Ohtsu Tire Reviews
Ohtsu Tires is generally regarded as a sub-brand of Falken Tire, offering a smaller lineup of tire options for those on a budget.
However, Ohtsu actually pre-dates the better-known Falken brand and the fact of the matter is that Ohtsu spun-off Falken as a high-performance sub-brand in 1983. The subsequent investment in marketing and motorsports means Falken is actually the better known of the two, especially amongst high-performance enthusiasts.
Both are actually subsidiaries of Sumitomo Rubber Industries, based in Japan, which as of 2016 has been producing Falken branded tires in the USA at their plan in Tonawanda, New York.
Ohtsu Tires Lineup
As mentioned, Ohtsu offers a limited range of tires. In fact, they only offer three different models.
The ST5000 is a premium-focused all-season touring tire specifically designed for light trucks, SUVs and crossovers with a large center tread rib for highway stability, exterior shoulder blocks for on-road performance and large interior tread blocks that mesh stability with enough void space to provide some ability for light off-road use.
The FP7000 is a value-focused all-season tire, designed for passenger cars, but also suitable for many of today’s modern car-based crossovers. Rather than one large center tread rib (common among all-season tires) it features two smaller ones with additional grooves for water evacuation and puts a priority on wet-weather grip.
Finally, there’s the FP0612 A/S a more performance-focused all-season tire with a thick center rib for stable highway driving and more immediate responsiveness, plus large shoulder tread blocks to follow up. It’s backed by a 40,000 mile tread wear warranty from the manufacturer.
Ohtsu tires are extremely affordable with pricing starting under $50 for some tires. The SUV-focused ST5000 starts at roughly double that, but at a large 18-inch size.
While these are budget-focused tires and won’t perform like a tier-one tire will, for the price, the vast majority of consumers report being very satisfied with their purchase.
Ohtsu Tires Warranty
Each Ohtsu Tire is backed by a standard limited warranty that overs defects in materials and workmanship. Tires found to be defective in the first 2/32-inch of tread wear will be replace free of charge with a comparable Ohtsu tire. After that point, and down the the final 2/32-inch of tread wear, Ohtsu will replace the tires on a pro-rated basis, based on how much tire is left.