Nick86

iTrader: (1)

I've been looking at some new tires, and everytime I go into a shop they say:

"You can buy these tires for $X, or I can sell you a set of Wanlis for half that."

The tires in question are Wanli S-1088's. They are a z rated tire with a 280 treadware - they look like this:



One salesman even said they were made by Dunlop.

So - Has anyone used these? What are they like? Any opinions?

Thanks!

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

Nobody has tried these?

DamonB

I know practically nothing other than that they are Chinese and no reputable chain carries them. I'd stay away.

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

It's funny, I posted the same question on some other boards and got varying info.

Some say they are Chinese.
Some say they are Korean.
Some say they are Lebanese.
Some say they are Turkish/Japanese.
Some say they are made by Dunlop.
Some say they are made by Yokohama.

This seems to be the only "real" info on them:

The Wanlis (s1099) do have a tread pattern that's nearly identical to the Yokohama AVS
Sport. The Wanlis are also about half the price of the Yokos.
However, I think they may just be a ripoff, rather than owned or
manufactured by Yokohama. According to the November 25, 2002 issue
of "Tire Business" (yes, there is such a newsletter), the Wanlis are
manufactured in China's Guangzhou Province.

Also, from the same article, it looks like the Wanli 1099 Z-rated
high performance tires (the ones that are Yoko AVS knockoffs) are
imported and distributed by a company called Zisser Tire Wholesale.
Another company, Houston-based American Omni Trading Co., imports
and distributes regular Wanli passenger, light truck and truck
tires.

It's possible that rather than being a knockoff, Wanli licensed the
design from Yokohama, or that Wanli is in some way a subsidiary of
Yokohama, but I haven't been able to find any information that would
confirm that.

And a lot of people seem to say "Great tire for the price". What does that mean???

DamonB

You'll have to ask them.

RedR1

iTrader: (5)

Wanli. . . . . . that alone sounds suspect. . . . . . Hate to say it, but be our guinea pig and let us know how well it doesn't work. . . . I'd say for the most part, stick to the tried and true tires out there. When you cut corners to save a buck, you think afterwards. . . man, I coulda put that money into a set of Yoko/Toyo/Bridge/Mich/etc.

rynberg

You're joking right? China is being unilaterally criticized for allowing unauthorized copying of manufacturer's products in just about every industry. I would lay money down that those are unauthorized copies and shouldn't even be allowed to be sold here -- of course, I've never even heard of them before so in the majority of tire places, they aren't.

Not only would I not buy those tires, but I wouldn't patronize the business that's selling them.

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

LOL - gee thanks... I think.
I'm not doing this to "cheap out" on tires. I am looking to replace my current AVS. What has made me wonder is that everywhere I go has been pushing these things - they are about 35% cheaper than an AVS. I'm just wondering why? Is it that they are a good tire trying to get market share by selling them cheap, or is it that they are a crappy tire and shops can't get rid of them fast enough? The lack of real world opinions of these things does raise some concerns!



I didn't write that - some guy on another forum did. I agree that there is no way Yokohama would allow that kind of copying to go on unabated. that's one of the reasons that this 2nd generation tire looks different!

I have to say I am intrigued by them - but certainly not convinced!

Mark'sMazda

how cheap can you get them?

DamonB

Pictures of tires are useless, what counts is the internal construction of the belts and the compound of the rubber. That's why I will always shy away from something I'm not able to get reliable information on.

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

The price I got quoted was for 4 X 225/45/17.

He said $440 USD Tax incl, installed and balanced. I'm sure you could get them even cheaper.

DamonB

I just checked our friends at www.tirerack.com and they have lots of performance tires in 225/45/17 for about $100 (and less) each that we have all actually heard of...

Black91n/a

People will say they are made by Dunlop because it's an obvious rip off of the Dunlop SP Sport 9000 (http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....=SP+Sport+9000) If they were dunlops then why can they afford to sell them for so much less? Think about it. They are not made by Dunlop, or else Dunlop would be able to sell their tires cheaper and get a bigger market share. My sister's boyfreind bought a MX-6 with wanli's or some other cheap **** Chineese tires on it and they SUCK!

Remember, the tires are the ONLY thing that is between the car and the road, do not cheap out on them, you will regret it and you can be comprimising your safety.

I've seen ads for many of these Chineese tires and they all look like some other real performance tire by a more reputable brand. They are trying to trick you into thinking they are better than they really are. (look at Woosung, Nanking etc, all have rip off tread patterns).

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

Prior to tax and duties, not mounted, balanced or shipped to Canada.


That said, the $ difference between Wanli's and Yokohama AVS ES100's is about $65 a tire - so $260 a set. What I was hoping was that I'd get a flood of people convincing me that it was an unnecessary expense for the Yokos. I have to say I haven't gotten that. Those people on other forums that have used them do seem to be happy - but in the end I'm still not convinced that $260 savings is worth going for such an unknown tire.

