Chinese Tyres with SAME Tread but Different Brand Names?

[rob_macca67]

Firstly, please set aside that these are Chinese Tyres

I've been running some 235/85/16 Goodride Brand Tyres (model: SL369) for a few years on my old Defender just as daily/weekend tyre and I've been having a good run out of them for a 10ply Chinese tyre to date...

My old Disco-1 has come to the point where it needs new tyres and I purchased some 245/75/16 Westlake Tyres (model: SL369) and they are exactly the SAME TREAD pattern as the Goodride brand tyres, same construction as well but the PRICE was a fair bit cheaper.
Where I purchased them from I asked the fella what's the difference is and he said NONE.

My question is... If the construction details are the same on both branded tyres & both come out of the same factory as well - does that mean both will have the same quality?

 

[Kippie]

Firstly, please set aside that these are Chinese Tyres

I've been running some 235/85/16 Goodride Brand Tyres (model: SL369) for a few years on my old Defender just as daily/weekend tyre and I've been having a good run out of them for a 10ply Chinese tyre to date...

My old Disco-1 has come to the point where it needs new tyres and I purchased some 245/75/16 Westlake Tyres (model: SL369) and they are exactly the SAME TREAD pattern as the Goodride brand tyres, same construction as well but the PRICE was a fair bit cheaper.
Where I purchased them from I asked the fella what's the difference is and he said NONE.

My question is... If the construction details are the same on both branded tyres & both come out of the same factory as well - does that mean both will have the same quality?

Construction is one thing that's easily copied, but the rubber compound is more difficult unless one gets hold of the recepy. Issues like wear, delamination, heat dissipation etc requires much R&D. So, I don't believe that cheaper tyres are necessarily as good as expensive ones.

In my opinion, the total contact area between the vehicle and the road is probably equal to four pieces of A4 paper. I want that contact area to be the best there is and don't base my purchase on price.

 

[rob_macca67]

Construction is one thing that's easily copied, but the rubber compound is more difficult unless one gets hold of the recepy. Issues like wear, delamination, heat dissipation etc requires much R&D. So, I don't believe that cheaper tyres are necessarily as good as expensive ones.

In my opinion, the total contact area between the vehicle and the road is probably equal to four pieces of A4 paper. I want that contact area to be the best there is and don't base my purchase on price.

Agreed but I can also see a benefit for some cheaper tyres (within reason)

 

[Kippie]

Agreed but I can also see a benefit for some cheaper tyres (within reason)

True, I would think that much depends on what you use your vehicle for. For example, if it's farm work, then I'd be happy with cheap ones. If it's remote travelling, then I'd have strength and wear resistance as the main criteria. If it's highway driving it's road handling. Horses for courses and you get what you pay for. I don't think there's an easy answer.

The Goodride brand is used on a number of imported caravans and trailers. Perhaps the caravaners forum have more info on them.

 

[Triton14]

Are they using the same compound though?
Are they made in the same factory??

If it is actually the same then why wouldn't you buy the cheaper tyre!

Lots of companies bring out very similar products out of the same factories at very different price points.

While they might be similar they aren't necessarily near the same quality.

 

[Albynsw]

Price doesn’t necessarily equate to quality but usually a brand name relates to a known standard of quality
I think you would have to try and see or rely on a review to know what you are getting with a no name product
There was a time when Hsnkook was a no name new kid on the block and everyone in motorsports rubbished them because they were not a big brand name

Hope they work out for you

 

[rob_macca67]

Price doesn’t necessarily equate to quality but usually a brand name relates to a known standard of quality
I think you would have to try and see or rely on a review to know what you are getting with a no name product
There was a time when Hsnkook was a no name new kid on the block and everyone in motorsports rubbished them because they were not a big brand name

Hope they work out for you

Cheers for that...

I've been running the Goodride's on my old Defender for a couple of years now and to my surprise, they have been pretty good in all aspects (being an A/T - they won't be good in Mud, but that's something that I try to avoid). The Old Landy is a bit of a tractor but still drives well and the tyres have never given me any grief on or off-road...
My old Disco-1 doesn't get driven too often and when it is driven, it's usually only locally and the local state forests, so I'm thinking these Westlake tyres should be just as good..'

 

[Bomber2012]

I posted recently about a couple that spent a small fortune on an Iveco 4x4 truck to live out of , bought all the good gear to fit the truck out with but bought Chinese tyres . It all ended in tears not long after they left .
In my opinion it’s a roll of the dice with cheap tyres , they may do you well but could also leave you stranded .
Come in spinner .

 

[mikehzz]

If it means anything, I stopped at a tyre shop in Marree looking for a spare and I asked the guy what brand lasts well and he said Westlake. He didn't have any left so he wasn't trying to flog me some. I'd never heard of them, nor have I ever used them, but that's what he said.

 

[rob_macca67]

I posted recently about a couple that spent a small fortune on an Iveco 4x4 truck to live out of , bought all the good gear to fit the truck out with but bought Chinese tyres . It all ended in tears not long after they left .
In my opinion it’s a roll of the dice with cheap tyres , they may do you well but could also leave you stranded .
Come in spinner .

