Chinese Tires vs Big Brand Tires (2024)

06 Apr Chinese Tires Vs Big Brand Tires

Are Chinese tires reliable?

Over the past few decades China manufactured products are becoming more and more prevalent in our daily lives. We are now even seeing tires being manufactured in China and you may have wondered, are they reliable?

Many large companies now manufacture their goods in China because of the low cost of labour and materials. iPhones, TV’s, dishes, and many household items around you are made in China. Are they good quality? Well, if the large US corporations trust manufacturing in China then they must feel confident that they are?! Here in North America and Europe, there are set regulations manufacturers need to adhere to if they want to sell their products. No business owner wants to spend millions, if not billions of dollars, to set up company just to fail because of a poor quality product.

Now, back to tires. “Are Chinese made tires are reliable?”. The truth is, some are and some aren’t. Even the well known tire companies, such as Michelin, Continental tires etc, have challenges with quality issues. Sometimes, it’s major news and we hear about recalls and sometimes we don’t hear about anything at all. Hence, all tire companies can face issues and challenges with production and quality whether they are big or small. Of course companies they to mitigate these issues before they arise to avoid lost revenue from recalls and decreased customer trust.

What’s the difference between Chinese made tires vs Big Brand tires

There are many costs to making tires. There are production costs, engineering costs, material costs, staffing costs and more. It’s a business after all! However, many Chinese tire factories are now hiring Foreign executives to bleach out the stigma of Chinese made products. Some has already opened small tire plants in the USA to pose as an American company and to avoid import taxations. A very clever tactic since only a few lines of tires are made in the USA. Cost is always a factor. But, are they good are Chinese tires we ask?

The main differences between Chinese tires vs Big Brand tires are:

1.)You Pay for the Marketing of the Big Brand Tires

Major brand name tires invest a lot of budget in advertising and publicity which they need to include in their per tire cost. Therefore, the price per tires always increases annually with some major brands. . Whereas tires in China focus more on volume sales and the cost int mostly for materials. The price of materials such as rubber, steel and so on are more or less fixed. Some big companies would have more buying power of course and they can control their cost of fabricating a tire. Other buys as they need and falls into the midst of price variations.

2.)Technology (R&D)

If you think Chinese tires are not modern you are wrong. Chinese tire manufacturers often collaborate with the brand name tire companies in exchange for the most cutting edge technology and development of their own tires. Other Chinese tire manufacturers simply buy big brand tire molds from previous seasons and adjust them to their own pattern designs. There are many Chinese tires in the market that resemble many patterns of the major brand tires.

3.)Fewer Compounds:

Let’s just say a great tire is processed with the top amount of tread 10 out of 10 material = cost more to sell. A Chinese tire company would use the approved legal amount of material to make theirs 7-8 out 10. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad quality tire. This tire might simply have a shorter lifespan than a more expensive brand. That’s pretty much the main difference.

To remain competitive, most major tire brands also produce a lower priced tire line to compete with the low price points of Chinese tires Does that mean their tires are made the same way as their top expensive tier tire? No, they do the same uses less of this and that to produce a lower cost tire!

Do Your Tire Homework

If we educate ourselves on what makes a good tire, research what the tire companies are using for materials, compare the different tire patterns and their uses and review the tire testing results we can make better decisions instead of just following the big brands that we know.

Most of us only drive 3-4 cars in our lifetime (average). The hand me down car from family as a teen, the first car purchase after getting a job and the new car when you get a promotion and the family car when children sport can’t fit in your 2 door sport car. So, you only know what name tires that your car came with, right?! Therefore, not all of us are experienced at choosing tires and therefore we rely on tire ads on TV’s or the “expert” opinions of our mechanics as they see your car among other vehicles with different brand tires everyday. (But some will push you to some brands for they get commissions if they hit their targets with certain brands!)
Chinese tires are getting better especially the ones who are sold currently around the world. Such as the Windforce tire line.

Here at Shop4tires, we offer you Windforce and Lanvigator tires and we strive to offer the best tire value for everyone around the world. If you need new tires, come in and see us!