Yet another tired old tire thread

[Dmiles]

Time for new tires, and everything that goes along with that. I personally have had bad experiences with Michelin tires and cracking sidewalls. This has just been my actual experience, and I know there are many who would never own anything but Michelin. So up front, no need to post that, unless you just feel the need.

In the past I have used Continental and Toyo with great results. No sidewall cracking, great ride, yada yada.

So this time around in doing my due diligence I ran across a Chinese manufacturer double coin, which I initially ruled out. But I have found really nothing but great reviews from people that have actually used them. In fact, the only negative posts I can find are the oh my god, your family and dog and cat that you don't even have will all die if you buy Chinese tires. I believe this is probably a combination of fear, along with some justification for paying twice as much for tires than one could have.

My view is tires have a job to do, and if any manufacturer were out there manufacturing millions of tires that were killing people, there would at a minimum be some negative information to be found.

So what I'm looking for is honest input from folks who have actually used any of the Chinese brands. Any information at all, I just ask that it be honest, and based on actual experience. Also, in doing my research, I ran across this little gem of information that I suspect many may find interesting. I know I did......

Le groupe Michelin confirme la signature d’un contrat de joint-venture en Chine avec les groupes Double Coin et Huayi | Michelin

[computerguy]

The problem I see in buying a Chinese made product is multifold.
One doesn't know the quality of the products going in. Are the people making the products treated fairly? The quality control is different than US made products for sure. If you doubt this just look at the Chinese drywall debacle of a few years ago. Regulations are certainly different there than in other industrialized countries. Will the company stand behind their product? I personally am less concerned when I purchase a $70 dash cam than a $600 tire. When the dash cam fails I toss it out and get another. If a tire fails my life could very well be on the line. I would not want to take that chance to save a few hundred dollars.
Usually (but not always) you get what you pay for.
Caveat emptor.

[theroc]

I agree with much of what you're saying, Dmiles.

And I can't read French from your link but did use Google to translate it ...HERE

The quality of Chinese-made commercial truck tires are getting better as time goes by. We all remember the fiasco with the Chinese-made trailer tires back in 2005-2007 followed by a bad reputation when a few brands of commercial truck tires came on the market around the same time. Those left a very bad trust issue for quite a few years pertaining to Chinese tires.

Lately, however, their quality has improved greatly. You'd still want to stick to the more well-know brands, though. Double Coin has a very good reputation in the commercial trucking segment. I don't think you'd have to worry a bit about Double Coin at all. They also have offices and a management team in the U.S. (Los Angeles area) and are known for their excellent customer service.

Personally, I continue to buy the second tier brands coming from the Japanese and South Korean manufacturers ...i.e. Toyo, Sumitomo, Yokohama, Hankook, Kumho, etc. I too refuse to buy the top tier tires ...i.e. Michelin, Goodyear, Bridgestone because of their premium prices. I know many disagree but I don't believe just because you're paying more for Michelin that you're getting a better product. I had my share of problems with Michelin tires through the years. The Japanese and South Korean tires are excellent in quality and much prefer them to Michelin or Goodyear. But that's just me. I know many if not the majority participating on this forum will disagree.

The article linked below from a back in August 2015 ends by saying this:

And when more Chinese tire firms actually begin making and marketing products that have advanced technology, look out.

We’ve seen it before

I can imagine that this scenario will be very similar to the evolution of Japanese-made products after World War II. Through the 1950s and 1960s the quality of products produced by Japanese manufacturers was terrible, but they flooded the American market since our nation was committed to rebuilding the country after dropping the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima and ending the war. As a result, all Japanese products got a reputation for being of very poor quality.

However, with the help of William Edwards Deming, Japan turned its manufacturing quality around by adopting his quality principles, which included Statistical Product Quality Administration. In fact the Japanese actually had what has become known as the Japanese post-war economic miracle between the years of 1950 and 1960, when Japan rose from the ashes of World War II to become the second most powerful economy in the world in less than a decade. This quality revolution was founded on the ideas Mr. Deming taught which were:

• Better design of products to improve service.

