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TIRE REVIEW (ISSN 0040-8085)(FEBRUARY 2013, Volume 113, Number 02. Published monthly by Babcox Media Inc., 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333 U.S.A. Phone (330) 670-1234, FAX (330) 670-0874. Periodical postage paid at Akron, OH 44333 and additionalmailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Tire Review, 3550 Embassy Parkway, Akron, OH 44333. A limited number of complimentary subscriptions are available to individuals who meet the qualification requirements. Call(330) 670-1234, ext. 242, to speak to a subscription services representative or FAX us at (330) 670-5335. Paid subscriptions are available for non-qualified subscribers at the following rates: U.S.: $69 for one year. Canada: $89 for one year.Canadian rates include GST. Ohio residents add current county sales tax. Other foreign rates/via airmail: $129 for one year. Payable in advance in U.S. funds. Mail payment to Tire Review, P.O. Box 75692, Cleveland, OH 44101-4755. Visa,MasterCard or American Express accepted. Founded in 1901. © 2013 by Babcox Media Inc. “Tire Review” is a trademark of Babcox Media Inc., registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. All rights reserved. Publisher reservesthe right to reject any subscription that does not conform to his standards or buying power coverage. Advertising which is below standard is refused. Opinions in signed articles and advertisements are not necessarily those of this maga-zine or its publisher. Diligent effort is made to ensure the integrity of every statement. Unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by return postage.

26 Cover: Tire Labeling ABCs

42 Tires: Fuel-Efficient Passenger Tires

43 Service: Spring Training

38 Top Shop: CJ’s Tire and Automotive

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Columns & Departments

■ FIRST LOOK: TireReview.comText Marketing + Truck TPMS + Digital Issues | 4

■ COMMENTARY: First Off - It’s Just a Numbers Game | 6The Car Side - Feeling the Pressure | 60

■ NEWSMAKERS:News Briefs | 8K&M Dealer Meeting | 12

■ BUSINESS:Market Intel - Tire and Service Pricing | 18Social Media - The Future of Digital Media | 20

■ TIRES: TPMS - 2012 TPMS TSBs Overview | 48Performance - Decreased Traction Culprits | 50

■ SOLUTIONS:Spotlight - Tire/Wheel Balancers | 52Products | 54

CONTENTSFEBRUARY 2013Volume 113 | No. 02

FEATURES


TireReview.com Visitor Comments

FIRST LOOK ONLINE @TIREREVIEW.COM

4 U 2 Consider

Know the OptionsTrucks fitted with TPMS experiencemarked improvements in fueleconomy. But fleets and dealersneed to consider a number ofother factors before fitting trucksand trailers with TPMS.tirereview.com/inTires

Some in my audience told me that text marketing was only for teens,certainly not for their customers. Yes, texting is popular among teensand young adults, but aren’t those folks among your key target marketsfor tires and auto services? Wouldn’t you want to connect with them andcreate a new generation of customers for life? Besides, text messagingcan help make your shop more efficient.tirereview.com/inBusiness

inTIRES

Going DigitalFor those of you on the go, thisissue of TIRE REVIEW – and a se-lection of recent back issues – isnow available digitally. You canview each issue page for pageby visiting tirereview.com andscrolling down to the “View OurDigital Edition” icon on theright side. It’s as simple as Clickand Read!

ONLINE

Always Install Two New Tires on Rear Axle“This only applies to driving in the rain,so slow down! It doesn’t mean bad tiresshould be on the front! I drive on dryfreeways 350 days a year. My concern isa front tire blowout – this doesn’t helpthat at all! This is a stupid policy and itshould be up to the consumer where toplace the tires they purchased!”– Texasinvesting

Belle Tire Sets Ambitious StoreRemodel Program“I have seen Belle’s new store designand it is very well thought out with re-

gard to comfort for the client. The colorsare warm and inviting and the displaysare not overwhelming like most tire dis-plays are.” – Barry

First TIA President Steve Disney Dies“The tire industry and mankind lost agreat person in Steve Disney. God blesshis family.”– Wayne Croswell

Michelin Sets $73 Million Investment for Nova Scotia Plant“Good news for Nova Scotia, a provinceof hard working responsible people. As

you go forward, keep these traits as theyare a vanishing commodity in today’sworld.” – Jim Anderson

Tire Rack Getting New BFG DOT-TrackTire“That’s Michelin…always looking out forthe best interests of the independent tiredealer. Maybe we can mount them.Yipppie!”– Bill Walsh

inBUSINESS

PublisherDavid Moniz, ext. [email protected]

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Separately, the numbers mean noth-ing. Could they be part of a secretcode? Or a high school locker

combination? Lotto ticket picks, per-haps?

28. 105. 99. 279. 163.Random, meaningless, with no

order or organization or reason. Untilyou put a human face to them. Literally.

Over the past two years, about 385independent tire dealer locationschanged hands. Retail stores, wholesalewarehouses, commercial tire centers.

385.Of that, 105 were sold off to other in-

dependents. The remaining 280 loca-tions were bought by “Others,” such asPep Boys, Monro Muffler Brake, Midasor TBC.

And those are just the ones that havebeen reported. Dozens of other transac-tions also occurred over the prior 24months, with many more dozens of lo-cations getting new owners.

The numbers may not look or soundlike much to some; when you’re usedto dealing with thousands or millionsor even billions, 385 is like a pesky gnatthat invades a restful summer nap. Orthe slow drip of a cranky faucet.

Except that over time that relentlessdrip, drip, drip becomes a gallon, thena pool and eventually a lake.

During calendar 2011, 27 dealer loca-tions were moved to other independ-ents and 140 were sold off to theOt h ers. Pep Boys was the big benefici-ary that year, snagging 85 Big 10 TireStores in the south. Monro grabbed 22Vespia Tire Centers in New Jersey andPennsylvania.

Over calendar 2012, 78 locationswere sold to other independents, and

139 went to the Others. Among thosedealers were some real stunners, withMonro buying Tire Barn Warehouse (31stores), Ken Towery’s Tire & Auto Serv-ice (27 stores in Kentucky and Indiana),past Top Shop Award winner EngerAuto Service & Tire (12 stores in north-east Ohio), Kramer Tire (20 stores inVirginia), and Colony Tire (18 locationsin North Carolina and Virginia).

All told, Monro left 2012 richer by135 stores in eight separate transactions.And the independent tire dealer basewas 135 locations poorer.

I can’t tell you how many times I’veheard the mega-cliché: “The big are get-ting bigger and the small are gettingsmaller.” To me it comes across as faitaccompli, a shoulders-down surrender.

And though I abhor clichés, the coldtruth is the big just keep marching on.Big Boxers. Car Dealers. Tire Compa-nies. And the Others. They add theirown locations, and they take ours. Andthey get bigger and bigger.

Conversely, the small get that muchsmaller. And while another generationof brave souls opens new independenttire shops all the time, they can’t comefast enough to cover the losses.

I was recently at a national dealermeeting where independents werebeing courted along side a major cardealer tire supplier and a mass mer-chant. I met with another major thatflatly stated they wanted to be, neededto be, “wherever consumers want tobuy tires.”

They all start every dealer meetingwith a big group hug and endlessrecitations of how much they love/ -need/ rely on independent distribution.And then they turn around and do the

same with mass merchants and priceclubs and car dealers and (with some)themselves and the Others.

How many true loves can one boyhave? And how quickly the tiremakersforget just who brought them to thedance. When this industry started,there was nothing but independentsselling and servicing tires.

Back in the 1920s and 1930s, thismagazine took on one major when itstepped out on independent dealersand took up with Sears and Mont-gomery Ward. We lost thousands in adrevenue when they canceled ads (foryears), but the point then is the samenow: Independent tire dealers are theheart, soul and backbone of this indus-try, and we all need to act like it – inword and deed.

Some might cynically ask, “Whyshed a tear for guys who didn’t plan forthe future, or whose progeny didn’twant to get their hands dirty, or thosewho were over-extended, or just didn’thave enough gas to get through themost devastating financial crisis sincethe Great Depression, or were simplycaught up in the numbers game of the‘continuing consolidation of the retailmarket?’”

The phrase “death by a thousandcuts” often refers to what some call“creeping normalcy,” where a negativeshift that occurs over an extended pe-riod of time is not seen as objectionable.

Every dealer location lost to thoseoutside of the independent distributionfamily is another cut. To the heart andsoul.

And that creeping number of cutscontinues to add up.

139. 79. 99. 28. 385. ■


It’s Just aNumbersGame

The ‘creeping normalcy’

of change is taking the

heart, soul and backbone

out of the business

COMMENTARY FIRST OFF

JIM SMITH

Editor

[email protected]

Long-time tire dealer, respectedindustry leader and former presidentof what is now TIA, Steve Disney, 56,died Jan. 24.

Disney died of complications re-lated to an artificial heart transplant.

Disney served as president of theTire Association of North Americaprior to the 2002 merger with the In-ternational Tire and Rubber Associa-tion that created TIA. As the firstpresident of the newly formed TIA,his leadership “was instrumental inestablishing a strong foundation forthe association,” TIA said.

“His vision and focus on the fu-ture led to the discussions that gavelife to what has become the strongesttire-related association in the world,”TIA said. “Disney leaves behind alegacy of playing a vital role in merg-ing two organizations that manythought would never come together.”

“It’s important that we always re-

member the industryleaders who had theforesight to create TIAover a decade ago,”said Randy Groh, TIApresident. “As the firstpresident of the newassociation back in2002, Steve set thestandard for leader-ship and his emphasis on maintaininga consistently high level of service tothe members continues to this day.”

The lifelong Louisville, Ky., resi-dent grew up in the industry; his fa-ther Paul co-founded Disney Tire Co.with his father in 1950. Steve Disneytook over the business, and eventuallysold it to fellow dealer Tom Raben andRaben Tire Co., based just across theOhio River in Evansville, Ind.

Disney is survived by his wife,Cathy, and two children.

The entry period for the 2013 TIRE

REVIEW Top Shop Awards presentedby Ammco/Coats has opened, andwill run through July 5, 2013. The in-dustry-leading Top Shop Awardsprogram seeks to honor the “best ofthe best” independent tire dealers inthe U.S. and Canada.

Entry forms and information arenow available online exclusively atwww.tirereview.com/topshop. Com-plete entries can be made right online.

The TIRE REVIEW Top Shop Awardcontest spotlights independent tiredealers that epitomize the attributesand values stressed in every issue ofTire Review: exemplary customerservice and retention, training andeducation, merchandising and pro-motion, professional standards andconduct, innovation, appearance,business management, communityinvolvement, business growth,achievement and innovation.

“We are extremely proud thatover the years the Top Shop Awardshave earned the respect of everyonein the tire industry, and have clearlybecome the premier honor for NorthAmerican tire dealers,” said Jim


In a one-week span in January, Michelin North America set

more than $270 million in plant expansion programs to

boost tire production.

MNA said it would spend some $72 million to expand truck

tire production – primarily of its X One super wide radials –

at its Waterville, Nova Scotia, plant. The facility also pro-

duces OTR tires.

Over the next five years, the project will include about

10,000 square feet of additional floor space and new pro-

duction equipment.

Days later, MNA took the wraps off a $200 million expan-

sion of its Starr, S.C., semi-finished tire component plant.

To be completed in 2014, the expansion will add some 100

jobs to the plant, the tiremaker said.

Over the last 21 months, MNA has committed $1.15 billion

in new plants or plant expansions in South Carolina, creat-

ing some 870 new jobs.

Michelin Earmarks $272Million for Expansions

Continued on

INDUSTRY NEWS & EVENTS

NEWSMAKERS

First TIA President SteveDisney Dies

Top Shop 2013Entry PeriodNow Open

MNA chairman and president Pete Selleck announced Miche-lin’s plant expansion in Starr, South Carolina.

Disney

Smith, editor of TIRE REVIEW maga-zine. “Every winner – and even ourFinalists – tell us how important thehonor is to their businesses. Andcountless tire dealers from across thecontinent tell us how grateful theyare that there is a program that rec-ognizes the success and accomplish-ments of dealers of all sizes andtypes.”

