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Chinese tires have earned quite a reputation over the past several years, but not for the reasons they’d like. From Consumer Reports declaring, “Chinese tire brands are no bargain” just over a decade ago to everyday drivers sharing their negative experiences, these stories have given many consumers pause when shopping for budget-priced tires. While major companies like Michelin and Goodyear — which ranked first and second in our list of the 21 best tire brands for 2025 — have factories in China that produce tires for the U.S. market, it’s the lesser-known brands from Chinese manufacturers and those made under contract for private retailers that tend to raise the most red flags. 

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As with all things, not all Chinese-made tires are created equal, and some brands have earned an especially bad reputation for their poor performance, questionable safety, and short-lived durability. When you look at forums with opinions from those who’ve purchased these tires, you come across all types of complaints, ranging from poor traction in wet conditions to faster-than-expected tread wear and even tire deformation. While the low price may be tempting, in the long run, many drivers say those cheap Chinese tires could cost you more than you expect, not just in money but in safety and confidence on the road. In the case of the tires that made our list, you get what you pay for — and in many cases, that’s not much.

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You’ll be hard-pressed to find anyone with something good to say about Linglong tires, and for a good reason: the tires are well-known for being unreliable, especially in wet and cold weather conditions. There’s no shortage of users reporting problems with the traction, longevity, quality, and safety of these cheap tires.

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In response to a question posted on the r/tires subreddit asking “how bad are Linglong tires actually?” a Redditor responded saying, “They’re probably fine until you meet a life or death situation where you need the tires to not suck. At that point, cross your fingers and hope for the best?” Another Redditor mentioned that the set of four brand-new Linglong tires they bought ended up making their steering wheel shake a lot. As a consequence, they had to replace them immediately. The comments weren’t quite as harsh on the Bob Is The Oil Guy, with one user saying, “Linglongs are okay, the only real issues I’ve had on my own trucks and several delivery trucks are the wet pavement traction deteriorates big time when they get about half worn. Seems like a lot of siping wears off.”

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The consensus on the Silverado Sierra forum was that Linglong tires are junk. However, one commentator initially liked the tires until they took them on the highway, when a strange vibration started coming from their car. The user explained the dealer did some exploratory testing, then, “After some more testing, the dealer determined one of my new Linglongs was defective…”

When it comes to user opinions of tires made in China, Triangle tires don’t fare much better than Linglong. Users have reported a litany of issues with the brand, especially its performance in wet conditions and overall durability. Drivers discussing the brand on tyrereviews.com described the tires as being downright dangerous on wet roads. One user put it this way, “Horrendous tires. In the wet, they are just purely dangerous, huge amounts of understeer, very poor stopping distances, and a feeling of complete lack of control.” More than one user said going out with these tires on wet roads felt like driving on ice.

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As if its performance in wet conditions wasn’t bad enough, users commented that even in dry conditions, the tires performed poorly and lacked traction. One owner has this to say, “Dry grip, very poor, the car just wants to understeer, and if I go near the throttle setting off, I get tyre squeal.” A driver on the r/carsireland subreddit described driving with Triangle tires this way: “Terrible. Bring Rosary beads with you if you drive with them in the wet,” while on E90Post.com forums, a driver said, “I found them to be absolute garbage tires. Noisy, and very slippery and dangerous in the rain.” Another theme that runs through the comments on various forums is the noise the tires produce. Over on the alfaowner.com forum, a user said that at speeds above 50 mph, the tires made a lot of noise, describing it as a loud howl. Across forums, users implored drivers to skip Triangle and go with more expensive tires from a reputable brand.

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While user opinions of Westlake tires aren’t quite as harsh as those who’ve experienced Linglong and Triangle, they’re worrisome enough that it’s probably a good idea to pass on them, too. If you’re thinking about buying tires for your car, you probably want to become familiar with certain data points, including the average cost of new tires, so you know whether you’re getting a fair deal. After doing this, the pricing on brands like Westlake may seem attractive because they generally fall below the market average. The problem is, low prices don’t necessarily mean the tires are a good value, and Westlake is a prime example.

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Many users across different forums agreed that Westlake tires aren’t durable and don’t last long. Problems with tread were a recurring theme with users who’ve owned the tires. A user on the Grand RV forum described them as “trash tires…that lasted two trips and roughly 250 miles.” This driver experienced problems with the tread splitting and coming off the tires and called them a safety risk. Other commenters agreed that the tires are of low quality, saying it was something that was well known.

On the r/cartalk subreddit, users generally advised avoiding Westlake tires and other Chinese brands. One Redditor pointed out that Westlake has started making a name for itself and has become a recognizable brand. Despite that, this Redditor warned, “…they will wear out fast, as with all other Chinese tires, the tread compound is very soft (low treadwear rating).” Reviews of the tires on tyrereviews.com were mixed, with one user saying that it has “weak wet and dry performance, low-precision steering, wet roads load change sensitivity issues,” while others praised the tire’s affordability and performance.

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Goodride tires are made by the same parent company as Westlake, China’s Zhongce Rubber Group. So, it comes as no surprise that this tire brand suffers from many of the same issues as its sister brand. Much like Westlake, users reported problems with rapid tread wear, poor grip in wet conditions, and durability issues with Goodride tires, making it wise to think twice before buying a set of these tires, even with their low price tag.

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On tyrereviews.com, owners said that the tires had very poor grip on both dry and wet surfaces, with one person saying, “In an emergency, the rear tires lose grip too easily. In the dry, the tires are too slow in response to steering, and the rear wheels can easily go into a skid again.” A different user reported issues with the tires not being uniform, saying they tried to balance them three times to stop a noticeable wobble with the steering wheel. After all that effort, they learned that three of the four wheels weren’t round.

Another user didn’t hold back when they described Goodride tires as “by far the worst tires on earth.” The user went on to say that cracks began to appear in the tire’s sidewall soon after they bought the tires. Like on all review sites, there were some positive reviews on Tyre Reviews, but the negative reviews are enough to make most people reconsider putting these tires on their car. On the r/tires subreddit, a Redditor described them as, “Your standard cheap Chinese tire. They’ll get you down the road without exploding, and that’s about it. The consensus was that if the original poster was looking for cheap tires, they’d be better off going with another brand.

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