Brand Dossier

Big O Tires

FDD-based analysis. Item-level data. No franchisor input.

Big O Tires costs $511,500 to $1,882,500 to open (2026 FDD Item 7), with a Variable fee model fee structure and an average unit volume of $2,824,713 disclosed in 2026 FDD Item 19. Deal-Specific reads on Fee Structure, Litigation History, and Term & Exit Terms, Strength on Unit Economics, In Line on Operator Validation. Independent analysis, no commissions, no franchisor revenue.
Rank #131 on Entrepreneur 2026Automotive2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
Ranking ContextRanking from Entrepreneur Media's 2026 Franchise 500. Zorzee is independent and not affiliated with Entrepreneur Media.
Source File2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
About the Brand

About Big O Tires

Big O Tires franchises retail stores, called Big O Stores, that sell and service tires and related automotive products and services under the Big O and Big O Tires marks and the proprietary Big O System. Stores are serviced through regional sales and distribution centers operated by Big O, which also sells Big O branded tires and automotive accessories to franchisees and conducts wholesale operations selling non-Big O brand tires and accessories to franchisees and other purchasers. Big O offers franchises under two models, Business Format Franchises and Product Distribution Franchises, with Business Format Franchisees selling primarily to individual customers, though also to commercial accounts, in a market that includes national and local tire store chains, independent operators, service stations, specialty automotive repair and maintenance centers, and warehouse clubs and department stores with automotive departments.

Source: Entrepreneur 2026 ranking/profile data, rewritten by Zorzee

Investment Summary

The Numbers At a Glance

Total Investment Range
$511,500 to $1,882,500
FDD Item 7
Franchise Fee
$17,500
Development fee: $0 separate development fee disclosed for standard franchise.
FDD Item 5
Royalty + Fees
Variable fee model
Currently up to 9.5% of applicable sales if 5.0% royalty, 3.6% Local Fund, and 0.9% National Marketing Fee apply, plus fixed/pass-through fees.
FDD Item 6
Earnings Claim
Yes
Average Unit Metric $2,824,713.
FDD Item 19

Every value here comes straight from the FDD; anything not yet source-verified stays blank rather than estimated. The Pro figures and full interpretation unlock with a Pro membership.

The FDD Data Table

Everything the 2026 Filing Discloses

Every data point Zorzee tracks for this brand, in FDD Item order. Missing source data stays blank; Pro-only interpretation remains locked.

Already a Pro member?Read the full dossier →
ItemData PointValueSource
Item 3Litigation Actions (total) 1 action disclosed FDD Item 3
Item 5Initial Franchise Fee The Initial Franchise Fee is $17,500 (Item 5, p.16). FDD Item 5
Item 5Development Fee $0 separate development fee disclosed for standard franchise. FDD Item 5
Item 6Royalty Fee 2% of Gross Sales to National Account Customers and Key Account Customers; 2% of Excess Service Department Sales; currently 3.5% to 5.0% of Adjusted Gross Sales under Royalty Matrix. FDD Item 6
Item 6National Media Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Corporate Ad & Development Fund Pro FDD Item 6
Item 6Total Ongoing Fee Burden Pro Calculated (Item 6)
Item 7Total Investment (low) $511,500 FDD Item 7
Item 7Total Investment (high) $1,882,500 FDD Item 7
Item 8Required Purchases (food/supplies) Pro FDD Item 8
Item 11Franchisor Assistance Pro FDD Item 11
Item 12Exclusive Territory Pro FDD Item 12
Item 12Territory Size Pro FDD Item 12
Item 15Operating Participation Pro FDD Item 15
Item 17Initial Term Length Pro FDD Item 17(a)
Item 17Renewal Terms Pro FDD Item 17(b)-(c)
Item 17Required Remodel at Renewal Pro FDD Item 17(c)
Item 17Termination Triggers Pro FDD Item 17(f)-(h)
Item 17Transfer Fee Pro FDD Item 17(m), Item 6
Item 17ROFR Provisions Pro FDD Item 17(n)
Item 17Post-Termination Non-Compete Pro FDD Item 17(r)
Item 19Revenue Metric Disclosed Yes: Average Unit Metric $2,824,713 FDD Item 19
Item 20Total Franchised Units (2025) 461 FDD Item 20
Item 20Company-Owned Units (2025) 0 FDD Item 20
Item 20Total System Net Unit Growth (YoY) -1 FDD Item 20
Item 20Terminations Pro FDD Item 20
Item 20Agreements Signed, Not Yet Open Pro FDD Item 20
Item 21Audited Financials Pro FDD Item 21
Pro Data Points Locked
The free table maps every data point to its FDD source. Pro fills in the values and interpretation that require the full read.
Lock In My Founding Rate
The Signal Tracker

Five Signals From the 2026 Filing

Each signal turns one part of the filing into a read a buyer can act on. Strength means the disclosed data is favorable. In Line means it is typical for the category. Deal-Specific means the term is populated but you still have to model it against your own deal. Concern means the disclosed data is a real risk. The read is free. The reasoning behind it is the Pro read.