“We cannot think of a betterrecognition program to be involvedwith than the Top Shop Awards, andwe are extremely honored and ex-cited to continue as the presentingsponsor,” said Kevin Keefe, vicepresident of marketing for Ammco/ -Coats, which has served as the pre-senting sponsor of the program since2007. “The response from tire dealersto this award program has beentremendous, and that speaks vol-umes about how much dealers wantto succeed in delivering for their cus-tomers.”

Prizes that will be awarded in-clude:

• The Grand Prize Winner will re-ceive the brand new Coats 70X-LLeverless Rim Clamp tire changer,$1,500 in cash, airfare and hotel fortwo (2 nights/3 days) to the 2013Global Tire Expo/SEMA Show, a fea-ture story in the October 2013 issueof TIRE REVIEW, and a Top Shop tro-phy to display in their dealership.

• Three Finalists each will receivea Coats 1250-3DV tire/wheel bal-ancer (featuring on-board training),$500 in cash, a feature story in theOctober issue and a specially de-signed finalist trophy.

Continental Tire the Americas willinvest $129 million to further in-crease capacity at its Mt. Vernon, Ill.,tire manufacturing facility. The tire-maker estimates the addition will

create more than 100 new full-timejobs over the next three years.

Roughly $95 million of the invest-ment is earmarked to increase pro-duction of medium truck tires to anannual volume of more than 3 mil-lion units when completed. Includedin the investment is a new mixer tosupport additional tire productionand new equipment for future tiredevelopment. The commercial tireexpansion will be completed by mid-2015 and add 80 full-time jobs.

The remaining $34 million will gotoward technology and equipmentfor the mixing building, and a ware-house expansion. These investmentswill bring more than 30 new full-time jobs and are expected to becomplete during 2014.

CTA is still working to complete amassive passenger and light truck/ -SUV tire production expansion at theplant, a $224 million project that willadd 4 million tires to its capacity.That project was announced in early2011, and ground was broken in May2011.

Iconic Hawaiian tire dealer LexBrodie, 98, passed away on Jan. 11,leaving behind a multi-location deal-ership that is now part of the Hawai-ian fabric because of its intense focuson customers andcustomer service,and thanks to oneof the industry’smost familiarlogos.

He started LexBrodie’s Tire Co.in 1961 in aChevron station,where the tirebusiness began operations. The deal-ership moved to its current QueenStreet headquarters location in Ka-neohe in 1964.

Over 30 years, Brodie collecteddozens of local, state and nationalhonors for his business success,which he always attributed to thecustomers. Brodie’s popular catch-phrase, “Thank you, very much,” isstill featured in the dealership’s ad-vertising and customer communica-tions.

Brodie retired from Lex Brodie’sTire in 1991, but remained extremelyactive in the community, serving onthe Honolulu Board of Educationfrom 1992-2003. After leaving theboard, he moved to Kauai, where hewas born in 1914.

He is survived by his wife, Eve-lyn; children Wendy Pelligrini,Sandy Brodie, Robert Brodie andJanet Teves; seven grandchildren,five great-granddaughters and onegreat-great grandson.

Out of circulation since Bridge-stone Americas ended production ofthe truck tire brand in 2011, the Day-ton brand was returned to service inearly January, with 18 sizes targetingsmaller fleets and owner-operatorslooking to lower tire costs.

Bridgestone said the line will con-sist of the Dayton Rib Radial All Po-sition, the Dayton Radial Metro AllPosition, the Dayton Drive RadialDeep Skid and the Dayton RadialHighway Service for tandem andsingle-axle trailer applications.

The revised Dayton lineup includ -es sizes 11R22.5, 11R24.5, 295/75R -22.5, and 285/75R24.5, all in 14-ply.

Early registration has opened forthe upcoming 2013 Clemson Univer-sity Tire Industry Conference, whichwill convene April 24-28 at theWestin Hilton Head Resort & Spa onHilton Head Island.

Early bird discounts are availableby registering online at clemsontire-conference.com or via phone at 800-258-1017. ■


■ NEWSMAKERS: NEWS & EVENTS gFollow@Tire_Review

SCAN FOR INFOTo view additional news stories, go totirereview.com/news or scan this bar codewith your smartphone or tablet.

Conti to Invest$129 Million inMt. Vernon Plant

Dayton MediumTruck Tires MakeTheir Return

‘Thank You, VeryMuch’ – LexBrodie, 98, Dies

Register Now for 2013 ClemsonTire Conference

Brodie

The story of K&M Tire’s growthis still the story. It spent themajority of its 43 years flying

under the radar, slowly buildingfrom a small two-bay retail storefounded in Ottoville, Ohio, to be-come one of the nation’s largest re-gional tire wholesalers.

K&M Tire has come a long wayeven over the last three years sinceit bought the Triton Tire & Batterydivision of Universal Cooperativesin 2010, growing its distributionbusiness while gaining a retaildealer marketing program in theprocess. Its Mr. Tire program grewfrom some 190 dealer locations atthe time of its 2011 dealer meetingto 278 stores in 2012 to more than360 today.

That success curve led K&M Tireto launch its own home-grown Big 3Tire marketing program for dealersin Indiana, Ohio and Georgia –states where it cannot expand Mr.Tire into due to a naming right dealwith Monro Muffler Brake. Since itlaunched last year, Big 3 already hasgrown to 40 dealer locations.

As of the dealer meeting, K&MTire had 15 warehouses servicingdealers in 20 states from the Gulf ofMexico to the Canadian border,from Montana east to Ohio.

(Since the meeting – in early Feb-ruary – K&M Tire sold its Macon,Ga., warehouse to Blackwood, N.J.-based Reliable Tire. In September2012, K&M Tire bought two of Reli-able Tire’s warehouses in Texas –one each in Dallas and Houston.)

Those distribution points, K&MTire officials said, reach some 9,000active dealer customers, includingits Mr. Tire and Big 3 Tire dealers.

In 2012, the Delphos, Ohio-head-quartered K&M Tire added twowarehouses in Texas, opened a newdistribution center in Kansas City,Mo., began expansion of its Bar-nesville, Minn., warehouse and its

home Delphos warehouse, and ac-quired Don’s Tire in Wisconsin andMichigan Tire & Wheel in Crystal,Mich.

This year, K&M Tire has its sightsfirmly on continued expansion ofboth its Mr. Tire and Big 3 Tiredealer marketing programs, open-ing new warehouses in both Dallasand Oklahoma City, improving de-livery and service to all customers,and seeking other “growth opportu-nities.”



> K&M Tire

K&M Marks Growth With Expanded Annual Meeting

Continued on

With an estimated 250 dealers and their guests gathered at the Rosen Centre Hotelfor the 2013 K&M Tire dealer meeting – a steep increase from the first formalmeeting held in 2011 – the distributor shared its goals for the coming years.

THIS YEAR, K&M TIRE HAS ITS SIGHTS FIRMLY ON

CONTINUED EXPANSION OF BOTH ITS MR. TIRE AND

BIG 3 TIRE DEALER MARKETING PROGRAMS.

More Offerings for DealersK&M Tire also has come a long

way from its first formal K&M TireDealer Trade Show, where about 100dealers gathered at a casino/hotel infrosty cold Red Wing, Minn., in Jan-uary 2011, to this year’s Jan. 17-18event in much warmer Orlando,where an estimated 250 dealersgathered at the Rosen Centre Hotel.

Carrying the theme “Roll Withthe Best,” the 2013 edition kept at-tendees engaged for two full days.The trade show portion was ex-panded with a broader array of ven-dors covering everything fromservice parts to insurance to Internetmarketing to tires.

The overall event was expandedto include a series of breakout meet-ings with tiremakers like Goodyear,Bridgestone Americas, Carlisle,

Mitas, Hankook, Cooper, Continen-tal, Pirelli and Yokohama, as well asan engaging series of educationalsessions on web development andInternet marketing; social, local andmobile marketing; tire sales strate-gies; building business with womencustomers; and phone sales.

Outside guest speaker Dr. AlanZimmerman presented a four-partseminar on customer and employeerelationships and leadership. A mo-tivational speaker, Zimmerman dis-cussed ways for dealers to betterunderstand and improve customerservice, create greater teamworkamong employees, and get the bestout of everyone.

The event-closing banquet in-cluded a vast series of door prizesproffered by K&M Tire suppliers,and a rocking performance by a

Blues Brothers tribute band.K&M Tire surely wants to con-

tinue to grow, but officials said theyalso are taking care to not outgrowthose things that are important tothe company’s most familiar cus-tomers. While they claim to nothave “true nationwide ambitions,”as was stated during the 2012 dealermeeting, it’s obvious that K&Mwants to shore up its territory cover-age to ensure dealers get the bestpossible service and have a reliablepartner.

At the same time, the K&M fam-ily wants to maintain the family-owned and relationship-orientedreputation that helped it grow. ■



In addition to breakout meetings with tiremakers and a series of educational sessions – one of which was led by Bonnie Marlow, K&Mmarketing manager (pictured at left) – this year’s meeting included anexpanded trade show with a broader array of vendors covering every-thing from service parts to insurance to Internet marketing to tires.

Jim SmithEditor

[email protected]


BUSINESS MARKET INTEL

Legend * = Tier 1 Brand ** = Tier 2 Brand *** = Private Brand/Other

Bismark, ND MarketPeriod 1/7-16 Mass Mass Tire Tire Car Avg. Merch. Merch. Dealer Dealer Dealer All A B A B

Vehicle 1Oil Change/Filter $29.99 $29.99 $30.00 $35.00 $35.00 $32.00Replace All: 215/60R16 $485.00* $348.00** $449.73** $477.88** $720.00* $496.12 Vehicle 2 4 Wheel Alignment $69.99 $79.99 $70.00 $74.99 $69.99 $72.99Replace All: 225/60R16 $407.96** $478.76* $400.00* $400.00* $473.92* $432.13 Vehicle 3 Front Brakes, Turn Rotors $180.00 $170.00 $180.00 $200.00 $239.95 $193.99Replace All: 265/70R17 $667.96* $786.56* $700.00* $640.00* $656.00* $690.10

Concord, NH MarketPeriod 1/7-16 Mass Mass Tire Tire Car Avg. Merch. Merch. Dealer Dealer Dealer All A B A B

Vehicle 1Oil Change/Filter $29.99 $29.99 $35.99 $28.49 $36.95 $32.28Replace All: 215/60R16 $506.00** $531.26* $688.40* $439.96** $512.00* $535.52 Vehicle 2 4 Wheel Alignment $89.95 $80.00 $79.95 $82.99 $89.95 $84.57Replace All: 225/60R16 $480.00** $528.00* $580.00** $547.80** $530.65* $533.29 Vehicle 3 Front Brakes, Turn Rotors $287.00 $180.00 $200.00 $250.00 $265.00 $236.40Replace All: 265/70R17 $603.91* $786.56* $808.00* $725.00** $832.00* $751.09

Los Angeles, CA MarketPeriod 1/7-16 Mass Mass Tire Tire Car Avg. Merch. Merch. Dealer Dealer Dealer All A B A B

Vehicle 1Oil Change/Filter $36.99 $29.95 $34.95 $32.99 $39.99 $34.97Replace All: 215/60R16 $507.96** $564.98* $475.80* $510.00* $616.00* $534.95 Vehicle 2 4 Wheel Alignment $79.99 $69.99 $75.00 $40.00 $129.95 $78.99Replace All: 225/60R16 $400.00** $487.96* $500.00* $480.00* $520.00* $477.59 Vehicle 3 Front Brakes, Turn Rotors $190.00 $170.00 $250.00 $160.00 $219.95 $197.99Replace All: 265/70R17 $679.96* $700.00* $620.00** $640.00** $579.80* $643.95

Cleveland, OH MarketPeriod 1/7-16 Mass Mass Tire Tire Car Avg. Merch. Merch. Dealer Dealer Dealer All A B A B

