Cheap Chinese ditch finders

Indricotherium wrote: »

There's a lot of guff talked about unbranded tyres on this forum.

Is there any real proof that these tyres wear faster or don't grip as well as branded European ones.

Given the item under discussion, the correct way to approach things is from the cautionary side. And to err on that side. You can also ask, in the face of a lack of concrete, objective evidence: "to where does the evidence point".

The first thing to acknowledge is that there is nothing to prevent a no-brand tyre from China performing as well as a branded tyre from Europe. In theory at least. But what is the most reasonable thing to expect - given a reasonable set of assumptions.

1. A no-brand tyre will have to meet certain EU regulations before it can be sold here - just as the Euro tyre will have to. But those regulations are limited in reach. They won't ensure, for instance, that quality control is such as to prevent wide fluctuations in manufacturing tolerances. Or prevent a manufacturer substituting cheaper materials post his having achieved the EU mark (remember the PIP breast implants?)

2. Companies in China don't fall under the juristiction of European law and so failure as a result of poor manufacturing practices or substitution with cheaper materials won't bring with it the penalites that would accrue to a European company - including in the case of substitution to sub-standard materials, criminal prosecution.

The Chinese company has more freedom in this regard and it is reasonable, given human nature, to suppose a higher risk attaching to the Chinese tyre than to the European one, in these regards.

3. Brand LingLong has no value as a brand whereas the likes of Continental and Pirelli do have value. The manufacturer of LingLong has nothing to loose brandwise if his tyres prove to increase accidents and fatalities - he just has to change the name on the tyre to brand PingPong and carry on where he left off. Whereas the manufacturer of Continental has lots to loose. And so the latter can be reasonably expected to do his utmost to protect his brand image. Which can be reasonably be expected to convert to a better and more reliably performing product.

4. China is a notoriously corrupt nation whereas European countries have a good record in this regard. Even with the best will in the world, the Chinese tyre manufacturer cannot ensure his product is as he intends it to be for want of the corruption at all tiers surrounding his supply lines, manufacturing workers, etc. Those LingLong tyres you have could be rejected product that has found it's way back into the supply line, the result of corruption in the Quality Dept. For instance.

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I could go on but these strike me as sufficient reasons to steer clear of an item which should bow to the exhortation "buyer beware!" as no other.