETWORK UPDATE: In addition to independent commercial tire dealerships, commercial tires and in some cases, retreaded tires, are also available through tire manufacturer-owned networks and truck stop chains: • Bridgestone Americas Inc. continues to operate eight GCR Tires & Service locations and two Bandag retread plants in the U.S.; • Continental Tire the Americas LLC owns and operates nearly 30 BestDrive commercial and retread plant locations; and • Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. continues to operate 200 Goodyear Commercial Tire & Service Center locations. Truck stop chains that sell medium truck tires include Southern Tire Mart at Pilot, the joint venture between Southern Tire Mart and Pilot Flying J; Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc., which operates Love’s Truck Care and Speedco locations; and TravelCenters of America, which operates full-service travel centers under several different brand names.

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9/29/26 3:31 PM 9/22/26 8:23 AM

Retreading

TIA, TRIB seek larger legislative package for retread bills TIA AND TRIB SEEK MORE SENATE SUPPORT FOR FEDERAL RETREAD LEGISLATION By

Sara Welch

oth federal bills designed to encourage the purchase and use of retreaded tires remain at the “introduced” stage, but tire industry advocates say they are pursuing larger legislative packages as potential paths to passage. The Tire Industry Association (TIA) and Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau (TRIB) are also working to increase support for the companion measures, particularly in the Senate, following a July 16 visit to Capitol Hill. “This is obviously not stand-alone legislation that would be presented and passed,” David Stevens, managing director of TRIB, told MTD. “It needs to be attached to something else.” Roy Littlefield IV, vice president of government affairs for TIA, says the association is evaluating several possible vehicles, including the fiscal year 2027 budget reconciliation framework, an endof-year omnibus tax package, the National Defense Authorization Act and the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.

BILLS AWAIT COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 3401, the Retreaded Tire Jobs, Supply Chain Security and Sustainability Act of 2025, was introduced in May 2025 and referred to the House Ways and Means Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. S. 2790, titled the Resilient Tire Supply and Jobs Act, was introduced in September 2025 and referred to the Senate Finance Committee. Neither bill has received additional recorded committee action. Littlefield says the House measure has 10 supporters, consisting of lead sponsor Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Ill., and nine cosponsors — seven of the supporters are Republicans and three are Democrats. The Senate bill has three Republican supporters: sponsor Sen. Jon Husted, 86

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R-Ohio, and cosponsors Sens. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo. “Efforts to secure additional congressional cosponsors are underway, with announcements expected once commitments are finalized,” says Littlefield. TIA and TRIB’s strategy during their most recent visit to Washington, D.C., focused on gaining more Senate support. The organizations met with the offices of Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich.; Mark Warner, D-Va.; Jon Ossoff, D-Ga.; James Lankford, R-Okla.; Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill.; Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Ted Budd, R-N.C. TIA and TRIB selected offices by weighing senators’ committee assignments, the potential influence they could have on the legislation and whether major retreaders had operations and employees in their states, according to Stevens. The delegation included representatives from Love’s Travel Stops, Pomp’s Tire Service Inc. and McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc. Those participants were able to tell congressional staff how many retread facilities, stores and jobs their companies supported in their individual states. “It’s really about making that link between this is beneficial from an economic standpoint for f leets and owner-operators and governments, but it’s also down to (the) U.S. jobs and U.S. manufacturing in states that these senators represent,” says Stevens. Another goal was to broaden the bill’s Senate support beyond Republicans. Stevens says TIA and TRIB wanted the campaign to reflect the bipartisan support the proposal has attracted in the House. As of Stevens’ July 31 interview with MTD, the meetings hadn’t produced a new Senate cosponsor. However, he says requests for more information have been received and follow-up emails with congressional offices have been exchanged.

Employees at McCarthy Tire Service Co. Inc.’s retread shop in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., are part of a U.S. retread industry that directly employs more than 51,000 workers and supports more than 268,000 jobs across the broader tire industry, according to TIA and TRIB. Photo: MTD

The delegation discussed the bills’ potential effects on manufacturing jobs, fleet costs, sustainability and the domestic tire supply chain. According to Stevens, supply chain security attracted the most attention from congressional staff. “It really had to do with that supply chain security issue,” he says, noting that the topic prompted staffers to look up from their notepads or begin taking notes. Stevens says the disruptions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the domestic retread industry’s importance. If ports close or imported tires become unavailable, he says U.S. retreaders provide an essential domestic source of commercial tires. Protecting U.S. manufacturing jobs from low-cost imported tires was a close second among the arguments that resonated with congressional offices, Stevens says. Sustainability benefits also attracted interest, particularly during meetings with Democratic offices. Materials supplied to lawmakers by TIA and TRIB cite a 2018 analysis that estimated the retread sector directly employed more than 51,000 workers and supported more than 268,000 jobs throughout the broader tire industry. The materials also say approximately 15 million commercial tires are retreaded annually in the U.S., while the estimated number of domestic retread plants fell from more than 3,000 in 1982 to around 500 in 2023. TIA and TRIB also told lawmakers that retreading saves fleets nearly $3 billion a year and that producing a retread requires approximately 15 fewer gallons of oil and MTD October 2026

9/29/26 3:31 PM

90 to 100 fewer pounds of material than producing a new commercial truck tire. The bills would create a general business tax credit for qualifying retreaded tires that are both purchased and retreaded in the U.S. The credit would equal the lesser of 30% of the tire’s purchase price or $30 per tire. As introduced, the credit would apply to qualifying tires placed in service after Dec. 31, 2025, and would end for tires placed in service after Dec. 31, 2028. Littlefield says that means purchases made during 2026 could qualify retroactively if the bill were enacted with its current effective date. However, TIA expects the dates and other provisions could be updated as the legislation advances. “We are closely monitoring the bill’s progress and would certainly look to propose updates and amendments as it moves forward, ensuring the final language incorporates appropriate effective dates and modernized guidelines,” he says. The proposed tax credit applies to taxpayers and does not establish a separate way for tax-exempt state, local or federal fleets to claim it, according to Littlefield. The legislation separately contains a federal procurement requirement. When a retread is available through the General Services Administration tire schedule in the desired size, load range and tread designation, a federal agency would be required to order it instead of a new tire that cannot be retreaded. Federal agencies would retain discretion when no matching retread is available on the GSA schedule. The bill does not establish a similar procurement mandate for state or local government fleets. Although passage remains TIA’s goal, Littlefield says the association also recognizes that the proposal could require a longer campaign. “We are actively leveraging this session to expand our coalition, educate key lawmakers and build durable momentum that will guarantee a strong foundation for future legislative success,” he says. Stevens says commercial tire dealers, retreaders and fleet customers can contribute by contacting their senators and House representatives and asking them to support the applicable bill. Industry members should explain how retreading affects employment, manufacturing, fleet customers and business activity within the lawmaker’s state

or congressional district. “Grassroots efforts make a difference,” says Stevens. Congressional offices track constituent calls and emails, he adds, and repeated contact can elevate an issue among the many proposals competing for lawmakers’ attention. Dealers and retreaders who want to support the bills can visit TRIB’s online advocacy resource at www.retread.org/

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so/c3Pc7aMfL to learn more about the legislation, find their representatives and review suggested language for calling or emailing in support of S. 2790 and H.R. 3401. Although TIA hasn’t received a firm commitment resulting from the July meetings yet, Littlefield says conversations remain “constructive, collaborative and heading in a positive direction.” ■

9/20/24 8:08 AM 9/29/26 3:31 PM

AG T ire Talk

In-shop or in-field WHICH AG TIRE MOUNTING METHOD WORKS BEST? Modern Tire Dealer has partnered with AG Tire Talk to provide answers to insightful questions that farm tire dealers have about farm tire technology. This is the next installment in our ongoing series, which is designed to help farm tire dealers better connect with their customers. A trending question, followed by answers, will appear in our Commercial Tire Dealer section every other month. For complete answers, visit www.agtiretalk.com.

