I’ve had Michelin tires blow out and also leak from the tread seams when it was brand new. They are much better in terms of handling, comfort, ride, noise, etc in comparison to other brands. The Michelin’s I’ve owned were made in America. Any tire brand regardless of quality can all have its problems
@@guayabito6946 Yes no joke. About 4 years old. Had half tread left (not bald). Blew out during a summer road trip. There were Michelin Premier AS. Bought 4 Michelin Primacy MXV4 a while back. Next day, had 2 flat tires. The tire shop replaced them for no charge.
@@xcmskim4 Wow, amazing. I have no experience with Michelin as they are too expensive. I have always bought Barum which is a Czech brand owned by Continental and never had any problems. Thanks for letting me know.
A large agricultural farm here and we’ve made direct comparisons between Chinese tires and Western varieties and they’re every bit as good. I don’t even question it anymore.
My uncle is in a tyre recycling company. His catch phrase would always be nobody knows tyre quality better than him, just because he sees where they have failed. His favorite brand is Michelin, just because of consistency,his least favorite is Continental, due to strange fails that occur most often with them. Pirelli he says, has tops and flops. He also says there are bad tyres amongst almost all brands, cheap and expensive. His take on Chinese tyres is if they can be sold in the US or EU they have to meet very strict safety, environmental and performance tests before they are even allowed to end up on the shelves. I can see comments here claiming double or triple brake distances with Chinese tyres, well, look up ANY real reputable tests and you may see a few percent deviation, but that'll be it, higher deviations would lead to fails in US and EU safety tests already.
i am totally agree with that. i have 10 years experince importing tires from China i almost test all my import brands on my personal use private car they all have internationally standarts. The price and performance related mostly with mixture of materials carbon black and natural rubber compaund. if natural rubber more on mixture quality is better but this is not only fact that related with quality. Producing tires has many facts that related with quality. For daily use i can say almost all (not the cheapest scrap ones)has same performance like premium brands (with little higher noise level) but if your vehicle has 200hp+ and you like to use that power frequently on the road or other duties i can honestly tell you Premium brands gives you more grip less noise and more km on distance.
@@Hus008 Yeah, I am currently driving on Leao Nova Force HP100 tyres, just because of some alignment changes that I first want to test and not wear expensive tyres incorrectly if things are not aligned properly. Before that the car had Michelin Pilot Sport 4 fitted and I can't really say the difference is huge. If anything the Leao are very very silent, probably quite soft and probably will wear out quicker, but the price difference is almost 60%, so I don't think the wear will be that much more. The Michelin perhaps gave a little bit more steering precision, but not dramatic. The car I have does not have ABS and I have locked up the wheels in the wet once or twice, and the grip in the wet of the Leao tyres is perhaps even better than the Michelin. I also fit and balance them myself and the Leao even had dots to align with the valves, and they barely needed any weight added. I find them wel worth it, regardless of cost, but the fact I could swap all four for just over 200 euro made it quite the deal. Over here in Netherlands that is really very cheap.
Michelin sucks now, they use to be good. i know alot of people that have had problems with them and will never buy them again, made in Taiwan tires right now are the best tires made these days and very reasonable cost...
I learned this lesson about 10 yrs ago. I replaced a set of TOYO (Japan) tires with the "same" tire, as I'd been happy with the product. I didn't ask my local tire man about MFR location, assuming it was still Japan. Some weeks/months later, I discovered they were actually produced in China (right there on the sidewall, but I had not looked). No horror stories, but it did seem these needed replacement earlier than the previous set. I avoid Chinese products whenever possible for multiple reasons.
I bought a set of Michelin a few years back. Two of them wore out quickly and the threads were showing on the sidewalls. The other two had plenty of tread left and the sidewalls were fine. Before this the only tires I saw sidewalls like that were over 20 years old being used as planters. I was curious and looked them over close. The two good ones said made in Israel and the two junk were made in Korea. all the same size ,model and sold as set. Now I always ask where they were made and look closely before leaving the dealer.
I own 2 Mazda MX5 NCs (Miata's over the pond) both under 8K miles and 1 was on Yokohama and the other on Bridgestone Potenza's I was hearing a lot of noise from the back end on both and could only put it down to the tyres as the mileage being too low for diff issues, I was recommended Landsail Tyres and immediately the noise went away giving a supple quiet drive, They had a softer compound and I cant see any reduction in grip wet or dry I have been pleased so far, I would suggest looking at the moulding detail quality as well as these tyres are very finely moulded and cheap poor quality tyres have not been so well moulded in the past. Also the tyre fitter said the balance of the tyres was better than a lot of main brands so It looks like some of Chinese brands are a huge step ahead of where they were. I would buy these again or the Sailun as I think they would be of similar quality. I can only say these work well in our UK weather.
Same on 4-wheel drive. Has to do with weight distribution, steering and alignment. That's why tires are rotated. But what does that have to do with the rubber rotting away to expose the cords?
They took over Uniroyal, and they went to crap too. My last set of Tigerpaws had the sidewalls crack and expose the cords. I always liked Tigerpaws because they held good in the rain, even though they wore out fast. Michelin, who now handled the warranty, said that cords showing on the sidewalls were normal.
When I take my sports car to the track, I'm glad I have Michelin tires made in France on it. I have never seen a good review about a Chinese tire in the max high performance category. Maybe they're OK for daily driving, but I don't know. Consumer Reports don"t rate them high on their list.
max performance is much harder to get right as its a far more complex build than a common commuter tire which sees far less stress. There's very expensive R&D behind the very best and often in conjunction with the Carmaker themselves when developing the sports car from the outset. For commuter cars, I think many off-brands are a great value though,
Well since almost no car owners take their cars onto the track but ALL of them do daily driving, it's the daily driving use that matters most. Wouldn't you agree with that?
I've been driving since 1977 and have only ever fitted British or European manufactured tyres .... Back then mind they were all you could buy.... Ever since Chinese tyres became a thing I've bought a few 2nd hand cars with them fitted and I've yet to find one that's not anything but lethal on the road .... They're not called ditch finders for nothing
One point you didn't touch upon is it does matter where tires are made to some (many?) people as I will always support domestically made/grown products because of jobs. If a country is unwilling to buy its own products how will the economy support its people? I think decades of declining industries in the USA have lead to many hardships.
Try buying only American made coffee, chocolate, coconut, bananas, etc. Decades of "We want more for less" is what causes labor-intensive jobs to be moved out of one country to wherever the increased cost of transportation isn't more than the labor cost and environmental compliance cost saved. As manufacturing efficiency rises, with fewer jobs requiring people, population size will inevitably decline and democracy will fail, because fewer jobs will require people, and in ":free enterprise" countries, working people don't like giving away what they "earned".
Overlooked economic issue in this short sighted video is balance of trade. The US has a 370 percent trade in balance with China. This means that Chinese products cost the American economy 20 to 30 times as much as it appears, making those "cheap" tires cost $5,000 to $6,000 a piece
It's not just about local economies, this is 10x the impact from an environmental standpoint. I love imports, but can we maybe, I don't know.... not fill up shipping containers with bulky items that can be produced locally?
BFG KO2’s cost little more than the Chinese tire I had installed in my SUV, the Chinese tire looked great and only performed good for the first 6000 miles. Uneven wear and noise made my car undrivable. In regards of your point about “research and development “ the chinese only copy what others do, its been a long time since they researched anything besides covid.😊. I for sure try to stay away from Chinese products. Why dont you explain how fair is for an American company to open business in China and see how balanced they want the market to be for us.
My lad had a blowout in my Saab estate and fitted a RoadX front tyre. It turned the car into a tyre squealing mess with crap handling and the ABS was continuously chattering when braking in the wet. A new pair of Goodyear Efficient Grip has returned the car to it's previous performance envelope.
@@Bercilakdehautdesert-yt1gd I got two new Roadx tyres on the front of my Holden Commodore and they are fine, if you just replaced one front tyre with another half worn brand on the other side you will have problems.
I remember when 60 Minutes did an expose on Chinese manufacturers for US delivery. Undercover stuff. They had no quality control discipline and made all in-process decisions based on short term profit/loss. So out of date adhesives were retained beyond their expiration date for example. Industrial ovens had no periodic temperature calibration. No one was monitoring them to ensure minimal compliance with any standards. And the stuff sent to the US was junk. We all have heard about poisoned baby food, dog food, toothpaste etc. I wouldn't have a Chinese tire if they paid me. I buy from or at least research tire buys from Tire Rack where their Specifications page lists the country of manufacture. I try to buy US or Canadian but actually Mexican tires are pretty good because they're firmly monitored by the US home companies. Would be okay with EU tires but few are available anymore. I've had to change my trailers to Light Truck tires because I found no...ZERO...adequate ST tires. Even my US made Goodyear Endurance turned out to be short-lived junk which had early tread delamination and failures. Have had no problems since I changed to US made LT tires except it's difficult to find high enough load ratings. But not impossible.
Most RV'S specifically trailers are built with Chinese tires. They are known in the industry as" May Pop's or China Bombs". When they fail they don't simply lose air they explode. The thin side walls balloon out and shatter sending large slapping chunks of rubber damaging the trailer. They are either not speed rates or rated for speed less than posted American highways.
One thing I found is their warranties aren’t worth the paper they are written on unless you drive much more than average. All these large milage warranties only apply for the first year or so.
If you are reading this, don’t buy Chinese tread separator tires. The Chinese can copy the shape of a tire but they seem incapable of engineering quality materials.
