Les Schwab Tire ripoff, misrepresenting Falken Azenis for Zexius tires! Rohert Park California

AS A FORMER EMPLOYEE I WAS TOLD AS FOR MY FELLOW WORKERS TO SELL SIPING TO ALL CUSTOMERS. LES SCHWAB AS FOR OTHER COMPANIES THAT DO SIPING MAKE A MAJOR PROFIT FOR THE UPSELL.  DON'T DO IT ON DUALLY TRUCKS AS FOR DIESALS IT WILL SHORTEN THE LIFE OF YOUR TIRES. BEFORE GETTING TRAPPED INTO GETTING IT DONE READ UP ON IT. ALL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE LIFERS THAT HAVE  BEEN SUCKED/BRAIN WASHED WILL DEFEND THIS TILL THEY DIE. LOOK DEEP INTO THIS COMPANY NO ASIAN/BLACK/HISPANICS/MIDDLE EASTERNS/ ARE IN UPPER MANAGEMENTS/CEO.

I have used Les Schwab for over 20 years. They are fantastic. The tires do what they say they will do. They fix flats for free. They swap studded tires on and off for free. Frankly it's very rare to find the kind of service they offer. Their employees actually jog between spots. It's amazing to see.

As to the private label thing, everyone does it. If you buy Kirkland brand peanut butter from Costco, do actually think there is a Kirkland peanut butter plant somewhere? What about Safeway or Fred Meyer brand goods? All large retailers make private label deals with major manufacturers and then the large retailer puts whatever name they want on it. They don't somehow lower the quality their product when they do a private label run. If I am buying Kirkland brand peanut butter, I expect good peanut butter. I am not trying to verify that it was made by Jiffy. I expect Costco to guarantee the quality and honor the relationship. If it's important to you that the jar says Jiffy on it, then don't buy it at Costco.

You usually don't buy a designer label at a department store. Department stores serve a different buyer. This buyer is someone who wants the best product for the the money spent, rather than a specific label displayed on the side of her handbag.

Guys...read thru most of the rebuttals here and I'll I have to say is when I switched from a BFG tire to the Falken 512 I fell in love....then next time around I switched to the 326. Before I needed another set Schwab brought in the Zexius 326 tire so naturally I purchased those. Both tires performed the same and I got about the same mileage each time. I live in the Pacific Northwest(mass rain) and drive a 4000lb Impala SS sedan and have been using these tires for the better part of twelve years....just buy the Schwabs(their service/ locations justify the higher cost)i don't believe ypouwill be dissapointed.

You just did wonders to shove Les Schwab's foot right into his own mouth! My example was along the same lines as what Schwab uses claiming that Zexius and Ziex are the same tire. Look at the previous posts- every employee claiming that the Zexius is equivalent to the Ziex is saying "Cadillac=Chevy" or, at the very least "Chevy=Buick". You see, it doesn't matter which side of the equal side you put which name, you are claiming equivalence when common sense shows no equivalence. The tires are made by the same manufacturer, but are not equivalent tires.

You're doing your best to purposely muddy the waters in your little internet fist-shaking.

You bring up a Chevy Citation and a Cadillac, or a Ford Aerostar and a Lincoln.

You're attempting to be witty, but you've shot yourself in the foot.

How? Your very example. This isn't a case of Les Schwab saying that a donut-spare is the same as a mud-terrain.

Les Schwab is pointing out that the tires are virtually the same - much like a Ford Crown Victoria is virtually the same car as the Mercury Grand Marquis or the Lincoln Town Car. "Bling" aside, a Chevrolet Tahoe or Suburban is virtually the same thing as a Cadillac Escalade.

If the tire is made on the same line, to the same specs, but is rebadged for a different manufacturer, does that make it any less "the same" ??

Craftsman and Kobalt hand tools are made by the same manufacturer - Danaher - on the same line, with only slight cosmetic changes. It would be acceptable to say that they're "the same as" each other.

Time to get a clue...

Just wanted to point out the flawed logic on the part of everyone who says that Falken and Zexius are the same because they are both made by Ohtsu. If this logic holds true, then every time I go somewhere in my Ford Aerostar, I'm driving a Lincoln, everyone who owns a Chevrolet Citation has a Cadillac in the garage, and those with VW Beetles are styling in their Rolls Royces! The parent manufacturer being the same does not make the end product the same, just the practices used in the manufacture of the item! If it were only the parent manufacturer that mattered, more construction workers would save some of their hard-earned money and use either Benchtop or Black & Decker drills instead of spending more to get DeWalt! Something else to keep in mind is that Les Schwab, although having one of the best reputations for service both during and after the sale, is a local phenomenon. If you are getting tires and have any chance of making a long distance trip, check for the nearest locations to where you are going. If you end up east of the Mississippi before something punctures a tire, good luck in finding someone for the free flat repair. This is something that is automatically incorporated into the price of every tire Schwab sells, but is added on by most national chains as "Road Hazard" Insurance. Keep yourself informed, keep yourself aware, and read for yourself before making any decisions based on what someone else told you in a magazine or on the internet!

