My most popular post was the one back in Jan. 2012, "How-good-are-chinese-tires"
Recently I read a post that I thought some might find interesting on what some with strong sales background have to say about tires made in China, so I'm passing along this link from AutoGuide: "Should-I-buy-tires-made-in-china?" I consider this article to be a good, well-thought-out article on tires made in China.
I have also noticed that while many of the low-cost tires seem to have a warranty that ends about the time you pull out of the tire store or RV dealer's parking lot, there are a few offering 3- to 5-year warranties which make them, in my opinion, worth your consideration.
There are even a couple I know of that are offering 75 mph speed rated tires in ST-type sizes that appear to actually be real commercial-grade tires.
Now, please remember I have not personally conducted testing on many tires made in China so can only work with some limited data, but I do believe that there are tires coming out of China with acceptable quality in them. You still need to consider general availability and what you might need to do if you actually want to make a warranty claim. If you are buying on the Internet, then obviously you will not have a "brick & mortar" location you can go to to get service. You do need to figure the cost and hassle associated with having to ship a failed tire back to some location and what you are going to do about having a replacement available. This might entail the need to have a mounted spare on hand at all times. Just something to consider.
One final comment re the low cost ST-type tires from China seen on many trailers. When evaluating the tires you might see if the tires on the trailer are a brand that you can buy at retail or if they are only seen OE (original equipment) on trailers. If you can't find the tire at retail then there is a good chance it is a low cost "container baby" where the lowest cost per tire in container lots is the only performance criteria considered important by the importer or RV assembler.
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I have had these "made in China" tires on two new high end 35' fifth wheel trailers with 16” wheels and both times they failed causing allot of damage to one of the trailers so I stay as far away from them and I feel sorry for the RV-rs that own or buy a smaller trailer that have the 15 inch wheels and I think the 14” wheels because the only ST-type tire that fits that 15" wheel is "Made in China". And yes I had the correct air presser and the correct weight and have pulled a trailer since the early 70’s with zero tire problems until the late 90’s or early twenties…mj
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your problems. I am courious, What is your "reserve Load". Tha is the excess laod capacity of your tires vs the actual load on that tire?
DeleteWas the failure a Run Low Flex failure of the sidewall or was it a belt separation?
Did you file a complaint with NHTSA and provide the full VIN and tire DOT serial? Did you happen to get any pictures of the failed tire?
Hi from AZ. . .I have a set of 'new' Carlisles on my tt,, Radial Trail RH & they are ST tires & it just did 11,400 miles (AZ to AK & back) without a problem. Had a blow out on a Michelin on the TV though.. . .I would recommend them to anyone, & so would Discount Tire, regards, Cb
ReplyDeleteWhat was the reason for the TV tire failure? Do you run TPMS?
DeleteIf you send me pictures I may be able to give you an idea.
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