--- title: "Wheel and Tire Distributor Ecommerce Where Every Package Fits" url: https://www.uncap.com/industry/wheels-tires author: "Denis Dyli" published: 2026-10-01 updated: 2026-10-01 summary: "Uncap builds ecommerce on Shopify for wheel and tire distributors that sell to independent tire dealers, installers and fleets. A package is only sellable if the wheel, the tire, the TPMS sensors and the lug hardware all fit the same vehicle. A wheel fits on bolt pattern, center bore and offset, not on a part number. The build has one job: make the package one thing that knows the vehicle, the buyer and the ship-to. Uncap Garage is a Year-Make-Model fitment app for Shopify, powered by ACES and PIES, the auto care industry's standards for vehicle fitment data and product information." --- # Wheel and Tire Distributor Ecommerce Where Every Package Fits > Uncap builds ecommerce on Shopify for wheel and tire distributors that sell to independent tire dealers, installers and fleets. A package is only sellable if the wheel, the tire, the TPMS sensors and the lug hardware all fit the same vehicle. A wheel fits on bolt pattern, center bore and offset, not on a part number. The build has one job: make the package one thing that knows the vehicle, the buyer and the ship-to. Uncap Garage is a Year-Make-Model fitment app for Shopify, powered by ACES and PIES, the auto care industry's standards for vehicle fitment data and product information. ## The challenge **Where a generic storefront breaks for wheel and tire packages** A package is only sellable if the wheel, the tire, the sensors and the lug hardware all fit the same vehicle. | | Factor | Generic storefront setup | What wheel and tire distributors need | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The package | One price for a set of four hides five order lines, and any one being wrong sends the whole set back. | Package rules built during implementation, so every component fits the same vehicle and the lug seat matches the wheel. | | Wheel fitment | A vehicle selector tells you the car, but the wheel measurements do not live in a part number field. | Bolt pattern, center bore, offset range and ring requirement loaded from your fitment data and mapped during implementation. | | FET and state fees | Two tires at the same price can carry different tax, and the set cannot be priced without the ship-to. | FET by load capacity and state fees by ship-to, configured during implementation, each on its own invoice line. | | TPMS | Most packages turn into a service job, and the catalog has to know which vehicles fall under FMVSS 138. | Sensors and service kits matched to the vehicle, a relearn flagged on the install, and dual-wheel vehicles handled without them. | | Dealers, installers and fleets | Dealers, installers and fleets buy the same tire three different ways, from one catalog with three checkouts. | Each buyer sees its own assortment and pricing, with mounting, balancing and sensor programming as real line items. | **A wheel and tire package is five order lines that have to agree.** The buyer sees one price for a set of four. You see a wheel SKU, a tire SKU, four sensors, a lug kit, maybe a set of hub-centric rings, and a mount-and-balance labor line. Each one has its own fitment rule, and any one of them being wrong sends the whole set back. A conical-seat lug nut on a ball-seat wheel is not a small mistake. Neither is a sensor programmed for the wrong vehicle. **Wheel fitment runs on measurements, not applications.** A vehicle selector tells you the car. Whether a wheel goes on it depends on bolt pattern, center bore, offset and backspacing, and on whether the bore is hub-centric or needs a ring to center it. Staggered fitments split the set into a front size and a rear size. Plus-sizing moves up in wheel diameter and down in sidewall to keep the overall diameter close to original. None of that lives in a part number field. **The tire comes with federal paperwork the wheel never does.** Every new tire carries a DOT Tire Identification Number, and under [49 CFR Part 574](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-574) the four-symbol date code at its end gives the week and year of manufacture. The same part puts registration on the distributor or dealer that sells a new tire to a tire purchaser: a registration form with the full TIN recorded, or the purchaser's details and TIN sent to the manufacturer within 30 days. A tire purchaser is someone buying "for purposes other than resale". Sell a set straight to a fleet, and that obligation is yours rather than your dealer's. **The tax depends on the load rating, and the fee depends on the state.** Federal excise tax under [26 U.S.C. 4071](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/4071) falls on taxable tires sold by the manufacturer, producer or importer. The rate is 9.45 cents for each 10 pounds of maximum rated load capacity above 3,500 pounds, or 4.725 cents for a biasply or super single tire. Two tires at the same price can carry different tax. A tire rated at 3,500 pounds or less carries none. If you import, you are the importer the statute names. State fees sit on top: [California's tire fee](https://cdtfa.ca.gov/taxes-and-fees/california-tire-fee/) applies to consumers for each new tire purchased and is generally collected by the retailer at the time of sale. So the checkout has to know the ship-to before it can price the set. **TPMS turns most packages into a service job.