It appears that the tire center you are refering to was incorrect. The Zexius
XI-326 is built by a company by the name of Ohtsu. If you look closely at the sidewall of your Falken tires you'll notice they are also built by Ohtsu. So if you do a little research you'll come to find that although the XI-326 isn't actually a Falken they are both built in the same plant, by the same company. I can also go as far to say that the XI-326 incorporates the exact same rubber compound as particular tires in the Falken line.

In addition, they both have an identical casing, the only real difference is the tread pattern. The reason that Falken.com doesn't mention the XI-326 is because it is a Les Schwab exclusive. After all you don't see Big O brand tires listed on Cooper's web site either. If you call Falken you'll quickly realize you've been put in contact with a salesman who unfortunately has only received training on Falken line tires and that alone and could not possibly have an appropriate response relating to other brands or lines of Ohtsu.

If you want to get technical in the matter "Falken" isn't a company at all it is only the brand name of a line of Ohtsu tires. Much the same as Dean, Avon, Mickey Thompson, d**k Cepek, Big O and other large name brands are all built by Cooper tire.

So it's not that the XI-326 is or is not a Falken the truth of the matter is that both are nothing more than an Ohtsu. This being said I can only say that when you asked for a Falken tire, the proper response should have been similar to any or all of the above statements. In doing so you may be a little more informed in your purchase and most likely a much less disgruntled.

Anyways, all this doesn't have any bearing without proof so if you care that much research how a DOT number works. This number is stamped on the side of every single tire sold in the U.S. including Falken and Zexius tires. You will find that the alpha numeric code is directly related to the manufacturer, the plant of origin, size, model and date of manufacture. So compare and although they may have been built in two different plants at different times and will have a different model number they will have the same manufacturer.

P.S. the reason it won't say Falken on your receipt is only because Les Schwab is an independent dealer and doesn't put Brand names on anything associated with the company (with very few exceptions) only tire names such as Eclipse and Tourevo as opposed to Toyo (the manufacturer). If you look at the stores or any other media produced by the company you'll see this to be true.

the tire you're refering to is made by OHTSU for les schwab tires

I just bought the tire in question and have also been concerned about the ZEXIUS tires (bought through Les Schwab).

I've read every entry and checked out the links provided claiming to prove FALKEN = ZEXIUS. I will have to say that nothing I have seen has proven without a doubt that they are the same.

In the hisory listed, and the Miami Tire link, there is nothing that mentions "ZEXIUS". In doing a search on OHTSU, FALKEN, and ZEXIUS, I can't find anything linking the FALKEN and ZEXIUS. So even with all that has been responded to thus far ~ there is still nothing that shows FALKEN = ZEXIUS.

The only link I can find is that OHTSU does appear to be involved with both FALKEN and ZEXIUS, so I'm not TOO worried about my purchase as I was when initially researching this. However, until I can find something that says FALKEN = ZEXIUS (beyond the claims by employees and respondents saying "yes it is"), I can not be sure the ZEXIUS tires are in fact the same quality as the FALKEN's I originally asked for ~ just that they are linked through OHTSU.

To the comment "any business class should have taught you that" ~ I have a Bachelor's in Business at a respectable school ~ I don't remember this being discussed at any time during the program (3.2 GPA, 3.5 in business classes by the way ~ so it's not because I wasn't paying attention). Then again, it has also been about 15 yrs since I earned that degree. So maybe it just wasn't being covered back then. Anyhow, the point being, that comment assumed far too much.

Can anybody provide any documentation or refer me to any documentation that actually states, FALKEN = ZEXIUS?

Many thanks for everybody's comments and help. This has been very educational.

Sumitomo rubber company of Japan makes both of these tires. In fact, to keep production number up, they must run the same tire (same technology, same molds, same rubber, same performance design) through there production machines changing only the names slightly on the sidewall. So actually the very same exact tire (except for the name on the sidewall) can be sold and purchased under different names, different markets and different prices.

Actually, those of you buying the tire under the Falken name are getting the bad deals. Those of us who have purchased, mind you, the SAME EXACT TIRE under a different name are getting the good deal. an example from another product would be this: going to Costco and buying a refrigerator with the name Kirkland on it for $800.00 - or going to an appliance center and buying the same refrigerator with the name whirlpool and paying $1,000.00.

The moral is the fridge is the same..to keep production and sales numbers up, they put different model and make tags and have sold them in different markets. The person in Costco got the deal. So you see the Falken Azenis and the Les Schwab sold Zexius are the same identical tire except for what it says on the sidewall. I was shocked to learn that so many of you are not aware of usual manufacturing and business prsctices and stratagies. Next time I suggest you do some research and find all the diffent names the SAME product is sold under and find which one sells the cheapest.

Believe me it will be the same quality, because as I said, it is identical in every way but by the brand or model it is sold under. A simple manufacturing class at the college level would have solved this non-issue from the start. Please educate yourself before you make accusations, they only make you sound worse.

