The use of orange oil in tires is not a gimmick or magic. Yes, it replaces some petroleum-based oils in the compounding, which is good for the environment. But it also helps the tire grip without sacrificing tread wear and fuel economy.

Tags: Going green, Orange Oil Technology, Yokohama

It’s a procedure that’s been performed on vehicles since they were called “horseless carriages.” Service technicians have been demounting, mounting and inflating tires for years.

Tags: 3M, Balancers, Balancing, Corghi, Hennessy, Hunter, IMI, Perfect Equipment, Plombco, Robert Bosch, Snap-on, Wheel weights, Wurth

The numbers don’t lie. The 2011 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show was a huge success. A record 132,000 people attended the event, according to the Tire Industry Association (TIA), which sponsored the show’s Global Tire Expo section. There also were 61,000 buyers, also a record and close to 19% higher than last year.

Tags: ASA, CIMS, Cooper, Falken, Hercules, Landsail, Nexen, Nitto, Pirelli, R.L. Polk & Co., Schrader, SEMA Show, SEMA Show 2011, TIA, Vee Rubber

Americans love to take a drive. Because the tires consumers travel on are important to the quality of the ride, there has been an increasing demand for what has become known as the touring tire.

As the cost of raw materials continues to rise, so do tire prices. Companies and individuals who need trucks to conduct business need to save revenue every way possible. One of those ways is by utilizing light trucks in commercial applications.

Tags: Apollo Vredestein, Continental, Cooper, Goodyear, GT Radial, Hankook, Michelin, Nexen, Toyo, Yokohama

For the biggest year in Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.’s history, the company went to the state where everything’s big — Texas — to introduce two Cooper premium light truck tires. Both are lines in the 30-year-old Discoverer family.

Tags: Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., LT Tires, SUV tires

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Trends in the medium truck tire market come and go, but the drive to reduce rolling resistance levels is here to stay, says Donn Kramer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. director of marketing for commercial tires.

Tags: Commercial Tires, Drive tires, Truck tires

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Companies specializing in air compressors for tire dealerships are concentrating on several popular features — low noise generation, added power and a “small footprint.”

Tags: Auto Service, Compressors, Shop equipment

The trend in ag machinery is “bigger and badder,” according to Michael Burroughes, director of marketing, agricultural tires for Michelin North America Inc. At the same time the equipment is bulking up, it also is getting more efficient, thanks in part to increasingly larger tires.

Tags: Ag tires, East Bay, Farm tires, Greenball, Michelin

Twenty-two years ago, Bridgestone Corp. introduced the ground-breaking Blizzak studless winter tire to the world. Seventeen years ago, the company’s United States subsidiary introduced the Blizzak WS-15 to domestic tire dealers.

Tags: Bridgestone, Winter tires