Pep Boys Tires Stores
in America

Pep Boys Tires is a widely known name throughout all the USA, but is it everything one would hope for when choosing a place to buy tires?

By Karl Drew,  an Australian-based business writer with 20 years experience in entertainment, transport and security.

The guys behind Pep Boys Tires (Manny, Moe & Jack), started their business in 1921. Emanuel (Manny) Rosenfeld, Maurice L. (Moe) Strauss, and W. Graham (Jack) Jackson opened their first store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The organization has come a very long way since then; now there are 570 Pep Boys Tires stores and approximately 6,000 service bays in 35 states and Puerto Rico.

Pep Boys offer a wide spectrum of services, from full vehicle maintenance and repair to commercial auto parts delivery, Pep Boys is also one of the leading sellers of replacement tires in the United States.

So What Do Pep Boys Sell? Tires and Other Stuff, of Course

In 1946, Pep Boys went public and was listed on the U.S. stock exchange. Manny Rosenfeld became the company's first corporate president, and he held that position until his death in 1959. Moe Strauss served as president of the organization from 1960 to 1973 and then remained a member of the board of directors until he passed away in 1982. In 1986, Manny's grandson, Stuart Rosenfeld, became  Vice President of Distribution; he is the only founding family member that is actively involved in company management.

Pep Boys prides itself on serving all four segments of the automotive aftermarket industry:

• do-it-yourself,
  
• do-it-for-me (service),
  
• buy-for-resale (sales to professional garages), and
  
• Pep Boys tires (retail)
  

Pep Boys stores stock about 22,000 car parts and accessories and employs over 20,000 people. These employees are divided up amongst Pep Boys supercenters, Pep Boys Express stores and nine Pep Boys tires and service centers.

In 2009, Pep Boys acquired Florida Tire for $4.35 million. The acquisition of the tire retailer will give Pep Boys 10 service-and-tire centers in the Orlando market that generate sales of $14 million a year.

The Tire Range

The Pep Boys range isn't as extensive as some other retailers and is obviously aimed at specific markets like touring tires, performance tires, ultra high performance tires, and light truck and SUV tires. The Pep Boys range includes a lot of the usual brands like Goodyear, Hancook and Cooper. However, there are also a few lesser known brands like Cornell 1000, Futura, and Definity. Considering the success Pep Boys has had over the many years it has been in business, you'd be crazy to criticize the Pep Boys' tire range, so I won't even try.

Unlike many other tire retailers, Pep Boys aren't trying to push online sales. Instead, Pep Boys seem to be increasing their locations and relying on the customers that want that "traditional” purchasing experience of walking into a store and talking to a real person. With so many stores, Pep Boys stores must be getting it right.

A Tip from Pep Boys

When you step inside a Pep Boys, tires are probably what's on your mind. Pep Boys tires stores really push their mantra of buying 4 tires at the same time, rather than just replace two now and the other two further down the track like a lot of us do. They have several reasons for this and they all make a lot of sense:

1. Buying four tires at the same time will reduce uneven front-to-rear wear. Four same condition tires will mean increased stability and handling, especially in wet or slippery conditions. It's always best to buy tires in sets of four and rotate them often.
2. Buying four tires at the same time will protect your vehicle transmission & transfer case. If you drive an all-wheel, or a four-wheel drive vehicle, they usually require that all four tire circumferences remain very close to the same measurement. This is why it is best to replace all four at the same time.
3. Buying four tires at the same time will help to maintain accurate ABS brake and traction stability controls. There isn't much sense in spending a lot of hard-earned cash on a new vehicle with lots of safety controls if you're not going to use them. Today's modern vehicles will measure the rotational speed of your wheels as you drive and then compensate engine performance and braking if any of the tires are traveling at a different speed to the rest. If you are driving on uneven tires, it could effect those safety features that you've spent your savings on.
4. Buying four tires at the same time will keep your vehicle looking great. Make no mistake, a different tire on every wheel looks cheap and will give the sort of performance nobody wants. A car is an important investment you and your family rely on, so keep it looking great and running great.

Get Yourself a Wheel Alignment at Pep Boys Tires

Pep Boys stores offer wheel alignment services to keep your new tires in tip top condition. Some of the warning signs of a bad wheel alignment to look out for are;

• Your steering wheel may not be straight when you are driving on a level road surface
• You might hear some unusual noises in your suspension system
• Your vehicle might wander from one side of the road or lane to the other
• Your vehicle tends to pull or drift to one side of the road when you are traveling in a straight line or when braking
• You can feel vibration in the steering wheel or even through your vehicle's seat
• Your vehicle's steering feels like it is loose
• You haven't had a wheel alignment for a long period of time
• Your tires appear to be wearing unevenly or excessively
• Your car's tires are squealing on turns
• Your car's steering wheel does not return to its normal position easily after a turn.

Whether you purchase your new tires from Pep Boys Tires, or somewhere else, it's important to keep them in good condition. Otherwise, the price of a new set of tires might just be one of many replacements you have to consider. Your tires are connected to your car suspension and poor maintenance, or no maintenance at all, can mean that you need to spend your hard-earned cash on repairs that could have otherwise been avoided.

Other useful links

Tire Size Calculator Tire Size Convertor 4x4 tires alignment all-terrain-tires automobile-tires balancing car-maintenance cheap tires off-road-tires rotation safety check consumer topics tire-humor tire-pressure tire-protection tire valves tire-wear-problems

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