Sumitomo rubber company of Japan makes both of these tires. In fact, to keep production number up, they must run the same tire (same technology, same molds, same rubber, same performance design) through there production machines changing only the names slightly on the sidewall. So actually the very same exact tire (except for the name on the sidewall) can be sold and purchased under different names, different markets and different prices.

Actually, those of you buying the tire under the Falken name are getting the bad deals. Those of us who have purchased, mind you, the SAME EXACT TIRE under a different name are getting the good deal. an example from another product would be this: going to Costco and buying a refrigerator with the name Kirkland on it for $800.00 - or going to an appliance center and buying the same refrigerator with the name whirlpool and paying $1,000.00.

The moral is the fridge is the same..to keep production and sales numbers up, they put different model and make tags and have sold them in different markets. The person in Costco got the deal. So you see the Falken Azenis and the Les Schwab sold Zexius are the same identical tire except for what it says on the sidewall. I was shocked to learn that so many of you are not aware of usual manufacturing and business prsctices and stratagies. Next time I suggest you do some research and find all the diffent names the SAME product is sold under and find which one sells the cheapest.

Believe me it will be the same quality, because as I said, it is identical in every way but by the brand or model it is sold under. A simple manufacturing class at the college level would have solved this non-issue from the start. Please educate yourself before you make accusations, they only make you sound worse.

I have been reading this and I have to say that you have way too much time on your hands!!!!
I don't really think you have a problem with the dealer that sold them, but with the company that produces this tire. I did a little research myself and found a website that might help out. Highly doubtful though! You seem pretty reluctant to listen to anybody that might try to help out. If you go to Yahoo and in the search field type in OHTSU Ziex, it brings up a link called Miami Tire Outlet. Should be first on the page. In this site it has a timeline from 1942 until current obout OHTSU and its subsidiaries. Please read it and update your rebuttal.

I did some research on this subject.

You won't get anywhere complaining to Falken because it is owned by OHTSU. Les Schwab can call the tire anything they want to. They aren't going to get sued by either OHTSU or Falken because they sell too many tires for them.

In a way, this is way business is done by large volume manufacturers. Think of appliances where one vendor says that if you can find the same model or less, you'll get X amount of money rebated. I will tell you that you will have a very hard time finding that model sold by any other vendor. Why? because the nanufacturer will simple change one letter or number on the model number and maybe add a different looking knob or trim strip to make it different. The internals and performance of the machines are identical but that way they can give exclusivity to their buyers.

Many people are willing to live with 90% of the performance for 50% of the price and forgo having the "Marque" on their gear.

I took this off "http://www.spyeng.com/tires-falken-tires-c-26_56.html"

Falken Tire Corporation, best known for our Ultra High Performance Radials, is a subsidiary of The Ohtsu Tire and Rubber Company Limited of Osaka, Japan.
Falken is dedicated to providing value in the Falken Ultra High Performance Tire brand through a sustained commitment to advanced technological achievements, innovative products, a heightened level of environmental consciousness and the belief that sound business practices lead to successful partners.
2001 Falken introduces Azenis ST115 Ultra High Performance, low profile, silent running tires along with the ZIEX S/TZ04 M&S rated Specialty Light Truck tire and the ZIEX ZE-512 High Performance line. Debut of brand new Web Site and implementation of a comprehensive Enthusiast Marketing Program across the Nation.
2000 Falken introduces ZIEX S/TZ-01 Specialty Light Truck tires for pickups and sport utility vehicles.
1999 Falken introduces Ultra High Performance GR FK-451 line of tires including 20" sizes. Received the coveted "Best Buy" rating from Consumers Digest for its ZIEX ZE-502 60 and 65 series HR rated performance radials.
1998 Falken introduces GR line of Ultra High Performance tires.
1997 Sumitomo and Goodyear Tire enter into an "off-take" agreement whereby Ohtsu begins production of Goodyear high performance tires in Japan and Goodyear initiates the development of additional new Falken tire lines in the U.S.
1996 Ohtsu starts world-wide conversion of subsidiaries to carry Falken Tire name and relocates its U.S. offices to Falken Tire headquarters to strengthen research, development and customer support activities.
1993 Ohtsu became the major shareholder (80%) Chatani (20%).
1991 The Empco name changed to Falken Tire Corporation (FTC).
1990 Ohtsu and Chatani Enterprises, Inc. jointly acquired Empco (60% by Chatani, 40% by Ohtsu).
1985 Ohtsu named Empco Corporation as distributor of Falken Tires for the United States.
1983 Ohtsu introduced the Falken tire brand into the Japanese market as its flagship brand for high performance radial tires.
1981 After the termination of the relationship with Firestone, Ohtsu became an affiliate of the Sumitomo Rubber Industry.
1976 Miyazaki Plant: The most modern tire plant in the Japanese tire industry was completed to exclusively produce radial tires for both passenger and truck applications.
1962 The name was changed to Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Company.
1961 Firestone became one of the major shareholders, contributing both capital and technology to Ohtsu.
1946 Ohtsu shifted its production from aircraft to passenger tires.
1944 The Ohtsu Rubber Industry was established as a producer of aircraft tires.

