Michelin, Pirelli rank highest in OE tire customer satisfaction

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. (Sept. 18)—Pirelli Tire North America Inc. and Michelin North America Inc. took top rankings in a survey of consumer satisfaction with their original equipment tires. In a survey of 30,400 vehicle owners, based on their experiences during the first two years of new vehicle ownership, the Pirelli brand ranked highest in tire satisfaction in the car/compact van segment, while Michelin earned that designation, for the fourth year in a row, in the light truck segment. Uniroyal, Michelin and General followed in the car category; BFGoodrich, Goodyear and Dunlop ranked respectively next in light trucks. The J.D. Power and Associates 2003 Original Equipment Tire Satisfaction Study calculated overall satisfaction based on five factors—tire durability, traction, appearance, ride and handling. The study also noted that owners of non-luxury Japanese and Korean vehicles and compact vans were less satisfied with their OE tires than owners of comparative European and domestic vehicles. The finding suggests Asian auto makers may want to reassess the OE tire specification they use for non-luxury cars and compact vans to ensure customer satisfaction, Jeff Zupanicic, director of tire practice at J.D. Power, said in a release.