Sumitomo tires, a name that tells a thousand stories. In the automotive sector, Sumitomo tires are a well-known tire brand. The premium tire brand is well-known for its unique design, precision, engineering, and high quality.

Sumitomo Tires is Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd.’s (SRI) flagship export brand and one of the world’s most successful and prominent tire producers. They are a worldwide brand with a focus on product value and real-world performance.

This company, headquartered in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan, is a multinational tire producer and provider of other automobile supplies. Continue reading to get the most fascinating and relevant facts about Sumitomo tires and Sumitomo Rubber Industries.

The History Behind Sumitomo Rubber Industries

Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. is one of Japan’s leading tire companies, with a market share of more than 60%.

This reputed company was founded in September 1963. Let’s go back a little further in time to gain a more precise historical overview.

Dunlop’s business was lured to become Japan’s first modern rubber plant in March 1909. They began making rubber bicycles and rickshaw tires.

They created the first vehicle tire in Japan in 1913.

Dunlop renamed itself Japan Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd. in 1937 and continued to operate effectively until 1963.

The Sumitomo group took over the company in 1963 and renamed it Sumitomo Rubber Industries. It was named after the founder of the Sumitomo Group, Masamoto Sumitomo.

In January 1983, Sumitomo bought all of the shares owned by U.K. Dunlop. They started manufacturing the artificial lawn “Omni Court” with all-weather sand. In the same year, they bought U.S. Dunlop shares and started providing technical support.

The next year, they obtained a majority stake.

The production of Spike tires was halted in 1990. (at the end of December), and they began manufacturing winter tires for trucks and buses. The company also established a regional office in Europe.

SRI founded P.T. Sumi Rubber Indonesia on July 1, 1995, to produce tires and golf balls.

Thay started manufacturing in 1997 at the Sumi-Rubber Indonesia factory.

In June 1999, they signed their contracts for global tie-ups with The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. In September of the same year, joint ventures in Japan, North America, and Europe were also established.

SRI purchased all of the new shares issued by Ohtsu Tire and Rubber Co. as part of a share allocation to a third party (which owns 51 percent of the corporation).

In November 2000, they founded Sumitomo Rubber (Changshu) Co., Ltd. in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, China. The company’s shares were delisted from the Nagoya Stock Exchange in February 2004.

In May 2005, they founded Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd. to produce and distribute tires.

SRI captivated Dunlop Falken Tyres Ltd. and SRI Hybrid Ltd. merged in January 2010.

Later that, in September, they found Sumitomo Rubber (Hunan) Co., Ltd. to manufacture and sell tires in Changsha, Hunan Province, China.

Sumitomo Rubber Do Brasil Ltda. was founded in June 2011 to produce and distribute tires in Brazil.

In 2012, Sumitomo Rubber AKO Lastik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. was founded in Turkey.

In 2013, they acquired Apollo Tyres South Africa (Pty) Ltd. (now Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (Pty) Ltd.).

On February 14, 2014, Goodyear declared its decision to end its collaboration with Sumitomo owing to claimed “anticompetitive behavior.” On June 4, 2015, Goodyear announced the termination of its joint venture with SRI, which would take effect at the end of 2015.

Following the breakdown of the relationship with Goodyear in January 2016, the Sumitomo Rubber USA facility in Tonawanda, New York began producing Falken Tire-branded tires.

And last but not least, in February 2017, they bought Micheldever Group (MD), a tire sales firm established in the United Kingdom

Sumitomo Industries has been providing high-quality equipment to the automobile sector for a long time. Sumitomo tires are currently among the most popular among customers and vehicle merchants globally.

where are sumitomo tires manufactured?

Sumitomo Tires, a part of Sumitomo Rubber Company, manufactures tires in Japan and the United States. Furthermore, some of their tires are made in China and Thailand.

are sumitomo tires good? 5 reasons to buy

Sumitomo Tire is ranked in the top 5 among all the tire brands worldwide. They have been doing business in the automotive industry for a long period.

So, we can surely say that the tire is worth the money. Let us describe some of the worthwhile features of Sumitomo tires:

Sumitomo tires have several features that set them apart from the competition. Some noteworthy characteristics that you may find useful include:

#1- You Can Get a Comfy Ride:

The tire is designed to provide your car with a quiet and comfortable ride.

