Who Owns Summit Tires And Where Are They Made?
Replacing tires can be very expensive, especially when opting for premium brands like the family-owned Michelin and corporation-owned Bridgestone. These brands command higher prices due to their advanced production technologies and high-quality materials. As a result, many car owners would rather step down to affordable alternatives. Summit Tires is one such budget-friendly brand.
The brand was established in 1974 by a group of independent tire distributors. However, since the turn of the century, it has been wholly owned by the private brander and dealer buying program group named Sure Tire Co. — formerly based in Brandon, Florida, in the early 2000s, before relocating to Wentzville, Missouri.
Under the leadership of Patrick McLaughlin, who was hired as executive director in March 2002, Sure Tire grew its product lineup by consistently introducing new tire sizes and models for the North American market. It eventually expanded its distribution network to Australia, Canada, South America, and Latin America.
However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, Sure Tire has seemingly struggled to stay afloat. It received a warning for not filing its annual registration report in June 2020. The company received the same notice in June 2022. Four months later, the State of Missouri revoked its business. Per the state's order, the brand may no longer carry on its operations except for those needed to wind up or liquidate its business.
Where does Summit produce its tires?
Summit's tire products cater to a variety of road conditions, featuring models like the high-performance, all-season Ultramax, and the all-terrain, all-season Trail Climber. They are known for their affordability and reliability since aside from being good-quality tires, they come with a 70,000 mile warranty and two-year roadside assistance.
Interestingly, Summit Tires only has one manufacturing plant in Qingdao, China, where the bulk of its tire products are made. Due to China's low cost of labor and large manpower, Summit can produce large volumes of its different tire offerings there and offer them in different markets, including the U.S., at affordable price points. For the North American market, where it offers all of its Trail Climber and Ultramax variants — as well as its Hi Road ST tires for trailer trucks — Summit sources some tires from different manufacturers in the absence of stateside plants. Most of these facilities are based in Tennessee.
By sourcing locally, Summit can ditch import taxes and keep pricing low. Some sources claim Summit also manufactures some of its tires in Thailand. However, there is not enough information to verify this since even the company's website does not mention the Southeast Asian country. Thailand being one of Summit's production sites may actually be a mistake, since there is a separate automotive parts and tire manufacturer firm in Thailand called Thai Summit Group.