Vehicle 1Oil Change/Filter $19.95 $24.95 $32.95 $30.99 $31.95 $28.16Replace All: 215/60R16 $468.00* $689.78* $480.00** $423.00* $832.00* $578.56 Vehicle 2 4 Wheel Alignment $69.95 $89.99 $69.95 $70.00 $89.95 $77.97Replace All: 225/60R16 $356.00* $563.96* $456.00* $400.00* $364.00* $427.99 Vehicle 3 Front Brakes, Turn Rotors $200.00 $150.00 $169.95 $180.00 $200.00 $179.99Replace All: 265/70R17 $700.00* $683.96* $660.00** $750.00* $700.00* $698.79

Little Rock, AR MarketPeriod 1/7-16 Mass Mass Tire Tire Car Avg. Merch. Merch. Dealer Dealer Dealer All A B A B

Vehicle 1Oil Change/Filter $36.00 $26.95 $29.99 $37.99 $36.09 $33.40Replace All: 215/60R16 $477.04** $414.00* $618.00* $520.00* $621.95* $530.20 Vehicle 2 4 Wheel Alignment $59.99 $89.99 $79.99 $79.99 $89.95 $79.98Replace All: 225/60R16 $351.96** $566.81* $475.96** $465.16* $384.00* $448.78 Vehicle 3 Front Brakes, Turn Rotors $165.00 $165.71 $190.00 $250.00 $189.95 $192.13Replace All: 265/70R17 $575.96** $883.67* $799.96* $676.00** $656.00* $718.32

Winston Salem, NC MarketPeriod 1/7-16 Mass Mass Tire Tire Car Avg. Merch. Merch. Dealer Dealer Dealer All A B A B

Vehicle 1Oil Change/Filter $27.00 $28.99 $33.40 $24.00 $29.99 $28.68Replace All: 215/60R16 $547.00* $492.12** $580.00* $564.92* $603.00* $557.41

Vehicle 2 4 Wheel Alignment $89.99 $79.99 $59.95 $69.95 $59.95 $71.97Replace All: 225/60R16 $527.96* $476.00* $420.00* $453.65* $380.00* $451.52 Vehicle 3 Front Brakes, Turn Rotors $200.00 $190.00 $120.00 $150.00 $179.95 $167.99Replace All: 265/70R17 $720.00* $752.36* $640.00* $757.00* $876.00* $749.07

TIRE RE VIEW and InteliChek pres-ent up-to-date tire and service priceinformation from major U.S. metro-politan areas.

For this monthly feature, Inteli -Chek directly contacts a selection ofindependent tire dealers, mass mer-chants/chain stores and car dealersto obtain current pricing on replace-ment tires and vehicle services.

InteliChek requests and verifies

retail prices via phone calls, usingcommon specific vehicles, tire sizesand vehicle services. In that way, di-rect and useful comparisons can bemade by readers.

The tire prices shown in this re-port are for tires only, and do not in-clude mounting/balancing or anyadd-on warranties or other servicesor fees. To allow for a more accuratecomparison, the level of tire brand –

Tier 1, Tier 2 and Private Brand/Oth -er – recommended by the retailer isnoted. (See legend below charts.)

The services chosen for these sur-veys include a standard oil change(oil plus filter), a standard four-wheel alignment and front brakework (replace front pads and turnboth rotors).

For more information on InteliChek,visit intelichek.com. ■

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an effort to allow you walk away fromthis article a bit smarter, wiser andmore focused on the digital space for2013. If I had compiled this data my-self, I would have the distinct right tocall myself Wonder Woman, but intruth I derived much of it from Busi-nessInsider.com, an amazing resourcefor Internet intelligence led by HenryBlodget.

Digital Media TodayThe digital medium is nearing 20

years old – yet I regularly am asked ifthis Internet thing is some kind of fad.This fact should put an end to the nay-sayers, wouldn’t you think?

Over 2 billion people are online –but that still leaves two-thirds of theworld totally offline. Even with thosefigures, most of the world’s income isonline, with statistics showing that thetop 30% of global income earners makeup 82% of the online users.

Smartphone sales blew past PCsales almost as soon as they were in-troduced in 2005. Today, tablet com-puters are driving all growth in themarket, led by the release of the firstiPad in 2010. Today, who would evenconsider buying a laptop over a tablet?And what exactly is a “desktop” any-way? No doubt that the future is mo-bile.

Online vs. TelevisionViewing habits have swung away

from primetime television towardtime-shifted recorded shows, video

games and streaming online video.Think about your family’s activities.Where do your kids and grandkidsspend their time? I’m going to guess

it’s heads down on mobile devices.Satellite and cable TV subscriptions

are trending down, while “over-the-top,” or OTT, video has become aplayer in the space. OTT includesthird-party providers such as Netflix,YouTube and Hulu. Live events are in-creasingly garnering eyeballs, with theaction being view ed either on flat-screen televisions or through videogaming consoles (all of which areequipped with wi-fi).

Digital media advertising is grow-ing rapidly. In fact, at the largest U.S.tech and media companies, nearly 40%of the revenue is digital. Google now

generates as much ad revenue as allnewspapers and magazines combined.

Digital media content ad revenue isexploding with iTunes, Netflix and

Kindle leading the pack, but keep youreye on Zynga, Spotify and Dropbox (ifyou haven’t the slightest clue aboutthese companies, this is your cue to getGoogling).

But even with that bright and shinyoutlook for digital, TV remains far andaway the leader in U.S. advertisingspending and it continues to grow.However, user behavior is changingand history has taught us that whenuser behaviors change, the money fol-lows.

Social MediaIt seems the entire world is on Face-


The Future of DigitalMedia

Know where the digital

marketplace is heading

in order to create the

ideal plan for your shop

BUSINESS SOCIAL MEDIA

HEATHER BLESSINGTON

Contributing Writer

[email protected]

Digital media advertising is growing rapidly; at the largest U.S. tech and media companies, nearly 40% of the revenue is digital.

book (humans and pets include d), yetthe statistics show only one-seventh ofthe world’s population utilizes it,which translates to approximately 500million daily users and 1 billionmonthly users.

When it comes to online advertis-ing, Google is the clear-cut leader, withFacebook blowing past Microsoft(Bing), AOL, Yahoo and all otherscombined for second place. The paceof Facebook’s growth makes one won-der if it will ever be bigger thanGoogle. Highly unlikely, as Blodgetputs it this way: “Google is like adver-tising at a store. Facebook is like adver-tising at a party.”

E-commerceBig box stores aren’t just online to

sell their wares; there is big business inad sales. Target, Best Buy and Walmartare now building ad businesses; mod-eling their sites after Amazon with on-line ad revenue is already over $1billion annually.

As e-commerce continues to takeshare, new brands such as Groupon,Gilt Groupe and Living Social blend

marketing and commerce.

MobileWhen it comes to mobile phone

usage, people are using their smart-

phones as they do their PCs andtablets, spending the majority of theirtime playing games, surfing social net-works, catching up on the news, visit-


■ BUSINESS: SOCIAL MEDIA

Today’s shoppers use mobile devices to compare prices while shopping – giving retailers yet another challenge in the competitive marketplace.


ing the bank and shopping. It seemsthe vast majority of the human popu-lation is determined to burn up everyspare second of their waking hours ontheir smartphones. Good for capital-ism, but a bit scary for relationshipbuilding and social skill development– such as the all-important ability tomake eye contact with your lovedones at the dinner table. But I digress.

I find one of the more interestingnew behavioral habits is exhibited bythose watching television while dial-ing into a social network on a smart-phone. There’s something about thisdual viewing activity that our brainscrave and many find the ability to in-teract with others on mutual topics ofinterest quite satisfying – hence thedraw of Twitter.

In-store price checking is a technicaladvancement that has changed theway we shop and ultimately makebuying decisions. Today’s retail shop-per is savvy, they care about getting thebest price or a killer “deal,” and retail-ers need to understand this reality ifthey are going to survive in this ever-changing climate.

Price matching has become core toretail sales strategy, with same-dayshipping being the latest gamechanger, as detailed by Wired maga-zine in “Death by a Billion Clicks,”about Best Buy’s fall from grace andplan for a comeback.

Mobile is driving Internet usagethrough the roof, creating a 24/7 datastream direct to the consumer. Thequestion is whether mobile ad revenuewill follow.

The space to watch is localized mo-bile ads, which allow retailers to reachtheir core demographic for the lowestof low spend. The ability to target con-sumers in the digital world is unlikeanything before in the history ofmedia, and savvy consumers hungryfor local offers, deals and informationare the real drivers.

AppsApple’s App store downloads are

on track to hit 60 billion by mid-2013,with smartphone users spendingmore time with apps than mobile webactivity. “Freemium” is still the domi-nant model, with games being the

area generating the most paid appdownloads across the board.

Google Android is the leading mo-bile OS. This is attributed to the factthat Android is an open platform OSdistributed through many phones in-cluding Motorola, HTC and Samsung.The Apple iOS platform runs only onthe iPhone, iPad, iPod and iTouch,which limits growth potential.

Now that you are armed with aclear perspective on digital media, it’sup to you what you do with this new-found intel. My hope is you will re-view your marketing budget for 2013and shift dollars to this growing fron-tier. This will allow you to start gather-ing data on what form of digital mediadelivers the highest ROI for your busi-ness. ■


■ BUSINESS: SOCIAL MEDIA


Heather Blessington, CEO ofDuo Web Solutions, is an accom-plished blogger receiving pressfrom CNN, USA Today, BBC andForbes. Her company specializesin creating and managing blogsfor powersports dealers. ContactHeather at [email protected].

You probably didn’t hear orthink much about the EnergyIndependence and Security Act

of 2007. I certainly didn’t give muchthought to how it might influence howwe sell replacement tires.

But more than five years after beingsigned into law, regulations in the billthat are still being firmed up will dojust that.

The purpose of the Energy Act was“to move the U.S. toward greater en-ergy independence and security” byincreasing production of clean renew-able fuels; increasing the efficiency ofproducts, buildings and vehicles; pro-moting research on greenhouse gascapture and storage options, and im-proving the energy performance ofthings like light bulbs, cars and govern-ment buildings.

Tucked into the bill – and drafted bythe RMA – is Section 111, which in-structs the Secretary of Transportationto set rules “establishing a national tirefuel efficiency consumer informationprogram for replacement tires de-signed for use on motor vehicles to ed-ucate consumers about the effect oftires on automobile fuel efficiency,safety, and durability.”

Approximately 10% of the cars and

light trucks in this country are inCalifornia, and in 2005 that state, by ex-ecutive order, undertook reducinggreenhouse emissions to 1990 levels by2020. As part of that, California devel-oped its own tire fuel efficiency regula-tions. Other states soon began toformulate their own tire fuel efficiencylaws, creating the potential that the in-dustry could face 50 separate lawsdealing with tire design and com-pounding – which is why the RMAstepped in and offered a national solu-tion as part of the Energy Act of 2007.

In developing its regulations, Cali-fornia officials estimated that a 2% im-provement in fuel economy is possiblein this country with a shift to fuel-effi-cient tires. Carla Peterman, commis-sioner of the California EnergyComm ission, says: “2% improvementrepresents an opportunity for substan-tial benefits – 300 million gallons peryear in reduced fuel use, $1.05 billion

in annual fuel savings, and 3.3 millionmetric tons of reduced greenhouse gasemissions.”

In June 2009 – 18 months after thebill was signed into law – the U.S. De-partment of Transportation proposed a“new, consumer-friendly label on re-placement tires that would include, forthe first time, information about thetire’s impact on fuel economy and CO2emissions reductions.”

“Our proposal would let consumerslook at a single label and compare atire’s overall performance as it relatesto fuel economy, safety and durability,”Secretary of Transportation Ray La-Hood said at the time.

The Next StepsOnce a bill is passed into law, the ac-

tual specific rules and regulations takemany months to be developed, consid-ered and formalized, and the tire label-ing and consumer education


BY RICK BARNHARTContributing Editor

“OUR PROPOSAL WOULD LET CONSUMERS LOOK AT

A SINGLE LABEL AND COMPARE A TIRE’S OVERALL

PERFORMANCE AS IT RELATES TO FUEL ECONOMY,

SAFETY AND DURABILITY” - RAY LAHOOD

provisions of the Energy Act of 2007were no exception. But the require-ments of the law were far more compli-cated than just creating an adhesivelabel; an entire grading system had tobe created, and that could only comeafter all-new tire performance testingprotocols were established.

