Are Michelins really better than the other brands?

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Funny because I had a few cord seperations with Michelin Tires, and stopped using them as a result. I mentioned that several years backed and got flamed. All I ever hear is how great they are, yet I wasn't thrilled with them. I'm thankful that I'm not in the market for tires. Maybe I'll have to give them another try.


We in our circle of family/friends have found several very nice, do-it-all tire brands that aren't Michelins.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
We in our circle of family/friends have found several very nice, do-it-all tire brands that aren't Michelins.


Oh... please share!
 
if your buying tires on the internet all the more reason to go with a brand that has the quality story.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
We in our circle of family/friends have found several very nice, do-it-all tire brands that aren't Michelins.


Oh... please share!


Let me say that all of the tires choosen have been passenger all-season tires for sedans, mini-vans and SUV's. Nothing HP!

We as a group have choosen:

Pirelli P4's
Kumho Solus KR-21
Good/Year Assurance Comfort Tread
Yokohama AVID TRZ
Hankook Optimo H727
Good/Year Tripple Tread
Firestone Destination LE
And others that I don't remember...16 vehicles total that I can count right now (Family/Friends). Another friend wants to try Cooper CS4

All having great succuss!
 
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You know, Michelin is like the holy grail of tires, or so it is perceived. I know the DW is getting them put on the 'Burb for her summer tires this year, so we'll see.
 
Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Let me say that all of the tires choosen have been passenger all-season tires for sedans, mini-vans and SUV's. Nothing HP!

We as a group have choosen:

Pirelli P4's
Kumho Solus KR-21
Good/Year Assurance Comfort Tread
Yokohama AVID TRZ
Hankook Optimo H727
Good/Year Tripple Tread
Firestone Destination LE
And others that I don't remember...16 vehicles total that I can count right now (Family/Friends). Another friend wants to try Cooper CS4

All having great succuss!


I can agree with the Goodyear Assurance ComforTred. It's a great tire, as long as you're sure that's the type of tire that you're seeking...
 
I've never owned Michelin tires -- the price point has always scared me away.

After having so many awful sets of Firestones and Good Years, I've started to gravitate towards Toyo and Cooper tires. I've had nothing but good experiences with both brands. Michelin may make a better product but (for me anyways) it's not worth spending a 20% premium for the brand.
 
In my experience, these "are they worth it" threads always divide internet forums into 3 camps:

1. Those that own the premium product and love it;
2. Those who want the premium product but can't justify the price premium
3. Those who bash the premium product

Doesn't matter if we're talking about Red Line oil, Chris Reeve folding knives, dry aged steak or tailored suits. Quality costs more, and once you pass a certain level of performance, it starts costing more and more for each incremental level of gain.

My Beetle came with Goodyear Eagle RS tires, which rode like rocks and were noisy and vibrated at 45k. I replaced them with Continental Contipro, which were actually about the same price as the Michelin in the same size/performance category. Now I have the Michelin Primacy and am liking them

On the Maxima, the OEM Bridgestones were shot at 40k. Replaced with Toyo Versados, and then with Hankook Optimos. Oddly, the higher performance car has proven to be less tire sensitive.
 
I always stick with the 'best' that a brand has to offer. I'm underwhelmed by almost all generic others. Michelin has never caused me heartbreak that other brands have caused. You get what you pay for. But, as wallyworld shows, most shop on price alone. I'll stick with my top-tier BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Michelin... tires. I purposely avoid their entry or mid-line level tires. I also avoid all generic tires.

I laugh at those that would buy 2 sets of tires when a single set of Michelins(or other pricey quality tire) would have done better and cost less in the long run.

So, when you're comparing 1/2 dozen pathetic tires, any one can seem great. I see this all the time on online reviews. This dung tire is so much better than that more-dung tire. This less-dung tire is so much better than the just-dung tire. This cracks me up because most drivers don't know what a quality tire is. They go from various levels of dung and think that their better dung is so great.

One of the issues with silly magazine comparisons is that they're usually using new tires. Repeat the test at 10k, 20k, 30k, 40k.... and see how the tire results change. I find that by 20k-30k, most generic tires are garbage with no snow traction, hydroplane on spit, and the sound & feel changes negatively drastically. Repeat the tests at 0, 30, 50, 70 and 100f temps and the results again will be skewed all over the place.
 
AlienBug & unDummy have both said it well even if a bit wordy.

On one hand, you do know what your getting with Michelin(quality/longevity and such) as AlienBug mentioned but, on the other hand with a little homework, one can find tires that still meet their criteria, get quality/longevity and save money.

IMHO, Michelin is the perfect replacement tire for those who will be keeping their car longer, and want to finaly sell the car with still good tires. Or, a tire that will last the test of time without replacing another set of tires so soon when one set of Michelins would have done the job as unDummy said.
 
Which tire brands are considered generic vs. name brand?

