der Bayerische July/August 2020 - 11

own selling tires from their porches in
Takoma Park, MD. Paul and Don
originally called their company
Ulterior Motives thinking it would be
cute and attract more customers, but
when a customer was writing a check
and commented, "My wife will never
believe I'm buying tires and not
visiting a massage parlor!", they
decided the name Radial Tire
Company would be more appropriate!
At the beginning, 90% of their
customers were students and faculty
from the University of Maryland.
Their customer base grew through
word of mouth and strategic
placement of flyers on windshields in
parking lots around the area. In the
spring of 1976, Paul and Don decided
they needed to be able to install the
tires they were selling, so they moved
off their porches and into a 1500
square foot garage/warehouse near
their present location. In addition to
being able to install the tires they
sold, it also meant they could begin
building up inventory. However, they
had to roll out the inventory each
morning so they could make room to
install tires! It was during the time
they worked in this small
garage/warehouse that the connection
with racing enthusiasts and NCC
began. This led to the acquisition
of a tire shaving machine which was
used to shave full-tread tires down to
racing depth for SCCA Showroom
Stock racing. This began Radial
Tire's relationship with the racing
community.
In 1978 Radial Tire moved into

(Left) Bill and Paul of Radial Tire
Company.
(including dinner), Radial Tire
supplies service discounts to all
NCC members.
dB: What is your favorite movie in the
car, car-chase, heist, or racing-related
genre?

its present location at 9101 Brookville
Road, Silver Spring, MD.
dB: What services does Radial Tire
provide?
Bill: The services that we provide
include expert advice on tires,
diagnosing and repairing any tire
related issues, tire truing (shaving),
on-the-car balancing, road force
balancing, alignments, tire sales and
installation, and wheel sales and
repair.
dB: What is your favorite part of your
job at Radial Tire?
Bill: Our favorite part of the job is
chatting with returning customers
and the satisfaction we get when a
customer comes back to rotate and
balance their tires and says, "Those
tires you recommended were the best
set of tires I've ever owned." Also,
being at this location for more than
40 years, we are seeing second and

third generation customers who were
once visiting us in baby car seats and
are now coming in for tires for their
own cars. It's just great!
dB: What is your favorite customer
car or shop project? Favorite
personal car?
Paul: At the start of our business in
1978, I was driving a 1974 BMW
2002 and Don was driving a 1968
BMW 2000 Tilux. Presently, I drive a
2003 BMW E46.
Bill: I have a young family with three
kids and one on the way, so my
current car isn't that exciting -- it's a
2019 Cadillac Escalade ESV with
some added performance features.
My favorite car is a BMW M3.
dB: What NCC programs and
activities do you support?
Bill: In addition to supporting NCC
driving schools at Summit Point

Bill and Paul: This question is a hard
one. Paul and I couldn't agree on a
favorite. Paul's favorite is "Grand
Prix" (1966). Mine is "Le Mans"
(1971). A few others made the short
list like "Smokey and the Bandit"
(1977) and "Winning" (1969).
dB: Is there anything else that Radial
Tire would like to communicate to
dB's readership?
Bill: What we would like to
communicate to your readers is that
we are here to support them when it
comes to their tire and wheel needs.
From track event tires, inclement
weather tires, or tires for daily drivers,
we sell service not price (but our
prices are very competitive). We offer
special NCC pricing in addition to tire
rotations, re-balancing, and repairs
for life. We spend a lot of time
learning about vehicle dynamics,
rolling resistance, slip angles, and
advancements in tires and the tire
industry. We live and love tires!
dB: Thanks so much for your time!
Bill and Paul: You're welcome!

(Below from Left) Radial Tire's alignment rack can accomodate even the lowest cars. One of many rows of tires in Radial Tire Company's warehouse.

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der Bayerische July/August 2020

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