Mud is mud, right? Wet, soft, sticky dirt. But Mississippi mud is different. Not so much when it's wet, but when it dries. Turn up the heat and Mississippi mud turns into pellets that look a lot like buckshot. That's why locals call it "buckshot mud."

Rusty rims, frozen lug nuts, vehicle inaccessibility, inclement weather, equipment failure -- commercial tire service techs have plenty to worry about when responding to road service calls. And often that's just the tip of the iceberg, according to many commercial dealers.

Two years ago, the utility trailer market was soaring. Consumers, buoyed by plenty of disposable income thanks to a strong economy, were snatching up units at near-record rates while specialty tire manufacturers, marketers and dealers raked in the proceeds.

Ever want to go one-on-one with the top executives in the tire industry? We did it for you. They all have significant domestic passenger and light truck tire manufacturing capacity, but that's where the similarities seem to end.

Remember TBA, an acronym of the 1950s and '60s? In those days, independent tire dealers were in the "tire, battery and accessory" business. By the 1970s, the "A" evolved from accessories to automotive.

Drivers who want better-than-average traction in severe winter weather have numerous options: dedicated snow tires, studded tires, even tires containing ground walnut shells. Elmira, N.Y.-based tire dealer Jeff Barlow is promoting another alternative: remolded tires containing carbide granules in their treads.

Twenty-five years ago, the United States celebrated its bicentennial, Gerald Ford was president and the nation was struggling to climb out of a long recession.

Industry experts predict that major brand market share will grow this year at the expense of private label gains. But independent tire dealers say private brands will continue to be powerful weapons in their efforts to boost sales margins and preserve their autonomy in the face of growing demands being placed upon them by major manufacturers.

On the street, tuner cars -- like slammed Honda, Nissan and Toyota sport compacts or the Dodge Neon, Ford ZX2 and Ford Focus -- are easy to spot, especially if you follow industry trends closely. But the drivers of these often extravagantly customized vehicles are tougher to pigeonhole. Ages vary, though most tuner buffs tend to be younger, and backgrounds differ. But nearly every tuner customer has disposable income and is eager to spend it; why not at your dealership?

Jiffy Lube International Inc., the nation's largest "fast oil change" company with nearly 2,300 locations, is very good at developing new business models. They seem to have perfected the fast-food approach to oil changes, thanks to a well-designed "fluid installation model," as they refer to it.