I did some research on this subject.

You won't get anywhere complaining to Falken because it is owned by OHTSU. Les Schwab can call the tire anything they want to. They aren't going to get sued by either OHTSU or Falken because they sell too many tires for them.

In a way, this is way business is done by large volume manufacturers. Think of appliances where one vendor says that if you can find the same model or less, you'll get X amount of money rebated. I will tell you that you will have a very hard time finding that model sold by any other vendor. Why? because the nanufacturer will simple change one letter or number on the model number and maybe add a different looking knob or trim strip to make it different. The internals and performance of the machines are identical but that way they can give exclusivity to their buyers.

Many people are willing to live with 90% of the performance for 50% of the price and forgo having the "Marque" on their gear.

I took this off "http://www.spyeng.com/tires-falken-tires-c-26_56.html"

Falken Tire Corporation, best known for our Ultra High Performance Radials, is a subsidiary of The Ohtsu Tire and Rubber Company Limited of Osaka, Japan.
Falken is dedicated to providing value in the Falken Ultra High Performance Tire brand through a sustained commitment to advanced technological achievements, innovative products, a heightened level of environmental consciousness and the belief that sound business practices lead to successful partners.
2001 Falken introduces Azenis ST115 Ultra High Performance, low profile, silent running tires along with the ZIEX S/TZ04 M&S rated Specialty Light Truck tire and the ZIEX ZE-512 High Performance line. Debut of brand new Web Site and implementation of a comprehensive Enthusiast Marketing Program across the Nation.
2000 Falken introduces ZIEX S/TZ-01 Specialty Light Truck tires for pickups and sport utility vehicles.
1999 Falken introduces Ultra High Performance GR FK-451 line of tires including 20" sizes. Received the coveted "Best Buy" rating from Consumers Digest for its ZIEX ZE-502 60 and 65 series HR rated performance radials.
1998 Falken introduces GR line of Ultra High Performance tires.
1997 Sumitomo and Goodyear Tire enter into an "off-take" agreement whereby Ohtsu begins production of Goodyear high performance tires in Japan and Goodyear initiates the development of additional new Falken tire lines in the U.S.
1996 Ohtsu starts world-wide conversion of subsidiaries to carry Falken Tire name and relocates its U.S. offices to Falken Tire headquarters to strengthen research, development and customer support activities.
1993 Ohtsu became the major shareholder (80%) Chatani (20%).
1991 The Empco name changed to Falken Tire Corporation (FTC).
1990 Ohtsu and Chatani Enterprises, Inc. jointly acquired Empco (60% by Chatani, 40% by Ohtsu).
1985 Ohtsu named Empco Corporation as distributor of Falken Tires for the United States.
1983 Ohtsu introduced the Falken tire brand into the Japanese market as its flagship brand for high performance radial tires.
1981 After the termination of the relationship with Firestone, Ohtsu became an affiliate of the Sumitomo Rubber Industry.
1976 Miyazaki Plant: The most modern tire plant in the Japanese tire industry was completed to exclusively produce radial tires for both passenger and truck applications.
1962 The name was changed to Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Company.
1961 Firestone became one of the major shareholders, contributing both capital and technology to Ohtsu.
1946 Ohtsu shifted its production from aircraft to passenger tires.
1944 The Ohtsu Rubber Industry was established as a producer of aircraft tires.

I did some research on this subject.

You won't get anywhere complaining to Falken because it is owned by OHTSU. Les Schwab can call the tire anything they want to. They aren't going to get sued by either OHTSU or Falken because they sell too many tires for them.

In a way, this is way business is done by large volume manufacturers. Think of appliances where one vendor says that if you can find the same model or less, you'll get X amount of money rebated. I will tell you that you will have a very hard time finding that model sold by any other vendor. Why? because the nanufacturer will simple change one letter or number on the model number and maybe add a different looking knob or trim strip to make it different. The internals and performance of the machines are identical but that way they can give exclusivity to their buyers.

Many people are willing to live with 90% of the performance for 50% of the price and forgo having the "Marque" on their gear.

I took this off "http://www.spyeng.com/tires-falken-tires-c-26_56.html"