Originally, NHTSA was given 24months to finalize all aspects of thelaw, and when it finally offered its“final” rule in early 2010, it was alreadymonths late and still incomplete, a factthat it plainly acknowledged. Whilemost of the testing protocols had beendecided and a tentative label design se-lected, the ways and means to executea national consumer education pro-gram remained undecided.

As we understand the situation, theFinal Final Rule is scheduled to be pub-lished on March 15. Once that occurs, itwill need to clear various governmen-tal departments, and because they arealready behind, it will be April beforewe see the proposed Final Final Rule.

After that, the Final Final Rule thenfaces a 60-day comment period, duringwhich various stakeholders and thosethat might be impacted will be able tooffer their thoughts. Barring any signif-icant issues, the Final Final Rule willthen become, well, final.

At this point, we are simply “wait-ing for NHTSA to announce the newproposed rule,” according to DanZielinski, senior vice president of pub-lic affairs for RMA. “We’ve had a num-ber of discussions with them aboutwhat we think is the best approach; wehope they have listened, but we’re notgoing to know until they come outwith it.”

Comparing Label PlansIn other parts of the world, tire fuel

efficiency testing and labeling is al-ready in place. Japan has a voluntaryprogram, South Korea has one that isrun by the government and Europe hasa continent-wide program that recentlywent into effect. Many hope the U.S.program will resemble those, espe-cially the European Union version.

On Nov. 1, 2012, formal testing andlabeling regulations went into effect inthe countries that are part of the Euro-pean Union (EU). The EU passed a billto get this done in 2009, and by work-ing cooperatively with the tire industryit came up with a plan that pleasedtiremakers, OEMs, distributors andconsumer groups.

And the EU did this well before theU.S. has finalized its plan.

The EU system’s ratings are differ-ent than the ones proposed by NH -TSA; while the U.S. (and presumablyCanada as it is expected that TransportCanada will adopt the same regula-tions) will consider durability (tread-wear), safety (measured by wettraction and braking) and fuel effi-ciency, the EU looks at fuel efficiency,wet traction and noise.

Europe is concerned about noisepollution and used this measure in-stead of treadwear, though some tiremanufacturers have suggested addingdurability (treadwear) to the EU planin the future.

The EU tire rating system formatfollows one already employed to rateappliances, so it was already familiar toconsumers. There are six “bins” – des-ignated by letters “A” through “G” – inwhich fuel efficiency and traction fallinto based on specific test result values.

Fuel efficiency is measured by arolling resistance coefficient value,based on an international test standardthat most U.S. tire industry experts ex-pect will be used in the U.S. system.

Noise is rated in decibels (dB) andmarked on the label as such and notcategorized by letter grade as with fuelefficiency and wet traction.

Enforcement in Europe is left up tothe individual countries and most ofthem are still working out how to dothat. One significant difference be-tween their plan and the one we mightsee is that a threshold was set forrolling resistance, which will continueto be adjusted to force greater andgreater fuel efficiency going forward.Many lower priced imported tires al-ready do not meet current minimumrolling resistance standards and needto be re-engineered in order to be soldin the EU. The system will continue toplace pressure on those overseas man-ufacturers.

It is too early to tell how the systemis working in Europe. They have neverhad a testing and labeling system likethis, and to quote the European Tyreand Rubber Manufacturers Associa-tion, “it is a game changer for thewhole tire supply chain, right down tothe consumer. Manufacturers will ben-efit from visible product differentiation.Consumers will now be able to effec-

■ FEATURE: COVER

The new labeling and consumer education program will include ratings in each of the three areas: fuel efficiency, safety and durability. This is a sample concept created at the time NHTSA started considering the system.

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tively compare tires on the basis of in-formation on three selected perform-ance criteria that were so little known.”

What Will it Look Like?If NHTSA listens to the industry

and to various groups affected by thenew rules, we will probably have a “5bin” rating system, with the bins repre-senting 5 levels. This is preferred bymost, especially for the fuel efficiencyrating, because it allows tires to berated within brackets that can give ade-quate comparisons without the poten-tially misrepresentative level of detailof something like a proposed 0-100scale.

The new labeling and consumer ed-ucation program will include ratings ineach of the three areas: fuel efficiency,safety and durability. The program willrate all replacement passenger tires

(but not LT-metric or winter tires). Fuel efficiency will be based on a

rolling resistance measurement thatmanufacturers are charged with test-ing. “Saf e ty” will be measured by wettraction, and durability will be repre-sented by a treadwear rating.

“Fuel efficiency” is the most specificterm, yet there will be confusion. Therating will be based on either a rollingresistance load measurement or a coef-ficient value. The coefficient valuemethod is favored by RMA and TIAbecause it is the best way to compareone tire to another – apples to apples.All tires have a specific RRC (rolling re-sistance coefficient) value.

When CONSUMER REPORTS recentlysurveyed tire buyers, one thing it askedwas how much of an increase in gasmileage they would expect by actuallyswitching to low rolling resistance tires.Approximately one-third of respon-dents didn’t know, and on the otherend of the spectrum, 25% thought theywould get 10 mpg more!

The reality is much different. Theamount of total fuel consumption at-tributable to the tires is between 4%and 7%, depending on the vehicle andurban vs. highway driving.

Let’s look at the reality of the highend of that scale – 7%. If you decreasethe rolling resistance of a tire doingmostly highway driving by 20%, thenyou only gain 20% of that 7%, or a gasmileage improvement of just 1.4%overall. If your vehicle gets 30 mpg,that would be an increase of only 0.5mpg, not 10 mpg!

Some manufacturers quote differentnumbers, but you get the picture. Tiresonly account for 4% to 7% of the 30mpg, or 2.1 mpg on the high end.While that is a pretty good improve-ment in real terms, it seems that manyU.S. drivers expect that more fuel-effi-cient tires will give them huge in-creases in fuel economy.

The opposite result was seen in asurvey done with 3,000 motorists in theU.K. The result there was that 77% ofthose surveyed underestimated thepossible savings from LRR (low rolling

resistance) tires. Of course, with theprice of fuel being almost $10 per gal-lon, the monetary savings in the U.K. ismore than twice what we might seehere. The point is that tire buyers needsome educating.

The second rating is “safety” – afairly broad term that can mean manydifferent things. To reduce confusion,RMA and TIA have suggested that it becalled exactly what it is: wet traction.As with fuel efficiency, NHTSA has notannounced which measurementscheme it will employ – peak or slide.With ABS on 90% of the vehicles on theroad today, most experts believe thatpeak value is best because ABS systemsare designed not to avoid lock-up, nec-essary to make a “slide” measurementto be meaningful.

The other rating is “durability,” an-other term that could be clearer. Whensome people hear “durability,” theymight think about puncture or abra-sion resistance when, in fact, we’retalking about treadwear.

So what will the new labels or re-quired test values look like? The RMAhas done quite a bit of work on thisand made several specific suggestionsto NHTSA. The RMA disagreed with

TireReview.com 29Rapid Response: 800-928-1184 ext. 47029

THE NEW LABELING AND CONSUMER EDUCATION

PROGRAM WILL INCLUDE RATINGS IN EACH OF THE

THREE AREAS: FUEL EFFICIENCY, SAFETY AND

DURABILITY.

the 0-100 scale that was originally sug-gested. Instead, RMA believes that afive-category system would work best.This “five-category system” could beone to five stars or points or letters Athrough E, where all tires are rated foreach category. This would be similar tothe plan in use in Europe and Japan.

Will We Have Labels?We don’t know. There has been logi-

cal argument against physical labels

because most tire buyers don’t even seethem when they’re shopping for tires.Getting them after the tires are in-stalled is pointless, but will they be ondisplay tires in the showroom?

The most logical ways to communi-cate the ratings to consumers must beat the point of sale or online. The infor-mation is deemed important to helpconsumers make better tire buying de-cisions, so access is vital. The ratingscould be provided in web-based chartsor as paper hand-outs or in tiremaker

databooks. The information can be pro-vided by each manufacturer or in acompendium created to house all ofthe information in one place.

NHTSA places much of the infor-mation-providing burden on the shoul-ders of tire retailers, and mentionsposters and POS pamphlets as beingemployed, as well as requiring the re-tailer to include tire grades on theirwebsites. TIA has raised its hand andasked to be the primary provider of la-beling information to consumers, andthis being a federally mandated pro-gram, the funding for a multi-prongedconsumer education push would pre-sumably come from taxpayers.

What Will Change? We don’t know any details yet but

can make a few assumptions:• Tire dealers will need to get train-

ing on new regulations very quickly.Kevin Rohlwing, TIA’s senior vicepresident of training, explains there arethree things that are yet to be deter-mined: “how to measure, how to com-municate and how we need to get it tothe consumer.” After NHTSA decidesthose, TIA will then jump into action toget dealers trained on the new regula-tions.

“The whole industry is waiting onNHTSA and we are going to have toreact quickly,” says Rohlwing. “Retailtire dealers are going to need to trainquickly so that everyone at the salescounter can properly educate their cus-tomers.”

• Consumers will have more infor-mation than ever before to help themmake the best tire buying decision – atrue apples-to-apples decision impossi-ble under the antiquated UTQG sys-tem. There already is a large consumersegment that does a significant amountof Internet research before buying tires.We will now be required by law to givethem more data.

• The new rating system should en-courage advancing technology in tirerolling resistance. Many tire companieswill want to have products with thehighest ranking so that they can claimhaving the most tires in the top ratingcategories, for example. Because com-parison can be drawn across brandlines, the new testing and rating sys-tem will put more pressure on tiremak-ers to continuously improve the breed.

• Price differences between varioustires might be easier to explain. Tosome, tires all look the same, and with-


■ FEATURE: COVER


out guidance to define what makes ex-pensive choices different from inexpen-sive ones, many consumers will buybased only on price. With this labelingsystem, there will be more tools to ex-plain the differences.

On the other hand, it might beharder to explain some price differ-ences. Emerging products from smallertiremakers could test very well. Tech-nology has been equalizing, and whatsome see as a Tier 3 product may de-liver performance grades quite close to

those of a traditional Tier 1 tiremaker.Consumers will question why one tirewith a B-B-B (if bins and letters areused) is $40 more than another B-B-Brated tire from an unknown manufac-turer.

• Interest in the various “savingscalculators” on tire websites will growdramatically. The ability to quantifyfuel savings over a specific period oftime for one tire vs. another will influ-ence the way we sell tires. NHTSAsurely will have a savings calculator onits website, and it probably will be aprogram requirement for all tiremakersand retailers to follow suit.

• Dealers may need to stock or havequick availability to a greater selectionof tires in order to cover buyer fuel effi-ciency-price demands. Dealers willneed to review their product screens tosee that they offer – or can get – previ-ously lesser-known tire options.

• Durability (treadwear) will likelynow be rated on an industry standardrather than a manufacturer “standard,”as is the case with the current UTQGsystem. Tires are limited to a UTQGtreadwear rating of about 800 now,even though some tires could be as-signed a much higher number. Market-ing by model line influences howtiremakers assign current ratings. If auniversal standard is used across theboard, the test values will be moremeaningful for comparing differentbrands.

• The price of tires will likely adjustto the new regulations and the cold,hard realities of ratings. With new gov-ernment requirements come additionalcosts to tiremakers, and those will getpassed along to consumers. Enforce-ment includes a proposed $50,000 fine

for each case of non-compliance, add -ing to the cost picture.

While this is nothing new, tires withbetter technology will still command ahigher price, especially if consumersshow that they really are interestedbuying more fuel-efficient tires. NH -TSA estimates that the costs to improverolling resistance would average $3 pertire. The result of that “investment”would be an estimated decrease inrolling resistance of 5%-10%.

• Tiremakers will have to use “real”

numbers to explain the fuel efficiencygains of their products vs. older mod-els or competitive products. Becausethere have not been consistent testingstandards, in recent years manufactur-ers could and would toss out fuel effi-ciency gains of new products, someheavily footnoted as a comparisonagainst an existing tire or a very spe-cific size and model of competitive rub-ber. Now they will have to “show theircards” with real numbers or letters.

