In the search for brand new tires, you can run into a lot of tricks and traps. One of those is just not knowing the differences between some of the companies out there. Sure, we all know the heavy hitters, but few of us know the smaller brands. One of those is Grenlander, and today we will be looking into them as we help you out by reviewing them so you’ll know what they are all about.
Grenlander Tire Company Background & Information
Despite the name Grenlander making you assume that these tires would be associated with a company from Greenland, Iceland, or possibly Scandinavia, these tires come from a completely different part of the world. That being China. Coming from the Shandong Kaixuan rubber company, Grenlander was introduced as a way of helping make the world greener while still providing tires, a necessity that we all just have to have in this day and age to get around and travel. Shandong Kaixuan began producing tires pretty recently, with the opening of a plant in Shandong, China in 2014.
It was a large investment of $500 million, but that is nothing new given the changes that China has been going through in terms of the last few years as they seek to be more capitalist in nature. As of now, they look to have the ability to make about over three and a half million tires per year, utilizing technologies from Japan and Italy along with a naturally lower labor cost. The company has two main brands they are pushing. Grenlander and Deemax were the two to begin with, with Grenlander being the most prominent of the two.
As time went on, they have decided to rebrand Grenlander. If you want anything from this point forward, it will be known as “Grenforce,” so keep that in mind. You can still find Grenlander tires, and likely will be able to for some time as well, but they are no longer being branded the same as they have undergone a strategy change with their marketing.
Grenlander Tire Cost and Pricing
One of the biggest advantages that comes from buying any product based out of China is going to be that the price is lowered subsequently in relation to most. There is a very viable- and lucrative- reason that Apple makes it phones in China, and it’s because they can control the costs much better by putting them together there.
For the same reasons, Grenlander tires are going to be quite affordable for you to turn to. This is due to the lower labor cost and the fact that they are also trying to appeal to a worldwide market. There are really just two ways to truly go global. One of them is to hit the market running with a vastly superior product. Since Grenlander is not quite up to that quality, the only other way is to be very competitive with price.
If you come into it with medium quality and price, you won’t stand out too much, so this looks to have been something Grenlander tried to prevent from happening. They needed to be able to stand out in some way, and it was obvious that it would always be price. It just had to be.
Grenlander Tire Warranty
With a naturally lower price point, you always have to accept the fact that the tire warranties offered to you are not going to be quite as good. On top of that, a relatively new company is also not going to be able to offer you quite as much. Both of those combine with Grenlander, so you should not be expecting too much in the way of a great warranty.
That’s not to say that they don’t have anything for you to hang your hat on, so to speak. There is still an avenue for recourse in the event that something does go wrong. You just won’t have as much there to back you up. They surely offer a warranty, but information is very tough to come by, so it may just go based on who is selling the tires to you.
This is unfortunate and a little bit annoying, no doubt, but it is to be expected from a new company given the country they are in. Customer service does appear to be a bit of an oversight, so this just proves that. Make sure you find a reputable dealer that you trust, and ask that person if you are interested, as they will be able to give you much more insight into it.
Tire Options
Considering the fact that this company is known for bringing lower priced items to the marketplace, you would probably assume that they would not have a ton of products for sale. However, they actually do a pretty good job at providing different options, going above and beyond what you would expect. Usually when prices are lower, you don’t see as many types of tires, and though their ‘fleet’ is by no means large, it also is not the smallest you have ever seen, either.
You can get several different types of them, and they also are going to come in various sizes to meet your needs. If you don’t see model that has your size, chances are that there is at least one model that will correspond to the size you indeed do need. Finding and acquiring Grenlander tires is most likely going to be something for an internet shopper to go through. While we do see that Mavis, for example, has some in stock, you can’t help but think that Grenlander will not be the highest of priorities for most places that carry a lot of tires, even.
If they do have it, they will most likely have to order it in for you. So, that’s why looking to buy them online is a good option. Places like Wal-Mart have them for you, so you can order them and then have them shipped to the store for them to either put them on or for you to take them somewhere else. For policy questions on this, it’s best to speak to the company selling the product, as it can change from one to the next.
Grenlander Tire Technologies and Features
Another downside to going with a company that is new and also committed to a more budget approach is going to be the fact that driving technology to the brink is not going to be high on the list of priorities. This is true with Grenlander tires, who are basically going to give you the same ‘regulation’ tire that you are used to and not much more.
It’s not to say that they do not research and development on them, but it is very hard for us to see where they do this at. If anything, they are likely relying on older information for their research, utilizing older trends instead of being at the front of the line in coming up with new stuff. Just be aware of that as you consider if you want to go with this company or not.
Grenlander Tire Durability
One of the unfortunate side effects, and risks, you take with going with tires from China is that they will not hold up as long as some others. The problem with this assertion, or assumption, is that it’s not always true. We can’t say that 100% of the tires that come to you from Grenlander will last a shorter lifespan than those from other companies. That’s just not true.
There are going to be ‘duds’ and ‘studs’ in any run of tires, or any product for that matter, so there is bound to be some good, long lasting ones in there somewhere. One such example we have been able to find through careful examination is that of more ‘easy going’ drivers. These tires tend to wear much more gradually if you drive your car in a more normal, less aggressive manner.
This means if you have a nice Mustang GT and like to let loose every now and again, then you’re probably best served taking your business elsewhere. With that said, given the low price of these tires, you can’t really complain with the durability you ultimately are yielded.
Sure, it will be less, in most instances, than the big retailers and companies, but that is what you signed up for by going with more of a budget price. Life, as in economics, is all about opportunity costs, and this is one of those you have to make a decision on. Which way will you turn?
Summary & Final Recommendations
Unless you are truly a tire connoisseur, chances are that you have never heard of Grenlander tires before today. These tires are not the worst on the planet, but they are also not going to be prove to be the best, either. With that said, if you want a no frills set of tires for a relatively low price, then these are the way to go. The durability may be a bit unpredictable, and it will depend on your driving style, but you can count on them being affordable for you as you seek to save a buck or two, at the very least.
Grenlander Tire Models
All Season Tires
- Grenlander Colo H1
- Grenlander Entri U08
- Grenlander L-Grip 16
- Grenlander L-comfort 68
- Grenlander L-Finder 78
- Grenlander L-zeal 56