Anybody familiar with ALPHA (Brand )Tires?

[loosenut]

Mike:

Sorry to hear of your problems with your tires... 

First off, I did a quick search to see what tire plants are in Zingzough, China.  A Google search with that town name and "tire factory" together came up empty.  In fact, a Google search on "Zingzough China" comes up empty.  It could be just a spelling thing, but Google suggests a spelling change to "zigzough", and that comes up empty again.  Any chance you have a reliable source for the spelling to check against?  

Guizhou is how it is spelledon the tires.  My Chinese is rusty.  DOT OD 422 is on the Samson tire.  I discovered Advance tires on the inside dual.  It is also made in Guizhou.  The only additional number on the Advance tire is 900 after the word rim close to the bead.

My patience is wearing thin with the dealer.  I liked the guy but he has been dragging his feet.  I called the credit card company and told them my woes.  They said they would help.

Mike

[WEC4104]

The "OD" plant code, Guizhou, and the presence of the word "Advance" on your tire all seem to fit together nicely.   However, there should be some additional characters stamped on your tire, other than just the "900" and the "422".  

The plant code has to appear on both sides of your tire, but some of the other info can be on one side only.  You probably need to check the side of the tire that faces the underside of your bus.  Grab all the info you can find on that side of the tire as well.  This is important. First, it will tell you the age of the tire and whether you can raise a stink at the dealer for selling you old tires to begin with.  Second, you can get whatever info is available regarding the manufacturer's lot or tracking numbers, info that most definitely will be asked for should you get to a point where a warranty or customer return request is submitted.

Should you have further dealing with your local dealer, I'd ask him point blank what steps he is taking to help you and what he intends to do.   You might also try to see if he will divulge where he bought your tires.  Did they come from Rakla, either directly, or through some regional distributor?

I'd be polite but direct with the dealer, letting him know that your dissatisfaction with the tires isn't something you are going to give up on.   A lazy dealer is going to hope that this will blow over and he can save himself a lot of paperwork, if he can simply dodge you long enough.  You want to present yourself in a way that conveys that fact that you are doing your homework, and this matter is going to cause him a whole lot of heartburn if he doesn't take steps to assist you. Make sure you are dealing with the store owner/manager, or he is at a minimum aware of your situation.  Document all your discussions, and it wouldn't hurt to let them see that you are keeping accurate notes. Anticipate the fact that they will try to dish the problem to somebody else....  "Mr. Customer, we can't help you. You need to call the so-and-so toll free number."    Tell them you agree to try that, but if you don't get satisfaction, they are not off the hook since you made your purchase through them.

Keep us posted on how you make out.

[gus]

NJT,

I wish it were true that more money buys better tires, and any other stuff for that matter. If it were true I would gladly pay the price. Unfortunately, I have not had that experience with tires or anything else.

I have bought more junk made in the US, including tires, than I care to remember. Anyway, there is no way of knowing for sure where something was made in spite of the laws and that goes for fake parts as well.

In my many years of being a shade tree mechanic I have found no guarantee of getting quality parts or anything else based on brand or price. I remember only one time finding that a particular part was better in one brand than another, but that is the only one I remember!

I've found good and bad tires and batteries in the same brand many times. My conclusion is that there is just no way to know for sure. I would use tires made in Afghanistan if I thought they were good and the price was right!

Michelin tires are very good but they are grossly overpriced. They were not always so and I used to use them. Some are junk just like any other brand but most are good. However, they are not a value.

One thing that really ticks me off is people automatically assuming that because something was made in China, Japan(Japan?? Where are the best autos made?), India, Korea, Mexico or any other foreign country is automatically inferior. This is plain bigotry folks, pure and simple.

[NJT 5573]

Gus,

I'm kinda like Paccar. They build both Kenworth and Peterbilt. As soon as they put some Alphas on the new trucks, I'll follow suit, but public safety has to be number one everyday from where I sit, so that and keeping drivers, forces me to run the best tires I can get without the option of expermentation. If you think tires are expensive, start rebuilding todays engines and gears. Start buying new trucks or buses. Tires are a small part of the transportation industry costs. If I liked Michelin and I do, I would have no qualms about putting them in service, I just can't justify them from a cost and service stand point.