Machine-assisted mounting can make servicing large agricultural tires easier and more consistent. Experts stress that technicians must still use proper lubrication and avoid excessive force when mounting tires. Photo: Ascenso Tires North America

QUESTION: When servicing ag tires, do you prefer to use an

in-shop tire mounting machine or the traditional manual pry bar method and how can a tech reduce the risk of tire damage on both mounting methods? ROBERT BENDER, product manager and tech support,

off-highway tires, Ascenso Tires North America: If I’m working in a shop that’s set up with a good tire machine, I’m probably using the machine. However, I still think every tire technician should learn how to properly mount and dismount a tire with bars. There are going to be times when you’re out in the field and the machine isn’t available or something breaks. If you don’t know the basics of tire bars, you’re going to have a long day. Before getting into mounting methods, let’s talk about safety. I’ve learned a few things the hard way over the years and that experience taught me your number-one job, above everything else, is to go home safe. Start with the basics: • Wear personal protective equipment; • Inspect the service area; 88

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• Lock out/tag out equipment and service area, including wheel chocks; • A hydraulic jack is for lift ing only, not for supporting the load while you’re working on it; • Crib/support equipment properly; • During service of dual wheels, deflate both, even if one is to be serviced; • Handle the tires using lift ing straps, a chain sling and a tire manipulator; • Use proper inflation devices to stay out of the tire’s trajectory. I’d also encourage every dealer to invest in training. There are great programs through the Tire Industry Association, covering farm, earthmover, truck and even passenger tire service. Our industry has always relied on the tribal knowledge of older technicians teaching the next generation and there’s a lot of good knowledge that gets passed along. But not everything we’ve always done is necessarily the best way to do it. It’s a lot of technique. Once you understand how to work the bead into the drop center and let the tire work with you instead of against you, the job gets a lot easier. MTD October 2026

9/29/26 3:30 PM

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AG T ire Talk — honestly, it was one of the best investments we made. Besides making the job easier, it saved a lot of wear and tear on the technicians. After wrestling tractor tires for years, your shoulders and your back know it. Tire machines make life easier. That’s just a fact. They also make the job more consistent. Less fighting the tire usually means less chance of damaging a bead, scratching a wheel or damaging something in a hurry. Another advantage with a tire machine is bringing difficult assemblies back to the shop instead of spending half a day fighting them in the field. Especially if you’ve got a newer technician or the weather isn’t cooperating, sometimes that’s just the smarter option. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer when it comes to tire bars versus tire machines. A good technician can use either. It depends on what works best in the situation. What separates a good technician from a great one isn’t the equipment. It’s understanding the proper technique, taking your time, respecting the tire and wheel/rim components and not taking shortcuts. If there’s one piece of advice that I could give a new or even seasoned technician, it’s this: Just because you see someone do something on YouTube, Facebook or TikTok doesn’t make it the right way. Keep learning. Ask questions and take advantage of training when it’s available. At the end of the day, the tire can always be replaced. You can’t. DAVE PAULK, manager, field technical services, BKT USA Inc.:

Tire bars remain essential for agricultural tire service, particularly in the field when mounting machines aren’t available. Proper technique and lubrication help technicians avoid damaging tire beads during mounting and dismounting. Photo: Ascenso Tires North America

Most of my career was spent using tire bars, so they’re still my preferred method simply because that’s what I’m comfortable with. I have also used my mini-boom as a third hand more times than I can count. Having a mini-boom or tire manipulator is a huge help when you’re handling large ag tires. One thing I see on a regular basis that concerns me is how tires are handled. This includes technicians using bead hooks to lift and position tires and sometimes even tow truck hooks to pull tires off wheels. I understand why they do it. But after learning more about tire construction over the years, it’s not something I’d recommend. Bead hooks should be reserved for scrap tires only. Some of the largest ag tires can weigh up to 800 pounds or more. When you hang one from a bead hook, all that weight is hanging on one small section of the bead bundle. Is it going to damage every tire? Probably not. But why take the chance? It’s better to cradle the tire with a sling or use equipment that’s designed to lift it. The same thing goes for using the boom to force a tire onto the rim. It’s easy to roll the bead, damaging the bead bundle or sidewall from pushing the tire on. The same goes for pulling a tire off the rim with a bead hook, which increases the risk of tire damage. Then we’re right back to safety again. Shortly before I left the dealership, we installed a large tire machine that would handle just about every ag tire we worked on 90

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When it comes to mounting an agricultural tire, there are two options: choose a mounting machine in a shop or use manual pry bars. The first option can be easier and less challenging, but both methods require high precision and knowledge to minimize the risk of damaging the tire, especially the bead. In fact, if the bead is kinked or broken, the tire is unusable. If the bead rubber is torn, the tire may not seat properly on the wheel, thus resulting in leaking around the bead. This can cause sidewall separation, with air getting under the tire’s inner liner. Shop-mounted machines are easy to use once a person is familiar with the controls. They take much of the heavy lift ing out of the equation. These machines make breaking the bead and dismounting the tire simple, as the tire is lifted into a position that is easy to work on. Although these machines are easy to operate, care must be taken when mounting or dismounting tires to ensure the beads aren’t broken or kinked during operation. Tires with heavy beads, such as sprayer tires, require extreme care. The last 8-10 inches of the tire bead may need the help of a flat bar to get the bead over the rim. The beads can get into a bind if one is not careful. Using a clamp to hold the bead in place when mounting provides a good starting point. Especially for wide and stiff beads, it is important to let the bead inside the rim well to ease the fitment and to reduce the risk of abnormal stress over the bead area. A good lubricant must be used on the beads and the flange area of the rim to ensure the tire bead goes over the flange lip easily. This prevents the rubber in the bead from tearing. Boom trucks and mini-booms help with the heavy lifting. The booms can be used to break the bead from the rim or a hammer must be used. Hydraulic bead breakers are also recommended for breaking the bead. Radial tires are generally easier to work with because the beads and sidewalls are more flexible than those on bias tires. If bias tires have tubes, they can be difficult to break. Once the bead is broken from the rim, start with a bar to lift the bead over the rim flange. Using a specific lubricant on the tire MTD October 2026

9/29/26 3:31 PM

bead makes this job easier. Use a second bar to take smaller bites to continue getting the bead over the rim flange. When remounting a tire, lubricate the bead and the rim well to make it easier to get it over the rim flange. Use bars to get the tire back on the wheel. A C-bar is useful with radial tires on a single-drop wheel. Sometimes there isn’t much room to work, and the C-bar gives a little more room. Tire irons can be used to dismount and remount the tire. Spoon bars are helpful when the bead is tight and care is needed to make sure the bead isn’t damaged. If it is attempted with a dry bead, there is a high risk of tearing the bead rubber, especially on old tires where the rubber has become brittle. Do not use silicone, petroleum, antifreeze or solvent-based lubricants that can damage the rubber. They also don’t evaporate well and can cause tires to spin on the wheel when put under heavy torque. GREG GILLAND, vice president, global agriculture, Maxam