• What we don’t know is whetherconsumers will even care. Back in 2007,consumers faced pump prices of $2.50per gallon (even $3!), and consumerscomplained to their congressmen andto the media. Soon, the industry wasflooded with ideas and devices thatwould improve gas mileage, and re-placement tires were accused of beingless fuel-efficient than their OE cousins.

Since those panicked days, gasprices have soared past $4 a gallon, set-tling in at around $3.50 now, and whileconsumers aren’t happy about it, theyhave seemingly accepted the reality ofexpensive gasoline and diesel. Since ithas taken so long to get from the Presi-dent’s desk to reality, many wonderhow this tire testing, grading and label-ing system will even be received.

At present, the research shows thatfuel efficiency is down on the list ofconsumer tire concerns. Anyone work-ing the retail sales counter would prob-ably agree.

Will it be Confusing? There is certainly a lot of potential

for confusion. Existing UTQG ratingsand information have been around fordecades and some retailers are still un-clear on what 400AAA means. Imag-



WITH NEW GOVERNMENT REQUIREMENTS COME

ADDITIONAL COSTS TO TIREMAKERS, AND THOSE

WILL GET PASSED ALONG TO CONSUMERS.

ine, then, what consumers know orthink of UTQG ratings.

There will be a period of transitionwith a good deal of confusion. It is as-sumed, but not decided, that the cur-rent UTQG system will be replaced bythe new system. The proposed rulestates that it will remain, but many ex-pect that to change as two systemswould only add to the confusion.“Why introduce the possibility of con-sumer confusion, especially with a newsystem that will take some time gettingused to?” says Zielinski.

There also will be some definitetraining and communication chal-lenges just with the new rules. The newratings will NOT be molded in thesidewall, and will only appear on thetire as a label or equivalent.

That means that for a period oftime, we will still have UTQG ratingsmolded on the tires. Once the moldswear out – if UTQG is done awaywith – they will probably get changed.So, if the new system replaces the cur-rent UTQG, as many assume, we willneed to tell customers that the datapermanently molded into the side ofthe tires isn’t important anymore.

Not missing in this conversation isthe importance of proper inflationpressure on fuel efficiency, as well ason durability and safety. Buying morefuel-efficient tires will help reduce con-sumption of gas and increase our en-ergy independence, but proper tireinflation remains the key factor in max-imizing fuel efficiency.

Selling tires might soon take a littlemore time. At 7:30 a.m., few salespeo-ple have time enough to explain thenew ratings and labeling, and this willmake selling tires a bit more compli-cated. The program won’t just be anew label with some new “values,” buta full-scale testing and grading systemwith a significant “consumer informa-tion program” with specific require-ments for tire dealers. What remainsunknown is how much help retailerswill get in their mandated consumereducation efforts.

So will the goals of the new pro-gram be met? Tire Rack’s website saysthat our existing UTQG system “hasnot fully met their original goal ofclearly informing consumers about thecapability of their tires. Maybe it’s be-cause tires are so complex and their

uses can be so varied, that the gradesdon’t reflect their actual performancein real world use.” But are the failingsof UTQG fairly indicative of how thiswill go?

We don’t know exactly what NH -TSA will include in the Final Final Ruleand most are hesitant to guess at thispoint. One thing is certain: We’re get-ting a new program and a new way ofselling consumer tires. And if youthought tire customers were armedwith too much online research that justcomplicates the selling process, justwait.

Since one goal of the new rule is tobetter inform consumers, we had allbetter be paying attention and get upto speed on the details. Dealer traininghas to happen before customers can geteducated.

Sure, you still will have lots of cus-tomers that rely on your recommenda-tion – and may or may not care aboutfuel efficiency – but selling tires isabout to become a little more challeng-ing.

Stay tuned. ■


■ FEATURE: COVER


Family owned and operated CJ’sTire and Automotive has been aleader in tire retail and automo-

tive services in the mid-Atlantic regionfor more than 40 years.

The company, founded in 1972 inBirdsboro, Pa., just outside of Reading,operates 12 retail locations and a re-gional wholesale distributor businesswith a warehouse in Pottstown thatholds 40,000 to 50,000 tires. The busi-ness also has a Mighty Auto Parts fran-chise.

“We distribute from as far west asHarrisburg, east of the DelawareRiver,” says tire industry veteran BillBainbridge, director of marketing forCJ’s Tire and Automotive. “We godown a little bit into northern Del-aware and northern Maryland andthen all the way up to the Pennsylva-nia/New York border.”

On the retail side, the companyavoids traditional commercial tires andfocuses more on a niche market of pas-

senger and light truck radials. Theshop carries a variety of brands, in-cluding Continental, General, Miche-lin, BFGoodrich and Uniroyal.

“Hankook and Falken, I guess,would be the two lines that would bein that really high value segment forus,” says Bainbridge. “We are in a goodsituation where we are positioned to beable to acquire a lot of other product.We buy Pirelli and Yokohama direct,we sell quite a bit of those tires both re-tail and wholesale. We’re a ContinentalGold dealer, so we do quite a lot ofbusiness with the Conti brand.”

On the service side, the 12 retail lo-cations are equipped for all types of tireand underhood work.

“The retail stores are all full automo-tive service,” says Bainbridge. “Every-thing from Pennsylvania state inspec- tions and emissions testing, all vehicle

maintenance services and diagnosticrepairs, front end alignments, suspen-sion – virtually any opportunity formaintenance and auto repair. We canhandle just about anything.”

The company has approximately110 full-time employees and another20-25 part-timers.

“We participate in the TIA trainingprogram,” says Bainbridge. “All of ourautomotive mechanics are ASE certi-fied and we follow guidelines for all re-tail services.”

‘The CJ’s Way’Paul Levengood, CJ’s co-owner and

vice president, says he believes CJ’sstands out among the competitionlargely because of the exceptional cus-tomer service employees deliver.

“Because our focus is service, it haseverything to do with your people; we


TOPSHOP

Traditional values, new ideas combine for success

CJ’s Tire & Automotive

FEATURESHANA O’MALLEY

Contributing Editor

To encourage customer engagement, CJ’s Tire and Automotive did away with thetraditional customer service counter, opting instead for modular pods.

have some very good people that aresuper well-intended. That means a lot.It builds a huge element of trust be-tween you and the customer,” says Le-vengood.

The company’s mission statementand motto used throughout the busi-ness is “The CJ’s Way.”

“This is a family owned businessand ‘The CJ’s Way’ is being committedto providing exceptional service to thecustomer and giving back to the localcommunities where we do business,”says Bainbridge.

And the company does just that,whether it’s recommending tires to acustomer or sponsoring a little leagueteam in one of the local communities.

“I think we’re a fairly benevolentcompany where we’ll do a lot of spon-sorship and engagement with differ-ent causes that are around all of ourstores,” says Bainbridge. “We actuallysponsor some little league teams, soft-ball teams and we have a high schoolscholarship program around all of ourstores.”

Each fall, the company hosts afundraiser for breast cancer researchand even has its name on a plaque atthe University of Pennsylvania Hospi-tal because of its contributions. Duringthe holidays, CJ’s participates in Toysfor Tots and a local secret Santa.

“There’s a gentleman in the com-munity that’s been a long time cus-tomer of ours and he’s a professionalSanta; he also has his own engagementof helping some people and familieswith special needs so we’re a silentcontributor for that,” explains Bain-bridge.

Diverse Marketing MixWhen it comes to marketing and

advertising, CJ’s is well represented invarious ways.

“From an advertisingand marketing stand-point, we are fairly di-verse,” says Bainbridge.“One of the things we’rereally happy with is thatwe use local sports mar-keting; that’s a nice an-chor for us because ofwhere we’re locatedhere just outside Read-ing. The PhiladelphiaPhillies have an AAfranchise in Reading

and we have a sponsorship relation-ship there that’s really been fantastic.We have a good branding effort.”

The company also uses direct mailand radio spots.

“We buy specifically morning andafternoon drive, so we get peoplewhile they’re in their cars,” says Bain-bridge. “We do some sport and somemusic stations, so there’s a balancethere.”

The company currently is in theprocess of completely remodeling itswebsite, which is set to launch laterthis month. It also has a growing socialmedia presence.

“We’re really just taking baby stepsthere,” Bainbridge says. “We have aFacebook presence with over 1,300 fol-lowers, so I think considering our ef-fort, we’re pleased with that.”

While CJ’s has built a solid reputa-tion and continues to grow its market-ing strategies, the shop still faceschallenges in the business and workshard to stay competitive. “It’s no secret

that 2012 was the beginning of a per-fect storm that we’re not out of yet,”says Bainbridge.

He says the mix of extended servicewarranties from car dealers and thepast two mild winters have sloweddown business, but CJ’s still has plansto continue growth.

“Our five-year plan says let’s getover 20 stores, but we expand oppor-tunistically,” Bainbridge says. “Now isnot the time to make high risk ad-vancements.”

For now, the company has been re-

modeling some of its stores, includingthe original location in Birdsboro.

“We tried to make sure that it wascomfortable and that there were thingsto do,” says Bainbridge. “We have freewi-fi, we set up Xbox 360 games, andwe have TV monitors and a lot of mag-azines.”

CJ’s replaced the traditional cus-tomer service counter with small mod-ular pods so customers have moreroom to walk around and approach as-sociates with questions. Looking for-ward, Bainbridge clearly sees the daywhen CJ’s service advisors and salesstaff all use iPads to help customerswith work orders and tire selection.

“We wanted to take away barriers,”Bainbridge notes, “and most of the cus-tomers want to engage with us ver-bally and want us to give them goodadvice and make good recommenda-tions.”

Moving forward, CJ’s plans to re-model two to three stores each year,employing the pod concept in each. ■


■ FEATURE: TOP SHOP

CJ’s, founded in Birdsboro, Pa., operates 12 retail locations and a regional whole-sale distributor business.

TIRES

It’s a recurring concept in the 21stCentury: What’s good for the planetalso can be good for the piggy bank.

But realizing that fact doesn’t make theinitial popular transition to eco-friendly products simple, nor any lesscostly.

So it goes with fuel-efficient passen-ger tires. Tiremakers are experiencingconsiderable growth in the products’popularity, leading even smallerbrands to venture into the arena. Afterall, both consumers and automakersare expressing a demand for lowrolling resistance and other fuel-effi-cient considerations. But how are man-ufacturers – the large and, mostnotably, the small – experiencing anddealing with the trend?

“Fuel-efficient tires are growing inpopularity for many reasons,” saysRick Brennan, vice president of market-ing for Kumho Tire USA. “Amongthem are the increase in overall eco-consciousness and gas prices. The pub-

lic is more aware of its responsibility tobe more environmentally aware, and totake care of the natural environmentswe inhabit.

“In addition to those factors, theever-inflating nature of gas prices is al-ways a hot button with consumers andcompanies,” he adds. “From a con-sumer’s point of view, the interest is re-ally on increasing gas mileage and notnecessarily on fuel-efficient tires. Con-sumers will take a fuel-efficient tiretoday if it provides more benefit with-out costing much more.”

And therein lies the challenge.“Most consumers are looking for an

element of fuel-efficiency in their tirepurchase but are not always willing orable to pay a premium price for thattechnology,” explains Scott Jamieson,director of product management atCooper Tire & Rubber Co. “Typically,low rolling resistance tires have beenpriced toward the top of the productscreen. With fuel prices higher than $3

or $4 per gallon, low rolling resistancetires typically enable the consumer torecover the price premium plus moreover the life of the tires. However,some consumers find it difficult to paymore up front for the promise of agreater return later.”

That phenomenon was exacerbatedby the recent economic downturn, butchanges are being seen as the economyrecovers.

“In tough economic times, payingmore at retail for a fuel-efficient tire iseven more difficult, especially if it isn’treally clear to consumers that they getthe benefit,” says Fardad Niknam, sen-ior director of technical services andproduct planning at Toyo Tire USACorp. “For the average driver, fuel effi-ciency is hard to notice from fill-up tofill-up. Gas prices have been volatileand drivers typically don’t have a ref-erence point week-to-week for compar-ison of possible savings from morefuel-efficient, green tires versus regular

TireReview.com 41

Tiremakers large and small know fuel-efficient tires are here to stay

Gone Green

FEATUREJOANNE DRAUS KLEIN

Contributing Editor

tires they might have had on the samevehicle previously. So they really haveto trust in the claims of manufacturersas to the fuel-savings benefits of greentires.”

