Tires are just like your cat’s feet.
They have the important responsibility of supporting the entire vehicle’s structure and of helping the car grip the road.
If you have low-quality tires, your vehicle may lose handling and you will experience a lot of road noise. To top that off, you will have to buy new tires every few thousand miles as the old ones will wear out quicker.
There are hundreds of tire-manufacturing brands out there but not every brand makes good tires. Some tires are cheap but their cheap price means they are not reliable.
The only thing between the road and the car – Therefore it’s wise to invest in a good pair of tires for your own safety.
That’s why it’s important no to get fooled by flashy tire deals and attractive prices. Invest in well-known manufacturers only. If you are still adamant on buying OEM tires, go through our list of tires you should avoid purchasing.
Worst Tire Brands to Avoid Purchasing:
Cheap Chinese Tires
China exports 65 million tires out to the world each year. Therefore, most of the cheap tires you will find on markets will be Chinese made and these are the worst overall.
Without good safety-checks and bad materials before leaving the factory, it’s already set up for a disaster.
Take a look at them and you won’t be able to differentiate them from more expensive branded tires made by Michelin or Dunlop. But that’s the thing. These tires do look good to an untrained eye but are not good in terms of quality, safety, and durability.
However, there are certainly some reliable Chinese tire manufacturers out there. But the majority do not perform well.
If you are investing in a set of Chinese tires, you have to question your own safety before the price. Is it really worth saving $100 instead of driving around in a safe car? The brake distance and the grip between good and bad tires differ a lot, and this can be the difference between life and death.
Another aspect to look for is quality when it comes to durability. Cheaper tires will most likely have a much shorter life. If you buy cheap tires, you will have to replace them more often and you may not save as much money as you think.
A lot of Chinese manufacturers are developing a lot of different brand names for almost the same tires. One of these big manufacturers from China are Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company. They are selling a lot of cheaper tires without good safety-checks or tests before they leave the factory.
Here is a list of some of the brands they sell:
- Chaoyang
- Goodride
- Westlake
- AKS Tires
- Telluride
- Compass Tires
Therefore, it’s strongly recommended not to purchase any of these tires.
Tire Buying Tips
There are certain things you should keep in mind before you buy a tire for your car. An investment in tires is as important as investing in your dream car. If you mess up with your tire purchase, then your vehicle will not perform up to standard.
Here are a few tips to help you to choose the best tire for your vehicle.
1. Find the Correct Tire Size
Before you find a tire for your car, you need to confirm the size of your wheel. Depending on the size of your wheels, you can make the perfect choice. Thankfully, every tire has its rating, its size and all important information written on it. Buy a tire that matches the rating on your old tire.
Things to look for are the size, load index, and the speed rate. The size looks something like this: 195/50 R19 and the speed-rate is followed by 2 digits and a character like 87S, for example.
The speed rate is a character between the tire size. It can look something like this: 225/50SR16. In this case, the S is the speed rate and it means that the tire is made for 180km/h. There are several different characters for different speed rates.
2. Check Manufacturing Date
You might think that tires once made would last a lifetime. However, that is not the case. Tires that are not put on cars also deteriorate over time especially due to exposure to heat. This is why you should check the manufacturing date of every tire before you finalize your purchace.
The manufacturing date is in 4-digits and it is followed by alphabets. It is advisable to change your tires after every 6 years even if they are relatively new. After 6 years, the tires lose their integrity and they do not last as long as they should.
3. Check the Warranty
Tires are covered with a warranty. Yes, that is surprising yet true. Usually, manufacturers will give you a 50,000-mile warranty for the car but it is possible that the tire you get with your car will not last long. It might be that your vehicle is heavy or that you forget to rotate your tires.
In any case, you have to make sure that the terms of the warranty are not based on mileage. If they are, you should check the terms and conditions in detail to understand the warranty. When you go to claim new tires, the manufacturer might not give you a new set of tires for free.
They will charge you a marginal amount for the exchange and even then, they will ask you in detail about the care you took. Whether you rotated your tires on time and if you inflated the tires to the recommended pressure. If anything is amiss, you might not even get the partial coverage for tires.
