Who Owns Ironman Tires And Where Are They Made?
Tires might not be the flashiest part of your vehicle, but they play a pretty important role in keeping you safely connected to the road. Purchasing new tires is often a choice between going all-in on a premium brand with a big name and a bigger price tag or opting for a more affordable option that still gets the job done.
Ironman tires are definitely at the more budget-friendly end of the spectrum, having established themselves in the American tire market by offering reliable performance at a relatively low price. The brand offers a wide range of tires, including those for passenger cars, SUVs, all-terrain vehicles, trailers, and commercial truck tires. The brand focuses mainly on the replacement tire market, so Ironman tires are bought by drivers who need to swap out their worn factory-installed set for something new.
The brand is part of the Hercules Tire & Rubber Company and was introduced as a low-cost line in 2008. Hercules is a well-established tire company that was founded back in 1952 by a group of independent tire businesses. As well as Hercules and Ironman brands, it also produces Dynatrac brand tires. In 2014, the company was acquired by American Tire Distributors, one of the largest independent tire suppliers in North America.
Where are Ironman tires made?
Ironman isn't very forthcoming about its manufacturing locations on its website. It's not listed on its tire specifications, and on its FAQ page, it just refers to "partners in the United States and abroad". Certainly, some Ironman Tires are manufactured in the United States. For instance, the Cooper Tire facilities in Findlay, Ohio, also make Hercules and Ironman tires. This partnership dates back to 1960. However, most are made overseas, especially in China. This is one of the ways that Ironman keeps its price lower than mostly US-made brands like Goodyear or Cooper. According to Amazon listings, customer reviews, and customer comments on forums, Ironman tires are made in the USA, China, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam.
If you own Ironman tires and are curious to know exactly where yours were made, you can check the DOT (Department of Transportation) code on the tire itself. Go to the Manufacturer's Information Database on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website and select Equipment Plants on the right-hand side. Enter Tires as "equipment type," then type the first two or three letters of the DOT code shown on your tire. The results will display the manufacturing plant where it was made. For example, tires with a DOT code starting with JE are made in the Shandong Yongsheng Rubber Company plant in China.