** [FMVSS 138](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-V/part-571/section-571.138) covers tire pressure monitoring on cars, trucks, buses and multipurpose passenger vehicles rated at 10,000 pounds GVWR or less. Vehicles with dual wheels on an axle are excluded. A package for a vehicle built under the standard needs sensors matched to that vehicle, service kits for the valve stems, and a relearn after the install. A dually on a fleet account falls outside it. Your catalog has to know which is which. **Dealers, installers and fleets buy the same tire three different ways.** The independent dealer wants it on tomorrow's truck at its program tier. The installer wants the set mounted, balanced and shipped ready to bolt on. The fleet buys by unit and vehicle type on a national account price, and much of what it buys is heavy truck tires carrying FET. One catalog, three checkouts, and regional warehouses deciding which building ships a matched set of four. ## The Uncap solution **One package that knows the vehicle, the buyer and the ship-to** The build has one job: make the package one thing that knows the vehicle, the buyer and the ship-to. ### 1. Vehicle, The buyer saves the vehicle once Uncap Garage filters the catalog to parts that fit, powered by ACES and PIES. - Year-Make-Model selection in Uncap Garage - Bolt pattern, center bore and offset range mapped during implementation - Staggered front and rear sizes from your fitment data ### 2. Buyer, The package priced for the account Uncap Quotes applies each account's negotiated prices, tiers and volume breaks, with package rules built on top during implementation. - Every component fits the same vehicle - Fleet and program exceptions routed to the right approver - An approved quote becomes a Shopify order in one click ### 3. Ship-to, FET, state fees and the TIN on the invoice FET by load capacity, state fees by ship-to, and TIN and date code capture, configured during implementation. - Where your ERP already calculates FET, the storefront shows that figure - Uncap Connect syncs pricing, credit terms and tax rules with the ERP in real time - TIN handoff on fleet sales scoped as its own build item The build has one job: make the package one thing that knows the vehicle, the buyer and the ship-to. **Vehicle first, then the wheel's measurements.** [Uncap Garage](https://www.uncap.com/products/garage) is a Year-Make-Model fitment app for Shopify, powered by ACES and PIES, the auto care industry's standards for vehicle fitment data and product information. The buyer saves the vehicle once and the catalog filters to parts that fit it. The wheel attributes behind that vehicle are loaded from your fitment data and mapped during implementation: bolt pattern, center bore, offset range, ring requirement, and staggered front and rear sizes. Garage gets the buyer to the vehicle. The wheel data decides what bolts on. **The package rules, built on the quoting workflow.** [Uncap Quotes](https://www.uncap.com/products/quotes) runs the configure, price, quote workflow inside the Shopify admin, with each account's negotiated prices, tiers and volume breaks applied automatically. The package rules are built during implementation on top of it: every component fits the same vehicle, lug seat matches the wheel, sensors match the vehicle, and FET and state fees land on the right lines. So is the storefront package builder that walks a dealer from vehicle to finished set. For fleet and program deals, Quotes routes exceptions to the right approver, keeps validity windows and a full revision history, and turns an approved quote into a Shopify order in one click. **Mount and balance sold as a service, not a note on the order.** [Uncap Portal](https://www.uncap.com/products/portal) sells services and rentals alongside products, through one checkout. Mounting, balancing and sensor programming sit beside the tires as real line items. Each buyer sees its own assortment and pricing. The fleet that buys the same steer tire every quarter has its reorder list and order history a click away, with net terms, invoices and payments in the same portal. **FET, state fees and the TIN on the invoice.** FET by load capacity, state fees by ship-to, and TIN and date code capture on the order and invoice are configured during implementation. Where your ERP already calculates FET, that is the figure the storefront shows. [Uncap Connect](https://www.uncap.com/products/connect) syncs customer-specific pricing, credit terms and tax rules between Shopify and the ERP in real time, in both directions, with no separate middleware platform to maintain. For fleet sales, where you are the one registering, getting the TIN from the pick to the manufacturer is scoped as its own build item. **The case against Shopify for this trade, answered.