Falken Tire Corporation, best known for our Ultra High Performance Radials, is a subsidiary of The Ohtsu Tire and Rubber Company Limited of Osaka, Japan.
Falken is dedicated to providing value in the Falken Ultra High Performance Tire brand through a sustained commitment to advanced technological achievements, innovative products, a heightened level of environmental consciousness and the belief that sound business practices lead to successful partners.
2001 Falken introduces Azenis ST115 Ultra High Performance, low profile, silent running tires along with the ZIEX S/TZ04 M&S rated Specialty Light Truck tire and the ZIEX ZE-512 High Performance line. Debut of brand new Web Site and implementation of a comprehensive Enthusiast Marketing Program across the Nation.
2000 Falken introduces ZIEX S/TZ-01 Specialty Light Truck tires for pickups and sport utility vehicles.
1999 Falken introduces Ultra High Performance GR FK-451 line of tires including 20" sizes. Received the coveted "Best Buy" rating from Consumers Digest for its ZIEX ZE-502 60 and 65 series HR rated performance radials.
1998 Falken introduces GR line of Ultra High Performance tires.
1997 Sumitomo and Goodyear Tire enter into an "off-take" agreement whereby Ohtsu begins production of Goodyear high performance tires in Japan and Goodyear initiates the development of additional new Falken tire lines in the U.S.
1996 Ohtsu starts world-wide conversion of subsidiaries to carry Falken Tire name and relocates its U.S. offices to Falken Tire headquarters to strengthen research, development and customer support activities.
1993 Ohtsu became the major shareholder (80%) Chatani (20%).
1991 The Empco name changed to Falken Tire Corporation (FTC).
1990 Ohtsu and Chatani Enterprises, Inc. jointly acquired Empco (60% by Chatani, 40% by Ohtsu).
1985 Ohtsu named Empco Corporation as distributor of Falken Tires for the United States.
1983 Ohtsu introduced the Falken tire brand into the Japanese market as its flagship brand for high performance radial tires.
1981 After the termination of the relationship with Firestone, Ohtsu became an affiliate of the Sumitomo Rubber Industry.
1976 Miyazaki Plant: The most modern tire plant in the Japanese tire industry was completed to exclusively produce radial tires for both passenger and truck applications.
1962 The name was changed to Ohtsu Tire & Rubber Company.
1961 Firestone became one of the major shareholders, contributing both capital and technology to Ohtsu.
1946 Ohtsu shifted its production from aircraft to passenger tires.
1944 The Ohtsu Rubber Industry was established as a producer of aircraft tires.

I may be to late to log onto this dialogue, but there are a couple of points worth making. In reading from top to bottom, it seems like the issue has more to do with the relationship between the consumer and the salesperson.

My somewhat limited experience with Les Schwab has been beyond reproach. I've had some difficulty in outlying areas (Auburn) where service was poor. But in Santa Rosa, its been excellent. AND, the sales person did not mislead me in anyway about what tire I was being offered for my Acura Legend Sports Coupe ('93 ventage). The Zexius XI-326 was presented as "the same-as" but not as "the same" which may seem like an insignificant distinction, but its not, nor is it a parsing of words. One can truthfuly say that something is the "same as" if the specifications and/or quality that are met are equal or the same as that of another origin. If somone says that something is in fact "the same," then I expect it to actually be the very same thing as its reprented to be.

As for the issue of who owns what, who made what, who's trademark is whose, or who contributes what to whom if the same parent company/organization or its subsiderary is manufacturing a product on both sides of town or to a different market under different names while providing the same basic product but packaged and distributed under another name.

Years ago I was a manufactures rep and regional sales manager for companys supply material handling and powertransmission products for major manufacturers and food processors. One of them was and is a major brand name processor and packager of such things as stewed tomatos, canned corn, etc. When I went through there production facilities I would see other brands I didn't recognize. I was informed that it was the company's effort to capture as much of the market as they could (the high end and the low end, the private label and their own). The product was identical, just the wrapping and the labeling wad different. Why the same product for 2/3 the price? To have made seperate production runs would be too costly. For them, market dominance and profitability key. And this was in the '70's and '80's. Some of the manufactures were also U.S. Tire manufactures (some of whom have since been involved in major liability suits, ie. Firestone).

And finally, the issue of "Buy America." Well, good luck!!! That's not been possible even since I was selling 30 years ago. Government procurement officers were mandating that all products bid must be U.S. made. Ha! Never could do it. U.S. assembled maybe, but the components were all made in Mexico, Germany, Japan, Canada, etc. Now with the oligopoly, one company will own Disney World, KGO Radio, and god knows who else, or Muammar al-Qaddafi (ie. Lybia) owns controling interest in ClubMed, Fiat, a major U.S. book publisher, or Honda is putting together foriegn cars with U.S. labor in Colombus, OH., what does "Buy America" mean anyway? By America won't stop the Chinese from owning B.F. Goodrich/Michelin. Oh, and is B.F. Goodrich German, or is Michelin American. Go figuer. So the individual who thinks the problem with Zexius vs. Falken is to be solved by buying American is living in a time warp.

If you would buy american, you wouldn't have half the problems when buying import.

Give the jobs to americans, give the profits to americans (my son works for Toyota and I dog him all the time).

When you buy foreign ( and I know it's getting harder to not to), you are greasing someone elses palms. IF there is going to be bad products, at least I'd rather give them to FORD than Honda. With FORD at least you're putting a chicken in some american's pot.

If you would buy american, you wouldn't have half the problems when buying import.

Give the jobs to americans, give the profits to americans (my son works for Toyota and I dog him all the time).

When you buy foreign ( and I know it's getting harder to not to), you are greasing someone elses palms. IF there is going to be bad products, at least I'd rather give them to FORD than Honda. With FORD at least you're putting a chicken in some american's pot.

