Having worked in a tire manufacturing plant (Bridgestone) for over 25 years ive learned a lot about them. The specific plant i worked in was the largest Bridgestone truck and bus tire manufacturing facility in North America so we only made those tires but all of the passenger and LT plants operated the same way.
So here is the gist of how things work. All of the major tire manufactures make multiple brands under a parent company, just like the major appliance and car companies do. The list below shows what the biggest players are and the breakdown of who makes what. At the plant i worked at all of the different brands were made in the same factory, by the same people, on the same machines, with the same rubber compounds. Most of the tires had eqivalent product brands. For example when a machine needed to be changed over from running a bridgestone brand tire of a specific style and size to its firestone equivalent everything stayed the same and just the tread component was switched out so it had the proper ink jet printed code so that after assembly it would get taken to the proper curing press to make it have the right lettering cooked into the sidewall and tread pattern. Thats it. 2 different brand of tires that are "genetic" twins. The average price difference to the customer was the only significant difference with bridgestone being prices about 30% higher. Yes you are paying for the name stamped on the side.
From what i have gathered from being in the industry is that all the other tire manufactures follow this same basic business model for the most part. There are always exceptions to this rule and you may not always find direct equals but usually you will find very close comparisons within the brands of the parent company. Do your own research and go with what feels best to you. Ultimately your piece of mind is what matters most. This is posted for informational purposes and not meant to influence you toward (or away from) any specific brand. And yes i know there are many other brands out there on the market that arent listed, do your own research and find what is best for you.
Michelin Group:
-- Michelin (Flagship brand)
-- BFGoodrich (performance and off-road/all-terrain lines)
-- Uniroyal (North American everyday passenger tires)
-- Tigar, Riken, Orium, and Kormoran (budget-tier European alternatives)
Bridgestone Group:
-- Bridgestone (flagship brand)
-- Firestone (mainstream and all-weather touring lines like WeatherGrip)
-- Dayton and Fuzion (economy-focused lines)
-- Seiberling (budget tier)
Continental:
-- Continental ( flagship brand)
-- General Tire (popular for truck/SUV options like Grabber and Altimax passenger lines)
-- Barum (Central European value brand)
-- Matador (Eastern European value and commercial lines)
Goodyear;
-- Goodyear (flagship brand)
--Cooper Tires (mid-range and performance subsidiary)
-- Kelly Tires (value-oriented legacy brand)
-- Fulda and Dębica (European regional brands)
Sumitomo:
--Sumitomo (flagship brand)
-- Falken
-- Ohtsu
Toyo:
--Toyo (flagship brand)
--Nitto (enthusiast and truck focus)
--Silverstone
Hankook:
--Hankook (flagship brand)
-- Laufenn (value-tier line)
-- Aurora
-- Kingstar
Ill end with showing a direct comparison of 2 tires to demonstrate the pricing difference between 2 "genetically" identical tires to make my point. These are basically the same tire just different brands. Notice the 30% price difference.
