I went and bought two new tires yesterday - I asked what was available for my car, a 2001 Chevy Cavalier. The tire size is 195/70R14. I asked about the Goodyear Integrity, the GY Regatta 2(which they told me is no longer made) and the Cordovan Centron, which is no longer made in the tire size I need either. I was sold 2 Sailun Atrezzo tires. I no nothing about this brand, but the mechanic told me they’d been selling them for 5 years and are a very good tire for the price. I tried to go on the internet this morning and find out if this is a safe/ good brand, and found little to nothing on reviews, safety and testing of this tire brand. The only information I found was that the tires were made by a chinese company, which the mechanic did not inform me about. Do you have any knowledge on Sialun Atrezzo tires? Are they reliable and are they safe? Also, he told me the tread mileage on these tires is 50,000 miles (which I have no proof of - it’s not quoted on my receipt) is this correct?
Here is what I found on the company, from pmctires.com, a Canadian company website. No mention of warranty. Obviously you will have to go to the tire dealer for warranty service, since their dealer network is not very large. I would go back and ask the tire dealer to write on my receipt the warranty conditions: treadwear life, workmanship warranty, or whatever. Make sure you have the starting mileage on your receipt. This information might be on the long sticker each tire has on it, but you have to be aware enough to ask and get it before you leave the shop.
Sailun Co.,Ltd., established on Nov. 11th, 2002, is situated in National Economic and Technological Development Zone in Qingdao. It covers an area of about 400?000 square meters. Several well-known corporations and experts in tire industry invested and established Sailun with technological support from rubber industry and Qingdao University of Science and Technology. Sailun are able to help establish new tire enterprises. Sailun aims to boost tire industry of China. We are the first tire manufacturer to integrate production, research and demonstration techniques, while developing our new products.Sailun also strive to become the premier model for technical training for our staff in China. So far, a lot of experts in tire industry have come to Sailun to improve tire design theory, tire design technique and test method. They initiated BPSO design technology and three dimensioned visualization design, which reduced tire design period and improved accuracy. They have produced radials of high quality and formed a system of material formulation and structure design with autonomous intellectual property rights. Sailun tire has got ISO9001 Quality Management System Certification, ISO14001 Certificate of Environmental Management System, ISO/TS16949 Certificate, Certificate for China Compulsory Product Certification, EU ECE certificate, US DOT certificate, INMETRO certificate of Brazil, SIRIM certificate of Malaysia and SOCAP certificate of Nigeria. Sailun strives for perfection of quality.
Note that I have no financial or other interest in this company.
If these tires have the “traditional” level of quality that I have observed on other Chinese-made products, I would suggest that you increase the value of your life insurance.
;-))
All kidding aside–you have purchased tires for which it is apparently not possible to obtain comparative information regarding their dry road traction, wet road traction, level of road noise, etc. Let’s face it–retailers like Tire Rack and Discount Tire would not touch these tires with the proverbial ten-foot pole, and Consumer Reports does not normally test tires except those made by well-established manufacturers. As a result, it is probably not possible to get a good idea of how these tires compare with others, making them essentially an unknown.
All I can suggest is to drive your car “conservatively” until you have a good idea of its traction and handling qualities with these tires. And, be sure that you keep them inflated to the car mfr’s specifications, as listed on the label on the driver’s door jamb. They may prove to be entirely adequate in the long run, but I think that it pays to be conservative with your driving style until you get a good idea of how these tires perform on your car.
Thank you for the rapid response and the information! I got the tires b/c my two old tires tread was worn, they said one was 5/32 and the other 3/32…I had checked the old tires with the “penny test” before I got the new ones and they still passed the penny test on the inside treads, but not on the outside treads (I know - allignment problem and probably not rotating the tires often enough…but every time I get an alignment it doesn’t really semm to make any difference in the tire wear). Thank you for backround information you found - I couldn’t locate much. I will definitely drive conservatively until I get a much better idea of how they handle. I felt I had to get the old ones replaced b/c I’m traveling from St. Louis to Kansas City today on the interstate and was not comfortable with the old tires…but now I’m not sure I’m any more comfortable with the new tires 
Oh, well, I guess I will have to be a guinea pig - there is only one way to find out. Thanks again for the info! I listen to the show when I can on my St.L to KC trip and back. This forum and it’s contributors are a priceless asset for someone like me who knows little about cars and needs a trustworthy resource to turn to! Thanks so much!
