Trying to buy a set of American Made tires, any gurus out there?

[Motown_Johnny]

I went to three major chains today and told each salesperson who helped me that I wanted American made tires and got quotes from each store. Now that I am researching these tires online it seems that none of them are American made, although the information is not easily obtained.


The three I am looking at right now are:

Falken Sincera Touring SN211 (80,000 mile warranty / least expensive)

Firestone Affinity Touring (70,000 mile warranty / most expensive)

Futura 2000 LTE (60,000 mile warranty / mid priced)



No I do not have any preference for tires that start with the letter "F". The quotes are all within about $30.00 of each other so I would be willing to purchase any of these if they are actually made here. If I need to keep looking then I will keep looking but it sure would be nice to be done now.




Thanks in advance for any help. Thoughts about an "American Made" Forum here? I hear it is all the rage.



P.S. I also went to a couple corner store tire shops and they were nowhere near the price or selection of the major chains.

[Massacure]

1. I'm no guru, nor do I know what tires are made in the U.S. but

But the Falken Sinceras have the longest warranty and lowest cost. That would be a no brainer for me, that company is putting its money where its mouth is.

Regardless, if you have a set of the tires in front of you when you go shopping, you'll find this link handy:

http://www.harriger.com/tires.htm

You can match up the D.O.T. code on the tire to the data on this site to know where the tire was manufactured.

[Motown_Johnny]

3. Most are not on display

I did find a similar list, but not as extensive as the one you posted


http://www.americanmadetires.com/where-tires-are-made.html






I really don't want to buy some tire made in China just because the government there subsidizes imports here, it seems self defeating.


My 4th choice is the Goodyear Integrity but it is only a 50,000 mile tire and is more expensive than all the others. I am pretty sure it is made in America though.


What would be really nice is if I could look into union factories, but that seems like a pipe dream at this point.

[bullwinkle428]

7. Re: union plant, see my post #5.

[Motown_Johnny]

10. that may be the way to go, my last car had Yokohamas

and they never gave me any problems

[happyslug]

2. Here is a list of Made in USA Tire Plants

Here is one site that states Good Year is the only tire made in the USA, I suspect the reference is to an American Company making tires in the USA, other tire makers still make tires in the USA, but many are foreign Owned:
http://www.usstuff.com/cartires.htm

"Major players in the tire industry that are headquartered outside of the United States include Michelin, Continental, Yokohama and Bridgestone, but each of these companies also manufactures tires within American borders. Many of these U.S. soil tire plants were acquired as part of brand buyouts, such as Michelin’s purchase of Uniroyal-Goodrich and Bridgestone’s acquisition of Firestone. Even Yokohama has a plant in Virginia, giving an American dimension to its primarily Japanese operations.

The question is, which tires are made in the USA?

Homegrown tire makers Goodyear and Cooper are still operating extensive factories in the United States. These two conglomerates also own a number of sub-brands that are marketed as independent, including Dunlop and Kelly Springfield.

http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2011/03/30/which-tires-made-in-usa/

The real key is the first two letters after the Word DOT:
http://americanmadetires.com/where-tires-are-made/

BE B.F. Goodrich (Michelin) Tuscaloosa,AL
BF B.F Goodrich (Michelin) Woodburn,IN
AN B.F. Goodrich (Michelin) Opelika,AL
VE/YE/YU/8B Bridgestone/Firestone (Bridgestone) Des Moines,IA
2M/3M Bridgestone/Firestone(Bridgestone) Bloomington,IL
D2/E3/W1/Y7 Bridgestone/Firestone(Bridgestone) Lavergne, TE
2C/4D//5D Bridgestone/Firestone(Bridgestone) Morrison, TE
UP Cooper Finlay,OH
UT Cooper Texarkana,AR
DY Denman, (Penslar Capital) Warren,OH
DA Dunlop (Goodyear) Buffalo N.Y.
JJ/MD/PU Goodyear Gadsden, AL
JN/MJ/PY Goodyear Topeka, KS
JE/MC/PT Goodyear Dansville, VA
JT/MK/TA Goodyear Union City , TN
JP/MP/PL Kelly-Springfield (Goodyear) Tyler, Texas
JF/MM/PJ Kelly-Springfield (Goodyear) Fayetteville, NC
CC Yokahama Tire Salem, VA

Thus you have to go with one of the above tire manufactures to get a Made in USA tire.

