Michelin extends 30-day guarantee
GREENVILLE, S.C.-Michelin North America Inc. has extended its 30-day guarantee on five earthmover radial tires, the company announced.
The guarantee on the XGLA2, XTLA, XHA and XLD L3 tires will last until the end of the current calendar year, the company said. The guarantee for the XZSL skid-steer tire will run through next year.
Under the guarantee, Michelin will replace unsatisfied customers' tires with the equivalent Michelin radial or a competitor's bias-ply tire, whichever the customer prefers, as well as extend up to $50 per tire toward the dealer service charge to replace the tires.
The guarantee was scheduled to end Dec. 31 of last year.
Yokohama tapped as SCCA spec tire
FULLERTON, Calif.-Yokohama Tire Corp. will again provide spec tires for the Sports Car Club of America's Spec Racer Ford Series. After a short break from the series, Yokohama signed a three-year deal with the SCCA.
The SCCA gave Yokohama the contract after a testing session earlier this year, Yokohama said. Goodyear, Avon, BFGoodrich and Hoosier also participated in the testing. The selection was based on the testing, along with the total package a tire manufacturer had to offer.
Yokohama said the spec tires will be the AO32R for wet conditions and the A008RSII for dry. The company renewed its commitment to the SCCA after announcing it was leaving the U.S. F2000 Series after six years.
Bandag subsidiary launches Web site
MUSCATINE, Iowa-Tire Management Solutions Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bandag, Inc., has launched a 21-page Web site to focus on management solutions.
The site-www.tiremanagementsolutions.com-will allow fleet managers to explore services, compare TMS' program with other providers' services, review cost and uptime guarantees and check out other fleet benefits, TMS said.
Fleet managers also can review a national map displaying a network of more than 1,500 professional service providers.
ITRA offering display products
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-The International Tire & Rubber Association Foundation Inc. is following the release of its new Certified Tire Service Directory by offering display products for ITRA members who employ ITRA Certified Commercial Tire Service (CTS) personnel.
Products include outdoor signage, showroom plaques, several varieties of hats and free service truck decals, ITRA said.
The signs and plaques can be retrofitted to the years of certification dating back to 1997 when ITRA introduced the CTS Instructor and Technician Certification program.
More than 4,500 technicians have been ITRA trained and certified since the program's inception. The display products will complement a dealer's marketing strategy and improve the image of those investing in certification for their personnel, ITRA said.
Treadways launches sites for brands
NORTH WALES, Pa.-In addition to its corporate Web site, Treadways Corp. has launched six additional Web sites for its tire brands.
The sites, which contain the names Treadwayscorp, SumitomoTire, LaramieTire, EldoradoTire, CentennialTire, TelstarTire and JetzonTire in between the ``www'' and the ``.com,'' are aimed at tire wholesalers and retailers, Treadways said. They offer such information as brand history, tire care tips, company contacts and a tire catalog with features, benefits and tire specs.
The Treadways site contains links to each brand as well as to Sumitomo Corp. of America.
SEMA joins forces with Expo 2000
DIAMOND BAR, Calif.-The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) has formed an alliance with the International Auto Aftermarket Expo 2002, a new aftermarket trade show in Japan.
The alliance will allow SEMA members to tap into the lucrative Pacific Rim, southeast Asian and Chinese markets and expand the scope of their businesses, a SEMA spokesman said.
The International Auto Aftermarket Expo 2002 will be produced by a consortium of more than 20 Japanese and international industry associations. The event is scheduled for Feb. 14-17, 2002 at the Makuhari Exhibition Center in Tokyo.
MRTI announces contest winners
GREENVILLE, S.C.-Four employees of Michelin Retread Technologies Inc. franchisees recently won the MRT Mileage Value Plus (MVP) sales incentive sweepstakes.
Grand prize winner of a 2000 Harley Davidson Road King Classic motorcycle is Jeremy Johnson, sales manager of Ozarko Tire Centers in Springfield, Mo.
First prize winners of an ocean cruise include: Kip Hoffman, commercial salesman, A & E Tires, Denver; Thomas Southward, sales manager, Tire Centers L.L.C., Richmond, Va.; and Raymond Broderick, commercial salesman, Tire Centers L.L.C., Tuscaloosa, Ala.
For every MRTI retread sales transaction to a new fleet customer, participants received one entry into a random drawing.
Bridgestone offers binocular to buyers
NASHVILLE, Tenn.-Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. is offering a free Olympus Trooper DPS R binocular, valued at $79.95, to consumers who buy a set of four select Bridgestone Dueler tires between Sept. 1 and Oct. 20, 2001.
Tires in the promotion include the:
Bridgestone Dueler A/T with UNI-T (D693);
Bridgestone Dueler M/T with UNI-T (D673);
Bridgestone Dueler H/L with UNI-T AQ (D683); and
Bridgestone Dueler H/P with UNI-T AQ (D680).
``With light trucks and sport-utility vehicles so often driven in the great outdoors or found at tailgate parties. . . the pairing of the Bridgestone Dueler tires and Olympus Trooper binocular seemed to be natural,'' said Phil Pacsi, Bridgestone Firestone director of consumer tires brand/retail marketing.