Tire: How an agricultural tire is mounted will directly impact how long the tire remains in service. Improper mounting is one of the most common causes of bead damage and subsequent incorrect tire seating, which can lead to poor air pressure management, resulting in the tires developing sidewall cracking or bead failures with subsequent overheating, leading to premature tire casing failure. How you mount an agricultural tire is as important as which tire you choose. Bending or kinking the bead area and bead wire during the mounting process can create a structural weakness that can lead

to premature failure when the tire is inflated to operate at the required inflation load. External pollutants — mud, loose dirt, wheel metal rust or old lubricant residue not cleaned off the rim components — can negatively impact how the bead seats against the wheel or rim flange, preventing a proper seal and resulting in chronic air loss and/or bead slippage when the tire is operating under both load and speed. The impact is the same for all types of ag tires, from bias to radial to the new technology, VF (very-high flexion) tires. You can choose between the following methods: • An automated off-site or in-shop tire mounting machine with mechanical assist; • The traditional field service manual mounting process, using a pry bar with a field air pressure portable or vehicle air pump. Here are the advantages of using automated or on-site tire mounting equipment: • Speed of mounting. This can be useful for larger-diameter tires and for larger fleet operations. • Reduced physical strain. Using automated or on-site equipment reduces the service operator’s upper body effort of needing to manually pry the bead and sidewalls of the tires. • Regulated or even mounting force. An automated or machine-controlled bead breaker and mount head tool can apply consistent as well as more graduated force to seat the beads than manual effort.

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AG T ire Talk Here are some disadvantages of using automated or on-site tire mounting equipment:

mounting more than one tire during a service call. • Experience and skill. Sustainable and repeatable tire mounting can depend heavily on training and experience. An inexperienced technician using pry bars can do more permanent damage to the tires if using poor techniques.

• Greater cost of operation. Agricultural-capacity machines are a large investment and, unless used regularly, can be an expensive tool for limited-service needs. • Tire size limitations. Mounting machinery may not be able to be augmented to handle the increasingly larger tractor, harvester, grain cart or sprayer sizes entering the market. • Mounting issues or service risk. A poor service operator running the wrong-capacity machine to mount a larger tire can potentially damage a tire bead faster than a skilled technician using manual tools and seasoned service experience.

Even with machine-assisted tire mounting, the technique and steps followed can determine the best outcome. Below are recommended steps to ensure a safe and damage‑free tire mounting experience: • Confirm equipment rating. Verify that the tire mounter swing arm, bead breaker and tire mount head are rated for the selected tire diameter and rim seat to be mounted. • Clean and inspect all rim components. Any debris — dirt, mud, old lubricant residue and rust on the bead seat and flanges — can cause chronic air loss, regardless of how well the tire is mounted. • Use approved, non-oil-based mounting lubricants. Apply a tire mounting lubricant approved for tires that does not degrade rubber onto both the beads and both rim flanges. • Match the mount head to the type of tire casing construction. Higher-flexibility sidewall tires like VF and IF (increased flexion) tires require different mounting pressure than standard-casing radial or bias ply tires. • Use the wheel or rim flange, not the tire bead. When applying pressure to the bead area, use the rim as the lever to push the bead over the flange lip and minimize putting all the pressure on the bead itself, as the inner bead wire wrapped in the rubber seat is just inside the tire bead heel. • Never apply heat to rubber or metal rim components. Any heat applied compromises the rubber compound and weakens the bead area or the bead wire bonds. If a tire is fighting you, re‑lubricate the beads and flanges while checking your tool placement before applying more force. • Confirm bead seating once inflated. Inspect and verify that both beads on each side of the mounted tires are sitting evenly and symmetrically around the full circumference before inflating or adjusting the tire up or down to its required operating pressure.

Next, here are the advantages of using pry bars for mounting: • Lower service and maintenance costs. No heavy mounting equipment required beyond a clean set of tire irons, lifting equipment when needed and required bead lubricant. • Flexibility and portability. Manual tools and seasoned service experience will work anywhere, allowing field service in remote operations during field breakdowns and reducing access limitations. • Field service experience. An experienced service technician can feel the bead position and sidewall resistance directly, often catching a problem before it can result in permanent bead area or sidewall damage during the mounting process; • Ability to service any size. Manual or field mounting allows the servicing of any ag tire size, including some sizes that exceed what fixed shop machines can handle. And finally, some disadvantages of using pry bars: • Permanent bead damage. Incorrect placement or excessive lever force can bend the bead area and the inner wire, resulting in the most common mounting-related damage for ag tires. • Service technician physical demands. Ag tires, especially larger tires, can take real physical effort to achieve correct mounting by hand, with fatigue leading to potential error rates when

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Manual tire mounting requires precision, time and the right tools. Below are recommended steps to ensure tires are both mounted safely and effectively: • Select and use properly sized tire irons. Using the wrong-sized tool can result in excessive point pressure that will either damage the tire or potentially injure the technician. • Use the rim flange, not the bead. When applying pressure to a tire’s bead area, use the rim as the lever to push the bead over the flange lip and minimize putting all the pressure on the bead itself. • Work in small increments. Mounting an ag tire is not always a fast exercise, so work in small increments and measure your progress by checking the bead seating around the circumference of the rim or wheel outer flanges. Poor seating is the leading cause of a tire’s early removal or potential failure.

tires, always use the correct new tube and flap, if required, for the tire size. For tubeless tires, always use a new tubeless valve correctly tightened on tubeless rims. Never use silicone or petroleum-based products. We recommend vertical fitting. In case of manual horizontal fitting, pay attention to check if the lower bead is correctly seated. Position the valve or valve hole at the bottom, fitting the tire on the rim diametrically opposite to the valve hole. After the rest of the steps have been followed, set the pressure according to appropriate shipment pressure values. ■

When inflating, do not exceed the air pressure seating limit. Inflate only to the pressure required to seat the bead, generally in the 25 psi to 35 psi range, depending on the tire. Then verify that the tire is properly seated. YOKOHAMA TWS TEAM : Tire fitting and

removal procedures can be dangerous and should only be performed by trained and qualified staff, using the appropriate tools and procedures. Failure to comply with these procedures may result in the tire being incorrectly seated on the rim and could cause a rapid deflation, potentially leading to serious physical injury or death. When fitting, first make sure that the rim, the tire and the tube are compatible, then check that the tire is suitable for the machine. The seat diameter of the rim must be exactly the same as the seat diameter of the tire to be mounted. Use only rims recommended or permitted by the tire manufacturer. Always use the proper specialized equipment and tools in good condition — not sharp and suitable for the tires and rims. The rim must be clean and in perfect condition. If necessary, clean the rim thoroughly with a wire brush. Never fit a tire onto a rim that shows cracks, significant distortion or evidence of welded repair. Thoroughly inspect the inside and outside of the tire to identify any deterioration or damage present. Before fitting the tire, apply lubricant to the rim and the beads. Use only a suitable lubricant that will not damage the tire and is suitable for operation. If you think you’ve put enough lubricant on, put more. For tube-type

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Business Insight

When ‘my way’ isn’t enough FOUR REASONS WHY EMPLOYEES DON’T DO WHAT THEY’RE TOLD By

Dennis McCarron

here are four general reasons why employees don’t do what they are told. The first is that they don’t understand. Let’s look at a hypothetical exchange between you and an employee: Employee: “I don’t know why you want me to go to the car with every customer.” You: “Because it’s our process” Employee: “But you don’t understand there are five people in line waiting to get written up and if they see me leave, I might lose those customers and sales. For what? To get a tire size?” You” “The idea is so that if you get an accurate size, you can look at the condition of the vehicle, get a chance to build rapport with the customer and also look for things like alignment wear, etc.” Employee: “But I’m busy. Don’t you get that? We can do all those things later. Right now, I just have to get through the rush. I’m not skipping steps. I’m moving them to a place where I can control it.”