** The objection you will hear is that Shopify becomes a stack of apps, each owning a slice of the package. That fairly describes a bad build. In this one, fitment runs in Uncap Garage and quoting in Uncap Quotes, both inside Shopify. Uncap Connect is embedded in Shopify too, not a separate platform that sits between systems. The rules that make a package valid, and the tax and fee logic, are built once against the company accounts and catalogs a dealer or fleet buys through. So the tier and the contract price apply to the package, not only its parts. Any claim that a platform does all of this out of the box deserves a demo with your vehicles and your fee table. **Proof, at its true distance.** There is no published Uncap wheel and tire build. The nearest published work is adjacent: automotive fitment. [Kooks](https://www.uncap.com/work/kooks), a 60-year performance automotive manufacturer, runs ACES year, make, model and engine fitment search. Infor Visual ERP and a PDM Automotive PIM feed real-time inventory, and wholesale buyers get secure portals with custom pricing. Its published results are 22% higher conversion and 38% lower total cost of ownership. [E3 Spark Plugs](https://www.uncap.com/work/e3sparkplugs) runs a Year-Make-Model tool, a cross-reference application for competitor SKUs, and group pricing for dealers. Vehicle fitment and dealer pricing, yes. Wheel and tire packages, not yet. ## Key features **What Uncap builds for wheel and tire distributors** The package, the wheel measurements and the tire's tax and paperwork, built on Shopify. ### 01 · Fitment, Vehicle selector with wheel data behind it Year-Make-Model selection in Uncap Garage, with wheel measurements mapped to each vehicle. ### 02 · Sizing, Staggered and plus-size sets Front and rear sizes sold as one staggered package, and plus-size options limited to what your fitment data allows for that vehicle. ### 03 · Package, One price for the whole set Priced as one package, with the package rules built during implementation. - Wheel and tire - Sensors, lug kit and rings - Labor ### 04 · Hardware, Hardware that follows the wheel Lug seat and thread matched to wheel and vehicle, and ring size set by the gap between wheel bore and hub. ### 05 · TPMS, TPMS by vehicle Sensors and service kits matched to vehicles built under FMVSS 138, with a relearn flagged on the install. - Dual-wheel commercial vehicles handled without them ### 06 · Tax, FET and state fee lines Excise tax from maximum rated load capacity and state tire fees by ship-to, each on its own invoice line. - Configured during implementation - Where your ERP already calculates FET, the storefront shows that figure ### 07 · Registration, TIN and date code on the order The DOT date code shown when a buyer asks how old the stock is, and the full TIN captured on fleet sales. ### 08 · Service, Mount and balance as a service line Labor ordered next to the product, priced by account, shipped with the set. - Sold through one checkout with Uncap Portal ### 09 · Pricing, Dealer, installer and fleet pricing Each buyer sees its own assortment and pricing, kept in step with the ERP. - Minimum order quantities configured during implementation **Vehicle selector with wheel data behind it.** Year-Make-Model selection in Uncap Garage, with wheel measurements mapped to each vehicle. **Staggered and plus-size sets.** Front and rear sizes sold as one staggered package, and plus-size options limited to what your fitment data allows for that vehicle. **One price for the whole set.** Wheel, tire, sensors, lug kit, rings and labor priced as one package, with the package rules built during implementation. **Hardware that follows the wheel.** Lug seat and thread matched to wheel and vehicle, and ring size set by the gap between wheel bore and hub. **TPMS by vehicle.** Sensors and service kits matched to vehicles built under FMVSS 138, a relearn flagged on the install, and dual-wheel commercial vehicles handled without them. **FET and state fee lines.** Excise tax from maximum rated load capacity and state tire fees by ship-to, each on its own invoice line. **TIN and date code on the order.** The DOT date code shown when a buyer asks how old the stock is, and the full TIN captured on fleet sales. **Mount and balance as a service line.** Labor ordered next to the product, priced by account, shipped with the set. **Dealer, installer and fleet pricing.** Each buyer sees its own assortment and pricing, kept in step with the ERP. Minimum order quantities are configured during implementation. ## Why Uncap **Fitment is a shipped product.** Uncap Garage is a Shopify app built on ACES and PIES. The vehicle layer is configured, and only the wheel measurements on top get scoped. **The build line is drawn in the open.** Package rules, FET, state fees and TIN capture are implementation work. You see them in the scope and the price, not in week six. **A long record on the platform.** Uncap is a Shopify Platinum Partner, on Shopify since 2013, with 380+ unified storefronts launched on Shopify. **Scoped before it is built.