Fee Structure
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 6
The Pro Read

Fee load is source-backed from Item 5 and Item 6, with royalty or royalty-equivalent obligations separated from marketing/ad fund obligations.

Unit Economics
Strength
FDD Item 19
The Pro Read

This is one of the more complete disclosures in the category. The franchisor reports not only historical revenue for most of its qualifying stores but also a full profit-and-loss breakdown for a large subset, including a net income margin, which most franchisors never disclose. The revenue figures use the 2024 year, and the net income line is an average that hides real spread.

Litigation History
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 3
The Pro Read

FDD Item 3 discloses 1 action. Case names, allegations, procedural posture, and source quotes are locked in Pro.

Operator Validation
In Line
FDD Item 20
The Pro Read

Item 20 system health is populated from the FDD data layer with latest system count, franchised count, company-owned count, and net-change context.

Term & Exit Terms
Deal-Specific
FDD Item 17
The Pro Read

The initial term is ten years, extending to twenty years for franchisees using the growth financing program, with one renewal term available. Transfer approval rights, a franchisor right of first refusal, a purchase option, a cross-default clause, and a conditional post-term non-compete are disclosed.

Five Reads In. The Reasoning Is Locked.
You can see where each signal lands. Pro gives you the why: the math, the source detail, and what to validate before you act.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Item 19: Earnings Disclosure

What the Earnings Claim Says, and What It Does Not

Item 19 earnings data is disclosed for Big O Tires. The full disclosure is free below; Zorzee's read of what it means stays in Pro.

What the Claim Discloses
Average Unit Metric
$2,824,713
Sample Size & Coverage
Samplesee coverage note
457 of 463 US franchised stores, CY2024 (Part A gross revenue; no single overall median disclosed, only per-quartile medians). Historical 2024 gross revenue for 457 stores (Part A) plus a full P&L including net income margin for 280 stores (Part B). FDD-sourced; net income figure is pre-tax and pre-debt-service, not owner take-home.
High / Low Range
$747,674 to $10,207,284
Met or Beat the Average
40.9%
What the Disclosure Excludes
Expenses, net income, owner compensation
Gross revenue is not profit
What the Number Doesn't Tell You
Free, because misreading Item 19 is one of the costliest mistakes a first-time buyer can make.
  • Item 19 reports the disclosed sales or revenue metric. That is not profit, and not a forecast of what you would personally take home.
  • An average and a median are not the same number. Know which you are shown and how far apart they sit.
  • What reaches you is whatever survives operating costs and debt service. Item 19 never shows that figure.
Earnings Read Locked
Pro turns the disclosed fields into a read: whether the average is trustworthy, what the disclosure leaves out, and the year-one revenue number Zorzee would underwrite.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Unit Count and Trajectory

A System That Contracted

Total Units
461
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Franchised
461
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Company-Owned
0
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Total System Net Change (YoY)
-1
As of 2025, FDD Item 20
Total System Units, Latest Available FDD Years
477
2023
462
2024
461
2025

Big O Tires trajectory is shown only where source-backed. Missing Item 20 fields stay blank inside the locked layout instead of removing the section.

Source: FDD Item 20 where present. Total system units, franchised plus company-owned. Not financial advice.

Beyond the Net Number
A net unit count is not the same as healthy stores. Pro breaks out openings, closures, terminations, and what the trajectory signals.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Litigation History

What FDD Item 3 Discloses

1 action disclosed in FDD Item 3. Case-level detail remains locked in Pro.

