Interesting article

[cabinfever]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/autos...isk/ar-BBefYnY

[sourdough]

Wow! I'd just read that article and was coming here to link it and.....you beat me to it! Good job! I sure makes you want to shy away from any tire from China seems to me.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Wow! I'd just read that article and was coming here to link it and.....you beat me to it! Good job! I sure makes you want to shy away from any tire from China seems to me.

While this may be true, it is "easier said than done". Every RV that is manufactured most likely comes equipped with tires made in China. I'm not sure about the percentage of trucks and cars that are similarly equipped but I would guess that many of them are also riding on Chinese tires.

It seems that the only recourse is, upon delivery, to swap them out for some non-Chinese ones if the consumer is worried about their safety. Finding tires made elsewhere can also be problematic leaving the consumer in a bit of a quandary.

Now we not only have suspect Chinese tires but also "fake" or counterfeit Chinese tires to worry about.

Yikes

[Ken / Claudia]

Thanks for posting the article. This is the first time I knew of fake or what cops call "Gray" tires being imported.

[CWtheMan]

Personally I think the term “Grey Market” as used in Consumer Reports document is misleading. IMO grey market items were/are not in the same category as any counterfeit items. They were/are most often manufactured for use in countries other then the USA and do not always meet our inspection requirement.

Probably the most common gray market items are automobiles, especially those made in Japan for the Japanese market. They are left drive vehicles and older ones sold to military members stationed there will bring a better value when brought to the USA and sold here. They are often put into quarantine (so to speak) while they are inspected and brought up to USA DOT standards.

I think a more appropriate term for the counterfeit tires would be “Black Market” tires. They were built, tested, inspected, imported and sold under false pretences’. In that context, it would behoove the DOT to reexamine their tire testing and certification regulations/instructions for foreign imports. There is a big loophole somewhere and it needs to be closed.

CW

[Ken / Claudia]

CW, you are right. "Gray" is just a term we used. In court or on a report the correct term to use even if writing a article the term should be counterfeit. As used in intent to defraud, fake, false, etc.