Canadian owned and operated, this online retailer has big plans for the future.

Over the past eight years, Robert Zylc and his business partner Paul Nakhleh have been building what is now a very successful online tire and wheel store: Wheelwiz.ca. This Montreal-based business caters to the needs of consumers here in Canada, as well as in the United States. In 2024 alone, Wheelwiz.ca fulfilled more than 9,000 orders, and that number continues to grow.

Building a successful online tire business hasn’t been easy, but with a lot of hard work and determination, Wheelwiz.ca has attracted a growing number of loyal customers.

“I think there are two very distinct and different markets,” Zylc says. “There are customers who have been dealing with the same garage for years. That’s the only place they trust, and that’s the only place they want to go. But there are those who are more computer-literate and have become accustomed to online shopping. Wheels and tires are just two more products that they shop for online now.”

A big part of the the overall success of Wheelwiz.ca is the fact that the website is informative and easy to use. “Our customers know that they can enter the year, make and model of their vehicle, and find the tires and wheels that they can be sure will fit,” Zylc explains. “They can do their own research, shop at their own leisure and make a decision. We also try to make the website as informative as possible.”

Complete packages
Wheelwiz.ca customers can purchase individual tires or wheels, as well as packages that includes both, and come with balanced wheel assemblies where the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. These packages ship with instructions explaining which tire belongs in each position on the vehicle.

Customers can also order lug nuts or lug bolts, which are included with the installation kits, as well as pre-programmed TPMS sensors, which are available as part of the mounted and balanced packages Wheelwiz.ca offers.

If the customer is handy and prefers a do-it-yourself approach, they can easily install the pre-balanced wheel assemblies themselves. Otherwise, they can take their order to a nearby garage and pay for installation.

“Shops have adapted to this new reality,” Zylc explains, “and they will charge accordingly to install a set of tires, if the tires were not purchased from them.”

Zylc doesn’t feel as though Wheelwiz.ca competes head-to-head with traditional garages, simply because he offers products that many garages don’t. “A lot of garages don’t really focus on wheels and tires like we do,” he explains. “Seventy-five percent of our revenue on any given day is allocated to wheels, and 25% is allocated to tires. Most garages don’t want to sell wheels because they see it as a hassle, and it can be complicated.” 

Secret to success
Wheelwiz.ca currently has a staff of eight, and the company continues to grow. “Our entire team is highly motivated and results-driven,” Zylc says. He credits his staff for much of the success of the company.

Although Wheelwiz currently sells into the U.S., Zylc says he plans to invest in an even larger American presence, once the time is right. “When all of our processes are in place, I would feel confident enough to relaunch the business with a different name and logo in the United States. In the long term, that’s really where I see the most potential for success.”