Pit Crew Mobile Tire Store: Tire Care of the Future!

Written by Alexis Heymann 
Article location:  Trinity Area Neighborhood News
January 2011

Owner and operator Craig Knarich has been working around cars his entire life and throughout the years has developed a great passion and dedication for the automobile industry. Craig has spent many years, and continues to spend a great deal of his time, learning about cars and finding ways to perfect them. If there is a way to make your car run better, you best believe that Craig will find it.

In 1981 Craig graduated high school and entered straight into the tire business, starting his first official job working with Don Olson Firestone. Craig spent many years working for Firestone, learning everything he possibly could. It was there that Craig realized the advantage and convenience of a mobile tire service and developed his concept into Pit Crew Tire Service in 1991. Pit Crew has continued to excel and is noted for being the oldest mobile tire store in the industry.

Alongside his job at Pit Crew, Craig is also a Pasco County Fireman. For the past 20 years Craig has been a driver and engineer for the Pasco Fire Rescue Team and continues to pursue both his dreams with hard work and dedication. “I do it right or don’t do it at all,” proudly states Craig.

“I wrote the procedure for the tire industry and the instructions on how to change tires under the government mandated tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS),” explains Craig. In fact, over 70 percent of his customers have said that he made their car ride better than when they bought it new. There is nothing like driving a new car straight off the lot and feeling how smooth and nice the ride is. I couldn’t imagine how Craig could get a car to drive any better than that first day you buy it.

About eight months ago my fiancé and I bought a brand new 2010 Challenger and put 22” wheels on it. Immediately after purchase we could tell that something wasn’t right – the steering wheel began to vibrate every time we drove the car and the ride just wasn’t smooth. Much to our dismay, the place at which we bought the tires and wheels said that this was normal and there was nothing that could be done to stop the vibrations and we would have to deal with it. This is the last thing you want to hear after spending your money to buy a new car, or any car for that matter!

Eight months later, we were still dealing with this same vibration issue; that is until we went to Pit Crew. Two years ago my fiancé had gone to Pit Crew to put 26” rims on his truck and he remembered how great the truck rode after Craig got his hands on it. Despite the size of his wheels, the truck drove as if it were on a cloud. After telling me this, we immediately went to Pit Crew. Within an hour Craig fixed our car and made it drive better than when we got it from the dealership. I was astonished! He gave us back the new car feeling, but even better. Every time my fiancé and I get in the car we are thankful for Pit Crew—if Craig can fix the vibration problem in a BRAND NEW CAR he can fix anything! I highly suggest you give him a call, you will not be disappointed!

MJ from the MJ Morning Show at 93.3 FLZ is another long-time customer of Pit Crew Tire. He says, “I have never experienced a tire service this good! There is no reason for the inconvenience of driving and waiting at a tire shop, when Craig brings the entire store, with the highest quality equipment, right to you. Craig heard me complaining on the air one day about the vibration I was having in my car and called up and offered assistance. He came to my office while I was working and fixed the problem immediately. All I want to know is where he has been all these years.”

“I don’t have customers, I have relationships,” states Craig. “I am competitively priced and what you get here you will find nowhere else!” To Craig, nothing is more important than the satisfaction of his customers and ensuring them the best possible service.

Pit Crew uses only the best, top-of-the-line equipment, which you won’t be able to find anywhere else. In fact, the RAV Swift machine, which Craig uses to mount the tires on the wheels, is one of only 10 in the United States. This new technology comes straight from Italy and is the future of the wheel and tire industry. With this innovative, high-tech equipment Craig is able to mount wheels using a leverless machine- this means no bars or metal ever touches the wheel. This is a major deal and eliminates the possibility of pressure, stress and especially damage to your wheels and tires.

With every tire service from Pit Crew you will receive free nitrogen in all your tires. The benefits of having nitrogen-filled tires are great and from the first ride you will notice a big difference in the way your car drives. Nitrogen is an inert, noncombustible, nonflammable and noncorrosive gas that has been used in commercial and military aircraft, space shuttle transport vehicles and race cars for many years and is the safest and best tire gas to use. Craig explains that having nitrogen in your tires will automatically increase the fuel economy in your vehicle by 10 percent, instantly saving you and additional 10 percent off every gas bill. On top of that, having nitrogen also adds 10-15 percent more life to your tires, allowing you to have your tires for longer without replacement. Finally, nitrogen-filled tires maintain tire pressure 300 percent longer than any other tire gas.

Pit Crew is all about customer convenience, which is exactly why they come to you! If you live in Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough or Pinellas County, no longer will you have to worry about taking time out of your busy day and inconveniencing yourself to get your tires changed or aligned. Pit crew takes all the hassle out of the equation. “Thank you for your continued tire service on my car,” states Kandi, a happy customer. “I appreciate your immediate attention to my phone calls. You have a customer for life, especially with the fact that I do not have to leave my office/ house for repairs or new tire installation. Thank you for always being so helpful.”