Black91n/a

Try www.tiretrends.com or www.1010tires.com, both are Canadian online tire retailers in the Vancouver area, also you can print off a price quote from online and take it in to a local retailer and see if they'll match the price.

Also what size are you looking at? If you post the size and what you want from the tires I'm sure some people will make some good suggestions on more suitable tires. I like my Falken FK-451's they're cheaper than the ES100's and are stickier (the ES100's aren't particularly sticky). Another tire you could try is the Kumho 712, not a very good high performance tire, but a descent tire, and it should last quite a while and they are CHEAP.

Nick86

iTrader: (1)

I've already looked through Tiretrends and 1010tires. They gave me a good idea of what I should expect to pay. It's not only about being cheap - I'm looking for a good bang for buck tire.

The problem I found was that the Kumhos seemed to only be available in an H rating in that size. I was hoping for at least a V. There are a few options to look at, and this weekend I'll be seeing what's out there.

I'm looking at 225/45/17. They are solely for street use - I have stock wheels with tires for autocross etc. I've posted "WTB" threads on 5 different forums. So far there has been little response!

Black91n/a

Here are some tires to consider that are cheaper than the ES100's:

Kumho 712's (W rated in this size)
Falken FK-451 (I've got them and love them, better than ES100
s and 712's)
BFG g-sport
Falken Zeix 512's
Avon Tech M500

All of these are less than the ES100's.

I was buying tires in this size last spring and had the same dilemma, what to get. I went with the FK-451's due to their low price, their stickyness, and their quality, and their life expectancy. They are about on par with the Toyo T1-S's for grip at a much lower price. They won't last forever and they aren't the stickyest tire out there, but they are a very good value for money and I've never regretted getting them.

blk87Turbo2

iTrader: (23)

ok...I've rooted through this thread and here's my take: I have a set of the Wanli AVS knockoffs. The shop I bought them from for 80eur (very cheap by German tire standards) said they were AVS knockoffs. He couldn't vouch for the tread compund similarities or anything else. I needed a cheap tire badly at the time so I got just the fronts. I then bought two more for the back. I was impressed with how well these tires handled. Keep in mind though, this was on a FWD 2002 VW GTI (225/45 17). They gripped well in both rain and sun. They were a bit noisy at times and had a tendancy to howl a little bit when close to the limit of the tire, but they broke loose predicably. All in all a good tire. I've had many people ride with me and they couldn't believe the traction I was getting through turns at high speeds and under hard acceleration. And even at 150mph they're no more noisy than the factory Pilots that came on the car. Try them at your own risk, but they get my recomendation. They've held up fine for the last year and I expect they will continue to do so for quite a bit longer. I also plan to run these tires on my FC once I get some rims for it.

Black91n/a

Do you have any basis of comparison though?

blk87Turbo2

iTrader: (23)

I only have comparison with Cooper Cobras and the stock Michelin Pilots and some of my buddies cars (Nittos, Toyos, and a couple Pirellis). Between those few the Wanli has come out on top. I've never compared it to any Falkens, which I've heard are decent tires and the Falken Azenis is praised heavily in the VW circles. The new Michelin Pilot Sports are supposed to be the top of the pile too. A lot is going to come down to the climate you drive in (wet/dry, hot/cold), your driving style (grippin' the twisties, straight line highway, or stop and go midtown), and lastly your personal preference. I've done a fair bit of tire research, but I've found it almost always comes down to that last one. Figure this though, even if it turns out that the Wanlis are the crappiest tire YOU've ever driven on then you're not out that much money. If they AREN'T then you got a damn good deal on a tire that works for YOU.

Black91n/a

There's alot to consider in a tire, like milage, grip in wet and dry, grip while hot and cold, grip when new and worn, snow traction, it's ability to handle heat and track abuse, noise when new and worn, and many other things. The areas I'd expect them to be weak in is grip when worn, milage and ability to handle heat.

Keep in mind when comparing Wanli's to the oem tires that many oem tires really aren't that good. Also in your comparisons you say that alot of your experiances with other tires are on other cars, this will hugely affect your oppinion of the tires, as some cars are helpless in the handling department.

It's a very personal thing to choose tires. Some would run R compounds on the street all year, while others would run snow tires all year. Is one person right and the other wrong? No, they just have different priorities.

I don't really have any basis of comparison myself but I did alot of research and found some data from reliable sources that said that my choice was a good one.

Basically my advice is to do alot of research and find tests that compare several different tires so you can get a feel of where one tire sit in relation to others, that way you shouldn't be let down and you can be assured that you'll get the tire that's right for you.