‘Selling and advising customers is a series of small, short-term commitments.’ The second reason: there’s no real-life proof. An employee might tell you, “Your idea doesn’t work. I do the work every single day and you’re asking me to do it your way and I’m telling you it’s a waste of time. My sales are good — one of the top in the district. What you’re telling me to do may work in other stores, but if I do it here, sales will go down.” The next reason? The employee sees no need for it. “I’m fine,” the employee says. “I don’t need to do it another way.” And finally, the fourth reason: the employee sees no value. “When I try to do it your way, something always backfires. As a matter of fact, last time we tried, just two days later you guys got on my case about car count decline. If I don’t do it your way, you get on my case about process and if I try it your way, you get on my case about results.” In 1989, Ferdinand Fournies wrote a book called “Why Employees Don’t Do What They Should and What to Do About It.” This seminal work was based on human psychology and real-life observations of over 25,000 managers. You don’t get to argue with the reasons in the book. What’s hard to distinguish sometimes is why employees choose those paths instead of just doing what they’re told. Some are obvious, like management has task and goal 94

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expectations, but the company doesn’t provide the right tools or there is a physical limitation, like an employee in a wheelchair and the store has product up a flight of steps. Some are more subtle — for example, “They don’t believe it’s possible” or “They don’t know why they should” versus “They don’t know they are supposed to.” “Should” and “supposed” are my two favorite little nuggets in the book. It’s a tiny little crack in management structure that if left to sit in the seasonal changes and weather, becomes a huge chasm in the workplace process. Time allows for the undesirable behaviors to take shape, to get a stronghold inside the store’s process and become the “proof ” that not following the rules works. It becomes nearly impossible to argue against, as those in the trenches of dayto-day customer advising and selling get to use hundreds of lived examples illustrating why your way has flaws and why their way is better. The truth is, their way is just easier, which is also addressed in the book. But try having that argument with someone who is actively up against strong targets and goals. The discussion quickly becomes a clay shooting contest. You launch an idea. They shoot it down. They launch a reason. You shoot it down. Repeat until exhausted. The quick and free answer to this problem is to prioritize your needs in the process and meticulously deal with each one of them at a time, until there is no other process. Yours has won outright in performance, in employee morale — doing it right feels good — and results. The pain of change is less than the pain of not changing. It’s more efficient to get out to the customer’s car and get the tire size for the effectiveness of the entire interaction. But the employee is also correct. Going out to the car while there are five waiting customers and you are by yourself flat-out stinks. And there is no instant gratification like there is when you finally plow through that 11 a.m. rush and you can come up for air and start organizing workflow out in the shop. You can’t compete with that feeling, so you shouldn’t. Selling and advising customers is a series of small, shortterm commitments that when added together, form a very tight, long-lasting relationship. Mistakes can be made. But an irregular write-up experience, followed by missed deadlines and promised phone calls and continuous surprises in the process — “We can’t find your wheel lock after the vehicle was dropped off four hours ago” — creates mistrust. Suspicious customers never buy recommendations. ■

I A I F

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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

The best time to sell might be when you don’t want to BUYERS WANT BUSINESSES THAT OWNERS STILL ENJOY RUNNING By

Cole Strandberg

here’s a question I hear surprisingly often when a successful business changes hands: “If the business is doing so well, why would they sell it?” It’s a fair question, particularly if you haven’t spent much time around mergers and acquisitions. We tend to associate selling with an ending. Perhaps an owner is ready to retire, the next generation doesn’t want the business, growth has stalled or maybe the owner is simply ready to move on. But some of the most attractive businesses that come to market are there for exactly the opposite reason. They’re growing, profitable, well-managed and have plenty of opportunities ahead of them. Their owners may still enjoy running them. And that’s precisely why buyers want them. Private equity firms and private equity-backed strategic buyers have capital to deploy. Generally speaking, they aren’t looking to pay premium valuations for businesses that need to be rescued. They’re looking for good companies that can become bigger and better with additional capital, resources, leadership or acquisitions. The healthiest businesses tend to have the most options. Consider two hypothetical tire dealerships. The first has performed well for decades, but its owner is ready to retire. Revenue has been flat for several years, key employees are approaching retirement themselves and the company hasn’t added a location in a decade. The second is growing 10% annually. It has a strong management team, several potential acquisition targets and opportunities to enter adjacent markets. The owner is energized and believes the company could double in size over the next five years. Which story do you think gets a buyer more excited? Ironically, the second owner may be the one least interested in selling. That can be an excellent position from which to explore your options. When you don’t need to sell, you can afford to be selective. You can evaluate buyers based on more than purchase price. What do they bring to the table? What happens to your employees? How do they think about growth? Do you actually want to spend the next several years working alongside them? And if you don’t like the answers, you can keep running a great business. It also helps to reconsider what “selling” means today. For many larger independent operators, a transaction doesn’t necessarily mean handing over the keys on Friday and heading to the golf course or their island of choice on Monday. An owner might sell a majority interest, take meaningful liquidity off the table, retain equity and continue leading the company. A transaction can provide capital for acquisitions, help build out management or introduce a partner with experience in scaling businesses. For the right owner, the question may not be, “Am I ready to 96

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‘Exploring a transaction while the business is thriving can create an opportunity to diversify that wealth, accelerate growth or simply understand what the market is willing to offer.’ sell?” It may be, “Could the right partner help me accomplish what I already want to accomplish?” I think it’s important to answer that question before going to market. In fact, it’s one of the first questions I’ll ask a prospective seller. What is your preferred outcome? Do you want to retire, retain ownership, continue leading the business or accelerate growth? For an attractive company, a process can often be designed around the outcome you actually want. But there’s a difference between having a preferred outcome and being inflexible. I worked with a seller recently who understood that distinction particularly well. They were convinced they wanted to partner with private equity, retain meaningful ownership and continue growing the company. A partnership was the preferred outcome and we designed our process accordingly. We also agreed on something else before going to market. If a strategic buyer made what we jokingly called a “crazy offer”— if someone decided they wanted the business more than the owner wanted to keep it — we would take it seriously. So alongside potential private equity partners, we included strategic buyers that would require a full acquisition. That gave the seller another point of comparison and created additional competitive tension. Ultimately, one of those strategic buyers made an extremely compelling offer for the entire business. Suddenly, the decision wasn’t theoretical anymore. It’s easy to sit around a conference table and discuss whether you’d rather own 30% of a larger business five years from now or sell 100% today. It’s different when there’s an actual offer for millions of dollars sitting in front of you. The seller ultimately chose the strategic offer. The original plan wasn’t wrong, but they had been thoughtful enough to define both their preferred outcome and the circumstances under which they would consider something different. The best time to make a major decision is often when you have the luxury of saying no. So, the next time someone asks why the owner of a successful tire dealership would sell, consider a different question: Why would they wait until it wasn’t? ■ Cole Strandberg is a managing director and Co-Head of Automotive Services with NBB, specializing in mergers and acquisitions and capital raising for multi-location tire dealerships and automotive service businesses. Email him at cole@nationalbusinessbrokers.com.