Magnus Sellén
Hello I'm Magnus, the owner and the writer of this website. I have been working with cars since I was 16 and I'm specialized with in-depth Automotive diagnostics. Also been driving drifting for the last 6 years. I'm here to give you answers to all your automotive questions and I hope that you enjoy our content.
37 thoughts on “ Worst Tire Brands to Avoid Purchasing in 2020 ”
I have a 2016 chrysler TnC and would like to replace the TPMS with ones that I can monitor on my iPhone what would be your suggestion?
Check out the “FOBO Tire”. Haven’t tried a lot of these Bluetooth sensors, but I heard that these are working well!
Hello Magnus, Could you comment on Hilo 215/60R17 84S?
Hello. I was wondering what is a good all season tire and brake pads for a 2010 Honda Accord?
Thanks
I am looking for a good and safe tires for my 2017 GMC Terrain.
I have found a new set of 4 reasonably priced but I do not know if these are in fact a good tire they are a
235 55 R18 brand name
Hilo Annaite sport all season XVI tire with a load and speed range of 104 WXL???
I have no idea what any of this means can you help me understand what I am looking at and is this in fact a good and safe tire??
I do a lot of highway driving as well as dirt roads because we live on an acreage.
How are kumba tires?
Safe?
Thanks!
Do you mean Kumo? They are good tires.
Greentrac all seasons?
What is your recommendation for winter tires in Canada?
I have Toyota Corolla 2015 LE,
Please give me an idea about winter tires and rims. Which brand of Chinese tier is safe?
I wouldn’t consider buying chines tires, their quality is not good as European, Japanese, or North American made tires. Make sure it’s the correct size, check manufacturing date and it’s warranty. Tires loose rubber composition resiliency the longer it’s been sitting on the rack. But if your just looking to get cheaper tires then go with Chinese brands. But the quality control and wear & tear in them are very low and you’ll be replacing them more often… so buyer beware!!
Are Reino make tyres safe and reliable.
How about Eternity tyres? For my Trailer it’s only possible to get Chinese tyres 195/55 R10C
Hello. This is a Very helpful article for beginners like us wishing to change our tires. Im using city 2018 with old tires and Im still deciding which of the two brands i should get, Sailun or Thunderer? Im currently using dunlop tires but since im planning to sell my car i might as well get the budget friendly but still reputable brands. Thanks and more power to you guys.
I’d like to comment on your tire on your site. ANY tire run flat such as the one pictured will shred without air. Even run flats can do this with excessive speed/heat. I’m not against your comments on Chinese tires as they really don’t compare to most European/ Japanese/ North American. Even Michelin has had their dog designs over the years. The Chinese have come a long way in the last 20 years just as the Koreans had to years ago. Even Hankook and Kumho are now tier 2. I would suggest a tire with an obvious manufacturing flaw for demonstration purposes.
do yo recommend double star tyres for kia sportage?
sorry did not check before i sent old man doing this tire size 225 45 sr 18 xl 95 w again good but cheap with 50k to 70k miles
Plain and simple, DO NOT BUY CHINESE TIRES. Their manufacturing is horrible. The warranties are also impossible to claim, let alone finding shops that even sell those tires. Trust me, you will waste your money on junk and end up having to buy another set anyways. Everyone wants everything cheap these days. Maybe if you can’t afford tires don’t have a car? Public transportation is an answer too.
Gotta disagree here. Experience with Goodride tires has been excellent for the average commuter. Six years and they are still going strong. Great grip, even in wet, never had any issues with them whatsoever. And I know others that have fitted them and couldn’t be happier.
They used to say the same about Bridgestone and Yokohama tyres, then the Korean brands. Now they’re elite.
I agree with you DAVE! I’ve had more than a few sets of inexpensive Chinease & Indonesian tires & never had an issue period! This article is SUSPECT
you buy cheap tires you may end up as dead as the presidents on the money your saving
Keep spending that $$$ on tires that pretty much perform the same on daily driving lol.. Rubber is rubber & the composites all wear down the same! I can buy Jordans & you can by Converse don’t mean you can run faster or jump higher lol
Best tires to purchase for SUV. Looking for a high performance tire summer for Audi Q5 2017. Any recommendations from you.
Do you have any technical document or test proof to support your statement in regarding to the quality of tyre chinese made. or only business purposes.
