Are Chinese tires really that bad?

We typically only run Goodyears on our fleet due to some sort of agreement…but $ is tight and I think the sizes we needed for our rollback forced us to source tires locally.

Our parts man knows nothing about vehicles so all he cared was the tire size and load rating, and to try to save a dollar.

Our rollback now has some off brand tires, straight steer tires up front and traction tires out back. We can’t get rid of a vibration, and when it’s loaded even with just one truck on the bed, it’s dangerously squirrelly. One on the bed and one on the wheel lift and you gotta keep your speed 60 and under.

This was never an issue with the factory continentals it had.
Yea, the local transit authority here refuses to join in on joint purchases except for buses to take advantage of lower pricing for parts. They’re installing Amulet, Triangle and Ironmans on their MCI OTR buses but oddly enough Conti or Goodyear “regional” tires on their regular Gillig transit buses. They should’ve followed everyone one here and used the transit bus “mileage” programs from Goodyear or Bridgestone/Firestone - you pay for the miles used, they’ll supply you with tires, maintenance and reporting.
 
I may be finding out. I just helped my niece who doesn’t have a lot of money order a set of kumhos for her Altima. They won’t be in until Saturday, and have a shot of being made in China. The reviews are good and they’ve gotta be better than the mastecrafts that have 2/32nds on them. Installed total price of $458. Not bad for 17s.
 
I may be finding out. I just helped my niece who doesn’t have a lot of money order a set of kumhos for her Altima. They won’t be in until Saturday, and have a shot of being made in China. The reviews are good and they’ve gotta be better than the mastecrafts that have 2/32nds on them. Installed total price of $458. Not bad for 17s.
Kumhos aren’t a bad tire at all. They’re a good value tire. Sometimes I’ve experienced them get a bit noisy, and traction may fall off before you feel like the tread depth is low enough to call for replacement, but overall a good value tire, not one to be scared of.
 
The reviews were good enough and the price was in her wheelhouse. I’d run them if I wasn’t such a tire snob lol. My wife’s new 24 got new shoes the day after I picked it up.
 
I'm not a tire snob but I like being/staying alive so I choose from the top 5 rated on tirerack.com and then do follow up research on the 2 finalists. So far so good.
Chinese tires are not killer tires. " Staying alive" is a melodramatic term used on here alot on anything pertaining to Chinese tires, even the better ones. And yes there are better ones.
 
Chinese tires are not killer tires. " Staying alive" is a melodramatic term used on here alot on anything pertaining to Chinese tires, even the better ones. And yes there are better ones.
I never said Chinese tires are killers. I implied (correctly) others may be (are) even better at keeping me alive than they are.
 
May I add:
Taiwan is not part of China.
Taiwan is an island off the coast of China.
As of today, two different countries.

EVERYTHING I have bought "made in Taiwan" for the last 15 years is top-notch quality.
"I'm only giving credit where credit is due"
Then why does the Taiwanese government officially call itself the "Republic of China"?
 
Honestly, until just before I posted I didn't investigate the specific plant details. I did know Milestar/TireCo said most sizes of AS710 made in the US and reading further Tenn. Made in the US was a factor in the purchase. I thought I saw something about a Hankook plant in Tenn, but if you say Nokian, works for me.(y)
The Hankook tire plant is in Clarksville, TN.
 
I may be finding out. I just helped my niece who doesn’t have a lot of money order a set of kumhos for her Altima. They won’t be in until Saturday, and have a shot of being made in China. The reviews are good and they’ve gotta be better than the mastecrafts that have 2/32nds on them. Installed total price of $458. Not bad for 17s.
I had Kumhos. They were decent, didn't last long though my alignment was probably to blame.
 
Hoping that was intended to be funny.....



If not, there is a difference between the Republic of China and the Peoples Republic of China.
Okay, since you seem to be somewhat knowledgeable about the matter: for the longest time the Republic of China did consider itself the only really legitimate government of all China (one country), while considering the "People's Republic of China" to be an "illegitimate imposter". Now within the last few decades there was a political split in Taiwan, with about half the people considering Taiwan to be a separate country.

So the point of contention is not whether that "Communist China" and Taiwan are two different countries (as you apparently contend), but do Taiwanese consider themselves Chinese or not. The Taiwanese themselves are roughly equally split on the matter. It is their decision to make, not yours or mine. In any case it is the official position of the U.S. government that "China is one country", and this has been the case under both Democrat and Republican presidential administrations.
 
The Hankook tire plant is in Clarksville, TN.
Yeah, as noted, until reading this thread and then going to check the source code on the Milestar AS710 Sport tires, Tennessee was all I had read, and some inference to Hankook. Now I know the rest of the story. No coo zealot, but made in the US, a plus.
 
Then why does the Taiwanese government officially call itself the "Republic of China"?
Because in 1949 these two Chinese had a war and Nationalist Chinese government was chased off the mainland to Taiwan.

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I would rather have Chinese tires with 9/32nds " than (Insert brand name tire manufacturer) with 2/32nds "
 
I would rather have Chinese tires with 9/32nds " than (Insert brand name tire manufacturer) with 2/32nds "
Although 9/32 tires sound good, depending on how junk or cheap of tires we’re talking about, I would disagree. Kumhos or something reputable, ok maybe I agree.

We have 2 small tow trucks at my shop (f550 rollback and f550 wheel lift) 1 medium (f750), and 1 big wrecker for tractor trailers and box trucks.

We all used to choose the rollback for ease of loading and driving. Now the rollback got new tires, Sailun. It literally feels dangerous to drive even empty, but with weight it’s way worse. Loaded with 2 trucks it’s a bit scary.

We all choose the little wrecker / wheel lift, identical truck, even shorter wheelbase, because it still has the factory Continental tires (that are shot, been on wear indicators probably a year now). Two of us that do the most towing will even take the medium tow truck that rides like a tank before we take the rollback out. All due to cheap tires that feel like they’re going to roll over on themselves in any turn and can’t keep a straight line, it’s like you’re riding on balloons the sidewalls are so soft (and they are the correct load rated tires).
 
Happy to report that Kumhos are actually a great tires. A little stiff but also new. 11/32nd is also a plus.
 
Are there regulations on tires? Search for any size on Walmart or Amazon and tons of no name stuff comes up, some of it with comical names. These cheap tires are likely going on the wheels of the lowest common denominator on the road.
 
Are there regulations on tires? Search for any size on Walmart or Amazon and tons of no name stuff comes up, some of it with comical names. These cheap tires are likely going on the wheels of the lowest common denominator on the road.
There are.
 
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