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Dealer Development

You see it, read it and repeat it — that’s not learning DON’T OVER-DEPEND ON TECHNOLOGY FOR SOLUTIONS By

Randy O’Connor

icture a kid who’s just finished her first week of gymnastics class. She comes home and does exactly what every parent has seen a hundred times — a wobbly cartwheel in the living room, narrated the whole way through: “You put your hands down like this, then your legs go over and you have to keep your arms straight or you’ll fall.” She isn’t just showing the move. She’s teaching it to whoever’s standing there. For a full week, she had been told what to do. She had been shown what to do. A coach corrected the positioning of her hands, her legs and her arms a dozen times. None of that — the telling, the showing, the correcting — was the moment she learned the cartwheel. The moment she learned it was the moment she had to explain it to someone else. I keep thinking about moments like these because I think it’s the exact moment our industry is at risk of skipping entirely — and technology is why. Walk into almost any tire dealership today and you’ll find a technician with a diagnostic question pulling up an artificial intelligence (AI) tool instead of cracking open a manual or calling a mentor. He types in the symptom, the code and the vehicle. Within seconds, he’s got a plausible answer — sometimes a genuinely good one. He reads it. He repeats it back to the customer or to himself or he types it into the work order. The job gets done. Same goes for the manager who’s force-fed any series of reports highlighting performance. They open the email or dashboard, see the output and move on.

‘Walk into almost any tire dealership today and you’ll find a technician with a diagnostic question pulling up an AI tool instead of cracking open a manual or calling a mentor.’ That’s telling and showing, compressed into a search bar. And it’s fast, which is exactly the problem. It’s fast enough that it feels like understanding. Here’s my test — the same one I’d apply to any tech, any service writer or any store manager: Can they teach it? Not “can they repeat what the technology told them.” Can they explain — in their own words, to the next new hire — why that fault code shows up, why that fix works, why the numbers changed and how the behavior affected the outputs? If the answer’s coming from a screen and it stops the moment the screen’s not there, nothing was actually learned. Something was borrowed. I’m not writing this as an AI or technology skeptic. I use these 98

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tools regularly and so does most of the industry at this point, whether it’s diagnostic assistance, service write-ups or figuring out a fair way to phrase a difficult conversation with a customer. The tools aren’t the issue. The issue is what we let them replace. Told-and-shown was never the finish line, even before tech and AI. These tools have just made the told-and-shown phase so quick and so convincing that a lot of us have started mistaking it for the whole process. Think about the tech who gets an AI-generated answer, applies it correctly and moves to the next car. Six months later, he hits a variation of that same problem and same root cause, but with different symptoms because he never actually built the mental model underneath the answer. He memorized an output. He didn’t learn a diagnosis. Compare that to the manager who took that same type of situation, but with data outputs and used it as a starting point, then had to explain to a co-worker why it made sense, where they could be going wrong and what he’d suggest first. That’s owning something. So here’s what I’d challenge you to build into your shop: Treat technology and AI outputs the way you’d treat a suggestion from a parts catalog or a tip from a forum — a starting point, not a finish line. When a tech uses one of these tools to solve something, don’t just check whether the car got fixed. Ask him to explain it to the newer guy standing next to him. Make him defend the answer, not just repeat it. Same with the manager. Have them explain the connectivity between the behavior and the output. If they can only recite what the AI tool told them, that’s your signal that learning hasn’t happened yet. The telling has, but not the teaching. This matters more now — not less — precisely because these tools are only going to get better and faster at telling and showing. That means the teach-back step is the only part of the process. AI can’t do for your people. And even if it could, would you want that? It can give your people an answer. It can’t give them understanding. Only a person explaining it to another person does that. The kid doing cartwheels in the living room didn’t learn gymnastics because someone told her how. She learned it the moment she had to teach it. Your teams are no different and neither is anyone else in your business who is leaning on a screen for the first draft of an answer or solution. You see it, you read it, you repeat it — none of that is learning. Learning starts the moment you have to teach it back. ■ 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.

MTD October 2026

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Human Capital

Are you a lifelong learner? CONTINUING EDUCATION IS NOT OPTIONAL IN THIS INDUSTRY By

Craig Van Batenburg

his column is about a co-worker who taught me lessons that helped my career. Have you been so lucky? In 1969, I graduated from Burncoat High School in Worcester, Mass., and went right into a full-time job working on internal combustion engine vehicles. They were all air-cooled, foreign-made and the road tests were sometimes the best part. I didn’t have to do wheel alignments or air conditioning work. It was a dream job that I still treasure all these years later. I worked with a man my own age who was taking college courses in mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. His name was John Dunbar. What we had in common was motorcycling. At that time John drove a BSA and I drove a Honda. We became friends. Joe Bolger was the shop owner and sold Honda motorcycles before Honda cars came to America. A couple of years later, John and I rode street-legal, off-road Hondas, me a 125 and John a 250. We became friends. John knew I was keeping a secret from Joe. I am color blind. True color blindness is rare. Those people only see black, white and shades of grey. My condition causes me to mix up red and green, plus a few other colors. I needed that job and I was afraid I would get fired if Joe knew. If you are a Honda buff from the 1960s, you might remember there were no plastic connectors with multiple-colored wires attached at that time. If each connector was slightly different, no mistakes were made — 40 wires, six connectors and the Honda was ready to ride. Unfortunately for me, back then each wire was plugged into one more, hopefully the same color. Red was positive and green was negative. Other colors were used, too, and some had a color down the side of the rubber insulator that we called the “tracer”. New Honda motorcycles were shipped from Japan, partially assembled in a wooden crate. The handlebars were strapped to the side of the frame (pre-wired), the front wheel and seat were in a cardboard box and the headlight, taillight and directionals were in another. Two hours later, a new Honda was ready for a ride. John helped me match up the green to green and red to red. I was too afraid to ask for help, but John saw me struggling and offered to educate me. Lesson one: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. A thoughtful owner will be understanding and will work on accommodating you. John was also getting his degree in mechanical engineering and was excited to explain to me some of the teachings he had recently learned where they applied to motorcycles. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was starting to think like an engineer. Can that mental process be taught or is it in DNA? Our office 100

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manager, Krista, has the same degree from the same college as John. She has young children, so a part-time job makes sense. Her husband is a software engineer. We talked about this subject and Krista explained it this way: Software engineering is totally different than mechanical engineering. Her mind processes mechanical technology easily, but doesn’t understand what her husband is doing — two different brains.

‘Lessons are learned from co-workers, so encourage the relationships that exist in your shop and you can move to a more inclusive mix of people.’ Lesson two: Work with people who are more educated than you — and smarter, too! Back to John Dunbar. After graduation, he worked for a while as an engineer, but left and came back to the Honda shop as a mechanic and did service manager work, as well. Then he was off to a Subaru dealership on the coast of Maine, eventually owning an old wooden boat restoration shop further up the Maine coast. I started an independent Honda shop in Worcester in my mid-20s. We met up recently. He and I are still learning — in our mid-70s. Fixing things is what we do. We still ride Honda motorcycles. What are the takeaways for your dealership? Hiring young employees with a college degree is a good indicator that they understand the value of learning. We all know that lifelong learning is not optional in this business. Lessons are learned from co-workers, so encourage the relationships that exist in your shop and you can move to a more inclusive mix of people. Think about what you do now to foster the growth of ideas and lifelong learning. And don’t be afraid to look outside this industry for talent. More about Human Capital in the next edition of MTD. ■ Craig Van Batenburg is a monthly columnist for Modern Tire Dealer. Craig owns two companies. The Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC) provides international training related to electric and hybrid vehicles. He also operates www.WORCESTEREVS.com, an EV repair shop. For more information, see www.FIXHYBRID.com or email Craig at Craig@ fixhybrid.com.

