In the year since Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. acquired Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., there have been plenty of questions about what would happen to the five consumer and two truck tire brands Cooper sells in the U.S. We now know the tiremaker has stopped producing at least one of those brands.
The company is no longer selling Dick Cepek tires.
At the beginning of 2022 the brand was quietly eliminated. The Dick Cepek website points consumers to the Mickey Thompson lineup and says, “Dick Cepek is now undisputedly Mickey Thompson.”
Goodyear did not respond to a request for comment about the brand’s elimination.
A little history
The brand focused on light-truck sizes and catered to off-road enthusiasts. It was named after the brand’s creator who is considered a pioneer in the off-roading industry and sport.
According to his biography published by the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, Cepek wanted wider tires for his own off-roading adventures and initially had Armstrong Rubber build those tires for him. His friends then wanted those tires, too. It was the beginning of an expansive off-road business for Cepek which grew to include 15 stores and three warehouses and a catalog. Cepek died in 1983.
In 2000, Max-Trac Tire Co. Inc. dba Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels, acquired the remaining assets of Dick Cepek after the business’ bankruptcy.
And in 2003, Cooper acquired both off-road brands when it bought Max-Trac Tire.
