Tires made in USA

[rockport]

Originally Posted by bear11

I am getting the Carlisle's from Americas /Discount tire. They recommended them over Maxxis.

That's what happened with me also. In fact they kind of talked down the Maxxis. Could it be that they stock the Carlisle tires ? You bet.

[caper]

just a ? ( why cant you run light truck tires on your TT and 5ers ) ?

The side walls of trailer tires are made to flex more. If you ever watched a trailer backing into a camping spot is makes you wonder how the tires are staying on the rim. Plus a LT tire is made for traction where as a TT tire is made to roll easier. Some larger 5ers do use LT tires but they are specially made for trailers.

[Flagstaffer06]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Not many rubber trees in the USA...

Very true, Herk! I never really thought of it from a commercial standpoint.

I guess my point is that it all comes down to the engineering and design of the tire but, all tires at some point either at the rubber stage, design stage, or manufacturing stage or all in some cases are overseas.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by John McClain

Let's not forget the EPA standards are much higher in the states and even very from state to state.
just a ? ( why cant you run light truck tires on your TT and 5ers ) ?

Search for "LT vs ST" in the green search box. Probably the 2nd most debated topic on the forum.

[f5moab]

Let's not forget that all tires contain synthetic rubber derived from oil.

[bear11]

Not the ST tires .which are for trailers.

[f5moab]

Well, we have quite a few sets of them and the ones I looked at are all stamped as made in the USA. And, from talking with a tire rep, all Hercules tires are made by Cooper. Cooper does have some overseas plants I believe, so it might depend on the size. But with other Cooper tires sold in the US, they are made in the US. True for all their brands such as Cepek, Pro Comp, Mickey Thompson.
If you have other info, liked to see it, then I'll confront their rep next time I see him.

[SaskCampers]

Originally Posted by Taylorgso

Off-shore is not automatically inferior. Rubber compounding is a known science, and the quality of tires can be affected by a lot of variables.

You may want to consider looking at Yokohama's Avid Ascend series. These tires are compounded using Orange oil, resulting in better grip, lower rolling resistance (increased fuel mileage), and longer wear. If these qualities appeal to you, it may be worth the slight extra cost. I think currently they're only available in 15/16/17 inch sizes.

Those are passenger car tires and are not even remotely acceptable for use on a trailer.

[mjones12]

Originally Posted by Taylorgso

Off-shore is not automatically inferior. Rubber compounding is a known science, and the quality of tires can be affected by a lot of variables.

You may want to consider looking at Yokohama's Avid Ascend series. These tires are compounded using Orange oil, resulting in better grip, lower rolling resistance (increased fuel mileage), and longer wear. If these qualities appeal to you, it may be worth the slight extra cost. I think currently they're only available in 15/16/17 inch sizes.

The 15-inch Yokohama Avid Ascend came from the factory on my Prius. No complaints so far about them. Also, I heard a few years ago that Kumho was going to build a plant in Georgia, but I don't know if that ever happened or not.

[f5moab]

I had a set of Yokohama Off Road tires on my 2003 Jeep and they were great. A friend in town owns a Jeep rental company, and he only uses Yokohama AT tires on all his jeeps and so far they have been great.

Back in 2004, when I put the Yokohamas on my Jeep, I also installed a set of Goodyear GS D3 tires. Interesting...the Yokohamas were made in the USA, the Goodyears were made in Germany.

But off-road tires are as far removed from TT as you can get. And I have never seen Yokohama trailer tires. But would be interested...

[Herk7769]

DOT codes

COOPER KENDA TIRE (KUNSHAN) CHINA RM
COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO USA U9
COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO USA UP
COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO USA UT
COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO. USA 3D

Cooper Tire Corporate - Facilities

So check your codes.

All the D.O.T. Tire Plant Codes

[f5moab]

Removed

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by f5moab

Hope you don't mind, but I'll add the exact location for those USA plants.

I did include the link to the plants as published by Cooper Tires to include their overseas facilities.

[f5moab]

Excuse me!

[Len & Cheri]

Originally Posted by herk7769

I did include the link to the plants as published by Cooper Tires to include their overseas facilities.

Does that link show where the facility is that corresponds with the codes like f5moab posted? I can't seem to find that data.

I thought the Albany, Ga plant closed? I drove by there the other day and I thought they tore the entire building down.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by f5moab

Excuse me!

I did not mind your editing of my post. I have no idea what tires are made where; just that they do have plants other than in the US. The only way to check is by looking at the DoT code on what the dealer wants to put on your vehicle.

Take Goodyear for example. They make their ST "Marathon" line in the USA (Gadsden, Alabama code MD) and in China and sell both in the USA.
They do QC every tire the same and their name is behind the product, as I am sure is the case with Cooper Tires if they also distribute worldwide as they claim. The only way to tell is the "Made in USA" and a DoT code that reflects the plant.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Len & Cheri

Does that link show where the facility is that corresponds with the codes like f5moab posted? I can't seem to find that data.

I thought the Albany, Ga plant closed? I drove by there the other day and I thought they tore the entire building down.

The second link to the DoT registry has the actual locations by code.

IE the U9 code is COOPER TIRE & RUBBER CO TUPELO MISSISSIPPI UNITED STATES

As to plant closures, if the tires are still around, I assume knowing where they were made would facilitate a recall if necessary.

[Herk7769]

The web site I referenced uses extracted data from the NHTSA web site's Access Database. It contains the most complete listing to date. The extracted data is for the convenience of those without Microsoft's Access program installed.

ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/Manufacture/