Tire shopping can be long and arduous, and in many cases, it can be downright annoying. There are just so, so many brands out there, and for most folks, it’s too hard to do. They end up letting others make the decision or going with a default choice. If you don’t want to do that, read on for our review on Armstrong Tires, an outside the box solution for you to turn to.
Armstrong Tire Company Background & Information
Armstrong Tires are not a household name in the tire industry, as you can probably attest to. If you haven’t heard of them, as most haven’t, then you’d agree and see how this is the case. Armstrong Tires, though, have had a long, long run in the game, despite their relatively small name. Dating back to 1912 when George Armstrong founded them, they steadily grew to be among the top tire companies in the entire world. So big, in fact, that at one point they were in the top five in manufacturing.
That’s absolutely crazy to think of, and unless you are a certain age, you’ve never likely heard of them. That is because they were bought by Pirelli, due to that success, in the late 1980s. That saw them slowly lose fame and notoriety. In 2012, another company, ZAFCO, acquired them. Their bid was rather simple: restore Armstrong to its prior glories.
It’s a long, long task, but there is still plenty to like about this relatively unknown maker of tires nonetheless. As for ZAFCO, it’s helpful to know a little about them. They are a large company that has three others, besides Armstrong, under their banner at present. They’ve only been around since the ‘90s, but they are building steadily and doing well at it.
Armstrong Tire Cost and Pricing
The front page of Armstrong Tires’ website says it all about what they want to do. They are clear about their goal of offering you excellent value for the money you spend. This is a brand that is looking to keep costs as low as they can, but they are also seeking to make sure that you get quality along with. As we’ll see in a few moments, their warranty program is able to back this up in an immense fashion.
While there are bound to be companies and brands out there that will undercut Armstrong on price, there are almost always groups that will do that, it’s going to be quite hard to also find the quality and guarantees that are thrown behind them. So, just take that into account when considering it all.
Armstrong Tire Warranty
One of the main things that we love about Armstrong is that they offer a true blue warranty for you to be confident in. Unlike so many companies out there that sell tires, they give you a clear and precise warranty to believe in fully. They call it the Tuff 360 Warranty. For up to six years, yes six years, you will get at least some coverage.
Within the first year, you will get a 100% free replacement. After each year, they will be prorated in their coverage, but you will still have some recourse in the event that they did not properly do their jobs in manufacturing them. They even offer free reimbursement for flats and roadside assistance as well. This is truly putting your money where your mouth is, and it’s something you should not fret about or overlook any longer.
They’ve also got a 30 day money back guarantee. If you don’t like them you can replace them within that time with absolutely no questions asked. That’s massive and can’t be found in many places.
Tire Options
As far as options go, Armstrong are pretty limited in what they offer right now. This, though, should not be viewed as major downer on them. It’s just common sense, in our estimation, that they would do this. They are still slowly working on building the brand back up to what it used to be. They want to ensure that the tires live up to expectations rather than focusing on making skew upon skew of tires that are sub par.
Each tire that they have come with that ridiculous warranty that is going to be pleasing to even the biggest of grumps out there in the world. As far as what they specifically offer, it’s going to be all about tires for the road. Tires for SUVs, cars, and light trucks are there. At present, all of them are all season tires.
Some are geared more toward performance while others are just a good, solid set of tires. They do have one set of all terrain tires, so if you fancy a little bit of off roading, that could be just the way for you to go. They also, of course, have the commercial tires as well. So if you are looking for some good ones in that field, they also have them for you to take a look into.
Armstrong Tire Technologies and Features
Armstrong Tires do their best to keep things very simple, and you can tell as such on their site. With that said, it’s clear that they are incorporating smart tech and features to their tires. There is simply no way that they would last as long as they do if this were not the case.
Armstrong Tire Durability
We know we talked a lot about the warranty information already, but we need to talk some more about it here. Whenever you see a warranty as stiff and strong as the one that they offer, it can only be a positive for you to view. No company is going to offer a warranty that sets them up for failure. You’re not going to see, for example, a two year warranty applied to an item that is meant to last a year at most.
No one would do that because that is like taking money out of your pocket and essentially setting it on fire. With Armstrong Tires, you’re going to get good durability. If not, they would not offer you that kind of a strong and sincere warranty. It’s just not possible or feasible to do so unless you have a seriously durable compound.
Summary & Final Recommendations
Finding tires is tough work. It’s also not all that fun, unless you’re into this sort of thing. But with Armstrong, you can find a lot of the boring monotony to be worthwhile. With them, you get a ton of protection in their warranty. It may not be the Armstrong that was around in the 1960s, yet, but if they continue to build as they have been recently, you would not be shocked to see them back toward the top of the tire world once more.
Armstrong Tire Models
All Season Passenger Tires
- Blu-Trac PC
All Season Performance Tires
- Blu-Trac HP
All Season Sport Utility Vehicle Tires
- Tru-Trac SU
All Season Highway Terrain Tires
- Tru-Trac HT
All Season All Terrain Tires
- Tru-Trac AT
Long Haul Tires
- ADH- Drive Axle
- ADR- Drive Axle
- ASH+- Steer Axle
- ATH- Trailer
Regional Tires
- ADR- Drive Axle
- ADR1- Drive Axle
- ADR2- Drive Axle
- AOR- All Position
- AOR2- All Position
- AORV- All Position
- ASR+- Steer Axle
- ASR1+ Steer Axle
On/Off Road Tires
- AOM- All Position
- AOM1- All Position
- AOWH- All Position