Anybody know anything about Linglong tires....other than they are Chinese. I got a set of 215-40-zr17's in a tire and wheel package. And they are as loud....if not louder.....than the runflats. Are these tires any good?

 

What's with the funny tire names? First "Kumho" and now this "Shangdong Linglong Rubber Company"

I don't know if I'd trust a manufacturer that can't spell "traction" or thinks 30 series tires are good on and off road, but that's just me: http://www.worldtireimports.com/

BTW linglong means "elegant."

 

I know...the names.......don't know much about those tires though!

 

in chinese it wont sounds so funny.........

never heard of the brand, then again, never heard of anything from china....

 

What does shangdong mean?

Hey thanks for the link ......Yep, that's my tire L688. They seem to have good 'tracition' but they're noisy as hell at low speeds. Get up around the (legal) speed limit (in some states) of 75mph and they ride like a dream. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with them.

 

It is the province where Tsingtao beer is made.

 

The tires are probably priced pretty low and that is why you got them in a package.

A simple google search brings up 10 pages of hits.

Like this business article-
http://www.trade.gov.cn/english/php/show.php?id=1180

They make alot of tires (mostly for trucks) and probably you'll be hearing more from them in the future.

Not much about those tires from other MINI owners. Anybody go to China and can check out the tires on cars there for the Linglong brand name??

 

I bought some LingLongs for my GP. They are model L688 size 215/40ZR/18. I have only had them 2 days but I'll let you know how they work. They look good and give my GP a much softer ride then the Dunlop runflats I had so that is a nice change. They aren't much louder then my RFs.

On another note, any one with GP wheels know where I can get scratches and roadrash removed? I am looking for a good wheel repair company that won't gouge me on the price. Any help is appreciated.

 

They came in last place.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests

 

Here is what Car & Driver said about them (btw they hated them): They rated them last and they ACTUALLY accumulated points in the NEGATIVE. (personally I would not touch them with a 10 foot pole)


"This Ling Long proves that a complete tire design involves more than just a tread pattern, because the L688’s V-shaped layout is essentially a copy of Yokohama’s AVS Sport tire.
Consistently finishing last in all of the performance categories, the Ling Longs’ dry autocross performance was so far behind the other tires’ that we had to round its score up to zero to keep it from being negative. Geswein used the words “hard” and “skatey” to describe the Ling Longs’ feel. Their best showing was on the skidpad, where an 0.88-g effort tied the Yokohamas’ for last.
Things got worse in the wet, where slip-and-slide behavior required a conservative effort to stay between the cones. The Ling Longs were a full five seconds off the autocross pace and needed 22 more feet—1.5 3-series car-lengths—to stop from 50 mph than did the best Hankooks.
On the street loop, we were irritated by a low-speed drone, and these were the only tires to squeal under semi-aggressive cornering.
Aside from tires, the parent company, Shandong Ling Long, in Zhaoyuan, China, also specializes in cement. Is this a strategic advantage? We’re not sure, but the Ling Longs showed the least wear after testing—we nicknamed them the “Live Longs”—so there may be a connection. But even though they cost half the price of many competing tires, they scored less than half the points of even the eighth-place tire. To us, that doesn’t qualify as a value, even at $57." -Car & Driver

 

I feel that too much of resting on my tires to gamble on something based solely on price. When the oh sh*t moment comes due to loss of grip, it is too late.

Also, BTW Shangdong is a name of a place in China.

 

Yeah I don't skimp out on tires. Even my Corolla has Yokohamas. No Wanlis, Nankings, Sunny, Dragons, Ling Longs, Lexani, Nexen, Champiro, or GT Tires for my babies. GP has German Made (made sure they were DE) Good Year Eagle F1 DS-G3.
Anyway heres some more info via New York Times:

RE: Chinese Tires Are Ordered Recalled, NEW YORK TIMES
OOPS, same province different company.

 

Holy sh*%. I don't see Ling Long in the article but could this be the same company! Might I have a legal cause to get reimbursed for these tires? I don't know what I don't know...that is the scary thing. The Lings I have have been balanced with my GP wheels and an alignment completed but I still get vibration and shimmy at over 65 MPH. Could that be caused by the tires?

Would anyone be able share what tires they DO recommend for my GP? It just blows me away that the cost of tires can range so dramatically. The Dunlops I replaced are over $330 a tire! I thought I was saving some serious money but what was I replacing them with. Now I don't know if I should try to take them back and get them prorated and go with something better or take my chances on this Chinese brand with no history or perhaps even worse, a history like the company above! Who is to say these tires weren't made by the same company and they just change the name to throw buyers off. Crazy economic and business environment we have now. Global economy means I have to search globally to find the right tire for my needs. Safety shouldn't even be an concern but I realize there are so many people and companies out there willing to save a dime by putting lives at risk. I now need to decide what to do. Any suggestions?

howsoonisnow1985 can you post the original news article link?

 

Yes it could but more likely caused by the balancing. You should get dynamic road force balancing. This is likely to get rid of the shimmy.

 

Do I just ask the American Tire Depot I got the tires at if they can provide me with "dynamic road force balancing"? Will they know what that is?

Scratch that. I called and they do know what it is but don't have the equipment to provide that type of balancing. Any idea where I could get this done?

 

Car and Driver link: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests
As for tires for GP in 215/40-18, check these out:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTiresB.jsp

The Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 are the best of the bunch and $442 a set of 4. Those Dunlop SP Sport FM901 for $50 bucks a piece aren't nearly the best in terms of performance, but they won't fall apart. Other great tires in that size are the Falken Tires ZIEX ZE-912 and the Nitto Tires NEOGEN.

Here's articles anyway:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/bu...ss/26tire.html
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...55C0A9619C8B63
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...=&pagewanted=2

 

BFGoodrich, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Firestone, Fuzion, Goodyear, Hankook, Hoosier, and Uniroyal all sound like funny names for tires to me.

They use a special rubber formula with melamine and lead.

Save money on tires, the lives lost will reduce over-population.

 

Check out www.tirerack.com under the installation tab for a list of their installers. Call the recommended installers and ask. Well worth the extra couple of bucks as it takes away the aggravation of tire vibration. I regularly hit 125 mph on the track so I would not go without it.

I know a couple of great tire places in CT and NY. If you are close, I can provide their names.

 

I run Sumitomo HTRZIII's. Very cheap and plenty of grip for a street car. Made in japan too so if I may borrow a page from Vince:"Made in Japan. You know the Japanese make good stuff." However because I "cant do this all day" I will just quickly say that the Dunlop Start Spec and Kuhmo XS are probably some the highest performing street tires you can get for under $150 if you can find them in your size.