Most of your Customers really don’t know very much about their tires.
Chuck de Martigny
If You Really Want To Sell More Tires I Can Help! Tire Guru - FixedOps & Car Dealer Point-of-Sale Merchandising Expert
They are black, round, made of rubber and filled with air. When they need to be replaced, they are expensive and the expense is usually unplanned. And because your customers don't know any better, most will go find the cheapest tires they can to fit their vehicle.
You, as a Car Dealer, aren’t perceived to be the cheapest place to buy tires so more than 9 out of 10 of your customers will likely go somewhere else to buy tires.
REALITY CHECK!
When Customers Buy Tires Somewhere Else, YOUR CUSTOMERS STOP BEING YOUR CUSTOMER
If you really want to retain your customers, you need to be their replacement tire provider. And if you want your customers to buy their tires from you, you need to educate them about Tires BEFORE THEY NEED THEM.
Your customers need to understand that their Tires are an integral part of the overall performance and safety of their vehicle.
DO YOUR CUSTOMERS KNOW THE VALUE OF THE OEM TIRES?
Make sure your customers know that the original (OE) tires on their vehicle are really special.
For example:
- They were specifically designed, engineered and tested for their vehicle at a cost of many millions of dollars
- The contain more than 100 Sophisticated High Tech Components including Steel, Polyester and Kevlar Belts
- They are made from State-of-the-art Polymers and Rubber Compounds
- Choosing a replacement tire other than the OE tire can be a daunting task.
Here are the 7 Key Attributes to consider when shopping for replacement tires.
1. Traction - Stopping Power, Cornering, vs Tread Wear
High performance tire design and construction generally provides greater stopping power and road traction. Softer rubber compounds are used in performance tire construction to allow more precise maneuvering and more efficient acceleration and braking. The cost of this additional performance is a loss of tread life.
An extreme example of this is NASCAR where racers burn through numerous tires in a 500 mile race.
Performance tire tread will diminish more quickly than the treads on tires designed for the family sedan or passenger van primarily used for commuting to work, school or the local grocery store.
Lately more OEM’s are suppling performance tires on their new vehicles tires to enhance the driving experience. That’s one reason we are now seeing customers with less miles driven looking for replacement tires.
2. Tread Wear - Wet Weather Stopping
Water does not compress. Water accumulation on a wet road must be evacuated by the grooves (sipes) of the tire to maintain traction. If the sipes are worn down, less water is evacuated causing the tire to literally float. A new tire normally has about 10/32” of tread depth. A half worn tire will lose almost 100 feet of emergency stopping distance on a wet highway travelling at 70 MPH.
The legal mandatory tire replacement limit of 2/32” is a road hazard for us all.
To address this specific issue, Michelin and Goodyear now offer tires with Sipes that widen as the tires wear, so wet weather stopping ability is retained even on half worn tires.
3. Rolling Resistance – Gas Mileage, vs Traction
Harder Tire Compounds will take longer to wear out. They also provide less resistance, so they get better gas mileage. But less resistance means less grip. Harder tires won’t stop as fast as softer tires. They also won’t accelerate as fast. And they sure don’t corner as well either. But you will get a longer tire tread warranty along with the better gas mileage. Is it worth it?
4. Tire Failure – The #1 Cause of Vehicle Failure Accidents
Tires cause more than 1 out of 3 Vehicle Failure Accidents. Brakes are #2 and cause about 1 out of 5.
11,000 tire-related crashes happen each year. More than 20,0000 people were injured and 733 PEOPLE DIED last year alone. More than 9% of all accidents have a tire related issue.
UNDERINFLATION causes heat, and heat is biggest reason that tires fail. Heat causes the tires to delaminate. Overloading causes overheating too. And so does speed. Add under inflation to speed and/or overloading and you have a recipe for disaster.
Age is another big factor in tire failures. Tires more than 6 years old are suspect. There is no way to tell if they are about to fail without taking the tire apart to inspect it. So Don’t even consider buying old tires and look to replace your 6 year old tires.
5. Speed Rating & Load Rating
Tire speed ratings are set by the tire manufacturers as the tire's maximum speed capability in ideal conditions. Make sure any replacement tire meets or exceeds the correct speed rating for your vehicle. You can use a tire with a speed rating that is greater but never less than the speed rating for your vehicle. Tires must also meet or exceed the load rating for your vehicle. And don’t overload your vehicle. See 4 above.
