Consumer Reports has a warning about Chinese tires

Tires are expensive. Most SUV-truck tires Consumer Reports recommends cost more than $150 each.

So a $95 tire from China, the Pegasus Advanta SUV, seemed like a bargain. But when Consumer Reports put a set of those tires through its standard tests, they came in at the bottom of the ratings.

Jennifer Stockburger of Consumer Reports explains, "These tires did not grip well in snow. They were short in terms of tread life, when compared to the other models. And they made for a rough and noisy ride."

Even worse, the tires could be fakes. API, the US-based company that owns the Pegasus brand, says it stopped using the Chinese factory that made the tires three years ago.

A letter from API's chief operating officer says: "Many of our molds went missing ...we have no idea who may have made these tires nor what they put in them."

Consumer Reports bought the tires from the website Tires-easy.com. Its president says the tires came from an importer.

Jennifer tells us, "We contacted the importer and several government agencies and unfortunately no one is really owning responsibility. That leaves the consumer little recourse should something go wrong."

Consumer Reports tested two other inexpensive SUV tires from China - the $85 Sunny and the $114 Geostar. They didn't perform well in the snow and ice tests and scored much lower overall than the top-rated Michelin Latitude Tour that costs $168.

"Your tires are a key safety component of your car, which is why we always recommend that people go with the best performing tire they can afford," Jennifer said.

The least expensive all-season SUV-truck tire Consumer Reports recommends is the $135 Continental CrossContact LX20 EcoPlus. Consumer Reports also recommends the Michelin L-T-X M/S-2 for $190; Goodyear Assurance C-S TripleTred All-Season for $160; Pirelli Scorpion Verde All Season Plus, also $160; and Cooper Discoverer S-R-X for $157.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not gotten any complaints about the Pegasus Advanta SUV tires. If you bought them and are worried about their legitimacy, you can get more information on the Consumer Reports website, ConsumerReports.org.