1.   But tire makers have also overhauled their business.

2.   In order to make up for falling retail prices, tire makers have been struggling to raise prices to car makers.

3.   - Tire industry site RubberNetwork.com, which expects to launch soon using money from big-name tire makers.

4.   A decline in production would affect many associated industries, including auto parts, tire makers and steel manufacturers.

5.   But so, too, must we blame the tire maker for sitting on information about what appears to be a faulty tire.

6.   Christine Karbowiak, a Firestone spokeswoman, said that the tire maker frequently paid claims from insurers because it was cheaper than contesting them.

7.   Continental, a tire maker with no fewer than nine brands in Europe, used to run each brand separately.

8.   Demand increased in Asia for laminates, which are used for circuit boards, and in Europe for polyester cord used by tire makers.

9.   Ending the bitter dispute will let the Japanese tire maker focus on improving productivity at its U.S. plants, analysts and company officials said.