Hercules Tires Anyone?

[MisterVTRH]

On my work car, it came with OEM Firestones... didn't like them at all. Got some BF Goodrich... one major blow out, and I wasn't impressed at all. After replacing the bent wheel.. thanks to the blow out... a local tire dealer had a great price on Hercules. The warranty looked fine, and they said they sell lots of them.

So far they've been the best tires for this car. They cost 125$ less for the set than the BF's did.. they lasted 10K more miles, and no failures. One pin-hole that I plugged. Overall, I think they were a great value. I'm considering them for my other cars too. Anyone else have experience with them?

 

[55Test]

My brother has a set of 4 Hercules winter tires on his 2005 Echo. They do a good job in the snow, plus he saved something like $130 compared to the cost of 4 comparable name-brand tires. He's quite satisfied with them.

 

[volvos_rock]

I have been a consumer of "bargain" tires for a long time. On all my trucks and SUVs I use to run off brand Kelly Springfields the TrailCutter APs until they stopped making them. They were the best. When I bought my 98 K1500 the dealer put on 4 Jetzons. Last year the dry rotted to the point of needing to be replaced and I wanted load range E, LT tires. Liked the look and design of the hercules, no one around here had em, so I ended up getting Definity tires from Pep Boys, for about half of what it would have cost for "name brand" tires. They all still have to meet certain criterea to be DOT approved.

 

[SLCraig]

I've had Hercules tires twice and have never had a problem.
I put a nice set of lower profiles on my Saturn sedan and they were excellent, even had good handling. I'd buy the brand again.

 

[sciphi]

Isn't Hercules a lower-price-point label of a major brand?

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
Isn't Hercules a lower-price-point label of a major brand?


Of course!
Which major brand is anyones guess. Could be Cooper Tire but, IDK!

 

[MisterVTRH]

The dealer I bought them from said Cooper made them too. Durability has been very good. Traction is good. Amazing, no.. value, indeed.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: MisterVTRH
The dealer I bought them from said Cooper made them too. Durability has been very good. Traction is good. Amazing, no.. value, indeed.



Yep, Cooper makes them too...and they seem to do quite well too..

 

[Shannow]

I'd rather the populace had cheap good tyres than expensive worn out tyres.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Isn't Hercules a lower-price-point label of a major brand?


Of course!
Which major brand is anyones guess. Could be Cooper Tire but, IDK!


The DOT code stamped into the sidewall should cut that guesswork down considerably.

 

[Ken2]

Hercules is a tire wholesaler. As said above, the DOT code will tell who makes each line of the tires Hercules wholesales. Cooper is a major private label tire maker in the U.S., along with Goodyear and Michelin.

"The Hercules Tire story has evolved for over half a century. Beginning as a fledgling company born of the entrepreneurial spirit in the 1950s, Hercules Tire & Rubber Company has become the industry leader in marketing today’s private label tires and is driven to meet the needs of the global replacement tire market. Today more than ever, we are committed to building on our excellent reputation. And speaking of building, our growth is really taking off. Now, with nearly 2 million square feet of warehouse space throughout the globe, our strength is evident. From our sought-after Hercules and Merit brands to tires from today's hottest manufacturers, our scope of products and depth of sizes is unparalleled. Complimenting our global logistics and breadth of products is our second-to-none customer service. With associates in over 92 countries, Hercules Tire & Rubber is dedicated to serving today's tire dealers."
http://www.herculestire.com/aboutHercules.asp

Hercules and Cooper are both headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. Hercules is not one of Cooper's "Associate brands," which are Dean, Mastercraft, Starfire, & Avon.

 

[Rand]

hercules is kinda wierd they have a very strict distributor/seller list.

but the tires are decent.. just dont pay name brand prices for them.. they should be significantly cheaper.