Where do my tyres
come from? (Likely.)
There are far more tyre badges than tyre manufacturers. We trace the public evidence—without pretending that shared ownership or a shared factory makes two tyres identical.
A badge is only
one part of the story.
A tyre’s brand, owner, manufacturer, factory and New Zealand importer can all be different organisations.
Some manufacturers operate several brands. Some private labels buy from more than one supplier. And the same brand can use different plants for different sizes, patterns or markets.
The plain truthAn educated buyer is a smart buyer. A shared group or factory network is useful context. It is not proof of identical compound, construction, quality control, performance or warranty support.
Follow the evidence,
not the sidewall hype.
This first release covers relationships we can support with direct corporate material. It is a living guide, not a complete register of every tyre currently offered in New Zealand.
01Sailun GroupGlobal group · multiple production basesSailun · RoadX · Rovelo +3Confirmed
Sailun Group lists these names together in its current product-brand portfolio. That establishes a group relationship, not that every product shares a plant, construction or specification.
- Relationship
- Group-operated product brands
- Evidence level
- Confirmed
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
02ZC RubberHangzhou, China · global production networkWestlake · Goodride · Chaoyang +2Confirmed
Zhongce Rubber Group identifies these brands in its corporate overview. Individual size and pattern origins still need to be checked at tyre level.
- Relationship
- Manufacturer brand portfolio
- Evidence level
- Confirmed
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
03Sentury TireChina, Thailand and Morocco · market-dependent supplySentury · Delinte · Landsail +3Confirmed
Sentury’s own brand pages connect these names to its family. The company also states that it operates factories in several countries, so the badge alone does not identify the plant.
- Relationship
- Manufacturer family of brands
- Evidence level
- Confirmed
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
04Prinx ChengshanChina and Thailand · two disclosed production basesPrinx · Chengshan · Austone +1Confirmed
Prinx Chengshan’s corporate material names four principal brands. Its reporting also describes private-label customers, a reminder that factory relationships can extend beyond the names a group owns.
- Relationship
- Group-owned brands
- Evidence level
- Confirmed
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
05Hankook Tire & TechnologyGlobal group · plant varies by product and marketHankook · Laufenn · Optimo +1Confirmed
Hankook describes Laufenn as a global associate brand and lists its wider portfolio. This does not make a Laufenn product equivalent to a Hankook product.
- Relationship
- Corporate brand portfolio
- Evidence level
- Confirmed
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
06Linglong TireGlobal group · multi-brand, multi-factory networkLinglong · Crosswind · Leao +3Confirmed
Linglong’s current corporate material presents these as differentiated brands. Pattern names, regional use and manufacturing location can still vary.
- Relationship
- Manufacturer brand portfolio
- Evidence level
- Confirmed
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
07Toyo Tire CorporationGlobal group · production location variesToyo Tires · NittoConfirmed
Toyo Tire’s corporate site says it develops both Toyo Tires and Nitto in global markets. Shared ownership does not mean shared patterns or equivalent performance.
- Relationship
- Corporate tyre brands
- Evidence level
- Confirmed
- Last reviewed
- 2 August 2026
Don’t see a brand? It may be under review, multi-sourced, or not yet supported by evidence strong enough to publish. Send us a product and source →
How confident
are we?
“Likely” is not a magic legal shield. A useful claim explains what the evidence establishes—and where it stops.
Confirmed
The manufacturer, brand owner or a corporate filing directly establishes the relationship.
Strongly supported
Multiple credible sources agree, but a product- or plant-level detail remains unresolved.
Possible
There is a credible lead, but not enough public evidence for a firm statement.
Unverified
A claim has been submitted or observed, but we are not publishing it as fact.
Because TyreShepherd is a tyre business as well as a publisher, we treat this page as commercial communication. NZ Commerce Commission guidance says comparisons should be clear, accurate, like-for-like and tell the full story.
Read the Commerce Commission guidance ↗NZ$26 at the factory
is not an NZ$26 fitted tyre.
A supplier quote submitted to TyreShepherd in August 2026 listed a 245/50R20 tyre at approximately NZ$26 per unit for an order of 1,000 units.
We have not independently confirmed the supplier, exact specification, final contract price or manufacturing source. The example is useful only to show where an ex-factory quote sits in a much longer supply chain.
*Supplier figure as submitted in New Zealand dollars. Every other cost will vary. No final fitted or retail price is implied.
The sidewall leaves clues.
Take clear photos of both sidewalls. Not every marking appears on the outward-facing side.
- 01
Record the complete product
Brand, pattern, size, load index, speed rating and XL or standard-load marking.
- 02
Find the country marking
Useful context, but it may identify the country rather than the precise factory.
- 03
Photograph the DOT / TIN code
For tyres carrying one, the first section identifies the manufacturing plant and the final four digits show week and year.
- 04
Ask the NZ supplier in writing
Request the manufacturer, plant, product specification, warranty provider and date the information was checked.
What shared manufacturing
does—and does not—mean.
✓ It can mean
- A common parent or manufacturing group
- Access to part of the same factory network
- Overlapping corporate, R&D or distribution systems
- A useful lead for further product-level research
× It does not prove
- Identical rubber compounds or internal construction
- Equal wet braking, durability, noise or efficiency
- The same quality-control specification
- Equal warranty or New Zealand after-sales support
Corrections and
right of reply.
Manufacturer, importer, distributor or tyre nerd with better documentation? Good. We want the strongest available evidence, not the last word.
Submit a correction
Please include the exact sentence or brand entry, what you believe is inaccurate, and documentary evidence that can be checked.
Email the research desk ↗Material corrections will be dated. A submission does not guarantee a change, and unsupported marketing claims will not alter an evidence rating.Manufacturer pages, corporate filings, regulatory records, tyre markings and dated written confirmation.
We keep the claim narrow, show the confidence level, link the source and record the review date.
TyreShepherd does not accept payment to improve a brand’s evidence rating.
TyreShepherd publishes this guide using publicly available manufacturer information, corporate records, regulatory material, supplier submissions and product markings. Manufacturing arrangements can vary by tyre size, pattern, production date, country and market, and may change without notice.
A shared parent company, manufacturing group, factory network or tread resemblance does not establish that two tyres are identical or equivalent in construction, compound, quality control, performance or warranty support. Where a relationship has not been directly confirmed, we describe the confidence level and evidence relied upon.
Prices are snapshots taken on the date shown and may exclude freight, tax, compliance, storage, fitting, warranty and other supply-chain costs. This guide is general consumer information, not legal, engineering or vehicle-safety advice. TyreShepherd welcomes documented corrections.