Bob Ulrich

Editor

Bob Ulrich was named Modern Tire Dealer editor in August 2000. He joined the magazine in 1985 as assistant editor, and has been responsible for gathering statistical information for MTD's "Facts Issue" since 1993. He has won numerous awards for editorial and feature writing, including five gold medals from the International Automotive Media Association. Bob earned a B.A. in English literature from Ohio Northern University and has a law degree from the University of Akron.

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Car dealer says vehicle manufacturers, not tire makers, design tires!

By: Bob Ulrich

Earl Stewart has been around tires a long time. He founded Earl Stewart Toyota in the North Palm Beach, Fla., area more than 35 years ago.

And because of his dealership's "Free tires for life" plan, he has given away a lot of them, at least $1 million worth.

But that doesn't mean he knows everything about tires. His latest blog is a case in point.

Stewart writes a blog for "The Hometown News," a community newspaper in nearby Fort Pierce, Fla. It also appears on his website.

Barry Steinberg, CEO and president of Direct Tire & Auto Service, alerted me to Stewart's latest blog, "Why new car tires wear out so fast."

"It is a full moon or April Fools Day," was his note attached to the blog. Here are some of the reasons why.

Stewart: "The tires that came with your last new car were not designed by Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone or any other tire manufacturer. They were designed by the manufacturer of your car."

Me: Tire specs and tire designs are two completely different things. Need I say more?

Stewart: "The OEM tires that came with your car can’t be replaced -- which is a good thing -- after they’ve worn out. And they will wear out much sooner than they should. This is because virtually all auto manufacturers specify very soft rubber which means they wear out too fast."

Me: This first part of the statement isn't true, according to Steinberg, who says he sells a lot of OE tires at the replacement level. It all depends on what the customer wants. As for the second part, sometimes it is true. When car buyers become tire buyers, tread wear becomes more of an issue.

Stewart: "Another way the car makers delude you into thinking your ride is very smooth is by recommending low tire inflation. The number you see on your door jamb or in your car’s owner’s manual is the car manufacturer’s recommended air pressure. The number on your tire is the tire maker’s recommendation. The number on the door jamb is the minimum and the number on the tire is the maximum."

Me: Yes, there is a maximum range on the tire that is higher than the air pressure recommended in the owner's manual and on the door jamb. But as we all know, the tire manufacturers nearly always defer to the vehicle manufacturers' recommendations, which represent the optimal pressures for balanced vehicle performance, including ride and tread life.

Stewart: "A famous brand tire makes all different kinds of tires to many different designs and specifications. Just because it’s a 'Michelin' doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good tire. If Michelin made that tire for an auto manufacturer who designed the tire with only two things in mind -- low cost and soft ride -- you didn’t get a very good tire."

Me.: I'll let anyone from Michelin answer that one if he or she wants to.

"He's so far off the mark, it's ridiculous," says Steinberg, who knows a little something about tires. He owns a four-store chain based in Watertown, Mass. And he was Modern Tire Dealer's first "Tire Dealer of the Year" in 1993.

If you want to read more, click here and scroll down. What do you think about Stewart's comments?

Related Topics: Barry Steinberg, Car dealerships, Direct Tire, OE tires

comments

1. Harry | November 29, 2011 at 07:42AM
   This guy is a victim of his own dealer mentality. In the last few years I have seen hundreds of cars & trucks with worn tires due to lack of rotations and lasck of alignments. Some as early as 15,000 miles! When asked: "Where do you go for service?", the answer is invariably: My new car dealer. We have proven that rotations EVERY OIL CHANGE and looking at every car to see if the is any edge wear (and offering to check the alignment) doubles and triples the life from the first set of tires. This new car dealer was correct but only for 1950-1970 or so when the manufacturers learned their lesson from the outcry of poor wear from undersized and one-ply tires! What we hear most today is astonishment that an OE tire on an "ecomomy" car can be $300 to replace.
   
   This new car dealer, while obviously successful, needs some education!!!

2. Brian | December 12, 2011 at 09:19AM
   From a family who has bought more tires than all the car companies combined, this car dealer is out of touch. With more than 30 years myself in the tire business from the worlds largest tire mould foundry in the 80's to technical agreements with South Korea and Hankook, and a father who was the biggest buyer in the world for over 56 years. This car dealer does not understand that the after market and engineers and research and development decide what sells and what does not. Perhaps this is why he is in the car business and not the tire business. Car dealers are just a small consumer and car companies are just another part of that market. This is whay the car companies do not dictate designs or styles . Car companies go for price and eye appeal consumers go for looks , cost, performance and the dealer who services them and this is still the biggest demand in the market. Cars last longer than the tires do stay selling cars because you are surly lost on what tire consumers and manufactuers are looking for in tires.