Hey Scotty! You’ve mentioned that paying attention to the country a tire is made in is important. What countries besides the US make good tires? Or what countries should we avoid?
Thanks,
Omar
For assembly: US, Germany, Canada, Japan, France, Italy. Of course in a global market, the usual big tire makers make their tires all over the world.
Definitely avoid tires made in China.
Avoid China
Taiwan and Singapore aren't any better than China.
I like my tires Italian.
hopefully their tires aren't like their bridges and cars
Japan makes great tyres.
Japan makes great everything. Especially food
Literally stares at this comment with a mouthful of sushi..
Thailand make good tries because they have the source (natural rubber trees).
China does produce some good tires. The Falken Wildpeak comes to mind. But as a rule, companies aren’t going to source tires in China because they want quality, it’s because they want to cut corners and reduce expenses.
But there are some other countries making tires for the US market that are more enigmatic - Poland, Brazil, and Thailand come to mind - that I am really curious about. Hopefully someone will chime in on the thread.
My friend's mechanic swears by Hankook (Korean), but not sure if they're all still made IN Korea. Agreed, avoid Chinese tires. No matter what you go with, check the sidewall code to make sure they're not too old!
I have Hankooks on 2 of my cars. They're supposed to be premium grade for a lower price than the more popular names. They have a factory in Clarksville, Tennessee on the east side of town not far from Scotty.
For my money, HANKOOK,(Korean) Michelin, Goodyear, and Continental, and some Coopers are pretty good tires. I would go with HANKOOK. But ask Scotty said, Brands are made everywhere on the globe, so do your homework.
What about the French?
Michelins I heard they were very good tires. Cars not so much but tires?
Michelin is probably the gold standard for tires, though Bridgestone, BFG, and Continental are right there. They are a “French” company, but I don’t know how many of their tires are actually made there. For example, I just looked up the Defender LTX M/S, which is a high-selling highway truck tire , and it is mostly made in the US, with a few sizes coming from Canada and Thailand. I think most of their restaurants are in France, though 😉
Scotty was kind enough to answer my questions directly on one of his videos (at the 8:32 mark) - thanks Scotty!
Thanks for your answers guys. What about Taiwan or Singapore? Any experience with those?
Taiwan is decades ahead of mainland China in manufacturing technology and standards. They actually make very decent, reasonably priced tools, chips, and things. Not sure about tires.
Most products are made in China but the difference is who is managing the manufacturing process and ensuring quality control. My point being, many products claim to be made here in the states but in reality, they are made in China under American manufacturing companies who are running the factories and processes according to our level of quality control standards. The Chinese-owned companies who are making their own tires may be cutting corners on materials and quality control standards which will result in substandard products that don't last, or in the case of tires, may even be dangerous to you if they fail. Good luck trying to sue a Chinese-owned company for damages from here in the states, it's not going to happen.
you wouldn't sue the factory anyway. You sue the company that sold the tires to you.
A lot of them SAY that the factories have "American quality control". That just means a they pay a visit a couple times per year and take a stroll through the factory.