mwood:seriously, I would never expect Hoosier to drop prices, first...if it happens, it will be BFG or Kumho that gets the ball rolling...but, I'm not holding my breath, just wishin'...
Hoosier = American company with American workers = Demand much higher wages compared to foreign counterparts doing the same job overseas for a foreign brand
It's really no different than what has happened to manufacturing in this country as a whole. Workers (skilled and unskilled) have demanded so much money in salary and full benefits over the years that an All-American company would have its products priced out of competitiveness compared to foreign manufacturers and thus began "outsourcing". Those that kept jobs here played Russian Roulette of not being able to sell their products to a consumer base that wanted everything at Wal-Mart pricing.
Before the oil crunch earlier this year forced Kumho to lose their position amongst autocrossers and road racers as the fast tire for those on a "budget" and thereby bringing their products pricing in line with the Purple Haze, I used to spell Hoosier like this... Hoo$ier.
I was able to do so for years because they were NEVER cheap when compared to their peers, but they were never significantly faster nor were they longer lasting at the very least. This comes as no surprise to me, nor to many of you I'm sure.
Anthony "Mario" Crea
NNJR-SCCA
www.autox4u.com