Brands

Consumer Reports provides in-depth tire test ratings of more than 16 major brands of replacement tires sold nationally. Listed below are just some of the major tire companies and the brands they manufacturer.

Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Michelin are the top brands of tires sold in the world. Continental, Pirelli, Sumitomo, Yokohama, Hankook, Cooper, and Kumho finish out the top 10. Beyond that, Toyo, Maxxis, Nokian, and many others also sell tires in North America. Use these profiles to compare tires by brand.

Goodyear

Goodyear claims to be the best-selling tire-maker in North America and is one of the leading tire manufacturers in the world. In 2008, it ranked third behind Michelin and Bridgestone for global tire sales. Based in Akron, Ohio, Goodyear is a major supplier of original and replacement tires and sells tires for most applications. Founded in 1898, Goodyear owns the Dunlop and Kelly-Springfield brands of tires sold in the United States. Goodyear and Dunlop have often been top picks in our Ratings.

Bridgestone

Based in Tokyo, Bridgestone is one of the three largest tire manufacturers in the world. Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has its headquarters in Nashville, Tenn. The corporation manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone, Dayton, and Fuzion tires, among other associate brands. It supplies tires for most applications in the United States. Bridgestone and Firestone replacement tires often score well in our tests.

Michelin

A French company, Michelin has its North America headquarters in Greenville, S.C. As a global tire maker, it offers tires for nearly all applications. In North America, it owns the BFGoodrich and Uniroyal brands. Founded in 1891, Michelin first introduced the radial tire, and the company continues to be a pioneer in tire technologies. Michelin tires generally perform impressively in our all-weather tests and offer many models with low rolling resistance and long tread life.

Continental

Continental falls in a distant fourth place in North American and global sales, behind Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Michelin. Still, it offers a full complement of original and replacement tires. The Germany-based Continental Corporation is based in Germany and is a top automotive supplier of brake systems and various vehicle components, in addition to tires. The U.S. tire operations have headquarters in Lancaster County, S.C. The company sells the Continental and General tire brands. In the past, General has shined for light-truck tires in our testing.

Pirelli

Pirelli is based in Milan, Italy, and it has a U.S. manufacturing plant in Rome, Ga. Pirelli caters to the high-end market with tires commonly found on luxury and sports cars. It has a stronger presence in Europe than in the United States, and yet Pirelli offers a full line of replacement tire models to fit most cars and light trucks sold in North America. It is an original equipment supplier to the domestic car manufacturers on selected car models. The Pirelli Group business sectors also include real estate, broad-band solutions, and environmental technologies. In our testing, Pirelli tires often impress us with their dry and wet grip and handling.

Yokohama

Yokohama is a Japanese company with a global presence. Its North America headquarters are in southern California. Targeting performance enthusiasts, Yokohama tires place emphasis on handling and dry and wet grip. Its tires reflect this focus, our testing shows. Generally, we find that Yokohama tires are a good choice for consumers who live where winter driving is not a factor.

Cooper

One of the few independent tire manufacturers in the U.S. with origins going back to the early 20th Century, Cooper is among the world’s top-10 tire makers. Based in Findlay, Ohio, Cooper Tires offers a full array of tires, including the Avon, Mastercraft and Starfire brands. Cooper tires are most often sold by independent dealers, though they can be found online. In the past, Cooper has been a standout among light-truck tires.

Hankook

A Korean corporation, Hankook has its North American headquarters in Wayne, N.J., and a technical center in Akron, Ohio. Hankook is original equipment on several foreign and domestic auto nameplates. It also offers a complete line of replacement tires to fit most domestic cars and light trucks. Generally, Hankook tires we have tested offer good value for their well-rounded, all-weather performance.

Kumho

This Korean tire maker started in 1960, and today it is one of the top 10 tire manufacturers in the world. Kumho offers a full array of car and light truck tires. There tires are noted for excellent value and good all-weather performance, based on our tests.

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