Michelins have a lot of good qualities. Wet traction has never been one of them.

 

Well if you want to buy a tire built by an American ownws company you only have the choice of Goodyear and Cooper. Even then they built their tires around the world.

BFG is French, Firestone is Japan, General is German. At least the money comes home vs the South Carollina built Michelin tires. Don't be fooled to think they are bring the majority of the money spent back here.

Here in town Goodyear is the only one who has done anything for the City of Akron. The rest bailed once the non American companies swallowed them up. THey have only some token facilities here.

At least Goodyear is building a new headquarters next to the tech center and Race tire factory here in town.

 

OE tires are normally crap as they have to meet the standards of the tire company which are quiet and cheap. Cheap is the key point.

Also they hace to meet the drive by noise standards of the goverment.

Goodyear has been getting out of the OE market because one there is little to no money in it as MFG want the cheapest tires they can get. So when a tire company finally comes up with a tire that they will use it is not the best tire and hurts their rep. Goodyear has always had better Eagles that were never OE but the only ones you would get from the factory is the cheaper version.

I had a friend who did the OE tire accounts for Firestone in Detroit and he taught me a lot of what was going on. It is not a good deal.

THis is why we are seeing tires like Hankook on GM cars today. They are making them over seas and cheap so GM will buy them.

Goodyear make many of their tires neat the market they sell the most of them in. and import or export them where they are needed. Goodyear exports many tires from plants in OK and TN as well VI and other plants.

 

Anyone tried the Cooper Zeon?

http://www.coopertires.com/html/prod...&artw=45&rd=18