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Focus on Dealers

Adaptability, investment in people core to VIP Tires’ success VIP AIMS TO MAINTAIN ITS LEGACY AFTER 100 YEARS By

Mike Manges

IP Tires & Service used the Samoset Resort in Rockport, Maine, as the backdrop for its recent 100th anniversary celebration. A gala dinner celebration entertained about 250 VIP Tires & Service employees and vendors in attendance. Founded in 1926 as Quirk Tire Co., the dealership grew throughout the years until third-generation family owner John Quirk bought VIP Parts, Tires and Service in 2001. In 2012, Quirk sold the parts business to O’Reilly Auto Parts to concentrate on tires and auto service and renamed the company VIP Tires & Service. Today, VIP Tires & Service has 77 locations throughout five states. The dealership employs nearly 800 people. MTD caught up with Quirk and Tim Winkeler, VIP Tires & Service’s president and CEO, during the Auburn, Mainebased dealership’s recent centennial event. MTD: VIP has survived and grown for 100 years. What’s been the biggest factor behind that longevity? Quirk: The biggest factor has been adaptability. Our company has constantly evolved as the tire and automotive service industry changed. My grandfather started by servicing tires on the road, then we became significant players in off-the-road tires and retreading. Later, when I acquired VIP in 2001, we recognized that tires and automotive service represented the future and shifted our focus accordingly. Winkeler: Companies that last for 100 years have one thing in common — they adapt. VIP has continually reinvented itself as markets changed, consumer expectations evolved and new opportunities emerged. The business today looks very different from what it was even 25 years ago and that’s a big reason we’ve continued to grow. 102

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“Our company has constantly evolved as the tire and automotive service industry changed,” says John Quirk, executive chairman of VIP Tires & Service (right), pictured with Tim Winkeler, the dealership’s president and CEO. Photo: MTD

MTD: When you acquired VIP in 2001, you inherited a company with a different culture. How did you begin transforming it? Quirk: The very first thing I did was spend several weeks talking with employees. I wasn’t there to tell them what was wrong. I was there to listen. What I heard repeatedly was, ‘We have no voice.’ Employees felt there were many things the company could do better if management would simply listen to them. That feedback shaped the culture we’ve built over the last 25 years. Today, one of our strongest beliefs is that great ideas come from the people closest to the customer. Many of the improvements we’ve implemented throughout the organization originated from suggestions made by employees in our stores and support center. Winkeler: That culture of listening and continuous improvement remains one of our biggest strengths. Our employees know they have a voice and that their ideas can lead to real change. MTD: VIP has expanded significantly over the last several years. What do you look for when entering a new market?

Winkeler: We primarily look for strong independent operators with excellent reputations. Ideally, they are businesses that already resemble a smaller version of VIP. They deliver quality service, have loyal customers and employ great people. Those businesses tend to fit well with our culture. Quirk: Many of these owners have spent decades building their businesses. We want them to know we’ll continue investing in their employees, serving their customers and preserving the legacy they’ve created. That’s important to us. We also focus on communities where customers value quality service. We’re not a discount operator. We position ourselves as a full-service alternative to the (car) dealership and invest heavily in technician training and employee development. MTD: Community involvement is another hallmark of VIP. How did your relationship with Make-A-Wish begin? Quirk: It started through a family connection, but what really surprised us was how deeply our employees embraced it. Once our teams met the children and families involved with Make-A-Wish, they became incredibly passionate about supporting the organization. The stories of those kids and the challenges they’ve overcome inspire our employees. Today, Make-A-Wish children visit our stores before our annual fundraising campaign begins and it has become one of the most meaningful things we do as a company. MTD: What does celebrating 100 years mean to VIP and its customers? Quirk: It’s a significant milestone and one we’re proud of. When you think about everything our family and company have lived through — including depressions, wars, economic downturns and the pandemic — it’s remarkable. But while we appreciate the history, we’re even more focused on the future. Our goal is to become the best operator in the industry and we know we still have opportunities to improve. Winkeler: For customers, the 100-year milestone sends an important message. It says we’ve been here for generations and we’re committed to being here for generations to come. In many New England communities, people know that when they need help, a VIP store will be there. ■ MTD October 2026

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Focus on Dealers

Gills Point S to grow in existing markets WITH A NEW CEO, GILLS POINT S IS PLANNING TO SOLIDIFY ITS PRESENCE By

Mike Manges

ith a new CEO in place, Gills Point S is planning to solidify its presence in existing markets by filling in areas where it already has stores. Gills Point S, which is based in The Dalles, Ore., and boasts the largest collection of locations within the Point S USA network, recently named tire industry veteran Chris Adams as its top officer, replacing longtime owner Eric Gill, who has moved to a position on the dealership’s board. Gills Point S has been one of the fastest-growing independent tire dealerships in the U.S., with around 135 locations, including 50 outlets acquired from longtime Peerless Tyre Co. owner Sam Forbes in 2024. The purchase of Peerless Tyre, which was based in Denver, Colo., gave Gills Point S access to seven new states: Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wyoming and Texas. (The Gills Point S network stretches from the West Coast to the East Coast.) Gills Point S spent most of last year integrating and rebranding the Peerless Tyre stores, all of which now operate under the Gills Point S banner and format. “What was exciting about the Peerless deal is that it allowed us to go into another handful of states,” Eric Gill told MTD. “The strategic plan is now to fill in. We’d rather have 20 stores in one state than four stores. That’s where we’re going to spend a lot of time looking for opportunities. I would never say that if a great opportunity came up in a neighboring state we wouldn’t look at it, but we want to build a world-class organization. That’s what we’re really focused on.”

FAST TRAJECTORY

“The last couple of years have been a really fast growth trajectory” for Gills Point S, said Adams, who before joining the dealership most recently worked for Discount Tire, where he served as that company’s senior vice president, overseeing Discount 104

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“The last couple of years have been a really fast growth trajectory” for Gills Point S, says Chris Adams, the dealership’s new CEO. Photo: Gills Point S

‘Our goal is to earn the trust of the customer by building comfort, clarity and trust in our processes.’ — Chris Adams, CEO, Gills Point S

Tire’s f leet and full service business. “When you do all that integration ... our team just needs to come up for some air and that’s sort of what we’re doing right now. We want to concentrate on growing our existing network, but we’ll certainly be back in the market.” In the meantime, Gill told MTD that the dealership “will stay in our lane” by focusing on “what we’re good at. “One of my early mentors always said, ‘You don’t create value unless a customer would be disappointed if you were no longer around.’” “Our goal is to earn the trust of the customer by building comfort, clarity and trust in our processes,” Adams added. “We provide a diverse mix of services for our customers.” More than half of Gills Point S stores are located in rural communities of

around 10,000 to 15,000 people. The dealership also has stores in Denver; Portland, Ore.; and other large, more densely populated cities. “We have to meet the customers where they are, so defining that is being able to say yes to the customer who walks in through our front door and making every customer feel welcome,” said Gill.

