Anytime you hear or read the name ‘LeMans,’ certain images come to mind. Most of them have to do with racing, if you are one of those people that happen to like it. But there is also a tire brand called by the same name, and today we are going to dive into all you need to know about them in our review!
Lemans Company Background & Information
As with many tire companies out there today, you have to look harder and further than merely the name to figure out where they are truly coming from. This happens to be the case with Lemans tires. These tires are a distinct brand- Lemans– but they come to you from Bridgestone tires. Bridgestone and Firestone are two very well trusted names, and they have created Lemans as an off shoot brand to them. Think of it like a spin off TV show.
It’s similar to the one you liked and has some backing, but it is not the exact same thing you are used to and know very well. The market that they are shooting for mostly with Lemans tires is the ‘touring’ tire market. This market is one that pushes certain ideas to the forefront. They want to bring about a set of tires that are better performing than most while also being a bit more luxurious. Lemans is not a huge brand, as they do not carry a ton of options. However, if you want something a bit different from the rest and you can find it, then this is a brand well worth your time and consideration.
Lemans Tire Cost and Pricing
We have talked about how these are an off shoot of the bigger brands known as Firestone and Bridgestone, two mainstays in the tire world. The issue with those two, though, is that not everyone can afford a premium brand of tires. When that becomes apparent to them, like other companies have done, they decided to go out and produce an alternative of their own. Instead of allowing people to take their business totally away from them if they are looking for a cheaper priced option, they have created their own line to at least offer them a hand in this regard. So, that’s kind of the story of the ‘birth’ of Lemans.
It’s a way to try and retain and attract more customers by keeping prices as low as possible. One thing we should not forget to mention here is the fact that the limited options, as we talked about above, can also help drive the price down. All too often you will see companies produce a ton of tires. They will market them in strange ways, or they will spread their resources much too thinly. When that happens, prices only tend to go up, or quality will suffer. By being able to have this line of tires, Lemans, they have kept quality up as high as they can all the while giving you a much better and much more competitive price than the more premium lines they offer. A ton of folks have stated that they tried Lemans and went with them due to the price, so it’s totally understandable and commendable if this is what you are going with.
Lemans Warranty
A warranty is a great thing to have in the event that your tires just don’t live up to expectations. But there are some things you have to think about and look into with warranties. Sometimes they are not all that they are cracked up to be. Plus, did you know that you have to make sure you are maintaining tires properly in order to call in a warranty? At any rate, it looks to us that Lemans offers a very competitive warranty program on its sets of tires, a program that goes above and beyond what you might expect.
While they do not slap a massive, unreachable number of miles on them, they do offer a reasonable amount. It looks like most of them are warranted either for up to 40,000 or 55,000 miles, depending on what you get. That’s pretty good when you consider that this is a company that is going to be selling at closer to a budget price than the bigger brands do. It’s also really helpful that they have good customer service, too. It seems like a cliché, but it’s a massive deal to you to be able to get into touch with people. Some of the other budget options do not offer this, or at least do a good job at it, so it’s nice to see this trend bucked in a very big way.
Tire Options
With Lemans tires, truthfully the number of options available at your fingertips is quite limited. We have a couple of ideas here on whether that is good or not, and it just depends on your point of view and what you prefer. On one hand, it’s good to see that they have fewer options because it means they can concentrate on working on the things they know well. It also helps to reduce price when you become very specialized at something instead of doing a whole bunch of things.
With that said, it can also be annoying if you would like to buy a lower priced item that is not there. These tires are made for passenger cars and SUVs. We suppose you might be able to get some of them, maybe, onto a truck, but there are none that are expressly made for them. That’s unfortunate for some folks, but that’s just the way it is and the direction that this brand has opted to go in.
Lemans Tire Technologies and Features
Despite the name Lemans, you are not going to be getting the utmost in racing performance from these tires. As with most companies that come out with a brand that is an off shoot, what you usually see is a bit less quality than with the ‘bigger,’ older brands. So Bridgestone and Firestone are going to have the ‘really good’ stuff while Lemans is going to just be good. So, don’t let the sound of them making these tires out to be the best for the track fool you. That is not really what they are about. One thing you will love, or should definitely love, is that the tires are wider and bigger than most you’ll find on the market.
This wider nature does not seem like a very big deal to you, what do you care about that after all? However, it should matter quite a lot to you. A wider base makes grip much more possible, all the while it also makes sure that noise is reduced greatly. By and large, these do a very good job at preventing noise from overpowering you, even in the later stretches of life when that can tend to be a problem on most tires. The wide base is also nice because it provides you with more grip. If you have watched F1 before, you may know that they have experimented and changed their tire designs over the years.
When the tires are wider, they go faster. Likewise, you will be safer and have more control on the road, which of course, translates to faster times if you were on the track. These things, and not super advanced racing features, are the things we believe are the most important that come from this tire maker. While we don’t believe that they are the all-time best, you also have to admire and respect the fact that they work in conjunction with Bridgestone and Firestone. They may not have the newest ideas in tires built into them, but they will still have a lot of features and technologies that they could only use due to that relationship with the bigger companies that are towering above them. If you buy these, this is certainly a big reason, or should be one, that you would do so.
Tire Durability
With Bridgestone and Firestone’s names backing them, you get a ton of confidence in tires from Lemans. They may not have the same long lasting durability that those two get, but you can sure count on them lasting a much, much longer time than many of the tires that are out there as a low price alternative. These tires hold up well, and they remain quite and grippy, for a longer time than many that are even priced higher than them initially. You can’t really say they don’t offer bang for your buck, then, can you!?
Summary & Final Conclusion
If you are looking to save a few bucks but you can’t trust a brand with little to no reputation, then this is the one for you. While it is not Bridgestone or Firestone, it is backed and linked to them, giving you a lot more confidence in them than you’d otherwise have. They may not be perfect for the track, but they come at a good price and will last you some time, too!
Lemans Tire Models
- Performance AS
- Performance AS II
- Touring AS
- Touring AS II
- SUV AS
- SUV AS II