Sailun: Terramax CVR any experience

[rjundi]

The local tire place suggested these as a decent economical choice for tire for my 110k 07 MDX. The current Michelin Lattitude HP I am indifferent about are worn (hydroplaning and 32" tread).

The Sailun Terramax CVR came up as least expensive tire but they have had good luck with it. It is $640 installed for 4 vs $1340 for Michelin's.

Anyone with any experience with these tires. Very reviews exist out there. They happen to be made in China.

 

[2oldtommy]

That is a very high price for China made tires IMO. What size tires are on the MDX?

Oldtommy

 

[JHZR2]

My first reaction - Not sure why one would buy a "premium" vehicle and then put unknown, no-name tires on it... You bought a giant vehicle which held liabilities including $200 tires. That's the bed you made.

But we can dig since its the weekend...

http://www.sailuntires.ca/PLT/CVR.html

The good, FWIW:

"In Sep.，2007，Sailun TBR tire was appaised as 'China Top Brand'."
http://www.sailuntyre.com/en/about_3.aspx

They seem to be UTQG AA so that's good.

Personally Id not let my wife and child out on a set of no-name tires with limited knowledge, "top brand" or not, DOT approved or not. Amortized over the miles and years, the cost even of a $1300 set isnt all that high. I'm always concerned with lifecycle cost so would try to never be caught with such obnoxious priced tires on a pedestrian vehicle, but its the unfortunate reality of how they set up vehicles these days.

My take on it is that youll be a guinea pig if you get them. Id be real careful with tire age and make sure that the set is new if you get it. Beyond that, they should be round, and if they dont deconstruct, hopefully theyll do well. If they are horrible at 30k, I suppose they would be throw-away like most Chinese stuff, so just replace 'em.

 

[Brybo86]

Michelins are being made in mexico now....

I just bought a set of Continental PureContacts... "Made in USA"

 

[Jarlaxle]

Michelins have been make in Mexico, Spain, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Africa for a very long time!

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Michelins have been make in Mexico, Spain, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Africa for a very long time!


Depends upon the size/model.

Defenders in 195/70-14 are made in the third world. The nicer tires like the Pilot A/S and the primacy mxm4 tires we will buy soon are all first world made. When you look at the pricing structure, there is no discount for the third world made tires, though labor makes up 30% of a tire's cost.

 

[rjundi]

It sounds promising that the tire is certified at least in China my bits of research shows massive sales around the world.

As far a premium car, it was a used car that cost $17k with 70k miles at four years old. A killer dealer(wholesale) from a friend of friend. We require a AWD vehicle with 7 passenger abilities which leaves very few.

I cannot see how the OEM tires are worth $700 over the "low cost" one. That is a massive range in price from lowest to highest.

If the tires were unsafe I think they would have been pulled off the market so no buying that one.

 

[JHZR2]

Not saying they are "unsafe" per se. Id imagine that a UTQG of AA means something... And that some level of DOT approval is required for them to be sold and used on the roads.

But the reviews Ive seen (Canadian) seem seeded, and there is no track record, which is my concern.

How good is the rubber? Metals used in the belts? lay-up in production? Consistency? Balancability? Oxidation resistance?

My wife had a cheap set of chinese tires when I first knew her. They dryrotted and two of the four failed at the exact same time. They had less than four years on them.

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
The local tire place suggested these as a decent economical choice for tire for my 110k 07 MDX. The current Michelin Lattitude HP I am indifferent about are worn (hydroplaning and 32" tread).

The Sailun Terramax CVR came up as least expensive tire but they have had good luck with it. It is $640 installed for 4 vs $1340 for Michelin's.

Anyone with any experience with these tires. Very reviews exist out there. They happen to be made in China.


If it's any consolation, our good friends(at my recomendation) are using Michelin LTX M/s 2's on their '07 Honda Pilot(similar to the MDX) here in W. NY State(along the Great Lakes-Erie/Ontario) and absolutly love them. They bought them online at either TR or DTD and did a local install all for about $800. Your MDX tires being a bit larger & probably costing more than the Pilot's 235-70-16. But, it won't be $1300

I think that the LTX M/S 2's are about the best tire for these vehicles without any(or very little loss in MPG) and handle all weather conditions

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Originally Posted By: rjundi
The local tire place suggested these as a decent economical choice for tire for my 110k 07 MDX. The current Michelin Lattitude HP I am indifferent about are worn (hydroplaning and 32" tread).

The Sailun Terramax CVR came up as least expensive tire but they have had good luck with it. It is $640 installed for 4 vs $1340 for Michelin's.

Anyone with any experience with these tires. Very reviews exist out there. They happen to be made in China.


If it's any consolation, our good friends(at my recomendation) are using Michelin LTX M/s 2's on their '07 Honda Pilot(similar to the MDX) here in W. NY State(along the Great Lakes-Erie/Ontario) and absolutly love them. They bought them online at either TR or DTD and did a local install all for about $800. Your MDX tires being a bit larger & probably costing more than the Pilot's 235-70-16. But, it won't be $1300

I think that the LTX M/S 2's are about the best tire for these vehicles without any(or very little loss in MPG) and handle all weather conditions


EDIT:
I'm sorry! These Michelin don't even come in your size

 

[mrsilv04]

If something that would be considered a 'lower-end' domestic is out of the question (such as a Firestone, Cooper, or Dunlop), I'd prefer something South Korean such as a Kumho, Hankook or Nexen.... over anything Chinese.

There are a lot of options out there, before going to a Sailun.