NEW REVENUE STREAMS

In addition to shoring up its current locations, Gills Point S wants to pursue more business in the fleet arena. “One of the things that Chris brings to the table because he’s come from national players ... he has some contacts and the vision to go after some customers who would only consider you if you were a big national player,” said Gill. “I think our biggest opportunity that’s somewhat untapped is that regional fleet – HVAC and plumbers – and there are so many out there. “We have a number of service trucks that can go to a fleet yard, whether it’s commercial trucks or smaller fleets, any time of day. “It’s like building 10 service bays but only using six. We have a unique advantage because we already have the infrastructure.” ■ MTD October 2026

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TPMS

Buick Enclave 2025 ■

DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION

The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) on the 2025 Buick Enclave warns the driver when a significant loss of tire pressure occurs in an equipped tire and allows individual tire pressures and locations to be viewed through the driver information center. The system uses the body control module (BCM), driver information center, instrument cluster, remote function actuator module and a radio-frequency transmitting pressure sensor in each tire and wheel assembly. Each sensor has its own internal power supply. When the vehicle is stationary, the sensor’s internal shock sensor is inactive and the sensor operates in Stationary mode. Tire pressure is sampled once every 30 seconds, but the sensor does not transmit unless pressure changes. As vehicle speed increases, wheel rotation activates the shock sensor and places the sensor in Rolling mode. The remote function actuator module receives tire pressure and temperature data and sends it to the BCM. Once vehicle speed exceeds 25 mph (40 km/h), the sensors transmit about once per minute. The BCM interprets the RF messages as sensor presence, sensor mode and tire pressure information. Each sensor has a unique identification code that is included in its transmission and must be learned into BCM memory. After all four sensor IDs have been learned, the BCM compares received IDs and pressure information with the stored values. If it detects low tire pressure or a system malfunction, it sends a serial data message to the instrument cluster to illuminate the appropriate TPMS indicator and, when equipped, display a message in the driver information center. The sensors also compare their latest pressure sample with the previous sample. If a change of 1.2 psi (8.3 kPa) is detected in either Stationary or Rolling mode, the sensor transmits in Alert mode. A significant pressure loss or gain causes the TPMS indicator to illuminate continuously and can trigger a check-tire-pressure-type message. Correcting tire pressure to the recommended value clears the warning. If power to the BCM or vehicle battery is disconnected, sensor IDs remain stored, but current tire pressure information is lost. The driver information center may display dashes and a scan tool may show a default 32 psi (220 kPa) for each tire. Driving above 25 mph for at least two minutes reactivates the sensors. The EL-52545 tool can also activate them. The Enclave may also be equipped with Tire Fill Alert. When a tire is underinflated enough to trigger the TPMS telltale and air is added, the corner lamp nearest that tire flashes. At the recommended pressure, the horn sounds once and the turn signal lamps briefly illuminate solid. If the tire is overinflated by more than 5 psi (35 kPa), the horn sounds multiple times. 106

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Fig. 1

3 2

The tire pressure indicator sensor attaches to the valve stem with a single-use bolt. Both the valve stem and bolt must be replaced whenever the sensor is removed from the wheel. Image: Mitchell 1/General Motors Company

Fig. 2

During installation, make sure there is a gap between the valve stem and tire pressure indicator sensor before mounting the tire to the wheel. Image: Mitchell 1/General Motors Company

MTD October 2026

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TPMS Software Auto Learn may also be equipped on the vehicle. It correlates TPMS information with ABS data, including rolling radius and steering angle, to determine sensor location. After a sensor replacement or tire rotation, the vehicle must remain stationary for about 20 minutes before the process can begin, then be driven above 12 mph (20 km/h) for about 10 minutes.

REMOVAL

1. Raise and support the vehicle. 2. Remove the tire and wheel assembly. 3. Dismount the tire from the wheel. Take care with tire-changing equipment on aluminum wheels. GM cautions against scratching the clear coating because damage can lead to corrosion and peeling. 4. If tire sealant is found inside the tire and wheel assembly, remove the residue from the tire and wheel surfaces using mild dish soap, clean water and shop cloths. 5. Insert a suitable tool into the hole in the valve stem to prevent the stem from rotating. 6. Remove and discard the tire pressure indicator sensor bolt. The bolt is a single-use component. 7. Pull the tire pressure indicator sensor straight off the valve stem. 8. Pull the valve stem through the wheel and discard it. The valve stem is also a single-use component.

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INSTALLATION

Never install the tire pressure indicator sensor on an unapproved wheel rim. Any time the sensor is removed from the rim, install a new valve stem and a new sensor bolt. 1. Verify the orientation of the new valve stem so the tire pressure indicator sensor will be positioned correctly when assembled. 2. Remove the new bolt from the new tire pressure indicator sensor, then pull the sensor straight off the new valve stem. 3. Apply mounting lubricant to the new valve stem. 4. Using a tire valve stem installation tool, pull the new valve stem through the wheel in a direction parallel to the valve hole. 5. Assemble the tire pressure indicator sensor to the new valve stem. Make sure the flat of the valve lines up with the flats of the snap in the sensor enclosure. 6. Insert a suitable tool into the hole in the valve stem to keep the stem from rotating. 7. Install the new tire pressure indicator sensor bolt and tighten it to 1.4 N.m (12 lb-in). 8. Verify that the valve stem is concentric in the valve stem hole and completely seated in the wheel. 9. Confirm there is a gap between the valve stem and tire pressure indicator sensor.

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TPMS 10. Mount the tire to the wheel. Prevent the tire from contacting the tire pressure indicator sensor during mounting. 11. Inflate the tire to the pressure specified on the tire placard. 12. Install a new dust cap. 13. Install the tire and wheel assembly. 14. Perform the tire pressure indicator sensor learn procedure. GM identifies the EL-52545 Tire Pressure Monitor Sensor and RF Diagnostic Tool as the preferred learning method. It captures the sensor IDs and then loads them into the BCM through the

data link connector, reducing the chance of learning an unintended nearby sensor in a shop environment. Turn on the EL-52545 and select RDR. If available, scan the QR code on the tire placard or certification label, or enter the vehicle information manually. Starting with the left front tire, place the tool against the tire sidewall near the valve stem and press the green trigger button. Do not place the tool directly on the valve stem. Read each sensor in the order shown by the tool. If the vehicle has reverse rims, the TPMS sensor is mounted to a separate TPM mounting stem on the inboard side of the wheel while the airfill valve remains on the outboard side. Reverse rims are identified by “Reverse Rim” etched on the outboard rim surface below the air-fill valve. Position the activation tool against the tire sidewall near the inboard TPM mounting stem. If a sensor does not respond, make several attempts before condemning it. An undetected sensor will appear as “No Sensor Detected.” Verify that battery status for each sensor reads OK and that pressure and temperature values are reasonable for actual tire pressure and ambient conditions. Replace an unacceptable sensor and rerun the RDR procedure. With the ignition on and the vehicle in Service Mode, connect the EL-52545 OBD2 Interface Module to the tool and then to the vehicle data link connector. Verify the OBDII icon and communication indicator, select OK and follow the on-screen instructions to load the stored sensor information into the BCM. The EL-50448 activation tool can be used as an alternative. With the vehicle in Service Mode, initiate TPMS Learn mode through the vehicle information section, driver information center controls or a scan tool. A double horn chirp and illuminated left-front turn signal indicate Learn mode is active. Activate the sensors in this order: left front, right front, right rear and left rear. A horn chirp confirms each successful learn and the next turn signal illuminates. After the left-rear sensor is learned, a double horn chirp confirms the procedure is complete. 15. Remove the support and lower the vehicle. ■ Information for this column comes from the tire pressure monitoring systems data in ProDemand, Mitchell 1’s auto repair information software for domestic and import vehicles. Headquartered in San Diego, Mitchell 1 has provided quality repair information solutions to the automotive industry since 1918. For more information, visit www.mitchell1.com.

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MTD October 2026 9/22/26 1:08 PM 9/29/26 3:30 PM

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POWER PRODUCTS

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Sens-Rite® covers both 315 and 433 MHZ, meaning only one sensor is needed, reducing inventory and making repair service easier!

Fast Programming Sens-Rite programs fast and accurate, ®

meaning less time spent on repairs and fewer come backs!

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Ready to Install Sens-Rite is ready to use right out of the ®

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Booth # 44149

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POWER PRODUCTS

ExtremeContact Sport02

ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus

TrueContact Tour54

A dynamic, summer ultra-high performance tire for passenger cars, the ExtremeContact Sport02 ranges in size from 15-21" rim diameter.

