Foreign made tires - Chinese vs. Korean etc.

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silverrat

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Am I wrong to think Korean tires are generally better than Chinese?

I've seen the chinese Wanli and Linglong before and they both seemed cheap. I currenty use Nexen winters and they seem ok for the price they are made in Korea.

Are Korean tires decent?
 
had wanli twice on cars I aquired used. sold them quick. junk and dangerous. never again . ling long worse. try hankook optimo or falken sincera for cheap tires.
 
I also had 2 Wan Li's on the front of the Camry. Neither were round. The car got totaled at 248k miles not long after that, and I would have been upset about losing my money on those nearly new tires, but they were junk.

On the other hand, I had 2 Cientra brand tires which I'm sure were Chinese, and they were dead smooth and dirt cheap, and I got 30-40k of city driving out of them.

I've since went back to buying American tires.
 
Korean tires such as Hankook, Kumho and Nexen are generally better than Chinese tires, specially the ones designed and engineered by Chinese such as Wanli and Linglong. I have Hankook Ventus V12 Evo on '04 Honda S2000, very good performance, handling and quiet ride.
 
Falken is made in Japan .. those are good tires ..at amazing price ..
 
Relating and comparing Korean products to Chinese products is extremely offensive to Koreans.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Ndx
Falken is made in Japan .. those are good tires ..at amazing price ..



I'm not sure about the new ones though...
 
More than happy with the Hankook Winter I-Pike W409 Snow tires I'm using on my Ford explorer. Made in Korea.

Conversely, I've had mixed success with US made tires (bad goodyears and firestones), and excellent luck with Japanese made tires (Bridgestone Duelers).
 
Originally Posted By: MNgopher
More than happy with the Hankook Winter I-Pike W409 Snow tires I'm using on my Ford explorer. Made in Korea.

Conversely, I've had mixed success with US made tires (bad goodyears and firestones), and excellent luck with Japanese made tires (Bridgestone Duelers).


People like those nooks...
 
I've had pretty good experience with both Hankooks and Kumhos.
Heck, the '97 Accord (bought used) came on a new set of the cheapest Coopers available, and they lasted 70K, and were okay in rain and snow.
I have come full circle on tires. Another couple of hundred bucks spent on a set of tires adds up to almost nothing per mile over the life of the tires, so to me it makes little sense to go cheap.
To answer the OP's question, whether a tire is made in China is unimportant. You'll get exactly the level of quality control and proper materials use from a Chinese factory that you are willing to pay for.
If you are willing to pay dirt-cheap, you should not expect a Michelin-level tire.
 
Generally I try to buy tires that are Made in USA or Canada, but just about anything from Korea, Japan, Brazil, France, UK are going to be good too. IMO, it's really only stuff from China you have to worry about.
 
Originally Posted By: Ndx
Falken is made in Japan .. those are good tires ..at amazing price ..


Mine are made by Sumitomo in Thailand. They were the cheapest I could get but I would be lucky if I got 30k miles of use from them.
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Generally I try to buy tires that are Made in USA or Canada, but just about anything from Korea, Japan, Brazil, France, UK are going to be good too. IMO, it's really only stuff from China you have to worry about.


Sadly, My Balt's Sumi HTR T4's are made in china. But, they seem to be holding up very well. I think much of it too depends on the company's standard of quality...
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Sadly, My Balt's Sumi HTR T4's are made in china. But, they seem to be holding up very well. I think much of it too depends on the company's standard of quality...


Kumho KR21 is very well liked on Tirerack customer reviews and they are made in China.
 
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
Originally Posted By: Ndx
Falken is made in Japan .. those are good tires ..at amazing price ..


Mine are made by Sumitomo in Thailand. They were the cheapest I could get but I would be lucky if I got 30k miles of use from them.


Which tires?
 
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