Many drivers are not as familiar with GeoTour tires as they are with brands like Michelin and Goodyear. Are GeoTour tires good for your car or truck? Who makes GeoTour tires? I’ll describe GeoTour tires in this article, including their key specs and features.
The Japanese company Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd, one of the world’s largest tire companies, is the maker of GeoTour tires. GeoTour tires have above-average reviews, are very durable, and they last long. They usually come with a 65,000-mile treadwear warranty.
Read on to learn more about GeoTour tires, their manufacturer, and some user reviews to help you see how these tires fare on the road.
GeoTour Tires
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. makes different tire models that can fit different customer needs and driving styles. They make high mileage, and high-performance tires called GeoTour tires. This tire manufacturer also makes other tire models for cars and trucks.
Sumitomo Rubber is a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest tire companies, the Sumitomo Group. They produce tires with a 65,000 miles warranty on their treads, especially H & V rated sizes.
Tires rated H can handle speeds of up to 130 miles per hour, while V-rated tires can take a maximum speed of 149 mph. Tires with H and V ratings can perform considerably well, even at high speeds.
GeoTour Tire Rating
Here is a table that will show you the rating given to GeoTour tires:
| Tire Line | Construction | Tire Size | Traction | Temperature | Treadwear |
| H, V, W Rated | Radial | All Sizes | A | A | 500 |
| T Rated | Radial | All Sizes | A | B | 500 |
Note:
- Traction is the property that indicates the ability of the tire to stop on wet pavement. The rating on traction is graded from highest to lowest such as ‘AA,’ ‘A,’ ‘B,’ or ‘C.’
- Temperature is the property that indicates the ability of the tire to resist heat. The temperature rating is graded from highest to lowest, such as ‘A,’ ‘B,’ or ‘C.’
- Treadwear is the property that indicates the rate of wear of the tire tread. If the treadwear number is high, the tread of the tire will take longer to wear down. A grade of 100 is given to a control tire.
As you can see, all sizes of GeoTour tires are given a good tire rating. That proves the claim of its maker that it is a good tire.
GeoTour Tire Sample Specs
To give you a more detailed description of a GeoTour tire, here are the full specs of a particular GeoTour tire. It is the 225/40r18, 92V, SL model. This is an all-season tire that belongs to the touring performance V class with a speed rate of up to 149 mph.
The tire has a load range of SL, meaning it is a standard load tire. This tire can hold a maximum load pressure of 35 pounds per square inch (psi). It has also passed air and pressure tests.
Full Tire Specs
- Brand: Sumitomo
- Model: GeoTour
- Season: All Season
- Type: Passenger
- Aspect Ratio: 40
- Size: 225/40R18
- Load Range: SL
- Load Index: 92
- Tread Depth: 8-9/32
- Performance: Touring
- Speed: Rating V
- Section Width: 225
- Rim Diameter: 18 inches
- Overall Diameter: 25.1 in.
Who Makes GeoTour Tires?
Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. is the manufacturer of GeoTour tires. It is a subsidiary of the Sumitomo Group, a Japanese conglomerate. This company is operating different types of businesses. It has manufacturing facilities in the USA and some parts of Asia, such as China, Thailand, and Japan.
Sumitomo Rubber USA
In its desire to satisfy the increasing demand for its tires in North America, Sumitomo Rubber has established the Sumitomo Rubber USA, LLC (formerly Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America). Its tire manufacturing plant is located in Tonawanda, NY.
Dunlop Branded Tires
This facility can produce more than 4 million tires every year. The tires they produce are for different applications, including cars, motorcycles, buses, and trucks. Sumitomo has acquired 75% interest in Goodyear Dunlop. They also obtained the rights to sell Dunlop branded tires to the subsidiaries of the Japanese carmakers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Falken Tires
Falken Tires, another tire brand, has also been acquired by Sumitomo Rubber. Their tire manufacturing facility is located in Rancho Cucamonga, California. This place is where the company holds its headquarters.
The Dunlop brand now belongs to the group of Sumitomo Rubber. Sumitomo acquired it from Sports Direct. The acquisition of Dunlop was finalized in Shirebrook, England, where Sports Direct International is based.
You probably haven’t heard of Sumitomo before, but certainly, one of the tires they produced has already caught your attention. The name Sumitomo is usually not on the tires. Instead, you’ll see Dunlop or Goodyear.
Those two tire brands are now under the umbrella of Sumitomo Rubber. Meaning, the companies that make these tired are under Sumitomo Rubber. So, while the Sumitomo brand is not what you see on the tire, nevertheless, they were the ones who are now making these tires.
Additionally, Sumitomo has not been actively marketing the Sumitomo brand. In effect, they are simply flying under the radar, so people don’t notice. But when it comes to making long-lasting tires, they have all the experience and skills to do it.
Background of Sumitomo Rubber Tires
While its name is not very popular, Sumitomo is a well-respected Japanese tire brand. Under its portfolio are more popular tire brands, such as Goodyear, Dunlop, and Falken. Ohtsu, another tire brand for the budget-conscious, is also under the wings of Sumitomo.
Sumitomo is definitely legit. It is the fifth-largest tire maker in the world. Other tire manufacturers like Yokohama, Hankook, and Pirelli fail in comparison in terms of overall sales. This company could not be the world’s fifth-largest tire maker if it makes low-quality tires.