Here is some history about your tire manufacturer.

http://www.miamitireoutlet.com/import_tuner/falken_tires.cfm

In my research I have found that most tire manufacturers are making off brand tires for tire marketing consortiums. One such company, as noted above is called TBC. The history of these companies was founded on the principle of changing what part of the tire industry had the power. In the past it was the manufacturers, and these consortiums have banded together to take that power away from them, and since then have used the manufacturers to make them tires but use a different brand. Les Schwab is one company that uses this to their, and their customers advantage. In most cases Les Schwab can sell the off brand tire, which is made by a major manufacturer, at a better price then what the manufacturer tells them they have to sell a brand name tire for. I was researching tires for my pickup and found that an off brand of tires, in this case Multi-Mile, which has Cooper and Goodyear manufacturing the different tires in the Multi-Mile line. For instance, Cooper makes the Wild Country RVT, and Goodyear makes the Wild Country TXR. These are both sold at Les Schwab. I understand your discomfort. You went in looking for Falken tires, but were sold a tire that does not have a Falken name on it. Lessoned learned. I have known for quite some time that Les Schwab sells off brand tires, but I didn't know until today that they were actually manufactured by name brand companies, but without the millions spent on advertising the brand name. I personally prefer Les Schwab's service to any other tire retailer, bar none. But that is my experience. I have been in a bad Les Schwab dealer and will not go back to that store. Golf equipment manufacturers are the same way. You can buy a set of golf clubs that are made by the same company as the ones made by Nike, but when you buy the clubs with the Nike name on them, the cost is 2-3 times that of the off brand.

I read the sidewall on my tire. It reads the manufacturer as Ohtsu. I checked some business directories and Ohtsu is the same group as Falken. However my only dissapointment is not being able to locate their Ohtsu tire lineup so I can pick a high performance tire. I got the siping done on my tire. I was very dissapointed with the siping done, as it was like they just took a blade and cut the tire, but did not put any new grooves of significant thickness. You can barely notice the siping, and they charged me $45.00USD for doing this silly service. If you get service done through this company then opt out of the siping.

As an employee of les schwab's, I have sold this product many times. The zexius is in fact a product of Falken. Les Schwab's has exclusive rites to several tires, including the line of cooper tires known as 'dean', which makes wild cat, w/c at, and w/c ext. Some customers may not be familiar, however, with the Zexius name, this could be because they are possibly new customers, or just have never shown much interest in tires. So, we would make a true reference to the original maker of the tire, with which they might have had a past experience with. Falken is a product of Ohtsu, so it is often advertized as wither an ohtsu, or a falken, though what it technically is is an 'ohtsu falken zexius 326'. If we have a tire that looks alot like another tire that we do not deal, it is not advertised as that tire, such as the wanli (similar in design to the yokohama line of performance low profile tires). I hope this will help you to change your mind about our company.

It turns out that some tires such as the Zexius and the Falken may have the DOT and UTQG information on the inside sidewall of the tire - this is what I discovered looking at Falken and Kumho tires at Sears. Perhaps the low profile tires just don't have enough room for all the information on one side. For the Zexius XI-326 tires on my car, I found that the treadwear rating is 360, temperature = A and traction = A. Not sure how siping may change these characteristics.

I had just purchased a set of Zexius 326 tires from Les Schwab in Rohnert Park, CA. I, too, thought that they were "Falken" tires. After reading through the issue of Falken v. Ohtsu, I'm not that concerned about the quality of the tire and how they will work for my driving needs. However, what I noticed is that there is no UTQG ratings on the sidewall (treadwear, temperature, traction) and there is no DOT label with a number. I thought all tires sold in this country had to have a DOT label/number and the UTQG ratings. There is some other type of unknown number sequence not part of the standard sidewall information, but it is not preceeded with "DOT." Are these tires "legal" for street use? I will contact the manager at Les Schwab to find out. In the past, this Les Schwab store has gone out of its way to make good on product or service issues and I have the utmost confidence they won't let me down with this issue/question as well.

all the tires sold at les schwab are exclusive to them in the pacific northwest ohstu makes the 326 les shcwab sells them without the falken label because company's like sears sells the falken lable in certain tires the 326 is the newest tread from ohstu

The favorite tire by Import car enthusiast and drifters is the Falken Azenis.

One of the best tires from Falken is the Ziex 512. I purchased for my Acura Integra the 205/50/15 and they are golden!

Looking for other brands try the Bridgestone Potenza which is the factory tire for the Subaru WRX.

Other great brands; Toyo Proxes or Sumitomo.

Looking for drag racing tires purchase the Nitto Drags, top of the line for its price.

Each and every tire has the name on the tire wall. Want to buy a whatever brand MachineGun tire go to Tire Les and they will be more than happy to scam you. Hey, be my guest. Just remember this:

"Expect the worst and hope for the best"

Just read the DOT numbers stamped on the sidewall of the tire. It will tell where, when and by whom it is made. The book "Who Makes It, and Where" will show you how to figure it out.

The name of our company is Les Schwab Tires. Stop by and ask a manger to show you the book. I am sure he will be happy to help.