[Motown_Johnny]

6. I saw that link but was not certain if it was entirely accurate

it isn't much of a site and that list might easily be incomplete.

[GoCubsGo]

11. There is a Bridgestone plant here.

It's in Aiken County, SC. We also have a Michellin plant up in the Spartanburg area. The Bridgestone plant just broke ground on a new plant that will make truck tires. It's going to employ around 850 people.

[Stinky The Clown]

15. Not a single one made in Akron, OH.

Akron used to be to tires what Detroit was to cars and Pittsburgh was to steel.

[FarCenter]

16. NHTSA database of manufacturer codes

Add for Michelin:
4M Greenville, SC
B6 Spartanburg, SC
B7 Dothan, AL
B9 Lexingon, SC
M3 Greenville, SC

From http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/manufacture/ using search on Manufacturer "michelin", search in "tires", "new tires".

[madokie]

4. I just put continentals on our f150 and it says in bold letters made in usa

Well maybe not bold letters but they do say made in the usa.
The coopers on my wifes auto says made in usa. The firestones on my sons ranger say made in usa. All of these have been purchased this year.

[Motown_Johnny]

8. do you know exactly what the Firestones are? My vehicle is a ranger

[madokie]

14. Mybad, the firestones are actually Goodyears

No I don't know which Goodyears they are but the size are 31.5/10X15s best I remember. I know they have a real aggressive looking tread that are knee deep. His has the Edge package and its low geared so it handles the bigger tires well. On our '98 f150 short narrow bed regular cab with the 5.4 engine I run 265/75rX16s, and I get a consistent 15 mpg. same as I did with the factory original 235/75X16s. Even though I'm traveling 1/10 mile further with each mile I travel and I'm not figuring that in on the mileage either.

[mikeytherat]

22. Contis are great tires! I use them on all three vehicles.

mikey_the_rat

[bullwinkle428]

5. In today's "global corporate environment", the waters can get muddy in a hurry -

a few years back, I had a set of Yokohama tires on my car that were actually made in a union plant in Virginia!

Good tires, but the all-season capability wasn't the greatest. I had some traction issues in the snow...

[BanzaiBonnie]

9. We just got the Falken Sincera's

If my tire store guy recommends them, I trust him.

[AlinPA]

12. Cooper Tires are made in the US. (also have plants in GB, Mexico, China)

http://coopertire.com/About-Us/Facilities/Manufacturing-Facilities.aspx

[Ellipsis]

13. Cooper.

But I wouldn't compromise safety over loyalty.

Check out this independent website for the recommended tire specific to your vehicle.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/reviews/MenuServlet?search=surveyComments

[Motown_Johnny]

18. thanks, but I have no plans to compromise safety

which is why I am buying 4 tires before it starts to snow


The ones I have now are not that bad but I would rather get new ones before the weather turns bad



I am going with the suggested size for my vehicle, not even looking at the optional sizes or trying any crazy misfitting crap.


If you look at the 3 tires I listed in my OP you will see that they are all fairly nice tires. Not top of the line by any means but I am not going to spend more money than I have to. I still think any brand name 60,000+ mile warranty all season tire will last me a while and have enough tread to be pretty safe.

[Sancho]

17. Michelin makes tires in the US...

"Michelin manufactures tires in six states: Alabama, Indiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, North Carolina and South Carolina."

http://michelinman.com/sites/michelincom/about-us/who-we-are.page

[AnotherDreamWeaver]

19. I have a 2000 Ranger and need tires too...

I have been meaning to call around, but just been too busy. My Ranger takes P235/75R15 (Is that what yours takes?) If so I would be interested in what you decide on. (you can PM me.)
Thanks,
ADW

[HopeHoops]

20. Michelin - mostly US made, some from Canada - call and ask before going in for them.

Besides, they're fucking good tires.

[Brickbat]

21. Check this website.

http://www.unionplus.org/blog/deals-and-discounts/union-made-tires