I think you will probably do OK with these tires. I have two Chineses “I can’t remember the brand” tires on one of my trucks (too good a deal to pass up for an older truck), and they have survived 5K miles, including a trip to Texas and back. If one blows out prematurely (and I highly doubt it), you have to buy a new tire on the road, and take these back. I agree your older tires could be a higher risk than these tires.
Hope you enjoy the trip and KC in general – I live out west of KC.
My opinion is that tires, along with brakes are the two most important saftey items on a car, not places where it pays to cut corners. I would not buy cheap tires of questionable quality.
I recently purchased a pair of Atrezzo’s for my 2000 Nissan Altima. I first drove through the city to see how they handled, and I had no complaints. Then, I took them out on the interstate to see if there was any noticeable noise, handling issues, etc. and I must say, they seem to be kind of “squirrely” at higher speeds. I’m not sure if it’s just because they haven’t been broken in yet or what, but I noticed that they seem to “float” a bit when changing lanes at high speeds. As far as road-noise goes, I don’t have any complaints just yet, but like I said, I just got them. The reasoning behind purchasing them was the price. The problem was that I too had worn tires (one with a recently discovered belt showing through) so I really didn’t have a choice considering I was working with a budget. I’ll look back to see how yours seem to be holding up. But, I agree with one of the other people who responded here who said it’s in your best interest to take it easy for a while until you get a feel for them. The fastest I drove on them was 70 m.p.h., and after that experience, it’s safe to say I won’t be going any faster than that until I believe that I can trust them.
If you’re buying no-name, bottom-basement tires, I think you’ve already decided that saftey/quality aren’t as important to you as price is.
Where did you get these tires? I have never heard of them, nor have I heard of the Cordovan Centron. As far as I know, the Regatta 2 was a Walmart exclusive. I would say that, if they are sold here in the US, they are probably reasonably safe and have met safety standards. If you are concerned about safety, you should do research before you buy. Tires are a big safety component on your car, right up there with the brakes and steering (these things are often overlooked, though, and don’t seem to be much of a concern for some people, as long as the car will start and drive. I’m glad you are concerned about your tires). It also is a good idea to buy from a known reputable company. Some of the best, in my opinion, are Michelin, BFGoodrich, Bridgestone/Firestone, and General. Goodyear makes a good tire as well, but seem to have more structural issues than the others I mentioned.
You purchased an opening price point radial. The tires you requested are no longer available, but if you wanted the Goodyear Integrity the Sailun will work about the same. Sailun tires are sold as the entry level for their price. If you wanted a premium product you should have asked for it by name. Shopping price gets you Sailun or Gaja tires. Keep in mind though tire units like those have passed all of the DOT requirements and are safe radials for passenger vehicles. Next time you shop I would suggest something in either the Michelin MX series or in the Bridgestone Turanza line. These units boast 80K+ tread wear warranties and also come with 5 year-6 year maufacturing warranties.
“I would say that, if they are sold here in the US, they are probably reasonably safe and have met safety standards.”
" Keep in mind though tire units like those have passed all of the DOT requirements and are safe radials for passenger vehicles."
Are you both sure about those statements?
Have you forgotten previous problems with Chinese-made tires that defied the safety requirements, yet were sold in the US marketplace?
Take a look at:
I’m about 500 miles into mine and still no problems to report. They are still a bit “loose” for my taste when changing lanes at higher speeds, but road noise is kept to a minimum and cornering isn’t much of a problem. I will continue to report back.
The safety record for private brand Chinese tires is the same as high-dollar, high profit “name” brands…(which are seldom made in the U.S.) Tire failure is not a significant factor in highway safety…
After the Firestone / Explorer tread separation thing, tire makers have seen the light…
To tighten them up, check the pressure in the morning before any driving, make sure you’re at the top of the recommended (sticker in the car) range, that might help.