Sumitomo operates a well-organized dealer network that offers a wide variety of tire options on the market. This enabled Sumitomo to generate tire sales big enough to be considered one of the world’s top producers.
GeoTour Tire Pros and Cons
Sumitomo tires have good and bad points. It seems that the good points outweigh the bad. Perhaps it has captured a substantial portion of the market because it could find the middle ground and capitalized on that. Its tires are durable and safe, but they are also very affordable:
Pros
1. Long Tread Life
It is not wise to buy cheap tires because their treads wear down in just a short time. Not with Sumitomo GeoTour Tires. They are affordable, yet their treads can resist the abrasions and stresses from the road more than other tire brands.
Sumitomo knows that their tires are made of strong materials, that they are willing to give them exceptional treadwear warranties. In some instances, their warranties are even more than the time given by premium tire brands. GeoTour tires are cost-effective in the long run.
2. Great Value
Being affordable is the greatest thing that makes car owners buy Sumitomo tires. But unlike cheap tires made from China, the quality of GeoTour tires approaches the quality of the premium tires of other well-known brands such as Cooper, Kumho, and Hankook.
You can get a 30 to 40% savings if you buy a GeoTour instead of a premium branded tire of the same quality.
3. Safe
Every GeoTour tire that goes out of the Sumitomo tire factory is tested and checked by the company’s R&D center. This is done to ensure that all Sumitomo tires sold in the market are safe and will never put the lives of their users at risk.
So, the GeoTour tires produced by Sumitomo can provide safe traction in most road conditions. For sure, each GeoTour tire can perform well under the conditions in which they were designed.
Manufacturers of cheap tires skimp on their quality control checks and tests. They also use rubber compounds of questionable quality and use low-quality tread designs. So, their tires are not able to compete well with other well-known tire brands.
Con
While Sumitomo GeoTour tires offer many advantages, there is one great disadvantage that you should know. You should consider this before making any buying decision.
They Lag Slightly Behind Its Competitors
Since they are cheaper than premium brands, Sumitomo tires cannot compete toe-to-toe with their competitors. When their performance is compared with their rivals such as Hankook, Cooper, Pirelli, Continental, Bridgestone, and Michelin, the performance of GeoTour tires will lag slightly behind.
Sumitomo tires will not perform as much as these other tires when it comes to grip and overall traction. However, because of its lower price compared to them all, GeoTour tires are still worth considering.
GeoTour Tire Reviews
The best way you can determine how the GeoTour tires perform is by reading through the experience of those who have used these tires in the vehicles. One user said they bought new GeoTour h/t tires. The tire model is 225/40r18.
Fairly Cheap
This user said that the tires were fairly cheap. They found that the tires don’t seem to handle very well. The traction control light of their car turned on in 4th gear and went straight in dry road conditions.
Entry-level Tires
Another user said that these are entry-level tires. They said it works fine going into the summer. But in their experience, these tires don’t last that long.
One customer who used Sumitomo tires said that they are terrible tires. They got 22,000 miles on them even with their wheels in perfect alignment and every 5,000 miles tire rotation and correct tire pressure.
Another consumer also bought Sumitomo tour tires. But after only a couple of years and only 17,000 miles on them, the tire service center told them they need to be replaced. They were not happy because they only do mostly local driving.
There is a car owner who also bought Sumitomo touring tires. After using them for two years and clocking 30,000 miles, the tires are down to 4/32 tread. Meaning they have to replace their tires with a new set. The warranty covers this change since it wasn’t able to surpass the 70,000-mile mark.
Good Reviews
But there are also car owners who have experienced good things with Sumitomo tires. One customer says that their Mazda 3 was quieter with the Sumitomo tires than other tires of other brands. In their experience, 25,000 miles seem to be the lifespan of tires with normal driving.
There’s another consumer who said they bought Sumitomo tires for their class motor home in 2012. Four years later, they are still like new with 15,000 miles on the odometer. They said they are buying four more Sumitomo tires.
Another car owner also has good words for Sumitomo tires. They said they lived in Japan for about three years and had a Toyota Town Ace with Sumitomo tires and a Honda Civic with Yokohama tires.
They replaced the Yokohamas twice but never replaced the Sumitomos until they left Japan. To this consumer, Sumitomo tires are good tires. They said they replaced their Goodyear tires on their SUV with Sumitomo tires and said they are quieter and have a nicer and more comfortable ride.
Are GeoTour Tires Good or Bad?
Like any tire manufacturer, Sumitomo produces different tire models to suit varying customer needs and driving styles. You may indeed experience some of the advantages and disadvantages of the tires. That’s part of a consumer’s life.
Sometimes luck also plays a part in choosing the right tires to give you long and good service. But as long as you choose the tires that suit your needs and driving style, you will get the most out of the tires you buy.
Conclusion: GeoTour Tires Review
GeoTour Tires are one of the classes of tires made by Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. This tire company produces different kinds of passenger and commercial vehicle tires of various sizes and capacities.
Their tires have also passed standard regulations and are safe to be used on cars and trucks. These tires offer great value for your money since they are affordable and are relatively strong and durable.
Again, to help you quickly decide if GeoTour tires are what you’re looking for, here’s a list of the brand’s pros and cons:
Pros
- Long Tread Life
- Great Value
- Safe
Con
- In terms of performance, they lag slightly behind their competitors.
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