Discount Tire

Founding and initial growth

Discount Tire Company was founded by Bruce Halle as a tire shop in 1960, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Halle had taken out a $400 loan to open the store, originally having six tires from a previous failed automotive supply company. In 1970, the company expanded to Arizona, with its headquarters being built in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company grew to over 200 stores by 1990 and opened its 500th store in 2002.

Gary Van Brunt was appointed as CEO in 1999 and served until 2004. Tom Englert succeeded him as CEO, having initially started as a store employee three decades prior. In 2015, he stepped down and was replaced by Michael Zuieback, the stepson of Halle.

On September 10, 2018, the 1000th store was opened in Phoenix, Arizona.

Further expansion and diversification

In 2020, Dean Muglia succeeded Zuieback as CEO, although Zuieback remained the executive chairman. Muglia stated that "nothing is off the table" in regard to future services, where the company had initially provided solely tire and wheel services.

A store was opened in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in February 2020, marking the company's entry into the northeastern United States.

In mid-2021, Discount Tire partnered with Trico and began selling windshield wiper blades. It then acquired Tire Rack on December 31, 2021. This was followed by the acquisition of Dunn Tire & Auto, a chain of full-service maintenance shops, on September 30, 2023, expanding their presence to New York. Tire Rack, having been an early adopter in the area of mobile tire installation, allowed Discount Tire to begin offering that service under its brand. In April 2024, Discount Tire acquired Suburban Tire Auto Repair Centers, a chain of automotive shops serving the Chicago metropolitan area.

On December 27, 2022, Discount Tire announced it would be building a new headquarters in Phoenix. On December 27, 2024, the company announced it had acquired Desert Ridge Corporate Center, a 275,208-square-foot office space located one mile away from the land acquired in 2022. As of July 2025, construction of a new headquarters has not begun.

In the mid-2020s, America’s Tire, the regional brand used by Discount Tire in certain markets, expanded into New Jersey for the first time with the opening of a store in Burlington County. News coverage of the expansion reported that the company operates approximately 1,250 retail locations across 40 U.S. states.

Products

While Discount Tire does not manufacture tires, it sells brands made by external manufacturers as "exclusive" tires. Some manufacturers like Yokohama Tire sell exclusive models to Discount Tire, while still having other tires available with other retailers.

Research and testing

In 2022, Discount Tire acquired Treadwell Research Park, a nearly 900-acre tire testing and research facility located in Pearsall, Texas. Industry reporting describes the facility as including multiple test tracks and specialized surfaces used to evaluate tire performance characteristics such as braking, handling, traction, and noise under different driving conditions. According to reporting, Discount Tire says the facility allows the company to conduct impartial third-party testing of tire models. Data collected through testing at the research facility is incorporated into its proprietary tire evaluation system, Treadwell, which is offered as an online tire recommendation guide on its website and used in its retail operations.

Controversies

Endorsement of Joe Arpaio

In August 2016, posters for Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's reelection campaign were posted inside store windows. This attracted outcry from opponents of Arpaio, especially in the Latino community due to Arpaio having been found to have been racially profiling Latinos in federal court.

Anti-marijuana lobbying

In October 2016, Halle and Discount Tire donated $1 million to the Arizonians for Responsible Drug Policy, a group which campaigned against the marijuana-legalization bill Proposition 205. In response, a boycott was initiated against the company.

Santa Clara incident

In October 2021, a customer reported damages done to his BMW Z by an America's Tire store in Santa Clara, California. Footage from their dashcam revealed that the store's employees discussing having thrown parts at the vehicle. The footage also shows the vehicle being driven at excessive speed, while the employees mocking the owner based on his Asian American name. The footage was posted on Instagram, where it attracted media attention. After the incident, the Discount Tire's PR team reported that the involved employees were terminated by the location and that the customer's damage would be reimbursed.

Litigation

Mavis Discount Tire rebranding lawsuit

On December 26, 2018, Discount Tire successfully filed a lawsuit against Mavis Discount Tire over their usage of "Discount Tire" in the Midwest and the South. Mavis had previously operated as Mavis Discount Tire in the northeast, a market in which Discount Tire had not yet entered.