Thanks! Good Luck!

The reason the Falken Ziex tires are so sought after are because of their performance characteristics. Falken puts a lot of quality into this tire, and heavily advertise these qualities. To have a major retailer try to pass off another tire without the same performance characteristics and build quality as the same tire is why these consumers were so angered. Two characteristics of the Ziex model tire that standout are it's ability to withstand high temperatures, and the solid, less flex sidewall construction that only the Ziex, and Falken's other tire, the Azenis have. I have not seen this type of sidewall build on any other premium tire, let alone a lesser tire by a generic company.

I cannot positively say why Les Schwab would pass off the generic tire as a Ziex, but I do believe basic business laws state that if a consumer is paying for a specific product, the consumer should receive "said product". It's very simple.

I can't believe the nerve of some of Les Schwabs employees. They are actually defending this kind of action. If the consumer is haveing a hard time with the retailer with situations like this one, the (Better Business Bureau) and (California Department of Consumer Affairs) can be contacted to help remedy it.

CDCA- www.dca.ca.gov/

Good luck everyone.

The tires sold by Tires Les Schwab, Zexius, cost more than the Falken Ziex I bought in Sears.

Like I said before, you will go to the store:

1. The salesperson will try to sell you a Les Schwab tire for a Falken or Toyo, thats against the law!!!!

2. The tire does not cost less than the major brand, in fact they will sell it for more.

Fraud - An intentional perversion of truth; deceitful practice or device resorted to with intent to deprive another of property or other right or in some manner do him/her injury.

In this case the deprivation of property would be Falken. Not one penny of the tire you are going to buy is going to Falken.

Trademarks.

A trademark protects the name of your product by preventing other business from selling a product under the same name. Having a unique and identifiable name for your product is an advantage for your business.

Trademark law seeks to protect consumers from confusion or deception by preventing other businesses from using the same or a confusingly similar name for their products. A servicemark is used when what your business sells is a service rather than a product. Being the first to use the name is important to protect the continuing right to use the name, but filing is important for enforcement purposes.

The first step in filing for trademark registration is performing a trademark search. Which Tires Les really does not care about...

Every tire Les Schwab sells is made by a major brand rubber company. However, we do not feel the need to charge our customers more $ because of the name on the sidewall. Do some research and you will find that Multi-Mile is made by TBC. Ever heard of them? The SXT All Terrain looks just like a Cooper Discovery, Huh!
There is a book called "Who makes it and where?"
You guys should all check it out.
And by the way have you ever heard of TOYO tires? Well it turns out that they were just rated #1 for the seventh year in a row by the Tire Magazine for customer satisfaction. This happens to be Les Scwhabs best selling tire.

I used to sell tires for Sears(commision paid). I sold Michelin(who is also BFG, Uniroyal), Goodyear (who is also Kelly, TBC, BIG-O) and other "Name" brand tires. The reason they sell these tires is simply because they HAVE to. The big rubber companies essentially own them. They tell them what tire to sell, and how much they CAN sell it for. By the way, I only sold the expensive tires becuase thats the only way I could make any money.

Dont pay for the "name". Pay for service, if you trust the guy selling you the tire, you should believe him when he tells you how long it will last.

Copyrights - That is the only reason the tire is not a Falken.

Its against the law to sell a product without copyrights.

We have Falken, a prestigious tire brand. Who invests millions of dollars in sponsorship, magazine advertising, Auto Show campaigns and then here comes Tires LEs sSSchwab who does not put a dime in all this publicity and sells there tire as a Falken. No, according to the LAW is not a Falken. You can have copy of Windows Xp, and thats all it is a pirated copy without copyrights.

And to top it off, Tires Schwab sells the tire for more money than a Falken, that makes it more ridiculous.

Why when you go to a baseball park and you see a shirt that says GIANTS in the store inside the park costs $30 bucks, but you go outside and you see the same identical shirt for $5? Because COPYRIGHTS, it is a fraud to sell a product under a brand not give a penny to UNCLE SAM.

Copyrights - That is the only reason the tire is not a Falken.

Its against the law to sell a product without copyrights.

We have Falken, a prestigious tire brand. Who invests millions of dollars in sponsorship, magazine advertising, Auto Show campaigns and then here comes Tires LEs sSSchwab who does not put a dime in all this publicity and sells there tire as a Falken. No, according to the LAW is not a Falken. You can have copy of Windows Xp, and thats all it is a pirated copy without copyrights.

And to top it off, Tires Schwab sells the tire for more money than a Falken, that makes it more ridiculous.

Why when you go to a baseball park and you see a shirt that says GIANTS in the store inside the park costs $30 bucks, but you go outside and you see the same identical shirt for $5? Because COPYRIGHTS, it is a fraud to sell a product under a brand not give a penny to UNCLE SAM.

Copyrights - That is the only reason the tire is not a Falken.

Its against the law to sell a product without copyrights.