• Higher level of uniform product quality.

• Improvement of product testing in the workplace and in research centers.

• Greater sales through global markets.

Do you think his books have been translated into Chinese?

--above is quoted from this article:
Some Chinese truck tires of inferior quality — but that's changing

[Bobog]

Here's my personal experience with Chinese tires.

I bought new Hercules 245/70R19.5 tires at the beginning of last season from a jobber and had them balanced and installed at a local truck tire shop. I went with the next heavier ply rating (G) and have been running them at the Fleetwood recommended pressure plus 5 psi because that's the pressure I have always used.

We have driven 2,588 kms (1,617 miles) so far without incident. Normal travel speed is 100kph/60mph. I generally stop once an hour and I always check tire, wheel and front hub temperatures with one of those laser thermometers. Tire temperature has never exceeded 50C/125F even on a summer day. The rig is always nearly at GVWR. Inside and outside duals are always within 5 degrees of each other.

The ride is similar to the OEM Goodyears which isn't surprising as I am running the same air pressure. I find these tires do squirm a little more than the Goodyears but that could be that the new tires simply have thicker tread.

The difference in cost was substantial - $400 each installed for tier 1 brands or $150 each installed for these. Here in Canada we don't get the high levels of UV nor the extremely (to me) high temperatures many of you get. That may influence your choice.

As always, buyer beware. Gather facts and opinions then make your own decision.

[jaywolf]

A lot of Michelin tire are made in China include there truck tires made in SHENYANG
Check the Michelin web site

Michelin dans le monde : production de pneus dans 17 pays | Michelin

[J. Frank]

Originally posted by jaywolf - A lot of Michelin tire are made in China include there truck tires made in SHENYANG
Check the Michelin web site

Therein lies the problem. It may be difficult to know where your tires are made? I bought some "Sailun Terramax" tires - which are supposed to be Chinese made. We read some reviews and they seemed to be very favorable. Have only put 2,000 miles on them, but they have performed fine, so far. I would think most tire distributors would worry some about distributing a substantially inferior product. Not sure if they must meet FMVS Standards or not?

[Dmiles]

Thanks everyone, this is exactly what I was looking for. And as far as the link goes, yes the link is in French, but the page it links to is in English, so I'm not sure what is going on there.

The responses I have seen are another testimonial to the great folks that make this forum what it is, which in my opinion, the best one out there for RV'ers!

[slickest1]

I know of a company that runs Double Coin on their trucks and seem to like them. tThey may not last as long as some others but for the price and $ for miles they are comparable.
I myself have ran a set of Sailun tires on my Gravel truck and got 80,000 KMs 50,000 miles. They seen some pretty bad logging roads in their life and I never had a flat with them. They got the same mileage as the Bridgestones that are now on there.
When you compare commercial use to what use they get on an RV I don't see them being anything to be afraid of.
I put Firestone Tires on my coach because the tire shop I deal with gave me a deal on them.

[rarebear.nm]

As posted above there were serious issues with many China made tires in the past, some will still be bad. However, a few have been making major improvements in recent years for at least some applications. If the tire is not carried by some of the major tire stores think carefully. If you have a failure where and how are you going to get it serviced? If you expect to return it- where and how and when. How hard is it to find a replacement to match? Just questions. I like to stay with tires I can get serviced/replaced by a major national tire chain. If you only RV in your local area, this may not be an issue. But, if you go for long hauls, think about it.

Tier 1 brands tires made overseas still under go the same QC that their USA made tires do, but labor is less. What else is new? I would not want a no-name tire made any where.

As the OP stated he's being doing some research on China made tires and that is quite wise. I've read that the average Class A damage due to a tire failure is around $7,000. Tire failure is frequently a failure to properly maintain and use the tire, even the best tires will fail if abused.

Be safe and fun in your travels.

[Zephyr08Bill]

Gave up on Michelin after two coaches with early cracking, some blow outs (sidewalls), poor customer service.
Now running Firestone on coach, Yokohama on cars and trucks. No problems.