Why buying cheap tires is ALWAYS a bad idea...

As a consumer, there are just some things you should not buy solely based on price alone. Things like dentistry, plastic surgery and tires! This notion is evidenced recently by the recent huge recall of Chinese tires manufactured by the Hangzhou Zhongce corporation. 750,000 tires manufactured by this company dating back as early as 2004 have been recalled by the federal government. Problem is that the U.S. company that imports the tires, Foreign Tires Sales Inc., doesn't have the cash to enact any recall. The Chinese tires are sold under a number of brands, just a handful of which are Vesta, Goodride and Chaoyang.
    Most of the tires are "value brand" tires that sell for $100 a tire and under. The reason for the faults, which seem to happen with stunning regularity at or under 20,000 miles, is that an engineer for the manufacturer decided to stop using gum strips in the production process. Simply put, these strips keep the tread from separating at higher temperatures and after extended wear.
   To check if your tires are affected by the recall, follow this link to the NHTSA recall website. My suggestion is that even if you have trouble getting your tires paid for by the manufacturer or the retailer that sold them to you, get a new set. Tire safety is no joke.
   
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/