Sumitomo vs Michelin tires: Which is the Best Tire Brand?

You may have seen Dunlop or Falken a dozen times in tire shops, but it may never occurred to you that these brands belong to the world’s sixth largest tire maker, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd.

Between Sumitomo vs Michelin tires, Michelin is an obvious choice if money is no object. Sumitomo is a cheaper option, but it performs closely to Michelin’s tire lineup. You’ll be surprised that Sumitomo wins in offroading, which has been Michelin’s weakness for a long time.

Sumitomo is an international tire and rubber company that produces car tires, sports goods, golf balls, tennis balls and other rubber-based products like gloves, water seals, and more. It is a subsidiary of one of Japan’s largest conglomerates – the Sumitomo group.

On the other hand, Michelin is a French multinational company that has commercial presence in 170 countries. It produces tires for space shuttles, aircraft, and different types of vehicles and equipment.

Here is a quick overview of the two world-renowned tire makers.

What Are They?

Sumitomo Tires Vs Michelin: How Do They Work

Sumitomo

Sumitomo is committed to its SMART Tyre concept, where innovation focuses on an environment-friendly, sustainable and safe technology that are delivered through:

Michelin

Michelin caters to the same market needs identified by Sumitomo. In detail, Michelin tires are equipped with the following technological innovations:

Differences: Sumitomo Tires vs Michelin

Tire diversity

Aside from owning several tire brands, Michelin’s tire selection is more diverse than Sumitomo.

Michelin has 9 tire families:

Sumitomo has 5 tire families:

Performance

Here’s how Sumitomo tire quality fares against Michelin.

 Aside from the above models, check out our brief comparisons of other tires from both brands.

Summer

In review, Sumitomo’s HTR Z3 scored higher in comfort, wear and reduced noise than the Pilot Sport 3. However, it performed less well in wet and dry traction. No wonder drivers chose it as a cheaper alternative.

All Season

Michelin rules the all-season tire category. For instance, Michelin Defender T + H and Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ won against Sumitomo’s HTR A/S P02 in nearly all aspects. The Po2 does better than the A/S 3+ in snow and ice, but it falls behind the T+H in this category.

Highway

Ratings for the Sumitomo Encounter HT vs Michelin Agilis Crossclimate differ by about 1 point, with the Michelin performing better in most categories, such as performance on wet, dry surfaces, and comfort.

Cost

In general, Michelin is $9-72 more expensive than Sumitomo. Check out some Michelin Sumitomo tires prices.

As for winter tires, Michelin and Sumitomo have the same price range. For instance, at Walmart, the Ice Edge costs $173.61 per tire while Michelin’s X Ice Snow can be bought at $176.07 each.

Pros and cons – Sumitomo Tires vs Michelin

Sumitomo’s Edge

Michelin Advantages

FAQs

Are Sumitomo tires good quality?

Certainly. Sumitomo tires manufacturer utilize top-grade technology. In fact, it has won the “Tire Technology of the Year Award” four times.

Are Sumitomo tires safe?

Absolutely! Sumitomo tires are designed with the SMART tyre concept. The tires are equipped with a wear-sensing technology and an active tread that reacts accordingly to changes in road and weather conditions.

Does Michelin own Sumitomo?

No. Sumitomo belongs to the Japanese conglomerate, the Sumitomo Group. It owns the brands Dunlop and Falken. On the other hand, Michelin’s brand portfolio consists of tires from Kleber, Uniroyal-Goodrich, SASCAR, Camso and of course, Michelin.

Conclusion

Although comparisons between Sumitomo vs Michelin tires are common, I hope this post gives you lots of insights about their competitive qualities.

Michelin and Sumitomo are both top-tier tire brands that excel in dry and wet conditions, though Michelin has a slight edge in most cases. One area where Sumimoto defeats Michelin is offroading.

If you have questions we did not answer in this article, let us know so we can help you in our next post.