Barry, I do not think Goodyear would like you calling their Marathon a no name product. They are most likely the single largest manufacturer of ST tires. It is a little surprising that Goodyear has stayed the course on ST tires when the other major US makes bailed years ago. That would indicate that there are BIG BUCKS in building cheap tires, as no major company does anything anymore without a close look at the bottom line.
And if Sumitomo owns TowMax, and Sumitomo is a large multi-national corporation from Japan, I do not believe they are a no name company. And again a company that would be looking at everything they produce and its effect on profitability.
Chris