Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Wheels & Tires What do you guys have against Goodyear?

Interesting...these tire companies are all linked one way or another...Quotes from tire news:

It would also give Goodyear a higher profile in Europe, where Sumitomo owns Dunlop and markets under the famous brand name.

But what is real interesting:

Goodyear has announced it is taking a 10% stake in Sumitomo Rubber Industries.

And even more interesting:

The two companies are already working closely together. Sumitomo produces tyres under the Goodyear brand name in Japan while Goodyear makes tyres for Sumitomo's operations in the United States.

So who the heck knows where it comes from.

Origins are weird...When I bought my replacement SVT rim for my E1, sure enough it has the Ford packaging, number etc..but has a "Made in China" in small letters....So much for buying American..heheh

I think its so cool that my moms BMW says "Made in Germany" everywhere, and I replaced the bulb in my clock on my Mystique, and I look at it, and it says "made in Germany" on the clock Im easily amused...oh well :p

Isn't BFGoodrich owned by Michelin?

Yes, according to this link, that happened in 1990

http://www.michelin.com/corporate/en/histoire/histoire1981.jsp

TB

Michelin also owns Uniroyal. Uniroyal and BF Goodrich merged long before Michelin bought them.

Also General is owned by Continental.

The big domestic tire makers used to be Firestone (now owned by Bridgestone), BF Goodrich (now owned by Michelin), Uniroyal (now owned by Michelin), General (now owned by Continental) and Goodyear.

I've lost track of some of the lesser know American brands but here are some of them: Armstrong (now owned by Pirelli), Kelley Springfield (always or for more years than I can remember, owned by Goodyear), Dayton (owned by Firestone), Cooper, and Fisk. At the moment I can't remember the name of the company that makes Futura (Pep Boys house brand).

I had two sets of Cooper tires in the past (not on my Mystique though) and I hated both of them.

Incredible grip on dry pavement, very good in the rain the first year. The next summer, whenever I turned 90-degrees in the rain in city driving,(not at WOT, mind you) I experienced 4-wheel drift - not what I want during commuting to work...

Never *ever* Cooper tires again...

I should clarify my position.
I am not against foreign made stuff, just pro-American made. Yes, the lines are getting more blurred, but I think part of that is the consumer's fault. Goodyear apparently owns Dunlop, but most Godyears are American made while most Dunlops are Japanese made.
All I seem to read here is Kumho, Nitto, Sumitomo, Yokohama, etc.! I would rather trust my life riding on Goodyears rather than tires from these smaller and probably less technologically advanced companies. Many of you guys seem to be buying the Kumhos, etc., based on price rather than long term value and quality.
Michelin does make a very fine tire, and I would consider purchasing that brand.
However, I guess, my point is that we should be more concerned about patronizing our own industries rather than the foriegn competition. We are getting bombarded with foreign made products, but our American made products are essentially banned from sale in countries like Japan.

DanB,

There will always be people who buy based solely on price.

However, looking at the 24 tires I have at my house right now (yes three cars, two sets each), I have 20 Japanese made tires and 4 made in USA. The Michelins were made in the USA, the 8 Firestone Firehawk SZ 50 EP's were made in Japan, as were the 12 Dunlop SP5000's.

The sad part is, why aren't the best passenger car tires in the world (as far as performance goes) made in the USA.

Yes, some have made their choice based on price. Others have chosen the best of class, and it is not a Goodyear.

I look at the ratings at tirerack with respect to handling and performance, and I've yet to see a Goodyear listed as #1.

TB

yeah, I made the mistake of buying Cooper tires once on my escort. Big mistake! Those were horrible. On my SVT I have been through 2 sets of tires and they've both been Sumitomo HTRZ II's and I love them. When I find an American tire that performs as well as these I'll consider them, til then I guess I'll stick with my 'jap crap.' :rolleyes:

-neal

Java - you based your opinions on Tire Rack propaganda? Their intent is to push the tires they get the most profit and sales incentives. Its no surprise to me who is picked as best!
Also, why do many of the world's supercars, like the Corvette come with Goodyears?