Case 01
Item 3 action disclosed
Case-level detail locked in Pro
The Read · Pro
What a Litigation Count Doesn't Tell You
Free, because a raw lawsuit count is one of the most misread lines in any FDD.
  • A count means nothing without scale and time. Always compare it to system size and years covered.
  • The pattern matters more than the total. Repeated allegations matter more than isolated disputes.
  • Concluded and open matters are not the same weight. Open matters require different diligence than old resolved matters.
Litigation Read Locked
Pro gives the case-by-case read: allegations, status, scale context, and whether any pattern matters long before signing.
Lock In My Founding Rate
Editorial Analysis

The Zorzee Read

The Zorzee Take
The editor's synthesis: what the filing actually means once the numbers, diligence, and operator reality are weighed against each other. The Take names what matters, what does not, and what must be validated before any decision.
The Read · Pro
The Inversion
Charlie Munger's rule: to understand a thing, study how it fails. Zorzee stress-tests every brand against forecasting, site selection, management depth, and exit math. The framework is free. Which modes bite hardest for this brand, and the fix for each, is the read.
The Failure-Mode Read · Pro
The Editorial Read Is Locked
Pro unlocks the full Zorzee read on Big O Tires: the editorial synthesis, the math behind the numbers, and the failure modes the filing reveals. Zorzee briefs the decision; you make it.
Lock In My Founding Rate

Zorzee editorial. Independent analysis. No franchisor review or approval. Not financial advice.

The Decision

You've Seen the Filing. The Read Is Still the Missing Piece.

The filing tells you what Big O Tires costs to open. Pro adds the read on whether the numbers work for you, in your market, and whether this brand is a business or a job you bought.

Already a Pro member?Read the full dossier →
Lock In the Zorzee Pro Founding Rate
$9/month or $90/year
Founding rate, locked for life. Cancel anytime.
Founding rate closes October 1, 2026
This Dossier
  • The full read behind all five Signal Tracker verdicts
  • Pro FDD data points from fee burden through Item 17 and audited financials
  • The Item 19 earnings read where disclosed
  • The litigation and system-health read
  • The Zorzee Take and failure-mode analysis
Your Pro Membership
  • The Zorzee Report Pro every Tuesday, one franchise decoded each week
  • The full Signal Tracker across the portal
  • The Zorzee Files: FDD guides, DCF templates, and pro forma models (coming soon)
Lock In My Founding Rate

Four months of research and more confused than when you started?

You've seen the filings and the numbers. What none of it tells you is whether this is a business that fits your money and your life. That is what fifteen minutes with a Zorzee-approved independent Franchise Consultant is for: whether this brand belongs on your shortlist, and what to validate before it does. Working with one costs you nothing and carries no obligation. Your franchise fee is the same whether you use one or not.

Book My Free Zorzee Clarity Call
How does the consultant get paid, and is your analysis really neutral?

A Zorzee-approved Franchise Consultant never charges you. A franchisor pays the consultant a commission only if and when you decide to invest in a franchise they introduced you to. The analysis on this page earned nothing the moment you read it, no matter what you do next. That firewall is structural, not a promise: Zorzee's editorial earns no commission from franchise placements.

Zorzee earns no commission from franchise placements.

Related Dossiers

Compare the Category

More for Pro readers: Browse the Signal Tracker library and get The Zorzee Report Pro.

FAQ

Big O Tires Franchise Questions, Answered

How much does a Big O Tires franchise cost?

A Big O Tires franchise costs $511,500 to $1,882,500 to open, disclosed in FDD Item 7 of the 2026 filing, covering the franchise fee, buildout, equipment, and working capital to breakeven. No commissions, no franchisor revenue, independent analysis only.

What are the royalty and fees for Big O Tires?

Big O Tires uses a Variable fee model fee structure, disclosed in FDD Item 6.

What does Big O Tires disclose in FDD Item 19?

Item 19 for Big O Tires discloses an average unit volume of $2,824,713 in the 2026 FDD. The figure is gross sales, not profit. Zorzee's read of what it excludes is in the Pro dossier.

What is Big O Tires's average unit volume?

Big O Tires's average unit volume is $2,824,713 in the 2026 FDD. The figure is gross sales, not profit. Zorzee's read of what it excludes is in the Pro dossier.

Does Big O Tires have any lawsuits or litigation?

Big O Tires's FDD Item 3 discloses 1 legal action. A raw count means little without scale and time, so weigh it against the system's 461 units and the years covered. The case-level detail is the Pro read.

Is Big O Tires a good franchise investment?

Zorzee does not rate franchises good or bad; it reports what the filing discloses so you can judge fit. Big O Tires shows Deal-Specific reads on Fee Structure, Litigation History, and Term & Exit Terms, Strength on Unit Economics, In Line on Operator Validation. Whether it fits depends on your capital, your market, and your operating style. Independent analysis, no franchisor revenue.