Nevertheless, the increase in legisla-tion mandating higher miles-per-gal-lon standards in America and Europe,including Corporate Average FuelEconomy (CAFE) regulations for carmakers, has helped to keep the trendrolling.

“All global tiremakers need to keepthis in mind for not only eco-specifictires, but for all future production onall patterns,” Brennan says. “Every tirewe make is going to have to be morefuel-efficient, whether this is UHP, lighttruck or a tire for a hybrid vehicle. Fuelefficiency will be another feature of-fered on any tire, and a fuel-efficient-only focus will be a niche tire. As aresult, sales of tires with better fuel effi-ciency will increase, especially after thenew labeling requirements becomemandatory, mandating rolling resist-ance grades be added along with theUTQG ratings.”

“The CAFE levels that vehicle man-ufacturers have to obtain has played alarge role in shaping the importance ofrolling resistance for both OE and re-placement tires,” Jamieson adds. “Asvehicle manufacturers strive to obtainthe 54.4 mpg CAFE by 2025, the em-phasis on fuel-efficient tires is certainlygoing to increase at the OE level, andthat increase will likely flow to the re-placement level.”

Beyond RegulationsBut while many tiremakers say they

expect continued growth in this trend,they also recognize that certain ele-

ments can’t be sacrificed in the creationof fuel-efficient tires. These includewear, wet traction, lower mass, ad-vanced constructions and innovativetread-siping technologies.

Yokohama’s newest fuel-efficientproduct, for example, is the Avid As-cend, which the company’s director ofproduct planning Andrew Briggs saysincorporates orange oil to offer lowrolling resistance, high mileage and all-season traction.

Toyo’s Versado Eco, a grand-touringall-season tire built for hybrids andother environmentally-friendly vehi-cles, uses naturally derived tread com-pound materials and recycledpolyester in its tire casing materials,amplifying its green factor, Niknamsays.

Kumho’s Ecowing KH30 is formu-lated with eco-friendly, silica-basedcompounds, designed for low rollingresistance, but doesn’t compromisecomfort or handling, according toBrennan.

Meanwhile, the Cooper GFE fea-tures traction-compensating sipes thatincrease in length as the tire wears,locking tread elements together andhelping to reduce rolling resistance,says Jamieson, who adds that the com-pany will launch a new tire in May thattargets weight reduction – two poundsworth, a significant number.

And the Hankook Enfren Eco’s lowrolling resistance is accompanied bycompetent wet and dry traction and aquiet, comfortable ride, says HenryKopacz, Hankook’s public relationsand product marketing specialist.

“Both internal and external testingis done for fuel-efficient tires,” Kopaczexplains. “Most importantly is rolling

resistance testing so that the design ofthe tire meets its performance targets.”He says that an independent externallab is used for such tests.

“It’s one thing to have a tire that re-duces the energy required to roll on theroad,” Jamieson adds about testing,“but it also has to brake effectively andaccelerate appropriately. At the end ofthe day, the consumer is still going todrive their vehicle in (wet, dry andsnowy) conditions, and we need to un-derstand how these tires are going toperform on their road trips.”

Many of the distinctive technologiesof fuel-efficient tires can in fact be theproducts’ best marketing points.Kopacz, for example, says Hankookpitches the silica rubber compoundsand internal construction of its greentires. “Aerodynamic sidewall design,silica tread compound and heat-controltechnology all offer their own benefitsin the area of fuel-efficient tires,” hesays. “This is information that can beprovided to consumers to explain theoverall fuel-efficient tire package.”

Cooper, in addition, markets its GFEtire using print, online, training and in-store point-of-sale sources that helpconsumers understand how the tirecan improve fuel efficiency withoutcompromising traction, handling andride quality, Jamieson says.

“It’s critical for our dealers to beable to explain to the consumer thebenefits that our products bring to theirvehicle,” he adds, mentioning Coop -er’s dealer e-learning web courses.“Dealers should also communicate thatproper tire inflation is an importantpart of optimizing a vehicle for goodgas mileage. You can improve vehiclesafety and fuel economy by as much as3% if you keep your tires inflated prop-erly.”

“Dealers should also remind vehicleowners that there are other critical fac-tors,” Niknam agrees, “like proper tireinflation, vehicle alignment and main-tenance, and a driving speed that willimpact realization of fuel savings.”

“As mentioned before, fuel-effi-ciency is not a sole reason for consu -mers to purchase a specific tire,”Brennan summarizes. “For dealers tosell these tires, they need to positionthem in a way that showcases thestrength of the tires in all areas thatmatter – and have the added benefit ofbetter gas mileage be a supplementalfact.” ■


■ FEATURE: TIRES

Yokohama uses orange oil to boost its tires’ fuel efficiency. The tiremaker says it allows for lower rolling resistance, higher mileage and all-season traction.

I f all roadways were glass-smooth,we wouldn’t need springs and sus-pension systems in modern vehi-

cles. But, in the real world, roadwayshave bumps, dips and potholes thatcan severely damage a vehicle.

To smooth out these irregularities inroad surfaces, we couple a compressi-ble spring with a flexible suspensionsystem to smooth the ride and increasethe driver’s control of the vehicle.

Unfortunately, the elastic strength ofthe steel in a modern spring diminishesdue to high loading and repeated flex-ing. The most noticeable symptom ofspring wear is a sagging suspensionsystem or uneven vehicle ride height.Less common are springs that breakdue to metal fatigue or to a stress risercaused by corrosion or physical dam-age on the spring’s surface.

In other cases, springs are replacedto enhance the load-carrying or han-dling characteristics of a vehicle. Agood understanding of how springsare rated and how they operate is in-dispensable for achieving the antici-pated outcomes in spring modif-ications. With these issues in mind, I’llcover the basics of how springs operateand how to choose a spring that willenhance vehicle performance.

Spring RatesSpring rate is the amount of pres-

sure required to compress the springone inch. Spring rate on coil springs ismost affected by wire diameter, springdiameter and the number of activecoils, while spring rate on torsion barsis determined by bar diameter andlength. The length, thickness, numberand position of the individual springleaves affect spring rate on leaf springs.Most spring manufacturers supplycharts that use these and other factorsto mathematically determine the rate oftheir springs.

Coil SpringsCoil springs are generally rated by

free length, compressed length, outsidediameter, number of coils and wiresize. Most modern import passengervehicles use coil springs becausethey’re compact and versatile. Mostcoil spring rates are linear, whichmeans that spring compression is di-rectly related to load.

Coil springs also can be progres-sively wound, with the coil spacingcloser at one end of the spring. Thiscreates a spring rate that progressivelyincreases as the spring is compressed.Progressively wound springs allow asmooth ride, while at the same timeproviding enough spring capacity to

support heavier-than-normal loads(See Photo 1).

Torsion BarsModern trucks generally use lat-

eral bar-type torsion bars on theirfront suspensions because torsionbars are compact and allow the sus-pension to be easily adjusted to thecorrect height. In most cases, a torsionbar breaks when the metal loses itstorsional strength.

The downside of torsion bars is thatthey can be built only to a linear rate.When replacing torsion bars, remem-ber that the right- and left-hand torsionbars aren’t interchangeable on manyvehicles and, like all springs, should bereplaced in matched pairs (See Photo2).

Leaf SpringsThe unique feature of leaf springs is

that they are a progressive-style springthat not only supports the weight ofthe vehicle, but also attaches the vehi-cle’s drive axles to its frame. Leafsprings are still used in most truck rearsuspensions for this reason. In additionto performing the above functions, thefriction created between the springleaves as they are extended and com-pressed tends to dampen spring re-bound.

TireReview.com 43

SERVICE

Getting suspension and steering system game-ready

SpringTraining

FEATUREGARY GOMS

Contributing Writer

In most modern applications, a leafspring is built with one or more mainleaves that are usually connected to theframe by a fixed mount at the front anda flexible shackle mount at the rear. Thepivoting shackle allows the archedmain spring leaves to change length as

the spring compresses. Additionalleaves of varying thickness and lengthare added to increase the load-bearingcapacity of the spring.

Short, thick leaves often are in-stalled at the bottom of the spring stackto act as “over-load” springs. All of the

leaves are held in position by a centerbolt that also locates the spring assem-bly onto the axle housing spring perch(See Photo 3).

Leaf springs generally fail when oneor more leaves break. When the centerbolt breaks, the axle assembly will shiftin relation to the chassis, which causesthe vehicle to “dog-track” while in mo-tion. Worn fixed-mount spring bush-ings can cause the same dog-trackingsymptoms, but to a lesser extent.

Because the center bolt is generallylocated forward of the mathematicalcenter of the top leaves, leaf springsoften are installed backward, whichwill dislocate the axle and cause a simi-lar dog-tracking situation.

When leaf springs wear out, theylose the arch originally built into thesprings. Wear in leaf springs can gener-ally be detected by observing theamount of travel left in the rear springshackle with the vehicle at rest and atnormal load. If the rear shackle is fullyextended, the spring should be re-placed.

Suspension GeometryTo preserve a geometrically correct

relationship among its individualparts, independent suspensions sys-tems are designed to operate at a speci-fied suspension height. Photo 4 showsthe tie-rod resting at a slight down-ward pitch with the suspension at nor-mal height. This is the normally correctposition for both tie-rods and controlarms because the suspension can bedepressed slightly without seriouslychanging the angle of the tie-rod.


■ FEATURE: SERVICE

Photo 1: Because coil springs are dependent on shock absorbers for rebound control, shock absorbers must be capable of dampening rebound under a wide variety of loading and road surface conditions.


Photo 2: The torsion bar on this compact truck is mounted on the frame and attached to the upper control arm. Thisconfiguration is very compact and durable.

On the other hand, if the suspension height is increasedor decreased beyond specifications, the tie-rod will no longermaintain a correct geometric relationship with the suspen-sion system. Consequently, modest changes in suspensionheight will cause extreme changes in toe angle. This phe-nomenon, known as “bump steer,” will cause the steeringsystem to become over-sensitive to road contour and willcause premature tire wear.

A dramatic change in suspension height will similarly af-fect independent rear suspensions. Photo 5 illustrates thegeometric relationship among the lower control arms, anti-sway bar and rear axle half-shaft. Clearly, this type of sus-pension is difficult to modify without developing extremeadverse effects on suspension and drive train geometry.

Performance ModsExtreme suspension modifications are better left to shops

with the experience and tooling needed to make these modi-fications. As for working with the street performance enthu-

siast who wants to increase the overall handling or appear-ance of his vehicle, it’s important to understand some springperformance basics.

For example, it’s important to understand the relation-ship between the spring, shock absorber and anti-sway bar.In general, stiffer springs require softer shock absorbers,while softer springs require stiffer shock absorbers to main-tain rebound control. Similarly, stiffer springs require softeranti-sway bars, while softer springs require stiffer anti-swaybars to keep the vehicle level while cornering.

A vehicle modified for off-road driving generally requiressofter springs that will better absorb irregularities in the roadsurface and longer springs to increase suspension travel.These features allow the shock absorber to better control sus-pension rebound. It goes without saying that shock absor -bers used on off-road applications need a lot of piston areaand oil capacity to better dissipate heat. Sway bar perform-ance should be appropriate to the application. In road-cour -se racing, a stiffer sway bar might be appropriate, where asoff-roading might require maximum suspension travel, inwhich case the sway bar might be eliminated altogether.

Street performance cars can better utilize stiffer springsbecause the road surface is smoother and the tires have bet-ter adhesion during high-speed cornering. Stiffer springsalso allow the vehicle to operate at slightly below specifiedsuspension height without bottoming out. Here again, theshock absorber should be matched to the spring rate. Stiffshocks mated to stiff springs might create a suspension sorigid that the wheel lofts off the pavement, thus decreasingtire adhesion.