6. Tire Size
The Corerct Size for YOUR Vehicle is the tire size of the OE tire that came with your vehicle. Changing the tire size requires changes to your vehicles computerized systems such as speedometer and odometer. Size can also affect load ratings so make sure the new size won’t result in overloading the vehicle. The tire profiles will also change which can affect wheel alignments and create suspension issues.
7. Comfort – Sound – Peace of Mind
Every aspect of the ride handling characteristics of your vehicle is a direct result of the tires. The original tires for your vehicle were designed specifically by the engineers at the factory to optimize performance. Even the noise compensation in your vehicle was designed based on the harmonics produced by these specially designed OE tires.
The factory design engineers spend millions to ensure the best possible performance of their vehicles so you will enjoy and appreciate your driving experience with their vehicle at the time of purchase and during your ownership. And when you’re ready to trade-in for a new vehicle they hope your driving experience will bring you back to purchase their new one.
If you liked the way your vehicle performed when it was new, only the OE tire will replicate that exact performance.
Unless you have a compelling reason to switch to a different tire, such as a snow tire for slush and snow, for your safety, comfort and peace of mind, you really should choose the OE Tire designed for your specific vehicle as the replacement tires.
Sales. (voyez mon profil en fran?ais)
6 年The most important point is missing here. Incorrect tire pressure affects directly attributes 1,2,3,4,5 and 7. Tires should be inflated to the correct pressure recommended by the car manufacturer as listed on the tire placard label on the drivers door pillar. This should have been your point 1 as if not respected will render all the other stuff useless.
If You Really Want To Sell More Tires I Can Help! Tire Guru - FixedOps & Car Dealer Point-of-Sale Merchandising Expert
6 年How many of the tires you sell do you actually test and document. If you are like most tire dealers you probably don't. Instead you rely primarily on what you hear from your suppliers, and their marketing materials. Are these third parties? that you are relying on better informed than the design engineers at Ford. I don't know. Do they have more or less of a vested interest in what they tell you. I don't know. But if I have to make a recommendation as to which tire is best suited for which automobile, usually the OE tire is extensively tested and designed for the vehicle. I think I will continue to listen to the design engineers and go with the OE tire. So too for most of the other critical components on the vehicle like engine parts, transmission, brakes et al. Don't forget, I got to test drive the vehicle with the OE tires on it when I bought it. If I didn't like the vehicle and how it performed I would not have bought it.? If I change the tires it will not perform the same way. More than a third of all replacement tires sold are the OE tire. I am certainly not alone in my opinion.? As to tire age degradation, that is proving to be real. Remember, before the Firestone fiasco, Michelin, Continental and Firestone all had significant tire failures but would not recall the tires. They claimed the steel belt failures were caused by underinflating the tires so it was the consumers fault. Firestone was considered to be the unlucky one. But even after the initial first small recall, Firestone continued to refuse additional recalls for tires that eventually led to their demise. Is history repeating itself. I don't know, but based on the plethora of data already out their, I am not going to bet my life on a 6 year old tire nor should you?
Partner, Warholak tire
6 年Chuck, I agree with many of the points that Don has made. Addtionally, the 6 year expiration date seems arbitrary to me. Somehow, a tire that is 5 years, 364 days old admittedly has suffered some degradation, but suddenly, overnight, it becomes unusable and dangerous. Also, I believe that ride, noise, and cost factors affect the choices that the manufacturers make when choosing an OE tire for their car.? Bad-weather performance of many OE tires seems to be an afterthought.. A Ford Fusion that is driven in Tempe AZ, encounters very different weather and road conditions than that same car, shod with the exact same tire, would in Bismarck ND. It would seem that the customer has to rely on the judgement of the shop owner and his staff, to recommend the proper replacement tire.
If You Really Want To Sell More Tires I Can Help! Tire Guru - FixedOps & Car Dealer Point-of-Sale Merchandising Expert
6 年Point 3 for Don: Since you state you would like to challenge my proposition, please show me any studies and testing that support your position that the OE tire designed, tested and chosen by the engineers at the factory that manufactured my vehicle are not the best tire for my specific vehicle, make and model, and furthermore that you can in fact prove that you have a superior value tire choice for me confirmed by independent testing on my specific vehicle make and model.
If You Really Want To Sell More Tires I Can Help! Tire Guru - FixedOps & Car Dealer Point-of-Sale Merchandising Expert
6 年More for Don: Many auto manufacturers have taken small steps to warn consumers by placing warnings within the owner’s manual of newer model vehicles. However, due to the cryptic code tire manufacturers use on tires, the warnings are of only limited use to consumers. Nonetheless, the following manufacturers have issued warnings on 2013 and newer vehicles about tire aging: Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota and VW.?