Third Tier Tires becoming increasingly popular

C

CKN

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When it comes to consumer demand, tire dealers continue to point to drivers who are deferring tire purchases until later and those who are buying are still opting for lower-priced options. We note healthy demand for low-cost, tier-three tire brands during the month. Dealers said demand for premium tier-one and tier-two brands was soft during the period.

For the third month in a row, tier-three tire brands were the most popular among consumers, according to dealers who participate in our survey.
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So we know all this means-Chinese Tires, those made in South East Asia, etc.

We will see if we see tires blowing up on the highway ......

As I posted on another thread...I have a set of Sailun Tires-they are perfectly acceptable.

www.moderntiredealer.com

Tire Sellout Bucks Driving Trends

Miles driven often correlates with tire volume data, but that's not an absolute rule.
www.moderntiredealer.com www.moderntiredealer.com
 
Is there a definition of tier brands? I tend to buy brands like Cooper or Kumho or whatever is on sale.
 
People the cost of insurance, housing, cars, and so much else has gone up. They are making cuts wherever they can. Some third tier are decent, others are not. Some first tier are worth every cent spent, some are no better than third tier.
 
CKN said:
We will see if we see tires blowing up on the highway ......
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They haven't been failing in any sort of statistically significant numbers in the last 20 years or so, unless I'm mistaken. I personally don't like them because more often than not they are noisy and mushy in the corners, but they usually do perform the 'basic tire' requirements satisfactorily.
 
For what it's worth, my brother has a set of Sailun E-rated tires on his bull nose F-250. They came with the truck when he bought it about 5 years ago. He drives it a lot, hauls heavy stuff and they are wearing well, have decent wet pavement stopping power and have had zero issues.
 
ripcord said:
For what it's worth, my brother has a set of Sailun E-rated tires on his bull nose F-250. They came with the truck when he bought it about 5 years ago. He drives it a lot, hauls heavy stuff and they are wearing well, have decent wet pavement stopping power and have had zero issues.
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I did research before I purchased them for my wife's Highlander. They seem to be decent like MIleStar Tires.

The high speed-HOT desert driving I did put them to the test. If they were going to fail-those were the conditions where they would have.
 
Leo99 said:
Is there a definition of tier brands? I tend to buy brands like Cooper or Kumho or whatever is on sale.
Click to expand...

I believe the two brands you mentioned are what many would consider "second tier" tires. While tires like Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, etc., would be considered "first tier".
 
CKN said:
I believe the two brands you mentioned are what many would consider "second tier" tires. While tires like Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, etc., would be considered "first tier".
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That sounds about right. Michelin is definitely top tier.....I would put Kumho, Kelly, and Falken as tier 2 examples
 
My sister has been a Michelin loyalist since she bought her 2001 Tacoma Pre Runner, which came with Michelins, and while that light little truck didn't wear out tires very quickly, she's learned now that she's driving a heavy SUV that Michelins are an expensive proposition. I think she switched to Generals on her Highlander this time around after she and I had a discussion about wear ratings. Miracle of miracles, she hasn't had a horrible crash even though she's no longer riding on Michelins. 🙄

I have no trouble buying Kumho, I think I've had a set of Westlakes on one of my Focus STs. I tend to shop by UTQG rating, then price, then scroll down until I find a brand I recognize. If I come across an unbeatable deal on something, I might try a tier 3 brand..... Or maybe I already have. What tier are Westlakes?
 
WylieCoyote said:
My sister has been a Michelin loyalist since she bought her 2001 Tacoma Pre Runner, which came with Michelins, and while that light little truck didn't wear out tires very quickly, she's learned now that she's driving a heavy SUV that Michelins are an expensive proposition. I think she switched to Generals on her Highlander this time around after she and I had a discussion about wear ratings. Miracle of miracles, she hasn't had a horrible crash even though she's no longer riding on Michelins. 🙄

I have no trouble buying Kumho, I think I've had a set of Westlakes on one of my Focus STs. I tend to shop by UTQG rating, then price, then scroll down until I find a brand I recognize. If I come across an unbeatable deal on something, I might try a tier 3 brand..... Or maybe I already have. What tier are Westlakes?
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I'm not tire expert. But I would think that Westlake falls under tier three.
 
I'm a happy tier-three-tire user. Had many, never any fails or blowouts, and great performance at half or even third the cost of tier one tires. Here are some I tried:
- Westlake
- Sumitomo
- Waterfall
- Fullway
- Summit
- Douglas
- Crosswind
- Dextero
- Ironman
And likely a few others I can't remember now. But never a fail due to fault of tires. Did catch nails and screws, but those are equally attracted to all tires regardless of "tier".
 
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I'd like to know the criteria with which tires are tier-rated.

I could see publishing a Best-Good-Passable list without differentiation / measure of merit being answered by slander suits.
 
IMHO, it pays to buy known good brands and avoid those not so known.
You pay more up front, but you then get long wearing durable tires that stay in balance and don't acquire any quirks through their lives.
In terms of cost per mile, I doubt there's much difference between a top tier tire and a bargain one.
I've tried some less expensive tires and have come back to the more expensive brands.
You do get what you pay for.
 
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