Tire Industry

In a decision that could roil trade tensions with Beijing, President Obama agreed Friday to impose hefty tariffs on tires imported from China. The decision came after the U.S. International Trade Commission, a federal agency, determined that a surge of Chinese-made tires had disrupted the domestic market and cost thousands of jobs in the U.S. Within 15 days, the U.S. would add a duty of 35% in the first year, 30% in the second and 25% in...

In a decision that could roil trade tensions with Beijing, President Obama agreed Friday to impose hefty tariffs on tires imported from China. The decision came after the U.S. International Trade Commission, a federal agency, determined that a surge of Chinese-made tires had disrupted the domestic market and cost thousands of jobs in the U.S. Within 15 days, the U.S. would add a duty of 35% in the first year, 30% in the second and 25% in...

A flood of imported tires entering the United States is swamping the nation's huge replacement tire market, eroding the profits of domestic producers, tire industry officials warned Wednesday. Goodyear Tire & Rubber, the nation's largest tire producer, said its second-quarter earnings are likely to be down 25% from last year, mainly because its "private brand" tire sales are suffering from increased competition from imports. In last year's second quarter, Goodyear earned $108.

The Bridgestone/Firestone tire fiasco not only brings the lethal risks of badly made tires into clear focus, it also raises the troubling question of whether consumers generally have any defense against such defects. Tire industry experts say that American motorists are generally far too complacent about tire quality--that when buying tires, they seldom take into consideration easily obtainable information about important design characteristics.

Can there be method to this madness? Sir James Goldsmith, leading a group of international financiers, says he wants to take over Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and improve its management performance, when there is no evidence that Goldsmith has any ability to run an industrial company and when Goodyear, which has bested competition here and abroad to stay No. 1 in world tire making, would seem to have no need for lessons in management. Still, in response to Goldsmith and his associates buying 11.

When TireDex.com opened its business-to-business Web site late last year, executives at the company that bills itself as "the tire dealer's exchange" saw few road hazards ahead. The B2B wheel has continued to spin, however, and the Newport Beach-based company now faces significant competition from established automotive industry players and a cadre of online start-ups.

The Bridgestone/Firestone tire fiasco not only brings the lethal risks of badly made tires into clear focus, it also raises the troubling question of whether consumers generally have any defense against such defects. Tire industry experts say that American motorists are generally far too complacent about tire quality--that when buying tires, they seldom take into consideration easily obtainable information about important design characteristics.

Continental, the world's fourth-largest tire maker, said Monday it was expanding its business by buying the brake and chassis business of ITT Industries Inc. for $1.93 billion. Germany's Continental, whose brands include Uniroyal and General tires, said the purchase would enable it to participate in a trend toward producing entire car components, including so-called smart tire systems with electronic stability programs to stabilize a car during tight turns.

A good set of tires has always made a big difference in safety, fuel economy and handling, but one area that is getting new attention is the quality of tires to reduce or increase the amount of noise a vehicle makes. Tire manufacturers are racing to develop tires that reduce noise, aiming to meet tough new standards mandated by European and Asian nations that want to reduce noise pollution. Though U.S.

Rising production and falling consumption returned the natural rubber market to surplus last year, according to official figures. The International Rubber Study Group reported that world production rose to a record 5.38 million tons in 1991 from 5.21 million in 1990, while consumption dropped to 5.23 million from 5.24 million.

When TireDex.com opened its business-to-business Web site late last year, executives at the company that bills itself as "the tire dealer's exchange" saw few road hazards ahead. The B2B wheel has continued to spin, however, and the Newport Beach-based company now faces significant competition from established automotive industry players and a cadre of online start-ups.

Continental, the world's fourth-largest tire maker, said Monday it was expanding its business by buying the brake and chassis business of ITT Industries Inc. for $1.93 billion. Germany's Continental, whose brands include Uniroyal and General tires, said the purchase would enable it to participate in a trend toward producing entire car components, including so-called smart tire systems with electronic stability programs to stabilize a car during tight turns.

Can there be method to this madness? Sir James Goldsmith, leading a group of international financiers, says he wants to take over Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and improve its management performance, when there is no evidence that Goldsmith has any ability to run an industrial company and when Goodyear, which has bested competition here and abroad to stay No. 1 in world tire making, would seem to have no need for lessons in management. Still, in response to Goldsmith and his associates buying 11.

A flood of imported tires entering the United States is swamping the nation's huge replacement tire market, eroding the profits of domestic producers, tire industry officials warned Wednesday. Goodyear Tire & Rubber, the nation's largest tire producer, said its second-quarter earnings are likely to be down 25% from last year, mainly because its "private brand" tire sales are suffering from increased competition from imports. In last year's second quarter, Goodyear earned $108.

Ford Motor Co.'s program to replace 13 million Firestone Wilderness AT tires is a boost to the tire industry but not enough to prevent an expected price hike of up to 5%. Consumers will begin seeing price increases "over the next several weeks," according to the monthly tire review published by J.P. Morgan Securities. Keith Price, a spokesman for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., said the about 7 million tires it will provide for the Ford program is relatively inconsequential.

A federal grand jury in Cleveland is investigating possible price fixing or other restraint of trade in the domestic tire industry, government and industry officials confirmed on Wednesday. News of the probe by the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division surfaced in a quarterly report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Goodyear said it received a subpoena for documents in April in connection with an industrywide investigation.