Testimonials

The Financial Post -- Daily
Special Report Friday, February 14, 1997 Automobiles
THE WIZARD OF WHEELS: Pickering maestro Paul Ross gives customers' tires long, happy lives

NAME: Paul Ross COMPANY: RNJ Tire Ltd.

With another 500 regular customers, Paul Ross figures he could close the doors of his Pickering, Ont., tire shop to the public. ``Just think," he says, ``then it'd be the RNJ Tire Club."
Those of us who already feel like members -- and this writer declares himself among 3,000 regulars, by Ross's estimate -- live by certain Rossian rules: rotating our wheels every 8,000 city kilometers, understanding the difference between an on-car balance and the norm. We believe in air pressures that differ with the season. We know one make of tire may be perfect for one vehicle but not the best for another. Our cars ride better, we're convinced, and our tires last longer. That's why we're faithful to RNJ.

When Ross says the greatest compliment he's ever received was from an elderly Austrian who called him a wizard, we understand. That's how we've come to think of him, too.

His is not a large operation. It's a one-man shop with room for two cars or pickups at once, in an area of Pickering crowded with tire showrooms. Unlike the others, Ross does not sell alloy wheels or do brake jobs. At RNJ, tire sales account for half the gross, wizardry the rest. His predominant activity is correct wheel balance -- the foundation of ride comfort, Ross is given to saying. He balances wheels not on a balancing machine but while they're mounted on the vehicle, as he was taught 30 years ago.
If a new customer phones first and asks which equipment he uses, he says he relies on an RNJ51. ``Some respond, `That's good'," Ross says with a smile. ``Last year, I said I used an RNJ50, and when I was 40, I
depended on an RNJ40. All it is, see, is that I'm the computer." At work, as the wheel he's addressing whirls in place, powered by a portable roller, he may put one hand on top of the fender before selecting weights and hammer. ``This way, I feel all the pain and torment the car feels," Ross says if he's identified a sense of humor in the customer. Certainly, he feels something. The on-car method is not a mystic gift like divining. It's employed in many top-end shops and dealerships. ``A lot of people can do it," says the Wiz, ``but they won't take it to the point you want if you're fussy. The difference is being a terrier about it." The word fussy keeps coming up, even among customers.

``I got to know Paul's operation 18 years ago when I had a Camaro with alloy wheels that were extremely fussy to balance," says John Stewart, chief executive of Purdue Frederick Pharmaceuticals in Pickering. ``The dealership recommended I try him -- they were sending their difficult balancing problems to him. He was able to solve the problem." Ross is selecting tires for Stewart's 1995 Porsche 911 that might outlast the existing rubber. Still other customers simply take his word, accepting that Ross has no ties to any manufacturer but holds informed opinions on the appropriateness of different tires for different cars.

``He sold me Nokia tires [ a little-known Finnish brand for my Accord ]; but it wouldn't have mattered," says Dianne Kerr, a sales representative from Pickering. ``I knew he'd put on what was best for me." Kerr is Ross's ideal customer, committed to having her wheels rotated regularly, after reaching the conclusion that he's knowledgeable without being condescending or pushy. He comes on strong on wheel rotation. ``Rotating improves longevity, so the customer gets more for the money," Ross says. ``Front tires wear fastest, whether a car is front-drive or rear-drive, but with front-drive, rotating is critical because of the rear tires. ``The rear tires go out of round because front-drive cars are always rocking up and down with the weight transfer as you accelerate or brake. When people go 40,000 km without rotating their tires, the rears are fried, yet the treads still look like new. They're tires with an attitude." Ross recommends rotation every 8,000 city km, or 12,000 highway km. That more customers don't follow his gospel is a great disappointment.
Certainly, tire shops generally consider free rotation services an opportunity to sell other services, but Ross is selling nothing but a longer, happier life for his tires.

Another of Ross's themes is that proper inflation is forgotten in the winter months. ``Everything shrinks in the cold, right, including air pressure. So you can have your tires inflated at 28 pounds and with a fluctuation like we had the other week, they can go down 10 pounds to 18. ``At 18 pounds, wear is increased, treads close up and lose their ability to deal with snow and ice, a tire can come off the rim in hard cornering," Ross continues. ``In winter, I load them around 35 pounds tocreate a comfort zone." Other Rossian touches fall into the wizardry category. When mounting new tires, he'll often re-mount them several times until satisfied he's achieved a proper match of wheel and tire. No tire is perfectly round,and less than optimal mountings can add a subtle bump to a car's ride. ``You get this kind of effect in the tire," he says, inflating one cheek like jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Kerr enjoys Ross's conversation as much as his expertise. ``Has he told you what RNJ stands for -- rhythm 'n' jazz?" she asks. ``The biggest question I get is, `Is this all you do?' " Ross says. ``I say this is enough for me. Sell a few tires, balance wheels, a little philosophy, a little coffee.

That's life the way I want it."

Dan Proudfoot/The Financial Post

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