There are many brands, they must all be certified and meet your countries specifications. Buy from someone recommended that you trust and ensure they advise which brands are good. If they have been selling them for years and stand by them then I think they are ok. I took a punt as the price was under 50% they are made in China, they are quiet (more than the original high end tires). They feel and are wearing well after 6 months.... I know others who have purchased tires made in China which are Chinese brands and they are happy also. Again use a reputable tire shop is key.
Great video and very well explained. I had 2 sets of Diamond Back tires ($59 per tyre) on my 1990 Holden Nova and both sets did fine and had no issues but, they did wear quickly but as i said no problems did the job fine. I now have Bridgestone Ecopia ($70 each) and they are much quieter longer lasting and have a better feel on the road and they are made in Vietnam. I like the old syle Bridestone Supercat tyres they were very good made in Australia. New model Supercats are now made in Indonesia. Step daughter had a Goodride 18 inch Chinese tyre fitted to her VE Calais as she was selling the car and it did the job fine for 6 months before the car sold. So i'm in agreement with Jack on this video that a cheap or a Chinese tyre is not necessarily a bad thing. A lot of people get sucked into marketing hype and pay big money for big brand race track capable tyres just to do 50 to 80 km an hour to work and back on public roads. Especially now days in 2023 you can buy what you think is a good brand name tyre, but when you check on the side wall where it is made you might be shocked. Remember when Mercedes was made to the finest engineering standards in the world in Germany? What about Mercedes made in SsangYong Korea but still wears the Mercedes badge. Same with tyres. Anyway great video and great advice thanks for posting cheers
granted, basic tire manufacturing is hardly top secret anyplace on the globe. where I question the statement was when German manufacturing was supposed to be equivalent just because it is branded by a German company, I know Korea makes good cars, but my point addresses the labor force , where Germany might have the edge on institutional knowledge as a part of the culture and training.
I've always used the factory specified Goodyear Cargos on my Falcon ute. They are made in China now. Get about 150 000km out of a set. Grip ok in the rain too.
Most Bridgestone are made in SEA these days (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam mostly). So do a large portion of Michelin, Pirelli, and Continental. The reason being is that SEA supplies 70% or so of Latex of the world, it is just cheaper to have manufacturing closer to the source of the raw materials.
The only good thing about chynese tyres is it makes the major brands price lower. If they had no cheap competition ,tyres would be a lot more expensive.
Having worked in China, I can attest to the fact that Quality Assurance and Quality Control cannot be trusted, with material substitution and other falsification’s prevalent in many industries. You get what you pay for.
Many western companies send their engineers and QA to their Chinese factories to ensure the quality is there. You often get European quality for Chinese prices
That's a lie. Just because you worked for someone seedy, doesn't mean all Chinese are seedy. They're a ton of crooked companies here in the USA. It's on the company that orders the product. If the investor wants to cut corners they will cut corners. And especially for our country the USA, where we don't make the best automobiles. Truth is truth.
I have just bought my second set of chinese tyres. With the first set, I never had any safety problems, it handled the corners really good, and on rainy days, the grip was the same as on the dry. It is true that they wear out quickly, but you can just buy another set of the tyres which will still be more affordable than buying one set of big brand tires.
Where I live, they are maybe 15%-20% cheaper - max. They are not 50% cheaper, as you claim, so it is NOT cheaper to buy two sets, especially with inflation as it is now.
I have Kenda tires on my ram, 1500 pick up truck, and on my wife’s Honda CRV. The main difference you notice right away is, they ride so soft. They are H speed rated all season. I also had a set of Kenda tires on my last pick up truck, a GMC canyon, 4 x 4. That transformed the ride in the truck from truck like, to Cadillacs like. The tires made by Kenda for cars and trucks are made in Indonesia. Indonesia has just been recognized as making electric guitars of quality equal to those made in the United States or better. I also have Kenda tire’s on my yamaha royal star venture, 850 pounds. These tires have A high heavy weight motorcycle load rating. They spin true in my truing stand balance stand, they did not take much weight to get them, balanced, and the tread and the carcass spin. True, I can let go of the handlebars and there’s no wiggle or osolation in the handlebars, which I have had with other tires from avon & metzler.. The Metzler’s do not last nearly as long as these Kenda tire’s appear to be lasting so far. And at almost half the price of Michelin’s/Dunlops/Metzler‘s.. I don’t need tires with a V, Z, U or W speed rating, because I rarely go over 75 miles an hour ever. H rating is high enough.(115 mph) The two things I like the most about Kenda tire is the low price, and the ride improvement.. The tires I bought for my wife’s SUV were rated for SUV and light truck duty. The trucks I put on my ram 1500 pick up, we’re rated for truck duty. All of these tires run quiet on the highway also I recently found out that Kenda has A design facility in Ohio, USA
@@jamesm568 I was going to say the same thing, they are not in the same league as a minor producer of off brand tires sold on price . I had some Kumho on my car that were the choice, over Hoosiers, of a bunch of dentists and doctors in porches at a local track for races over 13 laps. My kenda bike tires were pretty nice . I had mis-stated the tire brand and corrected to Kumho.
My Ford work utes have Westlake. They are far quieter and drive more like a pasenger tyre. The OEM Baddays were at best dreadfull! And ofcourse were not made here anyway.
I'll settle on a private label tire from Big-O... if u research the DOT manufacture code there's a good chance it was made by Goodyear, Firestone, Michelin etc.
I had a very tight budget and had just started a new job. I got Sailun winters and truth is it served me well and I never failed me in winter storms. Best of all it was very affordable.
I have fitted tires for far too many years and have talked to many companies representatives. What has been told to me by most of the long standing reps is that factories were set up in China because of the massive savings in costs. Stringent quality control was implemented as they knew there would be a fair percentage of bad tires. This was acceptable as the costs were so low. The destruction of these tires did not always happen and they disappeared through the back door and would reappear somewhere else. Not what was wanted and not good for the company's reputation. Quite a few of the major companies quietly relocated back as costs in China rose and the number of defective tires produced as a percentage of the whole rose. It simply was not cost effective, especially as those defective tires "came" to the market and impacted their sales and reputation. I have checked rims for balance and as a whole most are perfectly balanced. Tyres come in differing grades, 1 goes to the manufacturer of the vehicle as these are perfect , the others will need progressively more balance weights. I have fitted Michelins to S Class rims that need only a few grams on one tyre ! In a set of 4. The tyres were however very expensive. Manufacturers pay next to nothing for tires as if often brings repeated sales to the tire producer. Cheap tires often need considerable weights and I often think the balance dots are just guessed at, these are predominantly Chinese. I find that Korean and Taiwanese tyres are better . Sadly most people who have high end and performance vehicles go cheap on their rubber forgetting that four little patches of rubber makes this all happen. Chinese manufacturers have exploited this and I see lots of cars on inferior tyres supplied in the wider low profile sizes. China can copy tread patterns but compounds that make the tire work are fiercely guarded secrets.. Check out some of the European tire test videos.
We have had all sorts of brands. But after getting a ridiculous price, on some RoadX winter tires I had to try them out. They are a subsidiary of the Chinese Sailun Group. So far I've driven 15.000km with minimal wear and I have to say, they are standing pretty firm.
It absolutely makes a difference where a product comes. I ran the 6 sigma program for an international company. The product coming from China was so bad the company actual pulled out of China. We spent months working with the factory lines in an effort to bring the quality up. It did improve but the quality was much lower than the same product made in the US or Germany or Mexico.
I have bought Michelin tires for years but I decided to buy Continental tires as a replacement for the Bridgestones that were installed on my Honda CR-V at the factory. The Continental tires are excellent. The ride quality is much better than the originals and they are all-season tires but they perform quite well in the snow. I recently returned from China and I see a lot of tire shops advertising Continental and Bridgestone tires. I have no issues with buying Chinese tires as long as the price is good and they get good reviews. My only complaint is that I live in Canada and cannot purchase a Chinese car to put them on :-).
While I agree with what Jack said, I find it suspicious that he quoted industry leaders without naming them and cited "TireNews". I can't find any reference to such a news source.
Years ago I had some cheap chinese tires that were on the car when I bought it new. The rims were very expensive (approx. 4000 euro) and the tires were the cheapest in Germany for the dimensions (160-200 euro for the full set). I never understood what the former owner took to get this crappy combination, but they were horrible in the wet. Roundabouts needed to be taken very slowly in the rain and it was just a crappy experience. Thats not to say there are no good chinese tires out there. I believe china nowadays can produce all the quality you want. But it doesn't need to be that way. For me, I rather spend 200 euros more for a set of known high quality tires since labour costs for mounting in Germany is around 150 euros. So, its not 200 to 400 comparison but rather 350 to 550 all in. And if they last 50% longer (which is definately possible) then they dont cost anything more for a consistent and good performance.
Chinese tires do not last ...period. They work well for awhile then dry rot or come apart after a few years. It seems to me the rubber deteriorates much faster than tires made in USA. Best results have been with Michelins. Generals and Cooper have been pretty fair as well.
