Tire tiers were established to assess the overall quality of tires manufactured by different companies. Various factors contribute to the quality of a tire, including the materials used, tread designs, manufacturing processes, quality control measures, range of imbalances, and manufacturing-related failures. All these aspects are taken into consideration when assigning a tire to a particular tier. It’s important to note that a tire manufacturer’s tier ranking may fluctuate depending on the intended application of the tire, whether it’s for mud terrain, all-terrain, all-season, winter, summer, or specialized use such as trailer, industrial, agricultural, or commercial purposes.

Tier One

Tier One consists of the premium brands of major tire companies. These tires carry the highest price tags and have the highest profit margins for the manufacturers. Examples include Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental, and Goodyear.

Tier Two

Tier Two comprises the mid-market brands of tire companies. While the marketing effort for these tires is not as extensive as for Tier One tires, they offer a balance of quality and affordability. Examples include Pirelli, Firestone, Toyo, Yokohama, Cooper, General, Hankook, Dunlop, Nitto, Uniroyal, Kumho, and Carlisle.

Tier Three

Tier Three is comprised of “value” brand tires, marketed to consumers who prioritize price over brand name. These tires typically have the lowest profit margins. Examples include Falken, Kelly, Nexen, Sumitomo/TBC, Nokian, Hoosier, Vogue, Hercules, BKT, Vredestien, Kenda, Trailer King/TBC, Power King/TBC, Armstrong, Galaxy/ATG, GT/Giti, Camso, Harvest King/TPC, Laufenn, Milestar, and Sailun/TBC.