Exactly, I call BS! Go buy the expensive tires if your tracking your car etc.. All these name brand tires companies are just mad cause these Chnease & Indonesian tires are liek 1/2 the cost lol.. I’ve had 215/45R17 Westlake SA-07 tires on my commuter car & they ride very well.. No issues whats so ever with the tires! Still lots of treawear after 2 years & I’m in Hot Arizona!
That is bullshit I used to drift race and I’ve seen cheap Chinese tires out proform American tires it really is just the luck of the draw tip don’t just believe everything you read base it off experience every redneck full blooded “American” wants to believe just because it has made in usa on it that it is the best and that’s just not true anymore we have some of the laziest highest paid workers in the world who probably dont even have a GED working in these factories I’ve seen a 100$ pair of Chinese made boots outlast a pair of 380$ therogood boots bought at the same time both were same style of boot
Shawn – Nice straw man argument. He is not claiming that only American made tires are good. He is claiming that most Chinese made tires are bad, and that good tires are also available from Japan and Europe. He is also not discussing performance in the course of drifting – a practice that does not replicate ordinary driving wear in any form and is not a testament to Chinese tire quality. Nobody is discussing boots except you. Meanwhile, it is a fact that most Chinese manufactured goods are poorly engineered and poorly constructed from lower grade materials. You can wank all you want to your Chinese products, but the days of being “good enough” because they are inexpensive are over. Chinese products are now over priced for their quality, and tires for highway driving in pouring rain are not good candidates for a Chinese, substandard product just to save a minimal amount of cash. I agree with your statement regarding lazy, highly paid workers with poor educations. I will add that unions have destroyed American manufacturing since I was a kid long ago. Fortunately, tires, as a whole, have improved, as have batteries, transmissions, engines, and crash survival. The value of a dollar, however, has suffered greatly, and a mid-range automobile now costs more than a house used to cost. I’m going back to riding a horse.
What’s you through on Michelin Primacy 3 XL vs Cooper Evolution Tour. What do you think is better in terms of wet and dry braking, hydroplaning, and tread life
Car manufacturers don’t install cheap Chinese brand tires on their cars even though it would increase their profits. That’s an indicator of how bad these tires must be.
Avoid Chinese made tires like the Corona virus. If in doubt , simply ” Google ” the tires’ name and it will reveal their birthplace. BRAKES, TIRES and SUSPENSION and the most important parts of your vehicle. Don’t compromise your safety and the safety of others just to save some $$$.
American, Japanese, Korean or European tires are the way to go with tires !!!
I’m looking at getting new tyres has anyone heard or had ilink brand tyres how did you find then
Looking for a good all weather good riding low noise good in hydroplane or rain..For 2013 Honda Fit..
Yokohama AVID has to be the best tire for the money. I put them on all 3 of my cars and would recommend them for low noise and wet conditions. Check out the tread design, it is impressive.
A couple of friends are running Goodyear Vector 4 season tyres, apparently very good. #3 in the autobild tyre test last year.
I am thinking to order a set of 4 Kumho HA31 tires since their prices are very cheap and have good reviews.
It seems to be too good to be true so i am kind of hesitating to order them. I dont want to put my life at risk over saving a couple of hundred dollars.
Any comments ? Thanks.
I would avoid Kelly Tires (owned by GoodYear). Their tires are cheap and don’t meet the specifications on their own web site. Bought from PepBoys and GoodYear will not fix the issue. They acknowledge their may be an issue but are not willing to resolve.
I purchased Cooper Tires because they come highly recommended and that is what had been on my car. Within a few months one tire blew out from the side. It was obvious there was no puncture and the tire dealership replaced it for free. Today a different cooper tire blew out again from the side and just shattered to the rim within seconds. I am over1K miles from my home and my tire dealership. The tread looks like new. What are the odds of my purchasing 2 lemons? Two male relatives in the car business still tell me Coopers are great and these mishaps are not a reason to switch brands. (And yes, both love me and have always given good advice) So what are your thoughts?
Hi I own a Audi A4 v6 supercharged 4×4 333hp, I do drive this car hard especially when cornering, so as you can imagine, I go through tyres, the size tyre is 255/35 R19 96W can you recommend a good wearing brand,
Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you.
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