My Chinese all season Landsail tyres lasted 45000 miles without any issues. I replaced them with summer Goodyears which won’t last that long unfortunately…
After 30 years in the car business, I find Michelin's are the best wet and dry tyre. I can feel the difference between a cheap tyre and a decent brand on a good car. Also, you might not think you need a high performance tyre until that unexpected road situation where it could make all the difference. If you're going budget I'd try Toyo's or Falkens. Probably won't last as long but obviously cost less. Frequently see part worn cheap tyres going out of shape making a wheel bearing like drone. Unfortunately, I have to buy tyres 3-4 month with my work.
actually all Michelin tyres aren't that great , had installed on Subary Legacy , they were a replacement for Bridgstone which had worked very well, on a second legacyIi had replaced with Pirrellis they turned out to be even worse , the road noise would make you thik theer was a problem with the car, not all tyres from top brands seem to delliver what they claim
So what? Since when is Ireland a good indicator of anything? I'm an Irish citizen but I would much rather trust statistics from a country with a big population like the USA or huge driving distances like Canada than a tiny country with a tiny population like Ireland.
You are 100% right. I used to buy only big brands' tires such as Michelin Defender until 5 yrs ago. 3 of 4 Michelin on my car (installed at Sam's) exploded from the sidewalls. It forced me to get new tires (from smaller companies) on my trips. I am very satisfied with these non-top brands' tires after 3 - 5 yrs' use.
I will not touch a Michelin tire for any four wheeled vehicle I own. I have seen them blow out sidewalls for no reason, so I stay far away. For motorcycles their Pilot Road series are very decent tires and it makes you wonder why their quality can be so sketchy.
I have a habit of poking my thumb nail into tyres to see how hard the rubber is (I'm a speedway racer from way back). The harder the rubber the less grip, but the softer the rubber the faster it will wear out. Most Chinese tyres are as hard as plastic, and when I used to fit tyres I found the the cheap brands used to take a large amount of lead weight to balance them and also the cheaper tyres seem to lose a lot of air between pressure checks. The Bridgestone Potenza's on my WRX are mildly expencive but man do I love them (and my life) and the pressures are never down when i check them. Not long after I got the car a couple of years ago anonther car locked up and went sideways in front of me, I WAS going to hit him, jumped on the brakes and pushed pretty hard, ABS didn't kick in so I pushed harder and harder, still no ABS, the tyres gripped so well that I stopped before hitting him. So just that one case I saved paying $500 insurance excess. And yes I was following too close. The old story, you get what you pay for.
I have had Sumitomo tires and was very happy. Currently I have a set of Michelin Defenders on my 04 Corolla. They are made in England and are supremely good. In winter I run Nokian Haakappilliitta R5 winter tires. Made in Sweden. I will take the great tires, evennif they cost a bit more.
happens usually when you drive up hard corners like walkways or in low Speed through Potholes... so usually how you treat the Tire. Also overloading your Camper does the job to destroy Tires.
One of my favourite tyre is Vitour Formula Spec-Z. It is from China, has great grip, handling, feedback, and slip characteristic. It is a wonderful 3 season tyre and has equivalent or in some parts better performance to well known brand tyres that are little to significantly higher in cost. Tyres rated between 200-400tw range usually last me 6000-9000km, and I replace 10-12 pieces a year. So, price to me is almost as important as performance.
I was offered hifly recently and refused , settled for Hankooks from another dealer , replaced them with Sailun which worked better than i had expected, unfortunately they did not have stock in size required , Hankooks run well , smooth & quite , i have used them before
There is a big difference between tires made in china by Chinese companies and sold by Chinese companies and tires made in china by Chinese companies for major non Chinese brands. At least you are getting a tire sold by a major brand that has quality controls and inspections to insure a good product. A Chinese manufacturer/seller can sell you low quality products that you have no recourse when they prematurely fail
A big thing I've noticed with Chinese tyres is after the tread is half worn, performance deteriorates significantly. You can argue that it's a given with any tyre, but the key difference in my experience is cheap tyres dont maintain near as much 'bite' in comparison to a more prestigious brand. When you can get a 90kw 4 cylinder BMW out sideways on tyres with 5+ mm of tread, you KNOW your tyres aren't all that great...! 😬
I remember owning a set of winter tires made in China for my Ram. Loved em ! Soft compound used em for 3 years before I traded my Ram, no problems - no flat tires either. I think they are well worth their price.
One thing I've learned is that made in China doesn't automatically mean junk. Look what happened to made in Japan when they realized that they had to focus on quality. I think it depends on what name is on the product. If the plant is making things for Sony, Siemens, Panasonic and they have their QC inspectors in the plant it's probably decent. Put a Sooony, Seemens or Panaphony label and all bets are off. Nothing like a Hongda or Keweseki motorcycle.
Kenda, kanati, prinx, road-x etc Over seas but have same ratings, mileage, etc. there is Chinese brands I won’t buy like crosswinds in general, but some are very popular and have great reviews.
I agree that it doesn't matter where items are manufactured as long as the "recipe" is followed that is dictated by the company using the manufacturing power of China. The issue with Chinese tire to me are the tread patterns look similar to other top brands, easy to copy and slightly alter the tread pattern. Biggest issue and what really makes a tire good or bad is the rubber compounds, or recipe, if you will. This is a closely guarded secret by top brands and something Chinese tires have not been able to match yet. There tires start out strong but quickly give up some traits much earlier than top brands, like performance in the rain, II find Chinese tire compounds harden quicker than top brands and this can make them potentially more dangerous in the wet after only 20 to 30 thousand kms. This is just something to keep in mind. Formula 1 tires have extremely close guarded compounds so much that the teams using them have no idea the make up. Choose wisely.
I needed a tire on a weekend and the only one they had on hand was a Chinese tire called "IRON MAN" the tread was awesome so I had them order 3 more for me. It turned out that they performed better then the expensive name brand tires I replaced and was getting flats with and really wasn't that happy with. I put on a lot of miles in my work and so far am on my 3rd set of 'IRON MAN" SUV tires and about to get my 4th set. Last time I got them I told them that is what I wanted and to get them for me. The ware and traction of these tires has been great, one set got traded in but the ones I have had through their service life have been great. Besides being a lot less money I have been so happy with the service I have been getting out of these and will never buy a name brand tire again. I guess I was just lucky to end up with that tire by chance and then gave them a try
@@AvroBellow Thank you for that I got one on a weekend as I needed one then ordered the other three and they were great. I am about to get my 4th set of them
I have a set of Michelin tires on my older F250, i love them they are like new but about to age out at 10 yrs, good 50% on them but the age thing. Will replace with the same through Costco. As long as not made in china.
Is the length of time a company has been producing tyres an indication of quality? Like a Chinese tyre manufacturer founded 50 years ago and is still producing tyres?
No. 50 yeasr experience means 50 years of making old design tires, but necessarily the best ones today. 50 years of "that's the way we've always done it" is why Ford and GM have thin profit margins on old car designs and can't make EV's profitably, while Tesla now has twice their profit margin -after the recent temporary price cuts. The greatest percentage of business failures happen at two times - during the first 3 few years and when third generation management takes over and prioritizes profits over quality.
15 years ago I put a set of Goodyear F1 eagles on my car and they were made in West Germany, brilliant. Bought exactly the same tyre when I changed them for a new set, they didn't preform nearly as well and I was so disappointed, checked where they were made. China. Never bought them again, terrible.
@@gerrybailey447If the quality was inferior, it's because Goodyear decided to make it inferior, not because of where they were made. That's just broken logic.
china can make anything at any quality, the question is not whether china can make good tyre, but what is the quality asked by the brand owner, which reflect the price, and will affect their profit margin.
For a cheap car running to the shops, any tire will do, but for maximum performance, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is the gold standard. They are expensive but worth every penny, if you want the best. I have used cheap Chinese winter tires tires on different cars with no problem, but you can't corner fast with them.
Chinese tires are USUALLY VERY, VERY low speed and LOAD rated. "T" rated tires (93 MPH) Load Range "C" are typically the MINIMUM sold for CARS (not vans or SUVS or light trucks) in the US. I just looked at a "budget" tire on-line shop and they offered a "N" speed rated (65 MPH) Load Range "A" tire from China for $38.73 each in the size common for an Accord or Camry (205/60x17) compared to $205 each for the "M-Brand" . Read CAREFULLY and the tires are OVERLOADED when the vehicle is EMPTY (remember the Ford Explorer debacle???), and do you NEVER, EVER drive more than 65 MPH, or 55 MPH for more than an HOUR??? That's what "N" speed rating means. The tire will overheat and come apart at highway speeds. A 2020 Accord weighs FAR more than a 1970's FULL-SIZED V-8 land-yacht: more than a TON more. "Safety crash protection" is heavy and actually make cars MORE dangerous in crashes, but when you drive them into a wall, the wreckage LOOKS better. You are just as dead of course. Chinese tires DO NOT have an important piece of information on them. "TRACTION". A high quality $200 tire may stop you in 65 feet from 60 MPH. The Chinese tire may take 150 feet. How much is your and your family's LIFE worth????
there are Chinese brands now in use on many Boeing aircraft, major trucking firms, and even as Western automaker OEM tires, including famous brands like Porsche. Many of those same factories in China are also making tires for all of those well known Western brands as well, many of which have had their own dramatic failures over the years. There are hundred of Chinese brands, it pays to research a bit.
Most Chinese tyres are rated at what the OEM requires. Otherwise they are actually illegal. And I have sold thousands with no issue. I use Nankang semi slick race tyres which work as well as most. The best? Probably no but I sell them and for me are a lot cheaper.
What??? Are you insane? My tire size is P215/40ZR-18 and my "low speed rating Chinese tires" have a load/speed rating of 89W. Are you on drugs or something?
