Dave has already purchased tires .
Chinese-made tires?
Used Chinese-made tires?
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Yup. Sometimes you can get a great deal if you know what you are looking for. In this case they were almost new tires, and as he has winter tires on rims, I wanted them for his summer tires. He paid 1000 for the car which is in relatively great shape. $80 bucks for a set of used tires, in this case, fit the bill.
I always get a GOOD laugh when I see cars that sold for $80K just 3 or 4 years ago now rolling on a brand new set of Black Lion tires
So when the oem set of tires wore out, the customer’s jaw dropped when they got a quote for a good set of Michelins, Pirellis, or what have you. Then they beat a hasty retreat to a different shop that had Black Lions in stock
When I see those 3- or 4-year old luxury or sporty cars that are sporting new Black Lions, I kind of wonder what else was cheaped out on.
Of course, there’s the other possibility . . . that the car was picked up at auction by a used car seller, and they were the ones that put on the cheapo tires. Again, makes me wonder if they also put on a white box oil filter, the wrong engine oil, white box brake pads, and so forth 
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A while back, I saw a fairly new luxury car (I can’t recall the make or model…) that was riding on Ling Long tires.
I think that Ling Long’s slogan is…
We love your car–long time
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One of the guys at work has a Dodge Charger . . . I believe it’s the base model . . . riding on Ling Longs
We all tell ourselves some story that makes sense to us. I suspect the 3 or 4 year old BMW on BlackLions, has them because the owner is only planning on keeping it one more year. That said they are not 10% as good as Michelins, more like 80%, and they are built in a modern state of the art plant in China that is less than 5 years old.
As for used car dealers and cheap parts, they kind of go hand in hand.
I’ll believe something else . . .
I suspect the 3 or 4 year old BMW on BlackLions, has them because the owner is somewhat of a cheapskate. He bought the car, sure, but he probably doesn’t want to maintain it the way it should be
Why do you believe Black Lions are 80% as good as Michelins . . . ?!
I’ll tell you one thing, though . . .
If I’m looking at buying a 3- or 4-year old BMW from a private party, if I show up and see it’s rolling on new Black Lions, I’m going to wonder what else they cheaped out on. If I still want it, you can be sure I’m going to low ball the guy
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How do you know they aren’t?
We get posters like that frequently, they buy an 80 grand car and then balk that it requires premium fuel.
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Which has what to do with the relative quality of different brands of tires?
It has to do with @db4690’s comment about cheapskates putting cheap tires on luxury cars. They are the same folks that won’t spend the money on the fuel their car requires
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So in other words you can’t prove expensive tires are significantly better than cheaper ones. Got it.
Not me, I don’t keep a car long enough to put tires on it, unless it’s one of my collectibles, and then I pay whatever Coker tire wants to charge me.
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Where’s your empirical proof that Black Lion tires are 80% as good as Michelin tires?
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I don’t have a large scientific study or reams of data. All I have are 30+ years as an auto mechanic performing suspension and alignment work and selling and installing tires.
Black Lion, Douglas, Westlake, Ling Long, Barum, and tires in that league are what you put on your car when you don’t care how your car rides, handles, steers, stops, or how long the tires last. Your primary focus is low price. They tend not to balance as well, they don’t handle as nicely, and rarely last as long as name brands.
I’m no fan of Michelin, but they will outperform the bargain brands in every way. Michelin, Cooper, General, Yokohama, Goodyear, Firestone all have a wide range of quality but I would put more faith in a bottom line Goodyear or Cooper than any of the “Black Lion” group.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a market for low quality tires. I myself have a set of Primewells on an old pickup that I drive maybe 600 miles a year, just to haul yard waste, get a Christmas tree, move something, etc. No matter what tires I buy surely the rubber will rot out before the tread is worn. So I used the cheapest tires I could get. But for an everyday driver, certainly not. Because I want better and I can afford better.
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Yes, I remember those posts . . . and they make me smile 
I like your style 
I’m not the one who made that claim. @Michael_Quinlan said he suspected they were closer to Michelins than you might think. His reasoning makes sense and I know from Consumer Reports that price and quality don’t necessarily go hand in hand.
The BlackLions are a division of Sailun. The plant is state of the art, and the company has ambitions to be a world player. They have been sold longer in Europe than North America and the reviews I have found are quite positive. In-person the tire is well constructed and rides well on the car. Noise is relatively quiet, braking good. Everything is a compromise and tires more so than most things.
For those who want to make judgments about BMW owners choosing less than premium brand tires, all I can say is get a life
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