In any case, it’s always a more efficient approach to buy asuspension performance package that matches individualcomponents to their intended use. Most performance springmanufacturers have technical help lines that guide techni-cians and retail customers toward spring packages suited totheir individual needs.

Whatever the situation, always remember to replacesprings in pairs and remember also that springs and correctsuspension height go hand-in-hand to create maximum sus-pension and steering performance. ■


■ FEATURE: SERVICE

Photo 3: Correct suspension height is required to reducepropeller shaft vibrations. The pinion angle of the propellershaft should equal the output shaft angle of the transfercase or transmission.

Photo 4: Notice that the tie rod operates in about the samegeometric plane as the upper and lower control arms on thistorsion bar-equipped vehicle.

Photo 5: The relative angles of the lower control arm, driveshaft and stabilizer bar are very apparent on this independent rear suspension system.

Here’s a rundown of the toptechnical service bulletins re-lated to TPMS from 2012.

FordTSB Number: 12-6-2Vehicles: 2009-11 Ford Edge and

Mercury MKXCondition: Corrosion on the lip of

22-inch wheels and whiskers/ventson the tire’s bead seat may cause theTPMS to illuminate.

Solution: Disassemble the rim andtire and clean the rim flange and tirebead with a Scotch-Brite pad. GM

TSB Number: 00-00-90-002KVehicles: All GM vehicles with di-

rect TPMS systemsSubject: Adjusting tire pressures

under warrantyThis TSB is an advisory stating

adjustment of tire pressures is not awarranty procedure. It also defines acold tire as one setting for at leastthree hours and advises against theuse of non-GM tire sealants.Infiniti

TSB Number: 12-29 (Also NissanTSB Number: 10114B)

Vehicles: All Infiniti (Nissan) mod-els with TPMS

Subject: Damage to TPMS sensorsInfiniti pulls no punches here! The

luxury brand of Nissan tackles twoof the leading causes of sensor dam-age. Infiniti tells technicians thatdeep well, long reach air chucks canbreak and bend stems on TPMS sen-sors. It even advises against the useof locking chucks. The TSB recom-mends the use of shallow chuckswithout extensions. While some au-

tomakers have stated that somesealants are compatible with theirTPMS sensors, Infiniti states thatsome sealants and propellants cancrack the housing of its sensor. Thepictures in the TSB are hard to dis-pute. Infiniti

TSB Number: 12-046AModels: 2013 JX35Subject: TPMS registration proce-

dureThis TSB is of little consequence to

technicians who use an aftermarketscan tool to register IDs with theTPMS module. The procedures dis-cussed concern new hardware andsoftware for the Consult III scan tool.Jaguar

TSB Number: JTB-001654Subject: Loss of pressure during

inflationJaguar issued this TSB to advise

technicians to be careful with valvestems during inflation or valve capremoval. The TSB advises stronglyagainst metal valve stem caps thatcan cause galvanic corrosion. It alsoadvises that if the customer has usednon-approved valve caps, all four orfive sensors should be replaced.Lexus

TSB Numbers: SB-0042-12, SB-0055-12, SB-0056-12, SB-0073-12, SB-0082-12, SB-0083-12, SB-0085-12 andSB-0100-12

Subject: Sensor activation on 2013models.

Dealer pre-delivery activationprocedures to wake up the sensors.No use for in-service vehicles.Mazda

TSB Number: 02003-12

Model: 2013 CX-5Subject: Activation of sensorsThis TSB describes how the TPMS

operates and how to service the sys-tem. Instructs technicians how to re-learn sensor positions and possiblesymptoms for a problem.Mitsubishi

TSB Number: 12-31-001Models: All Models with direct

TPMS from 2004-12Subject: TPMS general service pro-

ceduresThis 11-page TSB outlines how to

service and diagnose Mitsubishi ve-hicles equipped with TPMS. This isone of the most complete TSBs everpublished. This is a must-read thatshould be printed out and sharedwith your entire tire service team. Toyota Scion

TSB Number: SB0001-12Subject: Inflation pressure temper-

ature compensationScion released this TSB to inform

technicians how ambient tempera-tures can influence tire pressure. Therelease includes a chart that plotstemperature and pressure. This TSBwill help you determine the correcttire pressure in all seasons. SB0001-12 is another “must print” TSB fortechnicians.Volkswagen

TSB Number: 4412-02Models: 2012-13 CCThis TSB informs technicians that

some CC models may experience aloss of signal from a single or multi-ple TPMS sensors. The only solutionis to replace all four sensors with up-dated sensors from HUF. ■


2012 TPMS TSBs inReview

A quick review of the top

TSBs on TPMS

service issues from all

the automakers

TIRES TPMS

ANDREW MARKEL

Contributing Editor

[email protected]

Way back when I worked forone of the largest automo-tive magazines in the

world, we had a monthly minimumof photos of smoky burnouts and/orsideways drifting. Also, the coverwas required to contain a minimumnumber of capitalized words and ex-clamation points! Top Secret InfoNOW REVEALED!! It was a LOT!!!

This is to explain that I was adrifter before the Japanese madedrifting cool.

An anecdote: I was driving a Pon-tiac TransAm on Mulholland Drivenear the Ventura County line. Overthe radio, the magazine photogra-pher said calmly, “Okay, Mac, get itsideways after this school bus.” Fol-lowed by a more frantic: “NO, NOTTHAT SCHOOL BUS! THISSCHOOL BUS!” (We even spoke inall-caps with exclamation points!)The kids loved the show. The busdriver, not so much.

After burning down hundreds oftires (MAYBE A THOUSAND!!!) insometimes as few as a dozen odome-ter miles, I discovered somethingthat tire engineers have difficulty ex-plaining. Many street tires fail to re-cover anywhere close to theirprevious level of grip after a burnoutor drifting session.

(Note: I say “odometer miles,” be-cause the photographers demandedthe car remain absolutely stationaryas the rear wheels spun. This re-quired precise footwork with manualtransmission cars, especially if thenose of the car was pointed at an-other less than two feet away. TheOle Miss journalism professors and

Mississippi Highway Patrol thoughtI was just driving like a nut when, inreality, I was simply doing self-di-rected study for my intended careerpath.)

“How do all these attention-gar-nering war stories help me?” youmay ask. Here’s how: You will en-counter customers who are unhappywith the tread life of their tires ontheir performance cars. The reasonmight well be smoky burnouts ordrifting.

Not that they will admit to it.Since even V6-equipped Mustangshave more horsepower than theTransAm mentioned earlier, almostevery car – even front-wheel drivers– can be made to do smoky burn-

outs. However, without certain mod-ifications, drifting is almost exclu-sively for rear-drivers.

Other customers may complainabout sudden changes in traction. A

once-stable rear-drive car may nowtry to spin out on every corner. It’swhat engineers call “oversteer,” andrace drivers call “loose.” (see Per-formance, October 2012)

When challenged with a questionabout poor tire life or bad handlingin a performance car, I respond with:“Have you done smoky burnouts?”

The likelihood that the reply willbe truthful is low. Quite low. Eventhe mythical hero of television’sNCIS, Special Agent Leroy JethroGibbs, would not get a straight an-


DecreasedTractionCulprits

Uncovering the

‘honest truth’ behind

customers’ loss of

grip complaints

TIRES PERFORMANCE

MAC DEMERE

Contributing Editor

Although your customers – or their teenage sons – likely won’t achieve a drift likethis, smoky burnouts are one culprit for loss of grip tire issues.

swer. A friend of mine who is an ex-pert witness in “lemon law” casesthat involve this and other vehicleabuse offers simply: “They all lie.”

The next question is harder tododge: “Do you have a teenage boyin the house?” If the answer to thesecond question is affirmative, themystery is solved. Mom and dadmay not know that son has beendoing smoky burnouts or drifting,but the chances are high that he has.To wit – I once approached my sonwith the blunt accusation that, “Iknow you took the car when youwere 14 and I was asleep. Your park-ing job sucked and you curbed thetire.”

See, they don’t remember that youwere that age once.

Why the Loss of Grip?If I can inspect the vehicle, the

first question will answer itself.Sometimes I don’t even have to bendover. If a pair of tires has noticeablyless tread, burnouts or drifting likelyhas occurred. Sometimes one pair oftires still has mold pimples, whilethe other is down to 6/32nds (orless) of tread.

I’ll also check in the fender wells

of the drive wheels. I look for bits ofblazing hot rubber that has affixed it-self to suspension components orbodywork during the burnout.

After my for-the-photographerburnouts, one could scrape upenough rubber to make a baseball-sized orb. I wanted to start a collec-tion of these. I planned to displaythem alongside an assembly of alu-minum blobs left from aluminumwheels after car fires. (These werefires we happened upon duringback-country drives; I didn’t startthem.)

The cooled aluminum puddles areincredibly beautiful, but the under-

side is a smelly, toxic mess. The col-lection concepts were vetoed by Mrs.Demere, and no one squashes anidea as emphatically as a fiery Scots-Irish woman.

Tires that have recently sufferedthrough burnouts or drifting showmany uneven wear patterns. Heel-toe wear and strange feathering arecommon. I am sorry now that I didnot keep a photographic record.

The “why” on the resulting dropin grip remains speculation. The bestguess I’ve heard from tire engineersis that the near-300˚F tire tempera-ture experienced in a burnout or driftcauses a re-vulcanization. The cooledtire tread becomes harder. This is es-pecially true for the race tire com-pounds found on Dodge Vipers andother super-exotics. (Yes, the tireshave the same tread pattern as sib-lings with the same model name, butthe rubber is identical – or very close– to that of a race tire.)

Those who drift in competition re-place tires after every couple of runs.I’d suspect that drag racer JohnForce, the king of burnouts, replacestires at least every half-mile or so.And you’d be shocked how themulti-thousand-pounds downforce

produced by the front wing of a TopFuel dragster causes those skinny lit-tle front tires to chunk.

Speaking of burnouts and drift-ing, visit macdemere.net for stillsand macdemere.net/videos.html forvideo. Let’s see those Japanese kidsdrift a stock, fully loaded Freight-liner.

In the meantime, getting to thebottom of grip complaints with per-formance tires really isn’t that hard.Far more often than not, someonehas been playing hard. As long as thetires don’t take as much blame asthey do abuse. ■

TireReview.com 51Rapid Response: 800-928-1184 ext.47051

> TAKEAWAYS

• DROP IN GRIP CAUSED BY EXTREME HEAT

• EXAMINE FENDER WELLS FOR RUBBER

• CHECK TIRES FOR UNEVEN WEAR PATTERNS

• CHECK TIRE PAIRS FOR WEAR VARIANCES

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HENNESSYAccording to Hennessy, the Coats ProRide Diagnostic PL Wheel Balancer combines su-perior ride management with easy-to-use operation to deliver increased productivityand a higher quality balance. The balancer features a pneumatic locking mounting sys-tem to reduce mounting time, while a pneumatic cylinder applies a consistent pressureon each wheel, reducing mounting errors. The ProRide Diagnostic PL also offers a “Stop& Lock” feature that locks the assembly in place at the proper weight placement loca-tion. Accurate runout measurements help quickly identify troublesome tires and wheels,the maker said, adding the unit has a smaller footprint than competitive models for bet-ter bay space utilization, and a multiple operator feature that allows up to four operatorsto save their individual preferences.ammcoats.com Rapid Response: www.TRRapidResponse.com/47150Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47150

BENDPAKBendPak recently introduced its Ranger RB24T truck wheel balancer with a quick-chuckkit that reduces operator fatigue and decreases set-up times. Users raise and hang thewheel onto the quick-chuck that features auto-centering, hardened steel wheel holdingsupports. Then, using a special quick-chuck wrench, the wheel is automatically cen-tered and secured in just seconds, according to BendPak. The three jaw chuck featuresa forged steel body and hardened wheel supports and gear slides, the companyadded. bendpak.com Rapid Response: www.TRRapidResponse.com/47152Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47152