I hv been using tires from China for many years, and many of them are not made in China but from diffrrent parts of the world from Mexico, South America, Africa. And they give reasonaable performance at very reasonable prices.
Here in the U.K. we call them Chinese ditch finders ! Personally I like to fit good quality European or American brands, someone once said to me buy the best quality you can afford it’s cheaper in the long run. Advice that has stood me in good stead 👍🏻🇬🇧
I used Chinese Firestone tyres on Toyota truck for more than 2 years which were less than half of the Dunlop tyres. Replaced Dunlop with Firestone and they worked flawlessly in the scorching hear of the Arabian Gulf.
I will never trust tires made in China. Thanks for the info. Now I will have to make sure the tires are not made in China, no matter what brand they are.
Let's see this math. I drive a beater camry 90mph down back roads, 100mph on the freeway. I got almost 30,000 miles out of the first set of cheap ass China walmart tires. I'd bet money I can beat most anyone's time down any local back road on these 195/70r14 tires against a modern economy car on 17-19" wheels with whatever name brand tire you prefer.
@@aaadamt964 my friend, as I see it, you are actually betting with your life, not money, since tires are the primary safety equipment on any car. Wishing you and all the others sharing the road continued good luck when doing 100 mph in a beater with cheap tires .
@@richardelliott8352you are exactly right. Garantee this fictional 100 mph beater driver doesn't even know the speed rating on his tires and his soeedometer is broken.
I just bought a set of Fullway tires for our car. They are made in Malaysia, have good reviews and the price and quality is amazing. We'll see how they hold up over the next couple years. 😊
I'm from Malaysia never heard of those. In Malaysia Goodyear just shut down their factory due to higher costs v china Vietnam Indonesia but we still have Continental, Toyo made here
I always try to buy locally, and products made as close to me as possible. I always buy tyres made in Europe because I'm in Europe. I stopped buying a certain Pirelli tyre when they switched production from Germany to China, but didn't reduce the price.
Here’s a secret for everyone. I work in a plant that makes carbon filler for majority of the big name tire manufacturers. Toyo, Sumitomo, Cooper, Pirelli, Bridgestone/Firestone, currently Goodyear although it’s not likely long term and Carlisle. We ship to all those companies and we ship to all those companies plus subsidiaries. All those tires have the same basic rubber compound because they all use the same filler material. I will say if you want to support American industry buy those tires listed because I can guarantee that they use American made product processed in the two Virginias.
Great video...ill just add that the Chinese have a wall that's been around for thousands of years and can be seen from the international space station with the naked eye .... LoL 1 last point...1 UA-camr pointed out that all tire manufacturers have to meet safety standards set by US regulators to sell their tires in the USA...cheers!!
It's not that hard to make a big pile of rocks when you have complete control of a labor force. And if the materials have little intrinsic value, they are unlikely to be stolen like the cladding of the pyramids - or fancy wheels and tires.
@@psdaengr911They still have to meet the standards and regulations of the country in which they are sold. Funny how you ignored that part because it invalidates your position completely.
Why would I buy overpriced american-made tires from a disgusting local shop owner when I can get them for 50% cheaper and they last longer? Some of the worst tires I have ever used were American made.
Рік тому+3
It's not "made in China" that's the problem. It's designed in China. If your tires are from a well established brand, they're pretty much going to be decent tires no matter where they are produced. But tires by some Chinese company are a completely different thing. While the Chinese are completely capable of designing a decent tire, that's not always what they are trying to do. They have a history making sub-par products and selling them cheap. So I have no doubt a Chinese made Michelin is a good tire. It's the previously unknown Chinese brands I am wary of. Some of them might be good, but some of them definitely are bad. Out of the the leading brands, I can remember only ever once having seen "made in China". They were Michelin, original tires on a Chinese made Honda. Makes sense. Also, it's not a secret. It says on the tires where they are made...
"it's not 'made in china thats the problem, It's the desinged in China" well, -, China tires are made true and honest to its original design, and that it is a circle and it rolls, a technology that hasnt changed in thousand millennium. If adding more buns or tomatoes or peppers is kind a of design to a hamburger, just look at the tire marking on load ratings, side walls, and that's the "design" marking of the China tires which is common to all tire brands.
@@sanBastian123 "China tires are made true and honest to its original design". no they are not. sure, they are round and they make your car go. but people have actually done tests about its durability, dry and wet braking test and handling. and only a handful of "chinese branded" tires actually pass some of test. so, if you wanna gable your life or your families. go ahead, nobody is stopping you.
Every time an engineer designs a product there is a target cost to produce the product. If that target is very low, with rare exceptions, every aspect of how that product is designed and created is lowered. That includes what engineers are paid, and the quality of the engineers that work on that design. It takes very enlightened management with foresight to invest in the best engineers and to utilize them in continuous product improvement and product manufacturing improvement to drive product cost down.
China may start out following specs, but how long before they forget the glue layer between casing and tread. You end up with tread separation at a bad time. Or they cheap out on rubber quality, unknown until a failure or early wear. That's my thinking on any Chinese products.
Very good. Over the pasted 10 years or so. I bought high end tires. Very disappointed. Need some soon. Good chance i will buy least expensive ones to try out.
I will continue to buy Cooper tires. You go ahead and keep buying 'Chinese' tires. Even IF they are from a 'major brand'....then the price should reflect it and only be 50% of the cost. SMH
Anyone can share advice on Advanta tires for 2015 Toyota Camry LE ... Daughter rushed out and purchased a set... Noticed they're manufactured in China and of the few comments I've been able to across don't say anything good about advanta... and some basically say avoid them for your family's sake... So I told my daughter make an appointment for next time she gets in town and I'll pay for a new set of tyres that have a better ratings especially then those negative comments regarding Advanta Chinese manufactured tyres... Thanks in advance for your assist. Best Michelangelo
We use in heavy trucks drive in garbage and mud with concrete stuck between tires. Chinese truck tires are great. We force and load at maximum and they do the job
I’ve had Michelin tires blow out and also leak from the tread seams when it was brand new.
They are much better in terms of handling, comfort, ride, noise, etc in comparison to other brands.
The Michelin’s I’ve owned were made in America. Any tire brand regardless of quality can all have its problems
Michelin blowing out? How old were they?
@@guayabito6946 Yes no joke. About 4 years old. Had half tread left (not bald). Blew out during a summer road trip. There were Michelin Premier AS.
Bought 4 Michelin Primacy MXV4 a while back. Next day, had 2 flat tires. The tire shop replaced them for no charge.
@@xcmskim4 Wow, amazing. I have no experience with Michelin as they are too expensive. I have always bought Barum which is a Czech brand owned by Continental and never had any problems. Thanks for letting me know.
@@guayabito6946
Michelin tires were cracked after a few years, they are not the best tires and they are not worth 800$ for four tires
I'm getting a slow leak from the bead seat on my Bridgestones. Been to the tire shop 4x and they can't stop the leak.
A large agricultural farm here and we’ve made direct comparisons between Chinese tires and Western varieties and they’re every bit as good. I don’t even question it anymore.
My uncle is in a tyre recycling company. His catch phrase would always be nobody knows tyre quality better than him, just because he sees where they have failed. His favorite brand is Michelin, just because of consistency,his least favorite is Continental, due to strange fails that occur most often with them. Pirelli he says, has tops and flops. He also says there are bad tyres amongst almost all brands, cheap and expensive. His take on Chinese tyres is if they can be sold in the US or EU they have to meet very strict safety, environmental and performance tests before they are even allowed to end up on the shelves.
I can see comments here claiming double or triple brake distances with Chinese tyres, well, look up ANY real reputable tests and you may see a few percent deviation, but that'll be it, higher deviations would lead to fails in US and EU safety tests already.
i am totally agree with that. i have 10 years experince importing tires from China i almost test all my import brands on my personal use private car they all have internationally standarts. The price and performance related mostly with mixture of materials carbon black and natural rubber compaund. if natural rubber more on mixture quality is better but this is not only fact that related with quality. Producing tires has many facts that related with quality. For daily use i can say almost all (not the cheapest scrap ones)has same performance like premium brands (with little higher noise level) but if your vehicle has 200hp+ and you like to use that power frequently on the road or other duties i can honestly tell you Premium brands gives you more grip less noise and more km on distance.
@@Hus008 Yeah, I am currently driving on Leao Nova Force HP100 tyres, just because of some alignment changes that I first want to test and not wear expensive tyres incorrectly if things are not aligned properly. Before that the car had Michelin Pilot Sport 4 fitted and I can't really say the difference is huge. If anything the Leao are very very silent, probably quite soft and probably will wear out quicker, but the price difference is almost 60%, so I don't think the wear will be that much more. The Michelin perhaps gave a little bit more steering precision, but not dramatic. The car I have does not have ABS and I have locked up the wheels in the wet once or twice, and the grip in the wet of the Leao tyres is perhaps even better than the Michelin. I also fit and balance them myself and the Leao even had dots to align with the valves, and they barely needed any weight added. I find them wel worth it, regardless of cost, but the fact I could swap all four for just over 200 euro made it quite the deal. Over here in Netherlands that is really very cheap.
I have used Double Coin tires on my F450 and on 2 heavy trailers without any problems.
Michelin sucks now, they use to be good. i know alot of people that have had problems with them and will never buy them again, made in Taiwan tires right now are the best tires made these days and very reasonable cost...