If you think all the above are expensive, try getting involved in a fatality accident, that will really ruin your day.

[loosenut]

NJT,

I wish it were true that more money buys better tires, and any other stuff for that matter. If it were true I would gladly pay the price. Unfortunately, I have not had that experience with tires or anything else...

Michelin tires are very good but they are grossly overpriced. They were not always so and I used to use them. Some are junk just like any other brand but most are good. However, they are not a value.

One thing that really ticks me off is people automatically assuming that because something was made in China, Japan(Japan?? Where are the best autos made?), India, Korea, Mexico or any other foreign country is automatically inferior. This is plain bigotry folks, pure and simple.

Often times expensive items are expensive because of QC and not because they were manufactured in a revolutionary way.  I had a run of factory jobs and the companies ran pretty much the same way.  Parts for the most critical/expensive items were 100% QC'd down to the economy lines with little QC that shipped with all but the farthest out of spec items.  Now days things might have changed with companies concerned with how much debt they can carry rather than the quality of the products sold.

I confess I fall into the camp that an organization or country must prove they have a quality product before I will not expect them to be inferior.  I bigotry, doubt it; common sense, hopefully. 

Maybe I'm weird if so I'm not alone in that respect.  In the 70's there were a number of electronic/stereo companies that made quality products.  Many of these companies shut down in the 80's and 90's as tastes and interests changed and the most expensive asset they sold was their names.  Because consumers expected quality because of the quality history of the name.

New items must prove to be better, cheaper or easier to use to gain traction.  Do you think bigotry or common sense?   

Mike

[WEC4104]

When selecting products I wish to purchase, I admit I do take into consideration the local area where they are manufactured.  It is not that I hold something against the people in other areas, I just recognize that the world is not homogeneous when it comes to skills and experience. As things become more globalized, that is changing, but we are not there yet.  Call me a nasty name, but I do let these things affect my purchasing habits.

Let's say I go into a restaurant and glance at the menu. Both the BBQ ribs and the Cheese Steak sandwich catch my eye.  My decision on which to order WILL factor in whether the restaurant is in Memphis or Philly.  Does that make me a bad person?   

I don't buy hand tied rugs from Switzerland or chocolate from Persia, either.

There is probably a decent cheese maker in TN or KY, and a bourbon distiller in Wisc, but I'd rather take my chances with their products vice versa.

I'll go back to my original statement I made on March 12th.  I'd buy a Goodyear/Michelin/Bridgestone tire that was manufactured in China, because I would be confident that the expertise and QC processes would imported.  I don't know that I would take the risk on an unknown brand from there.

[loosenut]

I had them put Bridgestone on the front.  There is a world of difference.  The Alphas couldn't be balanced, aligned shaved etc. to run smooth or in a straight line.  The Bridgestone's ran straight and smooth from the installation.  They are wonderful.  Well worth the difference in price.

Mike

[TomC]

Tires are much more then just big black rubber round things that revolve and support the bus.  Michelin makes 45 models of truck tires alone.  Having the correct, best tires for your bus can make the difference between having a bus that rides well, gets the best fuel mileage possible, and most importantly having the best tire tread design for maximum traction-in this case braking.  If you're willing to risk your families safety on a tire from the mid east that "looks good" on the shelf, but has no safety testing, go for it.  But remember, having a tire that affords you the maximum traction will make the difference between being able to stop in time, or running into what's stopped in front of you-in this case, a bus is not what you want to get into a rear end collision with.  This is why I use Michelin tires exclusively-not because they are the most expensive or have some sort of status symbol, but that they are on the fore front of tire research and development with much testing and proving.  My truck has BFGoodrich front tires that are the same as Michelin XZA1's.  I am going to invest in running the XDN2's on the rear-even though they are close to $600.00 apiece since they are the highest traction highway tire Michelin makes-translated the best braking tire available. 
Tires are not the place to be cheap.  Good Luck, TomC