Inconsistency in Chinese tire production is the real issue. Some folks have had some success with Chinese made tires. I did not. There are many factors that affect the end quality of a tire and there is a lot of science in their construction. I am certain GY has not had any more issues than others that moved production to China and maybe less. Considering the amount of tires produced by GY the actual failure rate may be very small but when it's your TT any failure is too much.
Some folks have reported failures with Maxxis tires too but the overwhelming opinion of Maxxis tire owners like myself is that they are good quality tires. I have had two Maxxis tires damaged out of 16 purchased over my 15 years of owning a TT. Both instances were the result of contact with curbs or obstacles on the road and the tires did not blow out. Maxxis tires got me home on damaged tires both times and that is important to me. My first TT I purchased used and it had non-Chinese GY Marathons which served me well. My last set of Maxxis ST tires were in service for 6+ years which is excellent. My one and only encounter with Chinese made ST tires were OE Duro's which were total junk on my current TT. They disintegrated in 18 months. I am certain folks have used other brands of Chinese tires with some success as well but I will not be experimenting with them as I value my safety and cash greatly.
