Are Westlake Tires Any Good? (Common Westlake Tires Problems)
The rubber meets the road. When you want a safe and fun RV experience, you have to pay special attention to your tires. The type of rubber, who made it, and its quality are all important factors. Not every tire brand you find is good, no matter how cheap or expensive they may be.
Are Westlake tires any good? Some people swear by these tires and others say they are among the top 10 worst tire brands you can buy. One of the reasons it is not rated very highly is the fact one of its common problems is the lack of traction in moist weather. This problem is not easy to fix unless you change tire brands.
To learn all about Westlake Tires just continue to read our article. It covers all the topics and questions you need answers to and more. Take a few moments to see if this brand of tire is right for your budget and RV situation. Not everyone can afford top-rated tires from the best companies.
Westlake Tires Problems 101
Are Westlake Tires Any Good?
Technically, this depends on who you talk to. Some Westlake tire users like the quality the company puts into its product. others do not share the same viewpoint.
Then there are those people who say that Westlake tires are perfect when you need to find a cheap and quick replacement tire when you are on the road. The lack of quality does not elevate these tires to must-have options for the long haul.
The company is said to use top-quality raw materials which is why some owners prefer them over other tire brands. The fact that they are inexpensive helps sway their opinions.
In this case, you may find the tires are quite good while others may have been stuck with a lemon or two.
Common Westlake Tires Problems
The most common problem we have found in our research is that these tires lack traction. Rainy or snowy weather is a problem for those drivers who use this brand of tire. They cannot get the traction they need to make it to their destination and they are at risk throughout the drive.
With this lack of traction, your braking distance is going to be longer than you expected. When inches count, this is not a good problem to have. Another problem would be that the performance is not as advertised.
What you get is not always what you were told you would get. This is a common problem as you rely on being given accurate information so you know what type of performance to expect.
Your results may be as advertised and that is good. Others do not get that result and it can mean the difference of a safe stop or extra mileage over an accident or lower gas mileage.
How are Westlake Tires Rated?
For their price, these are rated as exceptional tires and ones that you can trust when you put them on your vehicles or trailers. Plus, their many tire options are rated to perform through a variety of weather conditions.
Then with the quality of raw materials, these tires are supposed to last a while on your vehicle under normal conditions. During their use, they are also supposed to make sure you get top gas mileage and fuel efficiency.
Then their handling is supposed to be on par with other top tire makers throughout the world. However, that may be more hype than anything else. Your results will depend a lot on how you drive and under what weather conditions you do your driving.
Other factors will come into play as well. For example the amount of weight you place on your tires.
Who Makes Westlake Tires?
This brand of tire is made by the Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company and this company makes many other brands as well. You may have seen the Chao Yang, Goodride, Trazano, and Yartu brands. If not those tires may be shipped to other parts of the world.
The company has been in business since 1958 and it seems that for this brand of tire, they employ a top research and development department. This company is supposed to be China’s #1 tire-making company and it says it is #10 in the world. Its annual sales reach over 3 1/2 billion dollars.
Also, this company does not make Westlake tires to be premium tires that can be used on just any vehicle. They are made to be a budget-friendly replacement option and that may be the reason why so many people do not like this brand.
What Country Makes Westlake Tires?
Zhongce Rubber Group co. LTD has factories in both China and Thailand. It is surmised that the Westlake tires do not get the benefit of the quality craftsmanship the Thai worker is known to produce.
Instead, it is said that this tire is probably made in the company’s Chinese factories under Chinese specs and expectations. Even with this drawback, this company does come with a good reputation no matter where their tires are made.
This may be one of a few Chinese companies that excel in manufacturing and care about the quality of its products. We found very few people who had anything negative to say about this tire manufacturer.
Even the people who wrote negative reviews had good things to say about the company. It has been in business for over 60 years and it looks like it is determined to stay and make its mark on the tire world.
How Many Miles do Westlake Tires Last?
The company provides 2 different types of warranties with their tires. the first option is a standard limited warranty that goes for between 5 and 6 years. This option covers defects only not mileage.
The second warranty is the standard limited mileage warranty and this coverage varies between 40,000 to 50,000 miles depending on the tire and its purpose. Generally, the Westlake tire should last longer than the 50,000-mile coverage. If it didn’t then the company would not make any money.
Under normal driving conditions, you should get a lot more than 50,000 miles out of a Westlake tire. Unless there are defects. But results will vary and the duration you get will depend on different factors already mentioned in this article.
Are Westlake Tires Safe?
For a budget brand, you can say that these tires are safe for the amount of money you pay for them. Some people question the quality of these tires and may not use them at all. They find that even with the research, quality of raw materials, etc., the tires do not match up with other tire brands.
Other people call them above-average quality tires, especially the ones that are made for all seasons, off-road driving, and similar situations. Again, your results may vary and fall into one of the two camps.
It is said that this company does not sacrifice the integrity and performance of its tires by cutting any corners. This company seems to be serious about the quality of their Westlake tires and has developed a special tread design to make them even better.
Are Westlake Tires Good in Snow?
Again, this will depend on who you talk to and their experience. One reviewer felt that the snow tire option from Westlake felt more like an all-season tire and not like a dedicated snow tire.
It is hard to gauge the quality of these snow tires as one reviewer will analyze the SW618 dedicated snow tire while other reviewers stick to the all-season radials. This difference tends to skew the actual results of the Westlake tire company.