HUNTERHunter said its Road Force Touch delivers exceptional balancing service and performs afast diagnostic road force test, which finds hidden causes of vibration and pulls not re-lated to balance. The test is integrated into the balancing process to enhance the qual-ity of service and generate more profit opportunities without adding valuable servicetime, according to the maker. The Road Force Touch also features a touchscreen inter-face that simplifies operation and shortens the learning curve for technicians. Live 3Dgraphics and animations display real-time wheel conditions and illustrate easy-to-under-stand procedures to improve ride quality, Hunter added.hunter.com Rapid Response: www.TRRapidResponse.com/47151Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47151

TireReview.com 53

■ SOLUTIONS: SPOTLIGHT

RAV AMERICAThe GTL4.140 video balancer precisely balances automotive, light truck andmedium duty tire and wheel assemblies. The versatile machine is equallyadept whether the application is a performance automobile, a rugged lighttruck, or a medium duty truck – including super wides, according to RAVAmerica. Its features include a full color LCD display, premium software, DCdrive system, integrated wheel lift, automatic data entry and automatic stopon top. Although the GTL4.140’s control pad consists of only five touch keys,most important balancing functions can be done without a single button push.Even precise tape weight balancing can be carried out without a single touchof the keypad, added the manufacturer. ravamerica.com Rapid Response: www.TRRapidResponse.com/47153Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47153

BEE LINEBee Line’s Smart Balancer II is the latest advancementin on-the-vehicle wheel balancing equipment that uti-lizes a touch screen computerized system, according tothe maker. With just a few spins, the wheel is broughtup to speed while a sensor measures wheel vibration.The user-friendly touch screen then indicates the exactweight and position where the weight should be addedto the wheel, the company said. The Smart Balancer IIeliminates the technician’s guesswork during the simpleprocedure, increases accuracy and maximizes quality,Bee Line added. beeline-co.com Rapid Response: www.TRRapidResponse.com/47155Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47155


LIBRAUTO The Librauto G8-200 includes a patented self-propelled balancing unit withan advanced magnetic levitation module that offers the absolute best preci-sion without friction, according to the company. To this precise spin tech-nology the manufacture added 13 wheel balancing programs, including thesmooth friction-free advance wheel braking system with electronic top-deadcenter wheel brake. The TDC is automatic for both the inside and outsideplanes. To the entire technology package, Librauto said it added a hood,pneumatic wheel lift and automatic data entry system for distance and rim.librautotech.com Rapid Response: www.TRRapidResponse.com/47154Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47154


SOLUTIONS PRODUCTS

Collapsible Tire Safety CageA new two-bar tiresafety cage is nowavailable from Branick.The new model 2220collapsible cage is pri-marily used on servicetrucks and providesdurability and efficiencyfor field tire repair, ac-cording to Branick. Thecage stands 60.5 inchestall and can handle tireswith a maximum widthof 22 inches (cross section) and maxi-mum tire diameter of 54 inches. branick.comRapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47160 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47160

All-Season Touring Tire Hercules Tire & Rubber Co. introducedthe Ironman RB-12, a new all-seasontouring tire available in 21 T-, H-, and V-rated sizes with wheel diameters rangingfrom 13 to 16 inches with traditional

55/60/65/70 seriesofferings. Addi-tional features in-clude a symmetric,five-rib tread de-sign that creates alarger footprint forstability and per-formance, andslotted shoulders,

moderate siping and wide grooves toenhance water evacuation and preventhydroplaning, according to Hercules.herculestire.com Rapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47161 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47161

Warehouse Management Software Aftersoft Network’s Warehouse Man-agement Software is the latest soft-ware to integrate seamlessly with itsVAST business management applica-tion. The WMS module will optimizethe flow of goods through a ware-house, managing all activities fromgoods receiving and putaway to pick-ing, packing and shipment. The soft-

ware also features handheld PDA andscanner capabilities, the company said.aftersoftna.comRapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47162 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47162

Steering Stabilizers Rancho has released new steering sta-bilizers in the RS7000MT monotubeproduct series. The performance sus-pension and shocks manufacturer saidthe newest steering stabilizers utilizemonotube technology, allowing forfaster dissipation of heat and providingexceptional resistance to overheatingduring extreme use. Additionally, theRancho RS7000MT steering stabilizershelp reduce wheel shimmy, bumpsteer and vibration while tightening upsteering performance. gorancho.comRapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47163 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47163

Corrosion-Resistant Brake Pads Corrosion resistant protective coatingfrom Performance Friction Corp. pre-vents rust, peeling and corrosion, andis extremely temperature resistant, ac-cording to the maker. Geopolymertechnology provides strong protectionon all surfaces of the brake pad. Addi-tionally, the coating withstands saltspray and high temperature exposure,resulting in absolutely zero coat peel-ing and minimal to zero rust, the com-pany said. pfcbrakes.comRapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47164 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47164

HD Time-Release Oil Filters Luber-finer has launched its new line ofheavy-duty time-release technology oilfilters. The line provides users with anoil management system that helpsmaintain oil quality and reduce mainte-nance costs associated with oil changeintervals, according to Luber-finer. Thefilters have been specifically engineeredto help heavy-duty fleets extend oilchange intervals by increasing the pro-

tectionagainstoil degra-dation inmoderndiesel en-gines byproviding a controlled release of a spe-cially formulated, highly concentratedliquid additive into the oil supply. luberfiner.comRapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47165 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47165

SmartWay Verified Trailer Retread Michelin North America has launchedthe EPA SmartWay-verified Oliver brandULP Trailer retread. According to thecompany, the Oliver ULP Trailer is de-signed for long haul, wide base trailerapplications and delivers enhanced fuelefficiency, providing fleets significantvalue and performance. Additionally,the precure tread features a visual depthindicator that reduces the retention offoreign objects in the tread face. oliverrubber.comRapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47166 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47166

Laser Spotting Guide Rotary Lift said its Spotline laser vehiclespotting guide allows technicians toquickly and efficiently move vehicles inand out of the bay. The Spotline laser isinstalled on the top of the work areaand projects a green laser line directly inthe center of the bay. The laser is thenused tocenter theline on thevehiclehood anddash whilepulling infor perfectpositioning every time. A new retrofit kitallows for any brand of lift to add thebenefits of Spotline, the maker said. rotarylift.comRapid Response:www.TRRapidResponse.com/47167 Or call 800-928-1184 – Ext. 47167

Hot New Products

TireReview.com 55

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“Somehow I have to tell the systemwhat the new pressures are, but forthe life of me I can’t figure out howto do that!”

I chuckled. “Okay, I see whereyou’re coming from. Have you gotthe Tech 2 connected?”

Beanie jerked his thumb towardsthe truck. “Yup. We’ve been staringat it for hours, but I don’t see any-thing that talks about tire pressures.”

He retrieved the scan tool fromJake, who’d been fiddling with thecontrol buttons. “Hey man, what alame video game. All it does is showyou numbers.”

Ignoring him, I directed Beanieback to the main menu screen. “Thetire pressure monitor functions areheld in the remote control door lockmodule (RCDLM). Once you’re inthere, go to module setup and you’llbe able set the load range and pres-sure of the front and rear tires.”

Beanie shook his head in disbelief.“The remote control door lock mod-ule? I never would have thought tolook there!”

I went back to the lunchroom andlet the girls know it was almostshowtime. Alley squealed with de-light and waved her purple nails inthe air to dry them. But Sam seemeddistracted. “Slim,” she said, “I’ve gota question. I’ve been dating Beaniefor a while now, and this is not thefirst time that a vehicle has interferedwith our dates. It’s…it’s almost likecars are more important than peo-ple…” Her voice trailed off as shelooked at me. “Is this something Ineed to think about?”

I gulped. The reality is that any-one dating a tire guy or service techneeds to get used to days like this,days when things don’t go asplanned. But we have enough strikesagainst us already – dirty fingernails,gashed knuckles, clothes that smelllike oil and grease. I certainly wasn’tabout to throw a crescent wrenchinto Beanie’s love life by telling herto like it or lump it.

Instead, it was time to dispense atidbit of tactful wisdom. Unfortu-nately, I was the only wisdom-dis-penser in the room, and to be honest,

I have more success fixing fuel injec-tion than counseling women. But Igave it my best shot.

“Sam, every career choice has itshigh and low points,” I pointed out.“The key is to remember that life islike a Tech 2 scan tool: as long as wecommunicate well, and know wherethe pressure limits are kept, then thesystem will serve us well.”

Sam stared at me like I was crazy.“Huh?”

“Yeah,” said Alley. “That wasweird.”

I decided to let Beanie fend forhimself. It was time to go home andbe with the family. After all, isn’t thatwhat holiday weekends are for? ■

TireReview.com 59

■ COMMENTARY: THE CAR SIDE

Continued from page 60

Rick Cogbill, a freelance writerand former shop owner in Sum-merland, B.C., has written TheCar Side for a variety of trademagazines for the past 15 years.“A Fine Day for a Drive,” his firstbook based on the charactersfrom this column, is now availablefor order at thecarside.com.


It was just before the long holidayweekend, and everyone knowsthat holiday weekends are made

for fun. Everyone, that is, except ayoung service tech still honing hisskills. To these misguided auto en-thusiasts, a holiday weekend meansworking on your buddy’s car – forfree.

Beanie asked if he could usethe shop on Saturday. “My buddyJake wants some help mountingnew tires and wheels on hispickup.” He held out a brownpaper bag. “I kinda owe himone.”

“Sure,” I said, accepting hisbribe. I opened the bag andpeeked inside at the container ofbutterscotch-caramel coffee fla-voring. “Good choice. Just be sureto clean up the place when you’redone.”

The plan was to be finishedwith the tire swap in time to catchan afternoon movie downtownwith their girlfriends. But as Basilwould say, the best laid plans ofmice and apprentices often goastray.

The lights were still on when Idrove by the shop around noon, so Istopped in to investigate. “Why sogloomy, girls?” I asked, coming intothe lunchroom where Samantha andAlley were waiting impatiently.

Samantha frowned fiercely as shepaged through a magazine. “Beanieand Jake are having troubles,” shesnarled. “It looks like we’re gonnamiss our movie.”

Alley, Jake’s girlfriend, was redo-ing her nails. “Sam, I say we ditch

the guys and go to the movie our-selves.” She looked up at me. “Canyou give us a ride?”

“Whoa,” I said. “What seems tobe the problem? Surely it can’t takethat long to change four tires.”

Sam tossed the magazine aside.“The tires are changed, but they can’tget the tire pressure monitoring light

to go out.” She looked at me plead-ingly. “They need serious help, Slim.Could you please take a look?”

Out in the shop I found the guysslouched dejectedly in the front seatof Jake’s 2008 Silverado. Jake sighed.“Bean, you told me you knew how todo this stuff. If we don’t get outtahere soon, Alley’s gonna freak!”

Seeing me come in, Beanie scram-bled out of the truck in a panic. “AmI ever glad to see you, boss! ThisTPMS stuff is driving me crazy!”

I surveyed the used tires andwheels scattered across the bay.“Okay, where’re we at?”

Beanie pointed to the truck. “Jakewanted a new look for his ride, sowe’ve replaced the original tires andwheels with these.” The KMC Back-seat rims with 37x12.5R18 BFGood -rich tires were a definite

improvement over the stock equip-ment. “I swapped over the TPMSsensors to the new wheels, just likeBasil told me,” he continued. “Asfar as I can tell, we didn’t damagea thing.”

He reached into the cab andpulled out the owner’s manual.

“Next we went through the re-learn procedure, using thehigh/low tire pressure method.You know, where you raise orlower the tire pressure until thehorn beeps once? Then you moveon to the next tire and do it again.”

I surveyed the battle scene. “Didyou start with the left front tire?”

“Yup.”“And when you finished with

the last tire, did you get two beeps,signaling that the relearn process

was successful?” Beanie nodded again. “That part’s

fine. The problem comes when I tryto set the tire pressures.”

I frowned. “Aren’t you using thetire pressures from the placard onthe door pillar?”

He sighed. “Well, no. On thismodel, the original tires called for 50psi in the front and 80 psi in the rear.But the new tires are 50 psi allaround.” Beanie threw up his hands.


Feeling The Pressure

A stubborn TPMS

problem is resolved

with a quick scan tool

solution

COMMENTARY THE CAR SIDE

RICK COGBILL

aka Slim Shambles

Contributing Writer

Continued on page 59

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