#2- Tread Wear Indicator Feature:

This tire has a simple tread wear indicator to let you know when it’s time to replace your tires.

#3- Outstanding Grip:

sumitomo tire has excellent traction on wet roads, providing you peace of mind, no matter what the weather conditions are.

#4- Move Smoothly:

The turning resistance is intended to provide comfort and smooth movement.

#5- Comes at a Budget Price:

Sumitomo is one of the greatest manufacturers to consider if you are on a tight budget and need a cheap tire. This means you can rest assured that your money has been wisely spent on a high-quality product.

top 3 types of sumitomo tires on the market

Sumitomo manufactures three types of tires. However, within these three categories, there are countless tire models with varying size and spec possibilities. Let us know the three main categories:

1. Sumitomo Passenger Tires :

There are three passenger tires from sumitomo, Those are: Summer HTR Z5, All-Season HTR A/S P03, and All-Season HTR A/S P02. All three of these tires serve like giants.

2. sumitomo Truck Tires:

This area has a wide range of tires, however, most of them are of comparable quality. The HTR Sport H/P Street/Sport all-season truck tire, all-season touring tires, HTR Enhance C/X, and so on are among the most noteworthy truck tires.

3. sumitomo Winter Tires:

sumitomo Winter tires are primarily designed with winter-friendly qualities in mind. This sort of tire provides the finest traction on the wet road. One of the better examples is the sumitomo Ice Edge series.

4 Best sumitomo Tires you should consider

Although it’s a quite hard task to find out the best options among a lot of tires that perform amazingly on the road, we’ve researched the features, specs, and customer reviews about these tires, and made a list of the top five.

HTR Z5:

The HTR Z5 is Sumitomo’s Ultra High-Performance Summer tire. The tire is intended for performance sedans, sporty coupes, and sports vehicles. In warm, dry, and wet weather, this tire will provide quick high-speed handling and excellent traction.

Sumitomo HTR Z III:

These high-tech, third-generation radials provide excellent high-speed handling and sticky traction in both dry and wet conditions. Although not being designed for cold temperatures, snow, or ice, this tire performs admirably in the summer.

HTR A/S P02:

The tread pattern of this all-season tire is asymmetric, with circumferential loops. Customers will benefit from the tire’s improved wet-road grip. Even in snowy conditions, you can ride comfortably.

Sumitomo Touring LS :

Touring LS T is Sumitomo’s Standard Touring All-Season tire. The tire was intended to equip coupes, sedans, minivans, and crossovers. This tire is designed to provide all-season grip in dry, wet, and wintry situations, even in light snow, while combining long wear and comfort.

top 5 Best Alternatives for Sumitomo Tires:

There are many alternatives to Sumitomo tires available in the market. But, there are only a few that are worth your time and money. We have listed some of the best alternatives for Sumitomo tires below:

1) Kumho Tires:

For high-performance and all-season tire styles, Kumho is the finest option. They offer fascinating and economical designs that are fuel-efficient and technologically advanced. Kumho tires are a great substitute for sumitomo tires.

2) Yokohama Tires:

Yokohama is the first Japanese tire manufacturer to receive ISO9001 accreditation, indicating that it is a model company for quality assurance in design, research, manufacture, and installation. Their tires are regarded as one of the best alternatives for sumitomo.

3) Bridgestone Tires:

In any condition, Bridgestone tires can provide you with a secure ride. Every ride is made more pleasurable with their premium SUV and CUV tires. To provide you further peace of mind, most of their tires come with an industry-leading 80,000-mile warranty.

4) Continental Tires:

Our next mention is Continental tires. They guarantee that your tires provide superb braking, optimum safety, and pure driving enjoyment at all times. Continental is one of Europe’s major tire manufacturers for passenger and light vehicle.

5) Michelin Tires:

The Michelin Primacy HP features an asymmetric tread pattern that provides long wear life and excellent wet-weather handling. It also has improved cut resistance, which aids in maintaining stability when turning. The company has been maintaining their quality since the beginning.

closing thoughts

Sumitomo provides high-performance tires for the whole automobile industry. However, the fact that most people are unaware of is Who Makes Sumitomo Tires

Hopefully, we were able to adequately demonstrate the manufacturer’s history as well as the most important facts regarding sumitomo tires in this post.

Read our tire related post below:

Who Makes Sumitomo Tires – Are They Any Good?