Passenger and light truck tires manufactured by Sailun Tires Co. Ltd. performed at or near the levels of better-known, more expensive competitors, according to participants in a Sailun Tire Challenge ride-and-drive event Aug. 13 at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, some 30 miles from Boston.
Sailun—in collaboration with TBC Wholesale, its North American distributor, and Sullivan Tire & Auto Centers, its exclusive New England retailer—brought tire dealers, reporters and others to the Xfinity Center to drive Ford Fusions and Escapes in what it called a blind test of various tire brands. Some of the vehicles were equipped with Sailun tires, some equipped with tires by competitors.
Participants drove the vehicles in a series of maneuvers involving a slalom course, braking, acceleration and wet traction. At the end of the test drives, the participants took surveys rating the tires on each vehicle.
When the surveys were compiled, the company said its Sailun Atrezzo Z4+AS all-season radial passenger tire was judged as having performed comparably with the Toyo Proxes, at a price more than 40 percent under that of the Toyo tire. The same was true of the Sailun Terramax CVR light truck and SUV tire, performing against the Pirelli Scorpion.
The Sailun Tire Challenge is the China-based company’s major way of building its profile with consumers and tire dealers, according to Brian Mielko, vice president of sales-corporate accounts for Dynamic Tire Corp., manufacturer of Sailun tires.
“We’ve got a great product, but we don’t have a brand yet,” Mr. Mielko said. “For the average consumer, the Sailun tire offers performance on a par with Tier 1 brands. When you put the price points in, that’s the real difference.”