[Paul Stolk]

Greetings,

Just collected my brandnew B-Max 1.0 Titanium Navigation from Ford dealers in Rotterdam.


To my surprise,the car is fitted with Korean made Hankook tyres.
I asked the salesman about this and he replied this is standard delivery for Ford in The Netherlands.
I wonder if that is correct.
Ford being English/German orientated,one would expect Continental (German) or Michelin (French) tyres from factory.
A friend who works as a car mechanic says Hankook is no good,but he could be wrong of course.


It has become obvious to me that the B-Max standard delivery may differ from country to country.
My B-Max has no DAB radio whereas the English 2017 brochure says that DAB is standard on the B-Max Titanium Navigation.


Your comments would be very much appreciated.

 

[maxfan]

hello paul..hankook are now fitted as original fittment to most car makers.inc ford/audi/merc/kia etc..
we sell a lot of hankook .never had any problems with them

 

[Paul Stolk]

Thanks.


Still i wonder what has changed.
Probably Ford can buy the Korean tyres cheaper.
I seem to recall that rercent cars from Ford Cologne had Continental tyres fitted as a rule,same for Volkswagen.


Let us see how it goes.
The B-Max was produced in Rumania,something deemed impossible 10 years ago.


Cheers,


Paul.

 

[Skelly]

Welcome to the forum Paul.
Having worked in the supply department at Ford, albeit not tyre sourcing, I can remember Hankook being mentioned as a new supplier back in the early 2000's.
You are right about the changes at Ford. When I joined as a young apprentice in 1978 I never imagined Ford vehicles built in other locations in Europe apart from the UK, Spain or Germany. Now they are also built in Russia and Romania as you mentioned. The 2012 Ka that you once owned was actually built by Fiat in Poland.
Sadly,no vehicles are manufactured in the UK anymore which is ironic as Ford sells more vehicles here than anywhere else in Europe.

 

[cianpars]

I once had a Kia with Hankook tyres. They were fine.

 

[Paul Stolk]

Yeah,but KIA is Korean so that makes sense.
In my mind,an European car should have European tyres.
I cannot imagine a Volkswagern with Korean tyres.
So why does Ford have them?


Cheers,


Paul.

 

[Hywel S Wales]

Maybe because they are cheaper ??

 

[Paul Stolk]

Sure,that is usually a strong motive for all sorts of manufacturers.I have been a purchaser in oceanshipping my entire life,i know how much money one can save when shopping around.
That also applies to purchasing in private life by the way.


The risk of global shopping for car manufacturers is that they spoil their image,if they have one.
The Made in Germany slogan is still a very strong sellingpoint outside Germany.
As such,Volkswagen would be very stupid putting Korean tyres under their Made in Germany cars.
How is that for Ford?
The Big Boys of Ford USA seem to be eager to produce more socalled Global Cars.
Well,if that is the aim,who cares about the origin of parts?


There is nothing wrong with Korean products in general.
We have a Samsung flat TV at home which gives value for money,it is just a very good TV with good contrast and perfect colors.
The risk is loss of added value.
Most Dutch people were eager to fly KLM,our national pride and a piece of home on a foreign airport.
Then they were taken over by Air France.
Result being Dutchmen fly Emirates or Cathay if they can.


My five pennies worth......

 

[cianpars]

Exactly why Ford build models in Romania and Mexico. It's cheaper to produce them there. Labour is cheaper, land is cheaper, taxes may be lower, etc. The quality is the same. Same with tyres.

Except with Hankook tyres, you feel like you are driving on a slant Edited by: cianpars

 

[Paul Stolk]

I will change them for Continental (slang:Conti's) or Viking tyres when the time is ripe.No worries.

 

[cianpars]

Hadn't taken much notice of the tyres on my 1 year old B Max other than to pump them up occasionally but just noticed that they are Goodyear.

Goodyear were always decent tyres that we had to pay extra for years ago and I believe that they are still well regarded.

 

[Skelly]

I hate to burst your bubble Paul......

https://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyres-for/vw
The original equipment of Volkswagen cars includes tyres supplied by Yokohama, Michelin, Kumho, Hankook, Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear and Pirelli. Examples of cooperation: Yokohama tyres are serial equipment of Touareg (ADVAN Sport) and Routan (AVID S33). Dunlop tyres are provided as original equipment ...

It would be commercial suicide to single source tyres due to potential risks to supply. I would imagine that most car producers multi source their tyres with perhaps the exception of low volume manufacturers.

Now if you had Chinese tyres fitted I could understand your concerns. I bought a second hand Rav4 with Chinese tyres and they were awful. I changed them within days of picking the car up.
Also, we should not forget that the B Max, however much we love them, are not premium vehicles. They are at the lower end of the car market where profits are minimal and component sourcing is competitive. Hankook are not budget tyres and fully comply with car manufacturers specifications. They are cheaper to buy through economies of scale which, as a purchasing professional yourself, are no doubt fully aware of.

 

[Paul Stolk]

Thanks Skelly.

The world of manufacturing is changing,with the end users having little to say.
Another world lost.

 

[Skelly]

Thanks Skelly.

The world of manufacturing is changing,with the end users having little to say.
Another world lost.

I agree things have moved on Paul but I still find it difficult to understand why you think Ford should be ashamed for fitting Korean tyres (your other post refers). Clearly you have a leaning towards VW and their perceived use of Continental, who incidently have tyre plants all over the world not just in Germany. Ford are not a German company, they are American owned with purchasing offices all over the world so why would they fit German tyres to a car built in Romania. I don't understand your logic.

 

[Paul Stolk]

Dear Skelly,

I note what you are saying,globalisation is out there and cannot be stopped.
Ford has an American origin as you rightly say but for us on the Continent Ford Cologne has always been seen as a separate outfit.
I am not a German but i know for sure that a typical German buyer will not accept Korean tyres under a German made car,it is just not done.
I cannot possibly see Korean tyres being placed under a BMW or Mercedes,buyers would simply discart the brandname of the car instantly.
Korean carmakers are making very good cars nowadays,at attractive prices.
Latest Hyundai and KIA models are grabbing marketshare from VW and the alike.
If Ford are selling cars with Korean tyres why on earth would i need to buy a Ford instead of a KIA?
As i indicated before,it is about throwing away added value on product,as such throwing away potential profit.
Finally,the truth to be known,i once had a SAAB 96 GL 1980 final series having a Ford Taunus V4 engine made in Cologne,i believe the car had Michelin tyres from factory in Finland,later replaced by me for Viking tyres.


Cheers,


Paul.

 

[Skelly]

Paul.
Thank you for the entertaining dialogue. If your car was built in Germany I could understand where you are coming from but we all know it wasn't. The ironic thing was I looked at the tyres on my new Kuga which was built in Spain. They were Continental

All the best
Skelly.

 

[Paul Stolk]

Continental (or Conti's as we call them) are a good tyre with a sound reputation but some call them a bit on the hard side,as is common for German cars.I always liked driving VW Golf but my wife felt they were a bit tough in the suspension,including the tyres.
So many people,so many tastes.
Once the car gets older it pays to shop around for new tyres,i found Viking tyres from Norway a good alternative.

 

[cianpars]

I've always been happy qith Contis. They perform well and you get a decent mileage out of them in my experience.

 

[milkyman]

Hi mine came with.<h1 style="-sizing: border-; margin: 16px 0pt 6px; font-size: 1.5em; font-family: arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.4em; color: rgb42, 42, 42; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-color: rgb225, 225, 225;">Goodyear EfficientGrip
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