Performance Tires
Our editorial team, at Tire News, is keeping tire retailers up-to-date on all the trends in performance tires. The performance tire market is constantly evolving, and retailers need to know what consumers expect and want. Many will ask about low profile tires, or about tire technology, and they might want to know what the best performance winter tires are. These are questions retailers must be ready to answer.
The challenge can be especially daunting here in Canada where drivers need to know about low profile winter tires, or performance winter tires, as well as the best all season performance tires. In the warmer months, the question often becomes, “Which are the best performance tires for daily driving?” as well as, “Which are the best summer performance tires, overall?” Many Canadians drive trucks and SUVS, which is why they will be asking retailers about the best performance truck tires for the weather conditions and road conditions many of these trucks have to deal with. High performance SUV tires are in big demand in some markets, and many will wonder if they should be looking at high performance low profile tires, ultra high performance tires, all weather performance tires, or all season performance tires. For some consumers, the question really often boils down to safety, regardless of the season or the weather. Your customers want to know whether what they’re buying are the best performance tires for rain or are low profile tires bad in rain? In the colder months they’ll ask, “Are low profile tires good in snow?” While they may want the best all season performance tires, they also want to be sure that they’re buying the best winter tires for performance cars.
Retailers must be able to explain the advantages of low profile tires to consumers who ask about them. It’s critical to be able to explain how performance tires are designed. The aspect ratio of a tire, along with the rubber compound and the tread design determine the speed ratings of each tire. But what does that mean for the average consumer shopping for the best performance tires for his vehicle? The customer must needs to know how all these elements work together to boost dry grip and stopping distances on a dry road, while also impacting tire wear. When road conditions change, however, do your customers understand that their performance summer tires, or their high performance all season tires may not be the best performance tire option when temperatures drop? Instead, they may be better off with a set of winter tires, in which case you can help them choose the best performance winter tires for their vehicle. In the end, as a tire retailer, it’s your job to educate the consumer, especially if you’re a performance tire shop. As customers ask about the best performance snow tires, the best daily performance tires, the best ultra high performance tires or the best summer performance tires, they will need your expertise to guide them through the options.
