Tired in Asia ... and Dissatisfied

Non-luxury Japanese- and Korean-made cars and compact vans are being let down by their tires (that's tyres if you're in the UK), according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction StudySM released this week. Across all makes, Pirelli and Michelin divide the spoils at the top of satisfaction ratings.

'Compared to other non-luxury makes such as Chevrolet, Volkswagen and Chrysler, the vast majority of non-luxury Asian makes - even those with high vehicle satisfaction, including Honda and Toyota - have lagging OE (Original Equipment) tire satisfaction levels', according to Jeff Zupancic, director of the tire practice at J.D. Power.

Ratings for non-luxury cars and vans produced in Europe and the US are significantly higher across the board. The finding is consistent with a five year trend and across the car and compact van segments as a whole - also within these segments, including in key, high-volume areas such as compact cars, midsize cars and compact vans.

According to Zupancic 'These findings suggest that Asian automakers may want to reassess the OE tire specifications they utilize for their non-luxury cars and compact vans to ensure consumer needs and expectations are being met. Tire manufacturers should look at ways of working with Asian automakers to improve customer satisfaction'.

The study is based on the experiences and opinions of more than 30,400 owners in the first two years of new-vehicle ownership. Overall satisfaction is calculated using a tire satisfaction index that includes five factors: tire durability, traction, appearance, ride and handling. Perceptions of tire quality, performance, brand image and service and are also monitored.

Among car/compact van owners and light truck owners, tire durability is key while tire appearance has much higher importance for light-truck owners.

Pirelli ranks highest in OE tire satisfaction in the car/compact van segment, with top ratings for tire traction, appearance, ride and handling. Pirelli's key strength is in various handling measures, for each of which a majority of owners are 'delighted'. In second place is Uniroyal, then Michelin and General respectively.

In the light-truck segment, which includes pickups, SUVs and full-size vans, Michelin ranks highest for the fourth straight year, leading on all five factors. On average, 42 percent of Michelin light-truck tire owners are delighted with their OE tires, compared to only 34 percent for all light-truck OE tires. Second are BFGoodrich, then Goodyear and Dunlop.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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