The Pinch Points
Why Tire & Alignment Owners Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
A tire shop's money is always in two places it can't spend it — on the racks as inventory, and in the equipment that mounts, balances, and aligns. These are the spots where we get called.
The Tire Inventory Drain
Stocking tires across the sizes and brands customers expect means $40K–$150K sitting on racks — the single biggest cash tie-up in the shop.
The Alignment Rack Investment
A modern alignment rack and the imaging gear run $40K–$90K — the equipment that makes alignment a profit center instead of a sublet.
The Seasonal Inventory Swing
Winter and seasonal tire demand means stocking up ahead of the rush — $30K–$80K in inventory bought before the season's revenue arrives.
The Mount-and-Balance Equipment
Touchless mounting and road-force balancing equipment runs $25K–$50K — the gear that protects expensive wheels and turns bays fast.
The Fleet & Account AR
Fleet and commercial tire accounts pay net-30; a shop with commercial business carries $20K–$60K in receivables on tires already mounted.
Adding a Location or Buying a Shop
A second location or acquiring a tire shop is a $250K–$1.2M move — equipment, the opening inventory stock, and working capital.
What an operator said
“We always ran short on inventory going into winter because the cash wasn't there to stock up ahead. The working line let us load up before the season — we didn't turn a single customer away for being out of their size, and it was our best winter ever.”
D. Nguyen · tire & alignment center · Denver, CO
Start Here
See Your Range in 60 Seconds
No credit check, no documents to start, and an estimated funding range on the spot. No one contacts you until you’re ready to move forward.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for the Trade
What We Fund for Tire & Alignment Shops
Working Capital for Tire Inventory
An unsecured, revenue-based working line funds the inventory float so you stock the sizes and seasons customers expect without draining the account.
Equipment Financing With §179
Finance the alignment rack and mounting equipment — the rack and balancer secure the line, and §179 puts the write-off in the year you install them.
A Line Against Fleet & Commercial AR
A working line advances against net-30 fleet and commercial-account receivables.
Revenue-Based Expansion & Acquisition Capital
Add a location or acquire a shop on revenue-based, capital-stacked financing — equipment and opening inventory in one structure, not an SBA queue.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for Tire & Alignment
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on the shop's revenue, not a perfect credit file.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tire inventory float | Stocking sizes and brands customers expect ties up cash | Working Capital | $75K–$200K | 1–3 days |
| Pre-season stock-up | Winter and seasonal inventory bought ahead of revenue | Business LOC | $75K–$250K | 1–5 days |
| Alignment rack | Modern rack and imaging gear, a five-figure equipment buy | Equipment Financing | $75K–$150K | 3–5 days |
| Mount-and-balance equipment | Touchless changer and road-force balancer | Equipment Financing | $75K–$150K | 3–5 days |
| Fleet & commercial AR | Net-30 commercial accounts on tires already mounted | Invoice Factoring | $75K–$300K | 1–2 days |
The Products
How Tire & Alignment Financing Is Structured
Most tire and alignment files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured around the inventory and the rack. Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
| Amount | Term | Best For | Funding Speed | Typical Structure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3yr–7yr | Alignment racks, balancers, lifts | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | Tire inventory float, payroll | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, revenue-based |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Seasonal pre-season inventory draws | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
| Invoice Factoring | $75K–$5M+ | Per invoice | Net-30 fleet and commercial accounts | 1–2 days | Invoices secure the line, no PG typically |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on an Alignment Rack — Worked
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“A tire shop's money is always in two places it can't spend it — on the racks as inventory, and in the equipment that mounts, balances, and aligns. Stock too little and you lose the sale to the shop down the road; stock too much and your cash is rubber on a shelf. The operators who win carry the inventory and the equipment on financing instead of on their own cash, so a busy season is an opportunity, not a squeeze. We fund both — the inventory float and the alignment rack — and on the equipment side §179 hands back roughly $56,610 on a $153K package. Stock for the season, align every car that rolls in, and never lose a customer to a size you didn't have on the rack.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
How It Works
From Application to Funded
One application, 70+ lenders competing, a dedicated specialist, and most files funded in days.
60-second estimate
Enter your numbers — no credit check, no documents. You see an estimated funding range on the spot.
A specialist is assigned
A real funding specialist — not an algorithm — reviews your file, usually within 24 hours.
70+ lenders compete
Your application goes to the marketplace. Competing offers typically land 24–48 hours later.
You pick the offer
Compare structures and terms with your advisor. No obligation until you choose to sign.
Funded in days
From same-day working capital to a multi-piece stack, most files fund in days — not the bank’s 60–90.
Underwriting
What Underwriting Looks At
Funding here leads with what your business actually does — your revenue and cash flow. The specialist desk reads the real picture from your statements, then matches it to the lenders most likely to fund it.
How you’re evaluated
Revenue-first
sized off your top line, not just your balance sheet.
Cash-flow driven
your bank statements show how the business really runs.
Bank-statement underwriting
even a down year is read off 4 months of statements.
Story-driven
a big new contract, a seasonal swing, a turnaround in progress: context the raw numbers miss counts too.
What to have ready
↳Had a loss year? It’s read off the bank statements — 4 months, not 6.
Start fast, finish complete
The operators who fund quickest come to the specialist review with these ready — but you don’t need all of it to start. Your signed application and bank statements are what unblock the review; the rest can follow as trailing docs. Real term sheets come once the lenders can see a true business overview, so the move is simple: get the application and statements in right away, and don’t let a missing tax return hold up your term sheets.
Credit, straight
Qualification
Who Gets Funded — and Who’s Not Ready Yet
A straight read saves everyone time — here’s the line between a tire & alignment file that funds and one that isn’t ready yet.
↳Time in business is a factor, not a gate — newer crews with strong revenue still qualify.
Not ready yet isn’t a no — it’s a checklist. Most of it is fixable in a quarter or two, and your advisor will tell you straight which gaps to fix before a file goes in.
The Operator's Guide
Tire & Alignment Shop Financing
Two Kinds of Capital, Both Tied Up
A tire and alignment shop runs on two kinds of capital, and both of them are hard to free up. The inventory — tires across every size, brand, and season — is the single biggest cash drain in the shop, and a winter stock-up has to be bought before the cold weather brings the revenue. The equipment — an alignment rack, a touchless changer, a road-force balancer — is what turns alignment from a sublet into a profit center, but it's a five-figure buy the bank wants months to think about.
One Application, 70+ Lenders
We fund tire and alignment shops on the shop's revenue — a working line for the inventory float so you stock ahead of the season, equipment financing on the rack and balancer with §179 on the gear, and a line against net-30 fleet and commercial AR. One application, 70+ lenders, soft-pull review. Stock for the season and align every car that rolls in while the lenders compete for your business.
Common Questions
Tire & Alignment Financing — Questions, Answered
Yes — an unsecured, revenue-based line funds the inventory float so you can stock ahead of demand.
Yes — equipment financing covers the rack and mounting equipment; §179 writes it off the year it's installed.
Yes — a working line advances against net-30 commercial-account receivables.
Signed application, four months bank statements, P&L, balance sheet, two years returns; losses → four months statements. Soft credit pull only — zero FICO impact to see your range.
Yes — equipment and opening inventory stacked revenue-based, not an SBA 7(a) loan.
Recommended Funding