There are a lot of Chinese junk tires put on cars at used car lots but there are also many Korean, Japanese, and smaller US tire companies that are subsidiaries of the big players. I'm assuming Capitol, Dayton, Medina, etc. tires are generic but what about Yokohama, Kumho, Toyo, Cooper, Kelly, Dunlop, etc.?

There are also many junk name brand tires that are OEM on brand new cars. My office's Toyota Tundra has a set of Michelins and the rims have more balance weights than I've ever seen on any vehicle. It drives fine but the sheer quantity of weights just look ridiculous.
 
Isn't there a limit on the weights that can be put on a tire assembly before it's considered no good?

Also, whoever mounted the tire probably didn't line up the heavy part of the tire 180° away from the heavy part of the rim in a worst case scenario.
 
It came like that from the factory, so I'm assuming it's within spec. It's probably near the outside boundary of being acceptable.
 
Originally Posted By: kb01
Which tire brands are considered generic vs. name brand?

There are a lot of Chinese junk tires put on cars at used car lots but there are also many Korean, Japanese, and smaller US tire companies that are subsidiaries of the big players. I'm assuming Capitol, Dayton, Medina, etc. tires are generic but what about Yokohama, Kumho, Toyo, Cooper, Kelly, Dunlop, etc.?


Yokohama and Toyo are quality Japanese brands. Cooper is the last of the American independents and makes solid products. Avon, Dean and Mastercraft are Cooper brands. Dayton is a secondary Bridgestone line. Kelly and Dunlop are secondary Goodyear lines, at least in this country. In most of the rest of the world, Dunlop is owned by Japanese tiremaker Sumitomo. As stated earlier in this thread, Uniroyal and BFGoodrich are both secondary Michelin lines. General is a Continental subsidiary.

Can you tell I researched and bought tires recently?
 
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Originally Posted By: AlienBug

Kelly and Dunlop are secondary Goodyear lines, at least in this country. In most of the rest of the world, Dunlop is owned by Japanese tiremaker Sumitomo. As stated earlier in this thread, Uniroyal and BFGoodrich are both secondary Michelin lines. General is a Continental subsidiary.

Can you tell I researched and bought tires recently?


Two sets of Dunlops I've had (around 1998 and 2004) both said "Made in Germany" on the sidewalls. One set came on a German car (SP Sport 2000E), the other (Wintersport M3) was purchased in Canada at a local tire shop. I'm curious if Dunlop being a sub-brand of Goodyear is more recent than these dates or if that was the case back in '04 too?
 
Originally Posted By: AlienBug


Yokohama and Toyo are quality Japanese brands. Cooper is the last of the American independents and makes solid products. Avon, Dean and Mastercraft are Cooper brands. Dayton is a secondary Bridgestone line. Kelly and Dunlop are secondary Goodyear lines, at least in this country. In most of the rest of the world, Dunlop is owned by Japanese tiremaker Sumitomo. As stated earlier in this thread, Uniroyal and BFGoodrich are both secondary Michelin lines. General is a Continental subsidiary.

Can you tell I researched and bought tires recently?


Wow, I'm very impressed!
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Michelins are made in USA/Europe vs. Kumho made in China... That's a big difference right there.Noise/traction/wear aside, I doubt that rolling down a highway you'll feel much of a difference on a well balanced tire. The differences are more of tire consistency, need for a lot of weight during balancing, chances for broken belts/misbalances/sidewall bubbles/etc.

It's the difference between a bit more and a bit less quality overall. Harbor freight vs snap-on.. Both may getthe job done, one is better.
Never had any problems with Kumho tires. Best tire for the bang of buck and FYI...Kumho tires ARE NOT made in China. They are made in Korea. Big difference in quality control.
 
Originally Posted By: NightRiderQ45
and FYI...Kumho tires ARE NOT made in China. They are made in Korea. Big difference in quality control.


A good number of Kumho tires are made in China. The Dodge Journey that I rented a few years ago had a set of Solus KH16s that were "MADE IN CHINA".

According to Tire Rack's spec sheet, a good number of the Solus KR21s are exclusively made in China:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Kumho&tireModel=Solus+KR21
 
While I have nothing against Michelin's, I have had better experiences with Nokian and General's Lately.

I had the Michelin's on my Jeep (Forgot which ones) and they wore faster than I expected. About to switch out the Altimax Arctics for a summerish tire soon, Most likely will stick with Generals.

All Cars and Trucks seem to wear differently on different brands, Find a combo that works for you....
smile.gif
 
Tiger Paws at 112,000. Still quiet, still smooth, still tread. They don't have the best traction (wet, dry, cold), but the demands of my daily driver aren't that great. I save the AA stuff for my weekend sports car.

They'll need replacing this summer, and I hate to say it, but I think it's getting another set of TP's. I've read review, reports, and opinions, but I've never had a set of tires last this long and feel like the day they were installed.
 
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