Top 9 Worst Tire Brands To AVOID Purchasing In 2024

The quality of your vehicle tires plays an important role in your safety on the road, as well as directly affecting handling, braking performance, and ride comfort. While there are many criteria for choosing a good set of tires, you can save time on doing your research by steering clear of the worst tire brands to avoid. 

Read on to find out the notorious tire manufacturers known for their deadly tires, and know better than to risk your life just to save some money. 

Worst Tire Brands To Avoid At All Costs

Chinese Tire Manufacturers

Chaoyang

• A major Chinese rubber company that makes a variety of products, but their automotive tires are disappointing
• Wears out unevenly and quickly
• Countless reports that the tires burst at an extreme heat
• Too soft and not durable, gets punctured too easily

AKS Tires

• Notorious for a short lifespan
• Easy deterioration and failure which can lead to serious accidents
• The very poor grip on both dry and wet roads.

Geostar

• The poor grip on both dry and wet roads
• Poor steering responsiveness 
• Poor driving comfort

Autogreen

• The poor grip on dry road
• Poor ride comfort, noticeable vibrations at highway speeds
• Very short lifespan, 10,000 miles at most
• Uneven tread wear, which further reduces its short lifespan.

>> Read more: How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires & Rotation Patterns?

Non-Chinese Tire Manufacturers

Firestone Destination Tires (US)

• Used to make some decent automotive tires, but now their tires are all made in China, using low-quality materials and cutting down on testing and quality control to reduce manufacturing costs.
• Tires are too soft and not made from durable materials, so they get punctured easily and road bumps can cause them to bend quickly. 
• Susceptible to burst at high temperatures.

Carlisle Tires (US)

• A US brand but more products are now manufactured in China. Quality has been deteriorating due to excessive cost reduction.
• Tires wear out quickly and unevenly
• Can burst in extreme heat or widely fluctuating temperatures. 

Falken Ziex Tires (Japan)

• Used to make some decent tires in the affordable price range, but has sacrificed quality for cost-cutting. 
• Tires have low traction in both dry and wet road
• Terrible performance on wet roads.

Goodyear (US): G159 model only

• Goodyear is a prestigious tire brand, but back in 2003, their defective G159 model was associated with several accidents and had to cease production.
• Be aware that some of these tires are still sold for dirt cheap prices.

General Tires (US): Low-end models only

• A prestigious tire brand, but has made a few low-end tires that are a poor attempt at replicating some highly rated ones at a low price 
• Using inferior quality material at some models 
• Customer’s note: Stay away from those that are significantly cheaper than the average General Tires price range.

As you can see, these tire brands to avoid we have listed above are all Chinese tire brands. And there are some reasons behind this list.

First of all, the products of these tire companies lack basic safety measures and quality control. They typically have weaker sidewalls, which means premature replacement due to sidewall damage.

They also have a shorter lifespan, which means you will have to replace them more often. And you’re not saving any money by going for a cheaper tire, on top of risking your life on the road due to tire failures. 

In reality, well-known-but-bad tire brands like them are reported to produce tires with subpar grip, which means longer braking distance. In an emergency, this issue of bad tires can be the difference between life and death. 

Even worse, there have been countless complaints that their tires even lacked gum strips, a must-have component to keep the steering attached to the tired framework. Moreover, they do not have oversight, nor the marketing foresight to design products that meet international safety standards. 

While major manufacturers have every tire tested before leaving the factory and the results of the tests are publicly documented, many manufacturers want to cut costs by using substandard materials and not testing their tires in-house.

You should know that these “somewhat” worst tires to buy have frequently appeared on lists of unsafe tires after being tested by industry experts and tire technicians. 

In addition, tire companies of bad reputation are the subject of various defective product lawsuits, filed by customers who allege that, having bought the tires, they are too dangerous to use and have resulted in individual injury and wrongful death.

Many brands, including the 9 brands mentioned above, have either been the subject of investigations and recalls. Therefore, not only car owners but also tire technicians and automotive professionals evaluate these companies as the worst tire brands.

In the end, surely there are many reliable and high-quality made-in-China tires or US ones available out there, but you should steer clear from these brands above since there are plenty of good options for you to choose from. 

If you are looking for exceptional performance and longevity tires with great value for money, take a look at quality manufacturers such as Cooper Tires, Goodyear, BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Firestone, Kumho, Michelin, Toyo, Sumitomo, Uniroyal, and Yokohama. 

These companies offer high-quality tires at reasonable prices that will be of good service to you for many years to come.

Factors That Affect The Tire Performance That You Should Opt For

After scrolling through the worst tire brands to avoid line-up with their drawbacks, let’s back up yourself with some tire performance that you should opt for to find an ideal tire for your every drive.

There are things drivers shoulưd know and understand about tire performance to tell the good ones between the bad, making the purchase process easier than ever. Here are the factors contributing to a good tire, no matter what brand you are aiming for.

• The gripping ability to behave in wet and dry conditions: learn the wet performance of the tire and how it tackles the water.
• The brake distance: Without ABS, a good tire will brake quickly. A defective one will trigger the ABS considerably more frequently, making you feel uncomfortable.
• The mud vs snow performance: notice the M+S sign on the tire sidewall (vital for winter tires)
• The wear and tear speed: notice and beware of brands selling too-soft tires for cars.

Check out this video from The Engineers Post to understand how different types of tire can affect your driving performance.

These are the most effective ways to learn the worst brands to avoid from the quality ones. However, not all tires are equally constructed. Some may perform very well at this aspect, but poor at another. 

That’s why you have to dig deeper into each factor by reading or grasping reviews and learn to differentiate them by experiences and learning.

FAQs on Tire Brands

1. How much do tire brands matter?

When it comes to buying tires, brand name isn’t the most essential consideration, but it’s close. While generalizations are impossible given the large range of tires offered from each manufacturer, the truth is that the more you pay on a tire, the better it’s likely to perform.

2. Does tire quality matter?

Your automobile can have the greatest tire brand in the world, but if they are not utilized for what they were designed for, their quality is meaningless. Overall, a high-quality tire has the following characteristics: It improves your driving safety by making the ride more stable.

3. Is it bad to have different brand tires?

Specifically, you should avoid combining various tire manufacturers and tread patterns. Although there are a few exceptions for permitted mixed-tire fits, manufacturers do not suggest tire mixing in general.

4. Which tires are more important to change?

The rear tires offer stability to the vehicle, and if they have insufficient tread, stability is lost. According to experts, although fresh front tires will disperse water and preserve grip, old rear tires may hydroplane and may cause the car to spin out.

Conclusion

When it comes to the worst tire brands to avoid, you should be conscious to avoid the above-mentioned ones we have listed before. No matter what kind of brand you choose, no matter if it is a typical or luxury one, being able to identify the good and the bad is also important.

Hope you will get the best tire for your car and your everyday driving comfort. For more car maintenance tips and buying guides, follow Car From Japan today!