😂🤣😂 ua-cam.com/video/7Nm9jq8PWFs/v-deo.html
I learned this lesson about 10 yrs ago. I replaced a set of TOYO (Japan) tires with the "same" tire, as I'd been happy with the product. I didn't ask my local tire man about MFR location, assuming it was still Japan. Some weeks/months later, I discovered they were actually produced in China (right there on the sidewall, but I had not looked). No horror stories, but it did seem these needed replacement earlier than the previous set. I avoid Chinese products whenever possible for multiple reasons.
I do that with French products, I avoid them whenever possible.
@@ampm9771dumb
The biggest reason is you got brainwash by goverments propaganda
@@ampm9771😂😂
But you paid half the price 😅
I bought a set of Michelin a few years back. Two of them wore out quickly and the threads were showing on the sidewalls. The other two had plenty of tread left and the sidewalls were fine. Before this the only tires I saw sidewalls like that were over 20 years old being used as planters. I was curious and looked them over close. The two good ones said made in Israel and the two junk were made in Korea. all the same size ,model and sold as set. Now I always ask where they were made and look closely before leaving the dealer.
I own 2 Mazda MX5 NCs (Miata's over the pond) both under 8K miles and 1 was on Yokohama and the other on Bridgestone Potenza's I was hearing a lot of noise from the back end on both and could only put it down to the tyres as the mileage being too low for diff issues, I was recommended Landsail Tyres and immediately the noise went away giving a supple quiet drive, They had a softer compound and I cant see any reduction in grip wet or dry I have been pleased so far, I would suggest looking at the moulding detail quality as well as these tyres are very finely moulded and cheap poor quality tyres have not been so well moulded in the past.
Also the tyre fitter said the balance of the tyres was better than a lot of main brands so It looks like some of Chinese brands are a huge step ahead of where they were. I would buy these again or the Sailun as I think they would be of similar quality. I can only say these work well in our UK weather.
On a 2 wheel drive, 2 tires always wear faster than the other 2, have you accounted for that?
Michelin has gone to crap, never buy any more for me period
Same on 4-wheel drive. Has to do with weight distribution, steering and alignment. That's why tires are rotated. But what does that have to do with the rubber rotting away to expose the cords?
They took over Uniroyal, and they went to crap too. My last set of Tigerpaws had the sidewalls crack and expose the cords. I always liked Tigerpaws because they held good in the rain, even though they wore out fast. Michelin, who now handled the warranty, said that cords showing on the sidewalls were normal.
When I take my sports car to the track, I'm glad I have Michelin tires made in France on it. I have never seen a good review about a Chinese tire in the max high performance category. Maybe they're OK for daily driving, but I don't know. Consumer Reports don"t rate them high on their list.
max performance is much harder to get right as its a far more complex build than a common commuter tire which sees far less stress. There's very expensive R&D behind the very best and often in conjunction with the Carmaker themselves when developing the sports car from the outset. For commuter cars, I think many off-brands are a great value though,
Michelin produces tires in more than 20 countries and imports ALL the materials needed to make tires in France from other counties.
Well since almost no car owners take their cars onto the track but ALL of them do daily driving, it's the daily driving use that matters most. Wouldn't you agree with that?
I've been driving since 1977 and have only ever fitted British or European manufactured tyres .... Back then mind they were all you could buy.... Ever since Chinese tyres became a thing I've bought a few 2nd hand cars with them fitted and I've yet to find one that's not anything but lethal on the road .... They're not called ditch finders for nothing
One point you didn't touch upon is it does matter where tires are made to some (many?) people as I will always support domestically made/grown products because of jobs. If a country is unwilling to buy its own products how will the economy support its people? I think decades of declining industries in the USA have lead to many hardships.
Try buying only American made coffee, chocolate, coconut, bananas, etc. Decades of "We want more for less" is what causes labor-intensive jobs to be moved out of one country to wherever the increased cost of transportation isn't more than the labor cost and environmental compliance cost saved. As manufacturing efficiency rises, with fewer jobs requiring people, population size will inevitably decline and democracy will fail, because fewer jobs will require people, and in ":free enterprise" countries, working people don't like giving away what they "earned".
Overlooked economic issue in this short sighted video is balance of trade. The US has a 370 percent trade in balance with China. This means that Chinese products cost the American economy 20 to 30 times as much as it appears, making those "cheap" tires cost $5,000 to $6,000 a piece
@@wilfredvanvalkenburgh2874 ^imbalance
It's not just about local economies, this is 10x the impact from an environmental standpoint. I love imports, but can we maybe, I don't know.... not fill up shipping containers with bulky items that can be produced locally?
BFG KO2’s cost little more than the Chinese tire I had installed in my SUV, the Chinese tire looked great and only performed good for the first 6000 miles. Uneven wear and noise made my car undrivable. In regards of your point about “research and development “ the chinese only copy what others do, its been a long time since they researched anything besides covid.😊. I for sure try to stay away from Chinese products. Why dont you explain how fair is for an American company to open business in China and see how balanced they want the market to be for us.
I have Roadx and Auto Grip Chinese tyres on my two cars, they were dirt cheap but I have no complaints at all, they are fine.
My lad had a blowout in my Saab estate and fitted a RoadX front tyre. It turned the car into a tyre squealing mess with crap handling and the ABS was continuously chattering when braking in the wet. A new pair of Goodyear Efficient Grip has returned the car to it's previous performance envelope.
@@Bercilakdehautdesert-yt1gd I got two new Roadx tyres on the front of my Holden Commodore and they are fine, if you just replaced one front tyre with another half worn brand on the other side you will have problems.
I've been using them for 5 years. No problem at all.
I remember when 60 Minutes did an expose on Chinese manufacturers for US delivery. Undercover stuff. They had no quality control discipline and made all in-process decisions based on short term profit/loss. So out of date adhesives were retained beyond their expiration date for example. Industrial ovens had no periodic temperature calibration. No one was monitoring them to ensure minimal compliance with any standards. And the stuff sent to the US was junk. We all have heard about poisoned baby food, dog food, toothpaste etc. I wouldn't have a Chinese tire if they paid me. I buy from or at least research tire buys from Tire Rack where their Specifications page lists the country of manufacture. I try to buy US or Canadian but actually Mexican tires are pretty good because they're firmly monitored by the US home companies. Would be okay with EU tires but few are available anymore. I've had to change my trailers to Light Truck tires because I found no...ZERO...adequate ST tires. Even my US made Goodyear Endurance turned out to be short-lived junk which had early tread delamination and failures. Have had no problems since I changed to US made LT tires except it's difficult to find high enough load ratings. But not impossible.
It matters a lot to our economy.
Are you anti-captipalism? Because how do you expect a corporation to maximize profits by paying higher labor costs in your country?
@ it worked for decades and we was a lot better off kid.
Most RV'S specifically trailers are built with Chinese tires. They are known in the industry as" May Pop's or China Bombs". When they fail they don't simply lose air they explode. The thin side walls balloon out and shatter sending large slapping chunks of rubber damaging the trailer.
They are either not speed rates or rated for speed less than posted American highways.
One thing I found is their warranties aren’t worth the paper they are written on unless you drive much more than average. All these large milage warranties only apply for the first year or so.
If you are reading this, don’t buy Chinese tread separator tires. The Chinese can copy the shape of a tire but they seem incapable of engineering quality materials.
There are many brands, they must all be certified and meet your countries specifications. Buy from someone recommended that you trust and ensure they advise which brands are good.
If they have been selling them for years and stand by them then I think they are ok.
I took a punt as the price was under 50% they are made in China, they are quiet (more than the original high end tires). They feel and are wearing well after 6 months....
I know others who have purchased tires made in China which are Chinese brands and they are happy also.
Again use a reputable tire shop is key.
Excellent advice, James. Thank you.
Best advice
Great video and very well explained. I had 2 sets of Diamond Back tires ($59 per tyre) on my 1990 Holden Nova and both sets did fine and had no issues but, they did wear quickly but as i said no problems did the job fine. I now have Bridgestone Ecopia ($70 each) and they are much quieter longer lasting and have a better feel on the road and they are made in Vietnam. I like the old syle Bridestone Supercat tyres they were very good made in Australia. New model Supercats are now made in Indonesia. Step daughter had a Goodride 18 inch Chinese tyre fitted to her VE Calais as she was selling the car and it did the job fine for 6 months before the car sold. So i'm in agreement with Jack on this video that a cheap or a Chinese tyre is not necessarily a bad thing. A lot of people get sucked into marketing hype and pay big money for big brand race track capable tyres just to do 50 to 80 km an hour to work and back on public roads. Especially now days in 2023 you can buy what you think is a good brand name tyre, but when you check on the side wall where it is made you might be shocked. Remember when Mercedes was made to the finest engineering standards in the world in Germany? What about Mercedes made in SsangYong Korea but still wears the Mercedes badge. Same with tyres. Anyway great video and great advice thanks for posting cheers
granted, basic tire manufacturing is hardly top secret anyplace on the globe. where I question the statement was when German manufacturing was supposed to be equivalent just because it is branded by a German company, I know Korea makes good cars, but my point addresses the labor force , where Germany might have the edge on institutional knowledge as a part of the culture and training.
I've always used the factory specified Goodyear Cargos on my Falcon ute. They are made in China now. Get about 150 000km out of a set. Grip ok in the rain too.
Bridgestone tires are made in Asia ...have been for years !
