The 5.4% Aftermarket Forecast Reads as a Margin Warning to a Buyer
The 5.4% aftermarket forecast looks like a green light. With carbon black up 25% and 80+ price hikes, it's a margin warning — and a sourcing test.
Priya Raman
10 min readRight part, first time.
Fitment, quality tiers and supply-chain insight for repair shops, distributors and fleet buyers — from the KZMALL Auto Parts editorial desk.
Priya Raman
10 min read
Sustainable Tire Manufacturing: The 85% Number Is a Feedstock Bet
Hankook's 85% sustainable-tire goal is an R&D feedstock target, not a stockable product. A buyer's read on supply, certification, and pricing.
Priya Raman
9 min read
BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain T/A+: Reading the Fleet Spec Sheet
BFGoodrich Trail-Terrain T/A+ delivers 25% longer wear and 10% better wet traction — a fleet buyer's read on when it's the right tire and when it isn't.
Ray Donnelly
10 min read
Sun Auto Network's 575-Location Shift
Sun Auto now runs 575 locations. I analyze how their acquisition strategy pressures independent shops on tire pricing and service standards.
Priya Raman
16 min read
Sun Auto's 37-Store Year: The Sourcing Bet Behind the Footprint
Sun Auto Network acquisitions read as sourcing events: what 575 shops and a tech shortage mean for parts buyers, coverage, and demand.
Priya Raman
9 min read
REPAIR Act Software Access: What 270,000 Shops Actually Get
The REPAIR Act software access debate, read past the headline: which of the 270,000 shops' diagnostic and module-programming layers the bill actually opens.
Ray Donnelly
10 min read
Plaza Tire Expansion: Sun Auto's Bottleneck Is Catalog Integration
Sun Auto crossed 575 stores by buying chains, not building them. The hard part is not real estate — it is merging dirty catalogs and finding crews.
Priya Raman
9 min readReplacement Tire Rules: California's 55M Unit Shift
California's new rules impact 55M tires yearly. Ray breaks down the EV load conflict and why compliance costs may limit your inventory options.
Ray Donnelly
14 min read
Michelin X Line Grip D Retread: The Casing Is the Asset
Michelin's X Line Grip D retread promises 4 retreads and a million-mile casing. Here's why that's a ceiling you control, not a tire spec, plus a fleet decision
Ray Donnelly
11 min read
Installer Advantage: 5,000 SKUs Fix OE Flaws
Driv's new label covers 5,000 SKUs, embedding shop data into part design to eliminate specific OE flaws and reduce comebacks.
Priya Raman
15 min read
Hankook Tire Tennessee Plant: What the $1.6B Build Means for Buyers
Hankook's $1.6B Tennessee tire plant adds on-site validation. A parts buyer's read on lead time, the iON EV mix, and where Hankook sits vs the majors.
Priya Raman
9 min read
Firestone retail network: Beyond tire rotation
Mark Phillips analyzes how Firestone's 1,800-location network adapts its service model as battery costs drop and maintenance intervals shift by 2029.
Mark Phillips
9 min read