Yes agree.. not sure why u would that sort of $$ in setup and then fit cheap tyres.... my situation is a little bit different

 

[rob_macca67]

If it means anything, I stopped at a tyre shop in Marree looking for a spare and I asked the guy what brand lasts well and he said Westlake. He didn't have any left so he wasn't trying to flog me some. I'd never heard of them, nor have I ever used them, but that's what he said.

Yes, I too haven't heard of them until yesterday... They seem fairly well built as in the sidewall thickness, etc but only time will tell how they go...

 

[cam04]

Westlake, good ride, same company just multi level marketing. You’d bet they are identical except for the stamping. I got a set of good ride MT’s on the camper in 2016. They are going amazingly well.
They are a global company so I’d buy with confidence. Most of the ‘name’ brand tyres come out of the same part of the world anyway.
I had a set of Hercules terra trac MT’s a long time ago and they went fine also.
More than half the cost of name brand tyres is marketing $$. This is well known. Yes there are also totally crap tyres from China as well. The main thing is that they have the mandated AS compliance numbers stamped on them meaning they were manufactured for our market.

 

[Colly18]

Hercules tyres are US made and being tied to us exchange rates cost a heap. If you can get them they are a good thing. I ran them on a Discovery One for years at the advice of the local tyre dealer. He continually dealt with outback mining vehicles and rated them the best in terms of puncture resistance and wear.
I happily buy non leading brand tyres if my research indicates good consumer reviews.

 

[cam04]

Hercules tyres are US made and being tied to us exchange rates cost a heap. If you can get them they are a good thing. I ran them on a Discovery One for years at the advice of the local tyre dealer. He continually dealt with outback mining vehicles and rated them the best in terms of puncture resistance and wear.
I happily buy non leading brand tyres if my research indicates good consumer reviews.

Like Cooper and a number of other brands, Hercules makes some tyres (tires) in the good old USA and outsources a heap to Chinese manufacture. The MT’s I had in 2008/9 were most certainly Chinese.

 

[Toyasaurus]

I have found if you buy BFG`s that are made in the US they tend to last very well.
But the BFG`s that come out of Asia don`t last long at all.

I got over 110k out of my BFG mud`s.

 

[FranksnBeans]

I have found if you buy BFG`s that are made in the US they tend to last very well.
But the BFG`s that come out of Asia don`t last long at all.

I got over 110k out of my BFG mud`s.

I heard the same thing regarding BFG's made in the USA and specifically sought out a set of KM3's from across the pond when I bought my last set.

Just be aware that in doing so you won't get the usual warranty from BFG, and if something does go wrong you'll have to deal directly with the tyre shop who sold them to you. Which is not much good when you're a long way from home.

I will say though that after 25,000 kms, some of them pretty rough, they are wearing very well. No chips or cracks, all the lugs are in excellent condition and I have zero complaints with their offroad performance.

 

[LongRoad2Go]

My question is... If the construction details are the same on both branded tyres & both come out of the same factory as well - does that mean both will have the same quality?

I'd be looking to see if they meet an accepted Standards system e.g. UTQGS, ISO, etc.

Then, if they do have it embossed on the tyre, how likely is it the truth - China operates in the 'Wild West' (East?) and are generally not accountable.

Suppose the other thing is - if I owned a +$80K vehicle, is it sensible to cut costs on a basic safety component like tyres? That's a personal call.

 

[rob_macca67]

I'd be looking to see if they meet an accepted Standards system e.g. UTQGS, ISO, etc.

Then, if they do have it embossed on the tyre, how likely is it the truth - China operates in the 'Wild West' (East?) and are generally not accountable.

Suppose the other thing is - if I owned a +$80K vehicle, is it sensible to cut costs on a basic safety component like tyres? That's a personal call.

Agree if the vehicle is an expensive vehicle... but I'm not talking about an expensive vehicle, only one that is worth a few thousand (or more if I add CV19 Tax).... It comes down to the use of the car and the way I see it - there needs to be a bit of a balance in your thinking

 

[rob_macca67]

I'd be looking to see if they meet an accepted Standards system e.g. UTQGS, ISO, etc.

Then, if they do have it embossed on the tyre, how likely is it the truth - China operates in the 'Wild West' (East?) and are generally not accountable.

Suppose the other thing is - if I owned a +$80K vehicle, is it sensible to cut costs on a basic safety component like tyres? That's a personal call.

Agree if the vehicle is an expensive vehicle... but I'm not talking about an expensive vehicle, only one that is worth a few thousand (or a lot more if I add CV19 Tax ).... It comes down to the use of the car and the way I see it - there needs to be a bit of a balance

 

[Colly18]

Agree if the vehicle is an expensive vehicle... ............. It comes down to the use of the car and the way I see it - there needs to be a bit of a balance

I don't even agree if it is an expensive vehicle. Reasons being I don't have blind faith that spending more dollars will necessarily get you a better product; I don't think spending less than 'top dollar' on tyres means you are compromising safety; and I don't agree with implications that all that comes out of China is crap and that Chinese companies are any less ethical or accountable than companies from other nations.
If your dollars were 'hard earned', don't waste them. Just do your research and go with what suits your needs.
I knew someone who got over 80K km out of a set of Goodride on his 4WD (curb/empty weight around 1,900 Kg) and he thought they had more left in them. From what I know they seem to have a pretty good reputation for a budget tyre.