Most Bridgestone are made in SEA these days (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam mostly). So do a large portion of Michelin, Pirelli, and Continental. The reason being is that SEA supplies 70% or so of Latex of the world, it is just cheaper to have manufacturing closer to the source of the raw materials.
The only good thing about chynese tyres is it makes the major brands price lower. If they had no cheap competition ,tyres would be a lot more expensive.
Having worked in China, I can attest to the fact that Quality Assurance and Quality Control cannot be trusted, with material substitution and other falsification’s prevalent in many industries. You get what you pay for.
Many western companies send their engineers and QA to their Chinese factories to ensure the quality is there. You often get European quality for Chinese prices
🤭🤭🤭🤭@@donwyoming1936
That's a lie. Just because you worked for someone seedy, doesn't mean all Chinese are seedy. They're a ton of crooked companies here in the USA. It's on the company that orders the product. If the investor wants to cut corners they will cut corners. And especially for our country the USA, where we don't make the best automobiles. Truth is truth.
Made in China has and will always have a reputation problem
Very true, but thats everywhere 🤷🏻♂️
I have just bought my second set of chinese tyres. With the first set, I never had any safety problems, it handled the corners really good, and on rainy days, the grip was the same as on the dry.
It is true that they wear out quickly, but you can just buy another set of the tyres which will still be more affordable than buying one set of big brand tires.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Winncoot.
Where I live, they are maybe 15%-20% cheaper - max. They are not 50% cheaper, as you claim, so it is NOT cheaper to buy two sets, especially with inflation as it is now.
@@OMGWTFLOLSMHexactly
Driving habits make a much bigger difference to the life of a tire than their selling price.
I bought Russian tires for my Yukon. Best tires I ever had. Ice, snow and rain, they were great.
What brand?
I have Kenda tires on my ram, 1500 pick up truck, and on my wife’s Honda CRV. The main difference you notice right away is, they ride so soft. They are H speed rated all season. I also had a set of Kenda tires on my last pick up truck, a GMC canyon, 4 x 4. That transformed the ride in the truck from truck like, to Cadillacs like. The tires made by Kenda for cars and trucks are made in Indonesia. Indonesia has just been recognized as making electric guitars of quality equal to those made in the United States or better.
I also have Kenda tire’s on my yamaha royal star venture, 850 pounds. These tires have A high heavy weight motorcycle load rating. They spin true in my truing stand balance stand, they did not take much weight to get them, balanced, and the tread and the carcass spin. True, I can let go of the handlebars and there’s no wiggle or osolation in the handlebars, which I have had with other tires from avon & metzler.. The Metzler’s do not last nearly as long as these Kenda tire’s appear to be lasting so far. And at almost half the price of Michelin’s/Dunlops/Metzler‘s.. I don’t need tires with a V, Z, U or W speed rating, because I rarely go over 75 miles an hour ever. H rating is high enough.(115 mph)
The two things I like the most about Kenda tire is the low price, and the ride improvement.. The tires I bought for my wife’s SUV were rated for SUV and light truck duty. The trucks I put on my ram 1500 pick up, we’re rated for truck duty. All of these tires run quiet on the highway also
I recently found out that Kenda has A design facility in Ohio, USA
Kenda is a reputable company with experience.
@@jamesm568 I was going to say the same thing, they are not in the same league as a minor producer of off brand tires sold on price . I had some Kumho on my car that were the choice, over Hoosiers, of a bunch of dentists and doctors in porches at a local track for races over 13 laps. My kenda bike tires were pretty nice . I had mis-stated the tire brand and corrected to Kumho.
I use Westlake tires they’re good for the price and haven’t blown on me
My Ford work utes have Westlake. They are far quieter and drive more like a pasenger tyre. The OEM Baddays were at best dreadfull! And ofcourse were not made here anyway.
Just follow the rule of the thumb,.. NOTHING CHEAP COMES GOOD, AND NOTHING GOOD COMES CHEAP.😊
That's bullshit.
@@nevergiveupnevergivein7655no, it's not,,, especially with tires
@@Zimzim-v2x it's bullshit
@@nevergiveupnevergivein7655 OK
BMW isn't cheap, but does it last?
I'll settle on a private label tire from Big-O... if u research the DOT manufacture code there's a good chance it was made by Goodyear, Firestone, Michelin etc.
I had a very tight budget and had just started a new job. I got Sailun winters and truth is it served me well and I never failed me in winter storms. Best of all it was very affordable.
I have fitted tires for far too many years and have talked to many companies representatives. What has been told to me by most of the long standing reps is that factories were set up in China because of the massive savings in costs. Stringent quality control was implemented as they knew there would be a fair percentage of bad tires. This was acceptable as the costs were so low. The destruction of these tires did not always happen and they disappeared through the back door and would reappear somewhere else. Not what was wanted and not good for the company's reputation.
Quite a few of the major companies quietly relocated back as costs in China rose and the number of defective tires produced as a percentage of the whole rose. It simply was not cost effective, especially as those defective tires "came" to the market and impacted their sales and reputation.
I have checked rims for balance and as a whole most are perfectly balanced. Tyres come in differing grades, 1 goes to the manufacturer of the vehicle as these are perfect , the others will need progressively more balance weights. I have fitted Michelins to S Class rims that need only a few grams on one tyre ! In a set of 4. The tyres were however very expensive. Manufacturers pay next to nothing for tires as if often brings repeated sales to the tire producer.
Cheap tires often need considerable weights and I often think the balance dots are just guessed at, these are predominantly Chinese. I find that Korean and Taiwanese tyres are better .
Sadly most people who have high end and performance vehicles go cheap on their rubber forgetting that four little patches of rubber makes this all happen. Chinese manufacturers have exploited this and I see lots of cars on inferior tyres supplied in the wider low profile sizes.
China can copy tread patterns but compounds that make the tire work are fiercely guarded secrets..
Check out some of the European tire test videos.
Dork 😂😂😂
We have had all sorts of brands. But after getting a ridiculous price, on some RoadX winter tires I had to try them out. They are a subsidiary of the Chinese Sailun Group. So far I've driven 15.000km with minimal wear and I have to say, they are standing pretty firm.
Good point. I bought a Honda made in the USA and the quality is stupendous.
It absolutely makes a difference where a product comes. I ran the 6 sigma program for an international company. The product coming from China was so bad the company actual pulled out of China. We spent months working with the factory lines in an effort to bring the quality up. It did improve but the quality was much lower than the same product made in the US or Germany or Mexico.
Great point… Company sets standards. China will manufacturer to any quality as required.
I have bought Michelin tires for years but I decided to buy Continental tires as a replacement for the Bridgestones that were installed on my Honda CR-V at the factory. The Continental tires are excellent. The ride quality is much better than the originals and they are all-season tires but they perform quite well in the snow. I recently returned from China and I see a lot of tire shops advertising Continental and Bridgestone tires. I have no issues with buying Chinese tires as long as the price is good and they get good reviews. My only complaint is that I live in Canada and cannot purchase a Chinese car to put them on :-).
While I agree with what Jack said, I find it suspicious that he quoted industry leaders without naming them and cited "TireNews". I can't find any reference to such a news source.
About to buy my 2nd set of Chinese tires. Sentury Touring. Lasts about 40k. Its been great. No issues any weather or light snow.
Years ago I had some cheap chinese tires that were on the car when I bought it new. The rims were very expensive (approx. 4000 euro) and the tires were the cheapest in Germany for the dimensions (160-200 euro for the full set). I never understood what the former owner took to get this crappy combination, but they were horrible in the wet. Roundabouts needed to be taken very slowly in the rain and it was just a crappy experience.
Thats not to say there are no good chinese tires out there. I believe china nowadays can produce all the quality you want. But it doesn't need to be that way. For me, I rather spend 200 euros more for a set of known high quality tires since labour costs for mounting in Germany is around 150 euros. So, its not 200 to 400 comparison but rather 350 to 550 all in. And if they last 50% longer (which is definately possible) then they dont cost anything more for a consistent and good performance.
Chinese tires do not last ...period. They work well for awhile then dry rot or come apart after a few years. It seems to me the rubber deteriorates much faster than tires made in USA. Best results have been with Michelins. Generals and Cooper have been pretty fair as well.
My Chinese all season Landsail tyres lasted 45000 miles without any issues. I replaced them with summer Goodyears which won’t last that long unfortunately…
Yes they do .
@@pmilkowski1 worst tyre I have ever used were Australian made Good year...simply awful.
After 30 years in the car business, I find Michelin's are the best wet and dry tyre. I can feel the difference between a cheap tyre and a decent brand on a good car. Also, you might not think you need a high performance tyre until that unexpected road situation where it could make all the difference. If you're going budget I'd try Toyo's or Falkens. Probably won't last as long but obviously cost less. Frequently see part worn cheap tyres going out of shape making a wheel bearing like drone. Unfortunately, I have to buy tyres 3-4 month with my work.
It’s hard to beat Michelin quality!
What about dunlop tyers made in japan for doge charger ?
actually all Michelin tyres aren't that great , had installed on Subary Legacy , they were a replacement for Bridgstone which had worked very well, on a second legacyIi had replaced with Pirrellis they turned out to be even worse , the road noise would make you thik theer was a problem with the car, not all tyres from top brands seem to delliver what they claim
Most Tire Retailers in Ireland will not sell Chinese Tires
So what? Since when is Ireland a good indicator of anything? I'm an Irish citizen but I would much rather trust statistics from a country with a big population like the USA or huge driving distances like Canada than a tiny country with a tiny population like Ireland.
