Friday, September 12, 2025

Tiers 1, 2 and 3

 Tier 1 Tires are the top of line and have a stellar reputation.  They are also way more expensive and probably not worth the extra cost.  So avoid them unless you are rich or are convinced that you need the extra quality.

Continental

Michelin

Pirelli (This may be Tier 2, but I think it is Tier 1)

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Tier 2 Tires are brands that think they are Tier 1, and charge like it but they are a step behind.  So avoid them.  If you really want the quality, go with Tier 1.  If you are trying to save money, go with Tier 3.  So these are all overpriced for the quality (my subjective opinion).  Some of these really belong in Tier 1, and some belong in Tier 3.  But some are really excellent and just slightly more expensive than the Tier 3 tires.

BF Goodrich

Bridgestone  (Some people think this is Tier 1 but I personally disagree).

Carlisle/Carlstar

Continental sub-brands (Barum, Mabor, Matador, Semperit, Viking, Sportiva)

Cooper

Dunlop

Firestone (owned by Bridgestone)

General (Continental sub-brand)

Goodyear (This may be Tier 1)

Hankook

Kumho

Nitto

Nokian

Sailun (Hankook sub-brand)

Sumitomo (may be Tier 3)

Toyo

Uniroyal (Continental sub-brand)

Vogue (way overpriced, may be Tier 3)

Vredestein

Yokohama

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Tier 3 Tires are the sweet spot in my subjective opinion.  They are less expensive but are almost the same quality as the higher tiers.  In order to make this tier, they must have a warranty of at least 40,000 miles on their tires.  I would say to take a chance on these.  For the price you almost can't go wrong.

Armstrong

Arroyo

GT Radial

Falken

Goodyear Reliant (only at Walmart)

Hercules

Hoosier

Kelly

Kenda

Laufenn

Milestar

Nexen

Radar

Trelleborg

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I have probably misclassified some, and some of these are my subjective rankings.

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