Westlake tires
China's biggest tire maker at the lowest prices. Typically $50–$150 per tire.
Find Westlake tires for your car
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Westlake is the flagship brand of Zhongce Rubber, better known as ZC Rubber, which was founded in Hangzhou in 1958 and is now the largest tire manufacturer in China and among the ten largest in the world. Westlake tires are widely sold in the US online and through discount chains. To sidestep US tariffs on Chinese tires, ZC Rubber also builds many US-bound sizes at its plant in Thailand.
The lineup is broad for a budget brand. The RP18 is the mainstream all-season touring tire, the SA07 is a performance all-season, the SU318 is a highway tire for crossovers and SUVs, the SL369 is an all-terrain for pickups, and the SW608 is a winter tire. Westlake also makes trailer, commercial and agricultural tires.
The appeal is simple: a new set of Westlakes can cost less than half of a premium set. Warranties exist but are short, typically 40,000 miles or none. Quality has improved substantially over the past decade and the tires pass DOT standards, but independent tests consistently show longer wet-braking distances, more noise and faster wear than mid-tier brands. Westlake is a rational choice for a low-mileage car, a trailer or a vehicle you will not keep, and a poor choice for a family highway car in a rainy climate.
Westlake models worth buying
| Model | Type | Mileage warranty | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RP18 | All-Season Tires | 40,000 mi | $55 | Compacts and sedans where the lowest price matters more than refinement. |
| SL369 | All-Terrain Tires | None | $110 | Farm and work trucks that need an all-terrain tread at the lowest cost. |
| SA07 | Performance Tires | 40,000 mi | $80 | Budget replacements on sporty sedans that came with low-profile tires. |
| SU318 | Highway Truck & SUV Tires | 50,000 mi | $90 | Older crossovers and SUVs used for short local trips. |
| SW608 | Winter Tires | None | $70 | Drivers who need a dedicated winter tire for the least possible money. |
Strengths
- Lowest prices of any widely distributed brand
- Broad size coverage including trailer and commercial
- Thailand-built sizes avoid Chinese tariff surcharges
Weaknesses
- Wet braking and noise clearly behind mid-tier brands
- Short or no mileage warranties
Westlake as a company
Westlake is an imported brand handled in the US by ZC Rubber America Inc. of Walnut, California, which runs regional distribution centers including an East Region DC in Statesville, North Carolina, and it is also carried by private-brand distributors such as Tireco. The tires reach the US mainly from ZC Rubber's Chinese and Thai plants, and Indonesian truck-and-bus output aimed at North America started in late 2024. A Mexican plant 250 km from the border is being built to supply the region from inside North America.
All financial figures are group-level for Zhongce Rubber Group (every brand plus non-tire products), taken from its 2025 annual report: revenue CNY 44,956 million, operating income CNY 4,673 million, net income CNY 4,147 million. CNY converted at 7.2 CNY/USD, giving about USD 6,244 million. The employee figure 18,035 is as of 31 December 2024, the latest published count. Rank 9 comes from the Tire Business / European Rubber Journal Global Tire Report based on 2024 tire sales of USD 5.20 billion; 2025 tire sales rose 19.1 percent, and tire-only 2025 revenue was CNY 39,220 million (about USD 5.45 billion). The plant count of 10 is derived: trade press counted eight plants in China plus one in Thailand in mid-2024, and Indonesian phase-one production began in late 2024, while Mexico is under construction and Vietnam was only approved in 2026. No founding year is published for the Westlake brand itself, and no global market-share percentage or tonnage figure could be verified.
Westlake through the years
- 1958The factory behind the Westlake brand was founded in Hangzhou as Hangzhou Rubber Factory, making bicycle tires.
- 2011Its parent reached about USD 4.26 billion in sales and ranked as the world's tenth largest tire maker.
- 2024ZC Rubber started phase-one production at its Indonesian plant, building truck and bus radials aimed at North America.
- 2025ZC Rubber listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on 5 June, raising roughly CNY 4.07 billion in the largest Chinese A-share IPO of the year.
- 2026The board approved a CNY 1.04 billion tire plant in Vietnam for about 5 million passenger-car tires a year.
Did you know?
- Westlake is ZC Rubber's export badge: the same group sells Chaoyang at home in China and Goodride, Trazano and Arisun elsewhere, so several brands come out of the same plants.
- ZC Rubber built 111 million tires and sold 113 million in 2025, which makes the owner of the Westlake brand China's largest tire manufacturer and a top-ten global player.
- ZC Rubber is spending over USD 500 million on a tire plant in Coahuila, Mexico, only 250 km from the US border, its third factory outside China and a way around tariffs on Chinese-made tires.
Westlake tires: common questions
Who makes Westlake tires?
Westlake is the main brand of ZC Rubber (Zhongce Rubber Group) of Hangzhou, China, the largest tire manufacturer in China. US-market tires are built in China or at ZC Rubber's plant in Thailand, and the country of origin is marked on the sidewall.
Are Westlake tires safe to drive on?
They meet US DOT safety standards and are legal and safe when properly inflated and driven sensibly. Independent tests show longer wet-braking distances than mid-tier and premium tires, so leave extra following distance in rain. They are adequate for low-mileage, everyday use but are not a good choice for highway commuting in wet climates.
How long do Westlake tires last?
The RP18 carries a 40,000-mile warranty and owners typically report 30,000 to 40,000 miles. The truck and winter tires have no mileage warranty and typically last 25,000 to 40,000 miles. Frequent rotation and correct inflation help more with budget tires than with premium ones.