@user-wv1pj6wh4hIf they do high speed, the problem isn't their tires, the problem is them as drivers, period.
You are 100% right. I used to buy only big brands' tires such as Michelin Defender until 5 yrs ago. 3 of 4 Michelin on my car (installed at Sam's) exploded from the sidewalls. It forced me to get new tires (from smaller companies) on my trips. I am very satisfied with these non-top brands' tires after 3 - 5 yrs' use.
I will not touch a Michelin tire for any four wheeled vehicle I own. I have seen them blow out sidewalls for no reason, so I stay far away. For motorcycles their Pilot Road series are very decent tires and it makes you wonder why their quality can be so sketchy.
Just bought 4 yokahama geolanders for my Subaru and got a great deal for what I see as a great tyre.
I have a habit of poking my thumb nail into tyres to see how hard the rubber is (I'm a speedway racer from way back). The harder the rubber the less grip, but the softer the rubber the faster it will wear out. Most Chinese tyres are as hard as plastic, and when I used to fit tyres I found the the cheap brands used to take a large amount of lead weight to balance them and also the cheaper tyres seem to lose a lot of air between pressure checks. The Bridgestone Potenza's on my WRX are mildly expencive but man do I love them (and my life) and the pressures are never down when i check them. Not long after I got the car a couple of years ago anonther car locked up and went sideways in front of me, I WAS going to hit him, jumped on the brakes and pushed pretty hard, ABS didn't kick in so I pushed harder and harder, still no ABS, the tyres gripped so well that I stopped before hitting him. So just that one case I saved paying $500 insurance excess. And yes I was following too close. The old story, you get what you pay for.
Only two brands I trust: All-season: Continental. Winter: Nokian Hakkapellita R5.
I'll stick with my Goodyears, manufactured in Oklahoma.
40-50K still fantastic as always.
My uncle stole the wheels off the local police cars. They are looking for him tirelessly. 😅
😆🙃🙃🙃🙃
Police cars use Chinese tyres too. Your uncle won't go too far 😂
I have had Sumitomo tires and was very happy. Currently I have a set of Michelin Defenders on my 04 Corolla. They are made in England and are supremely good. In winter I run Nokian Haakappilliitta R5 winter tires. Made in Sweden. I will take the great tires, evennif they cost a bit more.
My camper comes with Chinese tires that lasted 8k miles, the tires started ballooning and bulging. I'm glad I caught it before someone got hurt.
happens usually when you drive up hard corners like walkways or in low Speed through Potholes... so usually how you treat the Tire. Also overloading your Camper does the job to destroy Tires.
I have Autogreen tyres and I am very happy with them they are made in china and get decent reviews greetings from Scotland 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Glad to hear, Ian Stewart Orr. And hello from this side of the pond 🙂
@@letstalktires3353 I have family you’re side of the pond take care
I have been using Nankang tyres,on my kei sports car,and Kei truck,and found them perfectly acceptable,both for wear and roadholding.I am in the UK.
Tbf from what ive seen the lighter the car is, the less difference there is in performance of them
Yeah Nankang tires are not made in China that’s probably why you like them.
One of my favourite tyre is Vitour Formula Spec-Z. It is from China, has great grip, handling, feedback, and slip characteristic. It is a wonderful 3 season tyre and has equivalent or in some parts better performance to well known brand tyres that are little to significantly higher in cost.
Tyres rated between 200-400tw range usually last me 6000-9000km, and I replace 10-12 pieces a year. So, price to me is almost as important as performance.
i have hi fly light truck tyres they are very slippery in the wet. One of the local tyre shops has stopped selling them because of so many complaints
I was offered hifly recently and refused , settled for Hankooks from another dealer , replaced them with Sailun which worked better than i had expected, unfortunately they did not have stock in size required , Hankooks run well , smooth & quite , i have used them before
Great video, now tire factories are dropping left and right
I bought Indian made tires for my heavy truck. Best tires ever, they lasted for years longer than previous well-known brands.
There is a big difference between tires made in china by Chinese companies and sold by Chinese companies and tires made in china by Chinese companies for major non Chinese brands. At least you are getting a tire sold by a major brand that has quality controls and inspections to insure a good product. A Chinese manufacturer/seller can sell you low quality products that you have no recourse when they prematurely fail
One person on YT claims the rubber in Chinese tires hardens as they age. Therefore performing worse as they age. I'd like to know if this is true.
True. Chinese commies' rubbish.
Purchased a set of Coopers that were made in China, was their top line high performance tire at the time. They have been excellent!
A big thing I've noticed with Chinese tyres is after the tread is half worn, performance deteriorates significantly. You can argue that it's a given with any tyre, but the key difference in my experience is cheap tyres dont maintain near as much 'bite' in comparison to a more prestigious brand. When you can get a 90kw 4 cylinder BMW out sideways on tyres with 5+ mm of tread, you KNOW your tyres aren't all that great...! 😬
I was reluctant to buy Landsail winter tires but they are fantastic tires
my sailuns rt’s have been incredible compared to my goodyear duratracs. similar off road grip but better durability, and better road noise too.
Sailun, Westlake, giti, ZC are trustable brands from China... Other don't try
I remember owning a set of winter tires made in China for my Ram. Loved em ! Soft compound used em for 3 years before I traded my Ram, no problems - no flat tires either. I think they are well worth their price.
Great video and totally agree.
One thing I've learned is that made in China doesn't automatically mean junk. Look what happened to made in Japan when they realized that they had to focus on quality. I think it depends on what name is on the product. If the plant is making things for Sony, Siemens, Panasonic and they have their QC inspectors in the plant it's probably decent. Put a Sooony, Seemens or Panaphony label and all bets are off. Nothing like a Hongda or Keweseki motorcycle.
Kenda, kanati, prinx, road-x etc
Over seas but have same ratings, mileage, etc.
there is Chinese brands I won’t buy like crosswinds in general, but some are very popular and have great reviews.
I agree that it doesn't matter where items are manufactured as long as the "recipe" is followed that is dictated by the company using the manufacturing power of China.
The issue with Chinese tire to me are the tread patterns look similar to other top brands, easy to copy and slightly alter the tread pattern. Biggest issue and what really makes a tire good or bad is the rubber compounds, or recipe, if you will. This is a closely guarded secret by top brands and something Chinese tires have not been able to match yet. There tires start out strong but quickly give up some traits much earlier than top brands, like performance in the rain, II find Chinese tire compounds harden quicker than top brands and this can make them potentially more dangerous in the wet after only 20 to 30 thousand kms. This is just something to keep in mind. Formula 1 tires have extremely close guarded compounds so much that the teams using them have no idea the make up. Choose wisely.
My Metzler ‘German brand’ motorcycle tyres had Made in China on them. They wore well and had good grip. No issues here.
I needed a tire on a weekend and the only one they had on hand was a Chinese tire called "IRON MAN" the tread was awesome so I had them order 3 more for me. It turned out that they performed better then the expensive name brand tires I replaced and was getting flats with and really wasn't that happy with. I put on a lot of miles in my work and so far am on my 3rd set of 'IRON MAN" SUV tires and about to get my 4th set. Last time I got them I told them that is what I wanted and to get them for me. The ware and traction of these tires has been great, one set got traded in but the ones I have had through their service life have been great. Besides being a lot less money I have been so happy with the service I have been getting out of these and will never buy a name brand tire again. I guess I was just lucky to end up with that tire by chance and then gave them a try
Ironman are made by Hercules. They are awesome tires!
@@AvroBellow Thank you for that I got one on a weekend as I needed one then ordered the other three and they were great. I am about to get my 4th set of them
I've been using Iron Man tires for 5+ years. Have them on 4 cars. But they're made in Vietnam, not China
fair comment. I totally agree with you.
Great inside analysis, good on U mate
I have a set of Michelin tires on my older F250, i love them they are like new but about to age out at 10 yrs, good 50% on them but the age thing. Will replace with the same through Costco. As long as not made in china.
Is the length of time a company has been producing tyres an indication of quality? Like a Chinese tyre manufacturer founded 50 years ago and is still producing tyres?
No. 50 yeasr experience means 50 years of making old design tires, but necessarily the best ones today. 50 years of "that's the way we've always done it" is why Ford and GM have thin profit margins on old car designs and can't make EV's profitably, while Tesla now has twice their profit margin -after the recent temporary price cuts. The greatest percentage of business failures happen at two times - during the first 3 few years and when third generation management takes over and prioritizes profits over quality.
15 years ago I put a set of Goodyear F1 eagles on my car and they were made in West Germany, brilliant. Bought exactly the same tyre when I changed them for a new set, they didn't preform nearly as well and I was so disappointed, checked where they were made. China. Never bought them again, terrible.
Germany has been united since the 80’s. There is no West Germany.
@@benztech2262 Mabey the Goodyear factory didn't get the memo, who gives a f. 😆
@@gerrybailey447If the quality was inferior, it's because Goodyear decided to make it inferior, not because of where they were made. That's just broken logic.
china can make anything at any quality, the question is not whether china can make good tyre, but what is the quality asked by the brand owner, which reflect the price, and will affect their profit margin.
How about vanmax tire? Is it good and durable?
Thanks for this. I think also look at what tyres are being used by Chinese car manufacturers
Winrun tyres what do you think?
Very valuable information, appreciate that
Thank you, Abdullah. I appreciate your feedback.