A premium, all-season ultra-high performance tire for passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs, the ExtremeContact DWS06 Plus ranges in size from 16-22" rim diameter.

A long-lasting, all-season touring tire for passenger cars and crossovers, the TrueContact Tour54 ranges in size from 15-20” rim diameter.

SecureContact AW

CrossContact LX25

TerrainContact H/T

A premium, all-weather touring tire for passenger cars, crossovers and SUVs, the SecureContact AW ranges in size from 15-20” rim diameter.

A premium, all-season touring tire for crossovers and SUVs, the CrossContact LX 25 ranges in size from 16-22" rim diameter.

A premium, all-season touring tire for SUVs and light trucks, the TerrainContact H/T ranges in size from 16-22" rim diameter.

TerrainContact A/T2

VikingContact 8

VanContact A/S Ultra

A premium, all-weather all-terrain tire for crossovers, SUVs and light trucks, the TerrainContact A/T2 ranges in size from 16-22” rim diameter.

A premium winter tire for passenger cars, crossovers, SUVs and light trucks, the VikingContact 8 ranges in size from 15-22” rim diameter.

A premium, all-weather touring tire for cargo vans, the VanContact A/S Ultra is available in 16” rim diameter.

THE SMART CHOICE IN TIRES LEARN

C O N T I N E N T A LT I R E . C O M

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POWER PRODUCTS

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POWER PRODUCTS

STILL. ALWAYS. FOREVER.

ASSURANCE WEATHERREADY 2 ®

ASSURANCE MAXLIFE 2

ASSURANCE COMFORTDRIVE

All Weather

All Season Touring

Confidence in all weather conditions.

Premium all-season tire that combines long tread life and performance.

This premium all-season tire is the choice for drivers who want comfort, ride quality, and wet traction confidence.

EAGLE F1 ALL SEASON

EAGLE F1 ASYMMETRIC 6

EAGLE F1 SUPERCAR 3

All Season UHP Exceptional grip, precision handling, and confidence at every turn.

Summer UHP Ultra-high performance on wet and dry roads.

Summer UHP Master the open road with track-capable performance.

WRANGLER STEADFAST HT

WRANGLER OUTBOUND AT

Highway Terrain A quiet, comfortable, long-lasting highway tire — featuring DuPont™ Kevlar®.

WRANGLER BOULDER MT

Mud Terrain Featuring Duraply Technology®, a three-ply construction, Wrangler Boulder MT is built for extreme off-road adventures.

ULTRAGRIP PERFORMANCE 3 ®

Studless Performance A winter performance tire that provides confident handling and traction in a variety of cold weather conditions.

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WRANGLER DURATRAC RT

All Terrain With the rugged resilience of Durawall® Technology and DuPont™ Kevlar®, this tire gives you confidence in a wide array of terrain.

See Tire & Service Warranty section on goodyear.com for complete details. * The Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake Designation located on the sidewall of a tire indicates a tire that meets a snow traction standard set by FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards). Always follow the vehicle placard and/or manual for proper tire sizing, speed rating and inflation pressure.

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Rugged Terrain Designed for tough, off-road terrain and on-road comfort — featuring DuPont™ Kevlar®.

WINTERCOMMAND ULTRA ®

Studless Ice Evacuates water and slush for great grip during the harsh winter months.

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THE RIGHT TIRE FOR ANY ROAD, OR NO ROADS AT ALL.

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KLEVER H/T 4S

KLEVER M/T2

Learn more about the full range at kendatire.com

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POWER PRODUCTS

QUALITY ALWAYS WINS Every tire gets balanced. What are you using? Choose the perfect weight. Choose Perfect.

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Parting Shot What they’re saying How do top executives from various tire manufacturers view the market? Check out the comments below! Consumers have been trading down to tierthree and tier-four products ... due to the lack of confidence in the economy.” — Shawn Denlein, president of sales and marketing, Kumho Tire U.S.A. Inc.

The replacement passenger and light truck market has been softer than we would like and cost pressures on the industry and consumers are still present.” — Phang Wai Yeen, CEO, Giti Tire (USA) Ltd.

For dealers, success will increasingly come down to having the right portfolio, strong brand pull and trusted supplier relationships.” — Mark Stewart, president and CEO, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

As situations change, you have to shift gears and you have to build your own strategy. It’s not the big that eats the small. It’s the fast that devours the slow.” — G.S. Sareen, president and CEO, Radar Tires

This just in CMC Tire, the commercial tire business owned by Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc., has acquired BestDrive Commercial Tire Center’s two Arizona locations from Continental AG through its subsidiary, Continental Tire the Americas, LLC, expanding the CMC Tire network into Phoenix and Tucson. The acquisition gives CMC Tire its first locations in Arizona and marks Les Schwab’s first physical presence in the state, commercial or retail. The deal was finalized after approximately six months of work. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. “We’re not waiting for the market to give us growth,” Mike Morast, vice president of commercial operations for Les Schwab and co-founder of CMC Tire, told MTD. “We’re going to go after it.” Les Schwab will retain employees at both locations. Morast said Les Schwab, which is based in Bend, Ore., is also remodeling the Phoenix and Tucson CMC Tire facilities and plans to invest in inventory, technology, service trucks and other resources to serve customers more effectively. Morast said Les Schwab had wanted to enter Arizona for several years and sees opportunities across several sectors of the state’s commercial market. “There’s a lot of construction in Arizona right now,” he said. 122

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This rebranded location is one of two former BestDrive locations acquired by Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc. as part of the dealership’s expansion into Arizona. Photo: Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc.

That includes significant semiconductor and data center development. Morast also pointed to Arizona’s mining industry and large transportation fleet base as opportunities. Existing customer relationships were another factor in the expansion. Morast said Les Schwab and CMC Tire already work with customers elsewhere in their footprint that also have operations in Arizona. MTD October 2026

9/29/26 3:30 PM

2606MT

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KLEVER A/T2

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KEEP MORE OF

EVERY SALE

Reduce your credit card processing fees SWITCH NOW! get a FREE * TERMINAL Accept EMV/NFC (Apple Pay, etc.)

Smart Terminal

Online Payment Gateways Available

Next Day Funding

“We were losing thousands of dollars every year in hidden processing fees. The transition was seamless and we saw savings in the first month.”

Standard Terminal

PRICING PROGRAM 1

PRICING PROGRAM 2

Rates as Low as

Accept Credit Cards Without Paying Processing Fees*

0.05%

Edge program only from North is a true dual pricing program combining Flat Rate Pricing with Cash Discount.

Wholesale Pricing

No setup fees

Payment Links available

Chip card & contactless payment acceptance (Apple Pay, etc.)

$295 towards any early termination fees**

Seamless integration with your current POS system** One-time & recurring invoices that you can upload in bulk**

COMPATIBLE with GAS CARDS

A secure online merchant portal

Wright Express Fleet Cards Voyager and More...

Access to multiple online payment gateways Free printer paper, & more*

SAVE MONEY using a Direct Processor!

Go North. Call Today nynorth.com ©2026 North is a registered DBA of NorthAB, LLC. All rights reserved. NorthAB, LLC is a registered ISO of BMO Harris Bank N.A., Chicago, IL, Citizens Bank N.A., Providence, RI, The Bancorp Bank, Philadelphia, PA, and FFB Bank, Fresno, CA. *Merchant Classification restrictions apply. Dual signage pricing required. Other fees may apply. Contact North for more details. **Some restrictions apply. Merchant agreement required. Hardware is free for use while processing and must be returned upon termination of merchant agreement. Other fees may apply. Contact 866.481.4604 for details.

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