Following what appears to be a record year, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. held its 2012 Dealer Conference in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 29-31. I was on hand for all the new product announcements, plus some fleet HQ announcements.

How much does the Internet really affect retail tire sales? K&M Tire Inc., a large regional wholesale distributor based in Delphos, Ohio, thinks it’s a lot.

Wow. We all knew that tire pricing rose significantly in 2011. Not all of it stuck at the passenger tire level, but prices rose well into the double digits for all segments.

Richard Morgan writes a monthly e-newsletter that I always find interesting. As a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) and president of Morgan Marketing Solutions Inc. in Dallas, Texas, he knows how to cut through the clutter and give strong business advice to tire dealers.

I was taking a few minutes to clean my desk today, and ran across this coffee table book celebrating Brembo SpA's 50th birthday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. claims it "always " has low prices. In order to keep its prices low and stock price high, it has to minimize its own costs.

On a recent episode of "NCIS: Los Angeles" on CBS, the good guys were trying to catch the bad guys by identifying a tire tread pattern left in the desert. Based on the evidence, the vehicle had dual rear wheels.

Well, what do you know. Bottom of the eigthh inning, one out, and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig at the plate. The Texas Rangers are leading the Cardinals 7-4 in the sixth game of the World Series, and Craig hits a home run to make it 7-5.

New Jersey tire dealers wanted to know: Are road hazard warranties back, and will they expand?

When a company announces a tire price increase "of 5%," it's across the board. If the announcement says "up to 5%," you know two things: The price of every specified tire will be increased, and there will be a ceiling of 5%.