Dunlop SP Sport Signature 460 AA. $149 each - $40 instant rebate at Discount Tire Direct. (Free shipping)

Cooper Discoverer H/T Plus, 460AB. $132 each - $60 rebate on 4 at DTD. (Free shipping)

 

[SubLGT]

...................."Mielko said that Sailun is not a “typical” Chinese tire company. The brand’s “North American engineering team” – primarily with Dynamic Tire – develops tire designs and desired performance parameters and then works with teams at Sailun in China to create and produce the final product. Every tire is tested for uniformity.

These are tires developed in North America for North American dealers and drivers, Sailun officials said.
The quality-trust-support is further paced by Sailun’s unique five-year workmanship warranty, he said. The way it chooses to do business, the products it offers and the support it provides, Mielko said, made it easy to arrive at Sailun’s new “With You Through Every Turn” tagline.

The takeaway at both the Canada and Florida events was the same: Don’t judge a tire based on its country of origin. “Many top shelf brands produce tires in China, and seem to go out of their way to hide that fact,” Mielko said. “Sailun is proud of its home country, its team and its products.”.........................

http://www.tirereview.com/Article/116914/sailun_message_products_showcased_in_event.aspx

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: SubLGT
...................."Mielko said that Sailun is not a “typical” Chinese tire company. The brand’s “North American engineering team” – primarily with Dynamic Tire – develops tire designs and desired performance parameters and then works with teams at Sailun in China to create and produce the final product. Every tire is tested for uniformity.

These are tires developed in North America for North American dealers and drivers, Sailun officials said.
The quality-trust-support is further paced by Sailun’s unique five-year workmanship warranty, he said. The way it chooses to do business, the products it offers and the support it provides, Mielko said, made it easy to arrive at Sailun’s new “With You Through Every Turn” tagline.

The takeaway at both the Canada and Florida events was the same: Don’t judge a tire based on its country of origin. “Many top shelf brands produce tires in China, and seem to go out of their way to hide that fact,” Mielko said. “Sailun is proud of its home country, its team and its products.”.........................

http://www.tirereview.com/Article/116914/sailun_message_products_showcased_in_event.aspx


So, the distributor for Sailun is TBC. Well, I've had some really unfortunate experiences with some of the tires that TBC has distributed in the past. They don't really have a stellar track record as far as I'm concerned. 'Sigma' was one of their lines that I had problems with.

Sailun is new, and talk is cheap. I'd still rather take my chances with a 'lower end' domestic tire, or a company like Kumho... who has been selling tires in the US for decades now.

Being the guinea pig when it comes to tires is not comforting to me.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Not saying they are "unsafe" per se. Id imagine that a UTQG of AA means something... And that some level of DOT approval is required for them to be sold and used on the roads.

But the reviews Ive seen (Canadian) seem seeded, and there is no track record, which is my concern.

How good is the rubber? Metals used in the belts? lay-up in production? Consistency? Balancability? Oxidation resistance?

My wife had a cheap set of chinese tires when I first knew her. They dryrotted and two of the four failed at the exact same time. They had less than four years on them.


Dry-rotted to the point of failure? Sounds like the Michelins two guys I work with had!

 

[Jarlaxle]

Sailun isn't new...they have been around at least ten years! I have seen their Terramax truck tires for quite a while.

 

[rjundi]

I forgot to mention in my OP.

Two things led me to these tires:

1) My neighbor who drives a 2000 ML320 with rust spots just got them as I noticed them at a stop. He is not poor by any stretch of the imagination(sold his software company for $30M to Siemens) He lets his 16 years old drive the ML320/sailuns when not using their CRV.

2) The installed price locally is a special but 3 get 1 one free for a total of $640. If they are really [censored] the shop will pull them off with a good credit to another set likely.

 

[rjundi]

I decided to pass on Sailun's.

I called another place(abliet 45mins away) with cheap Nokian prices and found:

Nokian WR G2 SUV installed for $860(255 55 18 size)

I absolutely loved these tires on my wife's Subaru Legacy and these will give superior winter traction over the $300+ Michelin Latitude HP's which were simply okay in tougher winter conditions.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
I decided to pass on Sailun's.


I applaud that. Too many good choices in this size to buy an unknown.

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Nokian WR G2 SUV installed for $860(255 55 18 size)


Those are good tires. You already know this based on past experience. This means a lot (or at least it does to me), and is certainly worth the price difference over an unknown.

Another one to keep an eye on if the Nokians fall through is the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2. Tire Rack has them for $177 each plus shipping. I imagine you should be able to find these cheaper locally.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Michelins have been make in Mexico, Spain, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Africa for a very long time!


Depends upon the size/model.

Defenders in 195/70-14 are made in the third world. The nicer tires like the Pilot A/S and the primacy mxm4 tires we will buy soon are all first world made. When you look at the pricing structure, there is no discount for the third world made tires, though labor makes up 30% of a tire's cost.

My Primacy MXV4s are made in Ardmore, OK. My parent's Defenders are made in Mexico. However, QC plays a BIG role here. I'd trust a Mexican made Michelin, but I wouldn't put a Chinese tire on less it was made in a JV plant or is a reputable manufacturer - Toyo, Hankook and Kumho make tires in China, supposedly Doublecoin had Goodyear lend them a hand.

 

[The Critic]

I think there's a better compromise solution.

The Bridgestone Dueler HL422 Ecopia should save a bit of fuel over the chinese tires, which can add up quite quickly. The reviews are also quite decent.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?...mp;autoModClar=

$186/tire with a $70 rebate right now...which is only a few bucks more than the Chinesium tires that you were considering earlier.