We have Falken, a prestigious tire brand. Who invests millions of dollars in sponsorship, magazine advertising, Auto Show campaigns and then here comes Tires LEs sSSchwab who does not put a dime in all this publicity and sells there tire as a Falken. No, according to the LAW is not a Falken. You can have copy of Windows Xp, and thats all it is a pirated copy without copyrights.

And to top it off, Tires Schwab sells the tire for more money than a Falken, that makes it more ridiculous.

Why when you go to a baseball park and you see a shirt that says GIANTS in the store inside the park costs $30 bucks, but you go outside and you see the same identical shirt for $5? Because COPYRIGHTS, it is a fraud to sell a product under a brand not give a penny to UNCLE SAM.

Copyrights - That is the only reason the tire is not a Falken.

Its against the law to sell a product without copyrights.

We have Falken, a prestigious tire brand. Who invests millions of dollars in sponsorship, magazine advertising, Auto Show campaigns and then here comes Tires LEs sSSchwab who does not put a dime in all this publicity and sells there tire as a Falken. No, according to the LAW is not a Falken. You can have copy of Windows Xp, and thats all it is a pirated copy without copyrights.

And to top it off, Tires Schwab sells the tire for more money than a Falken, that makes it more ridiculous.

Why when you go to a baseball park and you see a shirt that says GIANTS in the store inside the park costs $30 bucks, but you go outside and you see the same identical shirt for $5? Because COPYRIGHTS, it is a fraud to sell a product under a brand not give a penny to UNCLE SAM.

I am confused as to why this guy is so upset. Josh seems to be a really friendly person. With customer service like that I dont know how Les Schwab could have ever upset this guy.

All joking aside I actually have run into a problem with this company myself. About a month ago I went into one of the brand new Les Schwab stores in Sacramento to buy some GOOD tires. Unfortunatly the only thing I could find were tires that I had never heard of. The salesman asured me that they were major brands, but I was a little suspisious so told him I had to think about it. After doing some research I found that brands like multi-mile and federal are actually private brands, meaning that they are built by smaller less known companies.

After doing some price checking elseware I found a set of Hankook* tires rated 85,000 miles (5,000 more than the muli-mile) for half the price. Now I dont have a problem with them selling cheep tires, but they shouldn't claim that they are major brands and sell them for a premium price.

*I know what your thinking but I found that Hankook is a major brand and its a nice looking tire too.

Ohtsu IS the parent company of Falken tire, look on the freakin sidewall you anal dork! You have way too much time on your hands!

Why didnt you accept the generosity of the manager if you were so dissatified with your purchase. Could it be that you were so impressed with our J.D. Power and associates award winning service that you couldnt help but put your foot in your mouth?

Our goal is to keep every customer happy. We extended our hand, you refused. Now, shut up.

The ZE-326 tire you purchased is actually manufactured by Ohtsu tire co. which is the parent company of Falken Tire U.S.A
As an independent wholesale distributor of the Falken brand I have encountered some questions concerning the ZE-326.

According to my Falken Rep the ZE-326 is not imported into North America. Well that is the 'official' word from Falken.

The Tire in question is not a Falken Azenis and as such doesnt have the same technology of an Azenis performance tire.

This is another fine example of the kinda crap that Les Schwab spews from its advertising.. with nearly 20 years in the tire industry both retail and wholesale I am still amazed that people get sucked into thier stores with just the ads they run alone.. there are no deals there and for that matter at Costco either.

good luck. remember this tire is only sold nationwide through them and officially isnt imported into North America.

The ZE-326 tire you purchased is actually manufactured by Ohtsu tire co. which is the parent company of Falken Tire U.S.A
As an independent wholesale distributor of the Falken brand I have encountered some questions concerning the ZE-326.

According to my Falken Rep the ZE-326 is not imported into North America. Well that is the 'official' word from Falken.

The Tire in question is not a Falken Azenis and as such doesnt have the same technology of an Azenis performance tire.

This is another fine example of the kinda crap that Les Schwab spews from its advertising.. with nearly 20 years in the tire industry both retail and wholesale I am still amazed that people get sucked into thier stores with just the ads they run alone.. there are no deals there and for that matter at Costco either.

good luck. remember this tire is only sold nationwide through them and officially isnt imported into North America.

I am no tire company or salesperson from another company to make money by negatively talking about another company. I am just a regular consumer who just invested more than 400 dollars for what I asked for. Even one of my friend said why make such a big deal about tires if yours look good. I just say this is a matter of a company making profits by representing they are selling Falken. I went to BigOTires, Sears Tire Center and to the same Tires Les Schwab today during my free time to fix this problem.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

It turns out:

1. the manager named Tom brings me a fax document with the Ziex tires. I told him I just want anything that states that Zexius are made by Falken... You Know what he did wrote it down in the provided copy. If you still don't believe email me for a copy of that paper with his signature stating Zexius are made by Falken or Ohtsu, it seems he is not sure so he put both of them. He says Zexius is the same as Ziex; just a few words that changed. ALso he states he will give me my money back...you want copies of all these documents email me at correopr@yahoo.com. I live in California, Point Reyes. I am more than glad to help you.