I put a set on my classic mini, it was terrible? I thought i left the wheels loose or had a flat tyre 😮 they lasted a week, never again.
American company having their product made in China is totaly different than Chinese company product
For a cheap car running to the shops, any tire will do, but for maximum performance, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is the gold standard. They are expensive but worth every penny, if you want the best. I have used cheap Chinese winter tires tires on different cars with no problem, but you can't corner fast with them.
Try Apollo tyres. Not as popular as the bigger names but their tyres are good. As always, check reviews of the specific tyre you are buying.
Chinese tires are USUALLY VERY, VERY low speed and LOAD rated. "T" rated tires (93 MPH) Load Range "C" are typically the MINIMUM sold for CARS (not vans or SUVS or light trucks) in the US. I just looked at a "budget" tire on-line shop and they offered a "N" speed rated (65 MPH) Load Range "A" tire from China for $38.73 each in the size common for an Accord or Camry (205/60x17) compared to $205 each for the "M-Brand" . Read CAREFULLY and the tires are OVERLOADED when the vehicle is EMPTY (remember the Ford Explorer debacle???), and do you NEVER, EVER drive more than 65 MPH, or 55 MPH for more than an HOUR??? That's what "N" speed rating means. The tire will overheat and come apart at highway speeds. A 2020 Accord weighs FAR more than a 1970's FULL-SIZED V-8 land-yacht: more than a TON more. "Safety crash protection" is heavy and actually make cars MORE dangerous in crashes, but when you drive them into a wall, the wreckage LOOKS better. You are just as dead of course. Chinese tires DO NOT have an important piece of information on them. "TRACTION". A high quality $200 tire may stop you in 65 feet from 60 MPH. The Chinese tire may take 150 feet. How much is your and your family's LIFE worth????
If you have any common sense, you would have known that there's no vehicle in the world except for maybe F1 can stop in 65 feet from 60 MPH!!!
there are Chinese brands now in use on many Boeing aircraft, major trucking firms, and even as Western automaker OEM tires, including famous brands like Porsche. Many of those same factories in China are also making tires for all of those well known Western brands as well, many of which have had their own dramatic failures over the years. There are hundred of Chinese brands, it pays to research a bit.
Most Chinese tyres are rated at what the OEM requires. Otherwise they are actually illegal. And I have sold thousands with no issue. I use Nankang semi slick race tyres which work as well as most. The best? Probably no but I sell them and for me are a lot cheaper.
What??? Are you insane? My tire size is P215/40ZR-18 and my "low speed rating Chinese tires" have a load/speed rating of 89W. Are you on drugs or something?
I hv been using tires from China for many years, and many of them are not made in China but from diffrrent parts of the world from Mexico, South America, Africa. And they give reasonaable performance at very reasonable prices.
Here in the U.K. we call them Chinese ditch finders ! Personally I like to fit good quality European or American brands, someone once said to me buy the best quality you can afford it’s cheaper in the long run. Advice that has stood me in good stead 👍🏻🇬🇧
Buy cheap, but twice...
@ if you live to get a second chance !
I used Chinese Firestone tyres on Toyota truck for more than 2 years which were less than half of the Dunlop tyres. Replaced Dunlop with Firestone and they worked flawlessly in the scorching hear of the Arabian Gulf.
I will never trust tires made in China. Thanks for the info. Now I will have to make sure the tires are not made in China, no matter what brand they are.
Buying cheap tires is a losing proposition with mathematical certainty
Let's see this math. I drive a beater camry 90mph down back roads, 100mph on the freeway. I got almost 30,000 miles out of the first set of cheap ass China walmart tires. I'd bet money I can beat most anyone's time down any local back road on these 195/70r14 tires against a modern economy car on 17-19" wheels with whatever name brand tire you prefer.
There is a loose screw in this car somewhere and I am certain of its location. 😮
Cheaply constructed and inexpensive don't mean the same thing.
@@aaadamt964 my friend, as I see it, you are actually betting with your life, not money, since tires are the primary safety equipment on any car. Wishing you and all the others sharing the road continued good luck when doing 100 mph in a beater with cheap tires .
@@richardelliott8352you are exactly right.
Garantee this fictional 100 mph beater driver doesn't even know the speed rating on his tires and his soeedometer is broken.
I used chinese tyre, which is absolutely nice no difference ❤
I just bought a set of Fullway tires for our car. They are made in Malaysia, have good reviews and the price and quality is amazing. We'll see how they hold up over the next couple years. 😊
I'm from Malaysia never heard of those. In Malaysia Goodyear just shut down their factory due to higher costs v china Vietnam Indonesia but we still have Continental, Toyo made here
Probably made in Polynesia. Cheap and good.
Is there a market for very high end, high priced product vs low end, low priced at local Walmart?
Thanks for a very informative video. I did find that the second camera angle was quite annoying though!
Is Chinese Tire brand like Greenlander, ILNK, Fronway, or ZMAX good?
I always try to buy locally, and products made as close to me as possible. I always buy tyres made in Europe because I'm in Europe. I stopped buying a certain Pirelli tyre when they switched production from Germany to China, but didn't reduce the price.
Made is one thing, designed and developed, is another
Here’s a secret for everyone. I work in a plant that makes carbon filler for majority of the big name tire manufacturers. Toyo, Sumitomo, Cooper, Pirelli, Bridgestone/Firestone, currently Goodyear although it’s not likely long term and Carlisle.
We ship to all those companies and we ship to all those companies plus subsidiaries. All those tires have the same basic rubber compound because they all use the same filler material.
I will say if you want to support American industry buy those tires listed because I can guarantee that they use American made product processed in the two Virginias.
Great video...ill just add that the Chinese have a wall that's been around for thousands of years and can be seen from the international space station with the naked eye .... LoL
1 last point...1 UA-camr pointed out that all tire manufacturers have to meet safety standards set by US regulators to sell their tires in the USA...cheers!!
It's not that hard to make a big pile of rocks when you have complete control of a labor force. And if the materials have little intrinsic value, they are unlikely to be stolen like the cladding of the pyramids - or fancy wheels and tires.
@@psdaengr911They still have to meet the standards and regulations of the country in which they are sold. Funny how you ignored that part because it invalidates your position completely.
Why would I buy overpriced american-made tires from a disgusting local shop owner when I can get them for 50% cheaper and they last longer? Some of the worst tires I have ever used were American made.
It's not "made in China" that's the problem. It's designed in China. If your tires are from a well established brand, they're pretty much going to be decent tires no matter where they are produced. But tires by some Chinese company are a completely different thing. While the Chinese are completely capable of designing a decent tire, that's not always what they are trying to do. They have a history making sub-par products and selling them cheap.
So I have no doubt a Chinese made Michelin is a good tire. It's the previously unknown Chinese brands I am wary of. Some of them might be good, but some of them definitely are bad.
Out of the the leading brands, I can remember only ever once having seen "made in China". They were Michelin, original tires on a Chinese made Honda. Makes sense.
Also, it's not a secret. It says on the tires where they are made...
Well put, Pekka
"it's not 'made in china thats the problem, It's the desinged in China" well, -, China tires are made true and honest to its original design, and that it is a circle and it rolls, a technology that hasnt changed in thousand millennium. If adding more buns or tomatoes or peppers is kind a of design to a hamburger, just look at the tire marking on load ratings, side walls, and that's the "design" marking of the China tires which is common to all tire brands.
@@sanBastian123 "China tires are made true and honest to its original design". no they are not. sure, they are round and they make your car go. but people have actually done tests about its durability, dry and wet braking test and handling. and only a handful of "chinese branded" tires actually pass some of test. so, if you wanna gable your life or your families. go ahead, nobody is stopping you.
Every time an engineer designs a product there is a target cost to produce the product. If that target is very low, with rare exceptions, every aspect of how that product is designed and created is lowered. That includes what engineers are paid, and the quality of the engineers that work on that design. It takes very enlightened management with foresight to invest in the best engineers and to utilize them in continuous product improvement and product manufacturing improvement to drive product cost down.
China may start out following specs, but how long before they forget the glue layer between casing and tread. You end up with tread separation at a bad time. Or they cheap out on rubber quality, unknown until a failure or early wear. That's my thinking on any Chinese products.
What is the max. permissible speed alowed on highways and Interstate in the US?
90% of tyres here come from China and there’s nothing wrong with most of them.
Very good. Over the pasted 10 years or so. I bought high end tires. Very disappointed. Need some soon. Good chance i will buy least expensive ones to try out.
You'll be happy with them.
I will continue to buy Cooper tires.
You go ahead and keep buying 'Chinese' tires. Even IF they are from a 'major brand'....then the price should reflect it and only be 50% of the cost. SMH
a good chunk of Cooper was sold off to a China tire company awhile back. So, a good share of thier tires now come from China
Anyone can share advice on Advanta tires for 2015 Toyota Camry LE ...
Daughter rushed out and purchased a set...
Noticed they're manufactured in China and of the few comments I've been able to across don't say anything good about advanta... and some basically say avoid them for your family's sake...
So I told my daughter make an appointment for next time she gets in town and I'll pay for a new set of tyres that have a better ratings especially then those negative comments regarding Advanta Chinese manufactured tyres...
Thanks in advance for your assist.
Best
Michelangelo
Okay
We use in heavy trucks drive in garbage and mud with concrete stuck between tires. Chinese truck tires are great. We force and load at maximum and they do the job