ST tires vs LT tires.
I had a "tire man" tell me that all ST tires are made in China. I'm not interested in unsupported opinions, but if someone actually knows if this is true or not, lets hear from you. I use Firestone 10ply LT tires on my trailer.
Forum Discussion
37 Replies
RinconVTR wrote:
It doesnt matter where the tire is made. What matters is what standards the manufacture is held to.
Meaning, if the parent company who manufactures said tire in China holds them to the same standards they would anywhere else...the country of origin makes no difference.
China for example, is more than capable of producing to the highest manufacturing standards if said parent company demands it and pays for it.
This is exactly right. Most of the issues with Chinese made tires are not because they are made in China, but because they are no-name brands that come and go. No quality control, it's all about price. And so long as we demand the best prices on our fancy new rigs, the RV manufacturers will continue to put the cheapest components on that they can.Huntindog wrote:
True but..... There are a lot of "ifs" in that thinking. Too many times those "ifs" have let consumers down, when the "ifs" did not happen in the manufacturing process. This seems to happen a lot more with China than in other countries.
Their way of approaching a market based system is much different than what we consider normal.
Accountability and rule of law are often lacking.
Nope, not accurate. Here's an example. Some years back Trek Bike moved their manufacturing to China. Being from Wisconsin where Trek is headquartered I was not happy about this. A few years ago we bought new bikes, they are Treks. They are every bit as good of quality as they always have been.
So it's not "if", it's about contracts, expectations, and standards. The "ifs" come in when we are willing to accept the cheapest prices on our new rigs. That said US consumers are every bit to blame for the lack of quality as the Chinese manufacturers.
And FWIW, my Chinese made 13" Towmax tires are 4 years old and have held up just fine.RinconVTR wrote:
True but..... There are a lot of "ifs" in that thinking. Too many times those "ifs" have let consumers down, when the "ifs" did not happen in the manufacturing process. This seems to happen a lot more with China than in other countries.
It doesnt matter where the tire is made. What matters is what standards the manufacture is held to.
Meaning, if the parent company who manufactures said tire in China holds them to the same standards they would anywhere else...the country of origin makes no difference.
China for example, is more than capable of producing to the highest manufacturing standards if said parent company demands it and pays for it.
Their way of approaching a market based system is much different than what we consider normal.
Accountability and rule of law are often lacking.- Most all tires made in china, start out in Thailand, that is where the raw rubber in grown on rubber farms....
dave54 wrote:
Fresno Tundra Driver wrote:
Maxxis are good quality ST tires that aren't made in China.
Final assembly in Thailand, using Chinese made components.
I took a look at their website and didn't see any of the information you gave. Maybe you could site it or provide a link to where you're getting this information.ScottG wrote:
dave54 wrote:
Fresno Tundra Driver wrote:
Maxxis are good quality ST tires that aren't made in China.
Final assembly in Thailand, using Chinese made components.
They are fully assembled in Thailand under the very strict supervision of Maxxiss in their own factory. Other Chinese made tires are just made to order by a vendor without oversight - that 's where the difference in quality resides. I see no evidence (and with this companys history it's unlikely) that they source materials from China.
Thailand isn't China amd Maxxis makes high quality tires.
Their website says differently.- I ordered ST tires (Kumho) and received LT tires. Whatever. They have a higher speed rating and they've been fine. I think they are Korean.
dave54 wrote:
Fresno Tundra Driver wrote:
Maxxis are good quality ST tires that aren't made in China.
Final assembly in Thailand, using Chinese made components.
They are fully assembled in Thailand under the very strict supervision of Maxxiss in their own factory. Other Chinese made tires are just made to order by a vendor without oversight - that 's where the difference in quality resides. I see no evidence (and with this companys history it's unlikely) that they source materials from China.
Thailand isn't China amd Maxxis makes high quality tires.Fresno Tundra Driver wrote:
Maxxis are good quality ST tires that aren't made in China.
Final assembly in Thailand, using Chinese made components.- Say what you will, but, I've had horrible experience with multiple sets of Chinese made ST tires. I only solved the problems when I went with Michelin XPS Ribs on my previous trailer, and with Goodyear G614 LT tires on my current trailer. All of the tires, that did not appear to be failing, on my current trailer had large bubbles on the inner casing and were in-fact in the process of failing. The manufacturer of my failing tires was Kenda, one of the largest tire manufacturers in the world. As a matter of fact when I bought a set of tires for my motor cycle, I bought Kenda tires for it, and was happy with them. I have no idea why the Chinese ST tires failed, I just know they did, and I hope they have resolved the issues, then again, that's what I hoped when I bought my latest trailer, and sadly found out the issues still existed. And yes I did maintain the pressures and did not speed with the tires, or overload them. I hear what you are saying, but, you just can't ignore the experience of the many people who had issues with them. As for the difference between ST and LT tires, LT tires, being passenger car/truck are DOT certified. AFAIK
- It doesnt matter where the tire is made. What matters is what standards the manufacture is held to.
Meaning, if the parent company who manufactures said tire in China holds them to the same standards they would anywhere else...the country of origin makes no difference.
China for example, is more than capable of producing to the highest manufacturing standards if said parent company demands it and pays for it.