** The Uncap [Blueprint](https://www.uncap.com/blueprint) is a flat-fee engagement that maps your fitment data, package rules, fee logic, pricing tiers and ERP integration before any build begins. The deliverables are yours to keep, and the fee is credited toward implementation if you build with Uncap. ## Related pages This page sits under [Auto Parts and Aftermarket](https://www.uncap.com/industry/auto-parts-aftermarket), which covers part-number catalogs, jobber tiers and core charges. This page covers the package, the wheel measurements and the tire's tax and paperwork. Sideways, [Performance Parts](https://www.uncap.com/industry/performance-parts) covers the enthusiast upgrade catalog and [Powersports](https://www.uncap.com/industry/powersports) covers the dealer network behind off-road and on-road machines. For fitment apps on Shopify, see the Uncap roundup of [Year, Make, Model fitment apps for automotive](https://www.uncap.com/post/shopify-automotive-fitment-apps). On the ERP side, [Epicor Vision](https://www.uncap.com/integration/epicor-vision) is Epicor's ERP for parts distribution, and the full [ERP integrations list](https://www.uncap.com/integrations) shows every system Uncap connects. ## Ready to talk Bring your wheel fitment export and one fleet invoice that shows FET. Between them they hold the vehicle data and the tax line this build has to get right. Book a strategy session with Uncap, or start with a Blueprint if what you need first is the package and fee logic written down and costed. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Shopify just a stack of apps for a wheel and tire distributor? No, not when the package, fitment and fee logic are built as one layer inside Shopify. Fitment runs in Uncap Garage and quoting in Uncap Quotes, both inside Shopify, and Uncap Connect is embedded in Shopify with no separate middleware platform to maintain. The package rules, FET and state fees are built once against the company accounts and catalogs your dealers and fleets buy through, so their pricing applies to the whole set. Whatever platform you shortlist, ask to see a staggered package priced with FET for your own vehicles before you sign. ### How does year make model fitment work for wheels? The buyer picks the vehicle in Uncap Garage, and the wheel's own measurements decide what fits it. Garage handles Year-Make-Model selection, powered by ACES and PIES data. Bolt pattern, center bore, offset range and hub-centric ring requirements are loaded from your fitment data and mapped to each vehicle during implementation. A selector alone shows wheels that suit the car, not the offset the buyer wanted. ### Can staggered and plus-size fitments be sold as packages? Yes, as package rules built during implementation. A staggered package carries a front size and a rear size as one set with one price. Plus-size options are limited to the wheel diameters and tire sizes your fitment data allows for that vehicle. The dealer sees one package price, with its own tier and volume breaks applied the way Uncap Quotes applies them to any quote. ### How is federal excise tax on tires handled? It is calculated from each tire's maximum rated load capacity and shown as its own line. Under 26 U.S.C. 4071 the rate is 9.45 cents per 10 pounds of capacity above 3,500 pounds, or 4.725 cents for a biasply or super single tire. The tax is imposed on the manufacturer, producer or importer. The calculation is configured during implementation, and where your ERP already computes FET, the storefront shows the ERP's figure. ### Who has to register a tire sold online? The distributor or dealer that sells the new tire to the end user carries the registration duty, online or at the counter. Under 49 CFR 574.8 the seller either records the full TIN on a registration form for the purchaser or sends the purchaser's details and TIN to the manufacturer within 30 days. Sales to a dealer for resale do not trigger it. Sales straight to a fleet do, which is why TIN capture on fleet orders is scoped as its own build item. ### Can installers order mount and balance with the package? Yes. Uncap Portal sells services and rentals alongside products through one checkout, so mounting, balancing and sensor programming are line items on the same order as the wheels and tires. The set then ships ready to bolt on. ### Which ERPs does Uncap connect to? Uncap publishes integrations for twelve ERP families, including Epicor, Infor, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, SAP and Sage, delivered through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration. For parts distribution, Epicor Vision is the likeliest fit. Uncap Connect syncs customer-specific pricing, credit terms and tax rules. For a specific ERP and the depth of sync you need, the Uncap team confirms fit directly. ### What is the difference between this page and the auto parts page? The auto parts page is about parts sold by application and part number: jobber tiers, core charges and supersession. This page is about packages that fit on measurements, plus the tax and registration obligations that come with every new tire. Many distributors sell both, and the two builds share the vehicle layer and the ERP connection.