However, from what we have found out is that the dedicated snow tire does have an aggressive tread design that helps provide you with lots of good traction. But, overall performance is supposed to be lacking and you are getting what you paid for.
Are Westlake Tires Directional?
According to our research, some of their tires are directional but not all may be that type of tire. It is said that if you go for directional tires, you can expect to pay more when you purchase them as well as maintain them.
In different tests, the Westlake directional tires performed in the middle or lower end of the pack of brands that were compared. This is not good news for fans of this tire brand. While this brand beat out a few other well-known tired brands, their performance was lacking in these tests.
It only performed well in 2 tests, a third-place finish in dry braking at 60 mph and a first-place finish in noise level at 50 mph. The other tests saw it only reach as high as 5th place when it was not on the bottom of the results.
Does Walmart Sell Westlake Tires?
Yes, it does and this retail outlet offers a full range of Westlake tires. Their website has 9 pages of tires but we do not think that those pages contain every Westlake tire model. But we could be wrong. The first page listed 39 different Westlake tire options.
This reminds us of what one reviewer said. The company makes up for its lack of quality by offering a myriad of different tires for you to buy. The price range of those 39 tire options goes from $48 to $170 approx. Buying at Walmart should help you stick with your budget.
Who Sells Westlake Tires?
Besides Walmart, there is a wide array of tire retailers and parts stores that sell this brand of tire. On their website, the Westlaketireusa has a find a dealer web page. you should be able to find a dealer close to you by typing in your location.
Some cities do not have dealers but there may be discount tire stores or national brands that sell these tires. You would have to call your local tire shops and ask them if they carry them.
Westlake tires are imported and distributed by Tireco based out of Norco, Calif. From there it is anyone’s guess, aside from Walmart, which tire company sells this brand of tire.
How Much do Westlake Tires Cost?
This will depend on the tire outlet and Walmart always tries to undersell everyone else. So expect that $48 to $170 range for Walmart Westlake tires to be the cheapest you can find.
Amazon may compete with Walmart’s low prices but the Westlake tires listed on their marketplace website say they are all unavailable at the moment. Another discount tire place has their Westlake tire lineup starting at $39 and going up to $188 approx.
Where you shop will be the deciding factor in how much you pay. From these examples, it will pay to shop around to see if you can get the best deal possible without sacrificing any quality.
Westlake Tires vs Michelin
There is no real comparison here. Michelin is one of the premier tire companies that make top-quality tires that last and perform well. While Michelin was not included in any of the tests we mentioned earlier, Westlake appears on more worst tires to buy lists than they should if they were a great tire.
The Westlake tire does not come anywhere close to the quality of the Michelin brand. But then, the Chinese company making this brand of tires is not seeking to compete with Michelin in any category.
They are trying to produce a low-cost tire everyone can afford. That is not always a good purpose. it is said that the Westlake tires can be easily damaged and often not make the 50,000-mile benchmark given by its warranty mentioned above.
Westlake Tires vs Maxxis
Maxxis does not have the reputation that Michelin does which means that it is either a new tire brand or it is not one of the best brands to buy. With that said, however, Maxxis tires do not make the "do not buy lists" that we have come across during our research.
Westlake has made them all despite the reported upgrades made to the tire by its parent company. The two companies may be compatible and on equal footing as some Westlake owners do like their upgraded versions.
Many Maxxis owners prefer this brand over the Westlake even though many Westlake owners had no trouble with their tires. This comparison is a toss-up.
Westlake Tires vs Milestar
Again, Milestar does not make it on any of those do not buy lists that Westlake is a member of and it was not included in the tests mentioned earlier, either. But Milestar is not a world-famous brand tire with a stellar reputation like Michelin.
These tire brands may be made by the same company as Tireco is a distributor for Milestar like it is for Westlake. Some people like them and they are said to be fairly good. Plus, this brand comes with the same 50,000-mile warranty and low-budget price tag as Westlake.
From what we can determine, this is the same tire under a different name.
Westlake Trailer Tires vs Goodyear Endurance
Goodyear was in those tests mentioned earlier but it was not this model of Goodyear tire that was used. This company is listed as the #2 tire maker in the world behind Michelin. That gives you an idea of the quality of this tire. Westlake cannot compare as it only beat that model twice in all of the tests done.
If you want a cheaper tire and remain within your budget, then you should go with Westlake. However, if you want a top-quality tire that performs better than most of its competition, then you should go with Goodyear.
Westlake Tires vs Yokohama
Yokohama was #10 on the same list that Goodyear was #2. This ranking will tell you that this company’s tires will be superior to whatever model Westlake makes. Also, Yokohama tires never made any of the "do not buy lists" we have seen.
Yokohama strives to be #1 but that is a tough road to follow given the top competition. Westlake does not even try to be #1 and its quality shows that lack of drive. If push came to shove it is best to go with Yokohama and leave Westlake as a last-ditch option when you need a cheap tire fast.
Some Final Words
Westlake is going to suffer from the poor reputation Chinese companies have around the world. It may seem unfair but those companies, including the tire-making ones, have created that reputation by producing low-quality items.
Some people have great results using Westlake tires and others do not. When it comes to your family’s safety, avoiding Westlake may be the way to go. The company making this tire brand does make improvements so this assessment may change in the upcoming years.
But then so will the other tire companies so Westlake’s rise in the tire market may never happen.
