Blacklion BH15 Tires ?

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
I'm more concerned about the guy running around on bald cheap tires in the summer rather than whether they are all season, UHP....etc. Good tires with decent tread left is more important if we have some sudden rain.

I think bald tires in So Cal summer when we have no rain from May till Nov is actually have better traction than full tread.

When Falken FK452 on my S2000 was less than 3/32" all the way to 0/32 the car had better cornering force, I could drive up to 48-50 MPH on a tight 270 degree on ramp, the same tire with more than 6-7/32" could do only 45 MPH.

With any rain then less than 2/32" on highway speed of 60-70 MPH is dangerous.

 

[ltslimjim]

Thanks for the feedback. The treadwear rating of 420 means I might wind up running them out in short order anyway and I'll probably get a new set before too long from a different brand as indicated. All 4 tires have been running around 40 psi so in just under 6 weeks of ownership it seems to not have lost pressure at least. I had them rotated / balanced already.

DOT code on all 4 tires is KEAU AJB

How decipher this? edit: apparently china plant KE
SHANDONG JINYU INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD.
DONGYIN
SHANDONG
CHINA

I'll need to get better pictures but here are a couple:

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim


DOT code on all 4 tires is KEAU AJB



You decipher it by going to one of the websites and looking up the first two digits. I just recently happened to see that tire companies will slowly begin switching to 3-digit plant codes, but who knows when we'll start seeing those.

http://www.tiresafetygroup.com/tire-dot-plant-codes-sorted-plant-code/

Quote:
SHANDONG JINYU INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD. KE City: DONGYIN State: SHANDONG Country: CHINA


It appears this is the parent company:
http://www.jinyutyres.com/en/index.asp

So, these tires are from the real no-name end of the market. They aren't made in a plant co-owned or operated by a major, reputable tire company.

Maybe they're fine, but these are the types of tires I avoid. I've never purchased Chinese tires, but if I did I would want ones that came from a plan owned or co-owned by one of the major, reputable tire companies. But that's just my two cents.

Some of the info on this company is available on the Blacklion tire website:
http://www.blacklion.cn/tm/ensecond/index.aspx?nodeid=43

 

[ltslimjim]

^Ah, thanks. The tires have M+S stamped on the side as well. Is that Mud/Snow?

 

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: stephen9666
Originally Posted By: ltslimjim


DOT code on all 4 tires is KEAU AJB



You decipher it by going to one of the websites and looking up the first two digits. I just recently happened to see that tire companies will slowly begin switching to 3-digit plant codes, but who knows when we'll start seeing those.

http://www.tiresafetygroup.com/tire-dot-plant-codes-sorted-plant-code/

Quote:
SHANDONG JINYU INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD. KE City: DONGYIN State: SHANDONG Country: CHINA


It appears this is the parent company:
http://www.jinyutyres.com/en/index.asp

So, these tires are from the real no-name end of the market. They aren't made in a plant co-owned or operated by a major, reputable tire company.

Maybe they're fine, but these are the types of tires I avoid. I've never purchased Chinese tires, but if I did I would want ones that came from a plan owned or co-owned by one of the major, reputable tire companies. But that's just my two cents.

Some of the info on this company is available on the Blacklion tire website:
http://www.blacklion.cn/tm/ensecond/index.aspx?nodeid=43


There are some companies that design their own tires to their specifications and then contract them out to be manufactured. Doesn't mean they are bad or defective tires.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: CKN


There are some companies that design their own tires to their specifications and then contract them out to be manufactured. Doesn't mean they are bad or defective tires.


That's not exactly what we're talking about in this thread, as the OP's tires are a brand owned and made by the Chinese company in question.

There are probably scenarios where your premise is accurate, but I think in a lot of cases that's not the case.

There's a lot more R&D power in a major tire company than a smaller tire distributor that contracts out production. Often, the no-name tires I'm talking about are going to be aimed at the lower end of the market.

Here's an example of what I'm concerned about. When you get into small tire marketing companies contracting with no-name Chinese manufacturers you're starting to enter some questionable territory.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/...oginMethod=auto

 

[CKN]

You can be concerned. That was an isolated case. Consumer Reports are cheerleaders for the Mighty Michelin brand (Let's all sing praises together to the Michelin Gods!). While I have no doubt their reporting of the tires in question is accurate. I find their publication more than off base elsewhere as far as their reviews are concerned. And I'm not alone with these feelings on BITOG.

 

[daves87rs]

I've seen these tires around here, and they do okay...tread looks like a mix Sumitomo and Toyo.


Should be fine for a little while....

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
^Ah, thanks. The tires have M+S stamped on the side as well. Is that Mud/Snow?


Theoretically, yes. Basically, it just means they're all-season tires.

 

[sciphi]

Those look okay for the summertime and into the fall. Maybe winter too if there isn't a risk of snow.

I drank the Michelin kool-aid with the latest tire purchase for our Fit. It's currently rocking a set of Premiers. $580 out the door for those oddball 185/55-16 tires. They've been pretty good so far. Comparable in grip to the Conti DWS's we put on it back in 2011 or so, and a little firmer in the sidewall. If we can get the rated 65k miles out of them, I'll be a very happy camper.

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
^Ah, thanks. The tires have M+S stamped on the side as well. Is that Mud/Snow?
Maybe Safe

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I drank the Michelin kool-aid with the latest tire purchase for our Fit. It's currently rocking a set of Premiers. $580 out the door for those oddball 185/55-16 tires. They've been pretty good so far. Comparable in grip to the Conti DWS's we put on it back in 2011 or so, and a little firmer in the sidewall. If we can get the rated 65k miles out of them, I'll be a very happy camper.

Actually, you should care more about tire performance than tread life, especially if you bought your tire at local shops that have good customer service.

If the tire performs very well but tread life is only half the warranty, you should have 50% prorate for a new set. The only negative is you have to pay for installation/balance more often.

 

[HangFire]

A relavant tirerack blog entry:

http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/steves-tire-selections/best-tires-for-the-honda-fit

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Unfortunately, you won't find much love here for anything but Michelin.


[censored]. Lately this has been the General RT43 board, sometimes beyond all reason. In this case it may be a good choice because the better Continental tires are not available in his size.

 

[ltslimjim]

^Honestly, Kumho Ecstas wore out really fast on my BIL's Fit. For the price point, I'd save some money just getting the RT43s. I'm considering them as well as the Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring (wish there was the Grand Touring for this tire size) for the price comparable to the Kumho Ecstas.