Chinese Michelin LTX clones

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: randomhero439
My friend had a summer tire by Sunny on his Lexus. They were knock-offs of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3.
That's like putting 80 series wide whitewalls on a BMW 320.

I see a lot more of that than I care to. Good handling cars bought by phonys who just want to be seen in them. When the swells find some other brand "cool" the sheep run to it.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: bigjl
I remember the remould market in the UK used to always use tread patterns of obsolete high end tyres.

There is an Eastern European brand called Sava which is I believe owned by Good Year.

They make tyres that are cheap but reasonable for those operating on a budget. But the tread patterns are similar to many other older high end tyres.

I don't have a problem if the technology (tread pattern and compound) has been sold or is part of a partnership arrangement.

But I think a lot of these Chinese tyres are just out and out copies with poor materials just to get foreign currency into the Chinese economy.

And the Chinese are very cavalier when it comes to safety and copyright.
The Chinese build moped tires by the millions, they may be almost "sole source" but their experience in the USA car tire market has not been a good one. On the other hand, the motorcycle tire division of Yokohama was sold to Shinko, a Korean company, and makes very good stuff.

 

[mcshooter]

when you buy tires just look at the sidewall befor you do. the country of orgin is on the sidewall.. when i just got my goodyear assurance tires i told them i did not want a china made tire or one older than 2 years.i got us made and only 2 months old... so just dont let them sell you just any tire.. its your choice

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
On the other hand, the motorcycle tire division of Yokohama was sold to Shinko, a Korean company, and makes very good stuff.


Like the 747 and 757 lines, that Shinko had to do a widespread recall on?

Sorry. They seem to have delamination issues.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
NEXEN Roadian HT-LTR:

And the Concours Radial A/S:

In their defense, that's an awfully generic-looking tread pattern, not something really distinctive like Gatorbacks or Aquatreds.

 

[cchase]

It's only "generic" because it's been copied so many times and because the LTX is probably one of the most prevalent tires on the road.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: cchase
It's only "generic" because it's been copied so many times and because the LTX is probably one of the most prevalent tires on the road.

Bingo. The Nexen one looks absolutely IDENTICAL to the Michelin, whilst the other one at least looks somewhat different.

 

[Taildragger]

Copying a tread design/look is not copying the tire.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Taildragger
Copying a tread design/look is not copying the tire.


What would you call it then, complimentary imitation?

 

[DBMaster]

As with any other product that requires adequate quantities of expensive ingredients for proper safety, performance, and durability you literally take your life into your hands if you put these on your car. Chinese companies make knock-off ball joints and wheel bearings, too. They look identical to the name brand items and in many cases even have the name brand logo on them (that would be called counterfeiting.)

They are metallurgically (if that is a word) inferior. Take, for example, the fact that a lot of Chinese "stainless" steel uses inadequate amounts of chromium in its formulation. I can't tell you how many stainless steel items from China I have bought that rusted in short order.

If these are too much cheaper than Michelins there is a reason. I am no chemist, but I wouldn't trust these tires as far as the old lady from the old Discount Tire commercials can throw them.

 

[Jarlaxle]

That Nexen looks as much like the old GY Conquest or Kelly Navigator as it does an LTX!

 

[kb01]

I've had pretty good luck with some of the minor tire manufacturers -- Toyo, Cooper, and Kelly come to mind.

In terms of the off brand, Chinese tires, nobody has ever heard of... I bought a used car that had a set of Medina tires and they were surprisingly good.

On the other hand, I have a coworker who bought a set of Capitol Tires ($39.99 special) from the Ford dealer and they were atrociously bad.

Life would be easier if name brand tires could be relied upon. In the past decade, I've had terrible luck with Wrangler SR-As and Eagle LSs.

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: kb01


Life would be easier if name brand tires could be relied upon. In the past decade, I've had terrible luck with Wrangler SR-As and Eagle LSs.


you can trust brand name tires just not OEM brand name tires.

both of those are oem tires that were made to the car manufacturer specifications.

 

[DBMaster]

Toyo, Cooper, and Kelly are not exactly "minor" brands, though, they are not exactly Goodyear and Firestone.

Chinese manufacturers of knock-offs are known to take shortcuts. I would never impune all Chinese manufacturers as many are good. Not too many years ago a Chinese made tire sold by Tire King on the East Coast was recalled due to a lack of a ply led to tread separation. Please don't give me grief about my lack of expertise on tires. There are multiple plies, belts of steel, kevlar, and polyester. There is natural rubber and carbon black. There are so many ways to take shortcuts and still end up with a tire that looks - and perhaps feels - like the real thing.

No way would I try to cheap out on my tires. House brands at Discount are probably OK, as long as I know they are made in the USA where I feel a bit more optimistic about all the necessary components being included. Yes, there have been recalls on tires made in the US and Japan. (Recall Firestone/Bridgestone about ten years ago.)

I invite any tire gurus to please back me up on this. Explain how tires are made and list a few of the many shortcuts that can be taken. Personally, I'll live with a few less bucks in my pocket rather than die saving $100 on a set of tires.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
That Nexen looks as much like the old GY Conquest or Kelly Navigator as it does an LTX!


Really?

 

[cchase]

Pretty funny.

 

[Jarlaxle]

No, the OLD Conquest and Navigator (or maybe the Kelly Celebrity?), from the mid-90's.

But yeah, that's a pretty generic "highway/all-season" truck tread.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
No, the OLD Conquest and Navigator (or maybe the Kelly Celebrity?), from the mid-90's.

But yeah, that's a pretty generic "highway/all-season" truck tread.


You have to admit, the resemblance to the M/S2 is incredibly obvious

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: OVERK1LL
Thanks Rand, that led me to find another shameless knock-off:

NEXEN Roadian HT-LTR:

And the Concours Radial A/S:

Too bad you guys don't know the difference between China and Korea.

Originally established in 1942 as Heung-A Tire, Nexen Tire has over 60 years of tradition as a respected leader in the tire industry. Acknowledged as Korea’s first tire company, we first began car tire production in 1956.

Btw...Michelin is a French Company...

Michelin (/ˈmɪʃəlɪn/ or /ˈmɪtʃəlɪn/; French pronunciation: [miʃ'lɛ̃]; full name: SCA Compagnie Générale des Établissements Michelin) is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone.[2] In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal (in North America) tyre brands.

 

[Spazdog]

This isn't a new phenomenon.

Years ago, Cheng Shin (aka Maxxis) introduced a direct knockoff of Metzeler's ME33 Laser.

Wow! I could get a replacement ME 33 Laser for half the price!

I should have left the nearly bald in the center ME33 on.

First trip around the cloverleaf, the tire was cold and hard and wouldn't grip. Second lap, it was hot and greasy and wouldn't grip. It was treacherous in the rain.

The less exact but still close copy of the ME-1 rear was good for huge smokey burnouts. That's about it.

It looks like a duck, but it quacks like a piece of junk and rolls like an age hardened '60s Dunlop.