If you’re wondering who makes Pep Boys Definity Tires and if you should purchase them, read on.
So, you’re shopping around for tires and have come across Definity Tires by Pepboys and are wondering if you should buy them or not. Based on my research I’ve determined that Definity Tires are an OK choice and, overall, you should have a pleasant experience investing your money into these tires.
Who makes Definity Tires?
Definity Tires are a Pep Boys only selection of tires made by Cooper Tires. Although Cooper Tires have their headquarters in Findlay, Ohio and is an American company, Cooper Tires has several manufacturing facilities worldwide.
Based on a handful of tires I’ve inspected from Definity for Country of Origin, all Definity Tires are Made in China.
According to Cooper Tires, they have two manufacturing facilities in China. Tire Business says their Chinese factories have been making tires for Cooper Tires since 2011 so this manufacturing facility has a good relationship with Cooper.
Are Definity Tires any good?
As mentioned, Definity Tires, in my opinion, are an OK choice. Definity’s tire selection is a no-nonsense selection which covers about 80 percent of cars, trucks, and SUV’s coming into Pep Boys for tires. This is their current lineup.
HP800- All-Season
HP100- Nondirectional Summer tire
HP200- Directional Summer tires
My first impressions on the tread pattern on all three are that, in wet weather driving, they have sufficient siping to allow ample water drainage given enough water to cause concern. The tread patterns aren’t anything special and look to be quite ordinary and are what I’d expect from a value brand.
Tires are usually a “love em” or “hate em” product and thankfully Pepboys does not filter tire reviews on their website. You can read the tire reviews for their following tires linked below.
Usually, I’ll read the most recent tire reviews to see how the “latest batch” of tires are performing from a tire manufacturer and then read the one-star reviews if there are a large number of them.
After reading a handful of reviews, a few issues become clear. These tires are cheap for a reason be it the rubber compound or actual engineering put into these tires. Count yourself lucky if you get the full advertised life based on their respective warranties. Both the HP800 and HP100 boast 50,000-mile warranties and the HP200 has a 30,000-mile warranty.
Speaking of coverage, all Definity tires have some sort of basic warranty. You can read more about it here. For the first 90 days, any defects due to materials or workmanship on your tires are covered. After that, it’s up to the discretion of Pep Boys. And, if your tires don’t last as long as they’re warrantied even though you’ve kept them inflated to the proper pressures and rotated them when you need to, Pep Boys will refund you subject to a prorated adjustment.
Then, there’s the question of grip. It’s a value brand so if you’re downgrading from a top-tier tire like a Michelin or Toyo, you’ll be sorely disappointed with how these tires perform. But, if you’re used to driving on a value tire, you probably won’t even notice the difference. It looks like the HP200’s come in sizes that fit sports cars and performance cars in general so I’d caution you, the grip may not be what you expect when you take your car above 7/10ths situations (high-speed cornering, taking on/off ramps at speed, etc.)
If you can get a good deal on Definity Tires, I say pull the trigger on one tire or a whole set.
I’d be remiss not to mention that, when you do purchase Definity Tires, make sure the tires Pep Boys are selling you are somewhat recently made. Read up on how to tell how old tires are by reading the sidewall code here. I’ve come across at least one review on Pep Boy’s website where one store tried to sell someone old Definity Tires. New tires should not be more than a few months old from the date of manufactuer.
And keep an eye on the weekly circular you get in the mail as there’s always a discount to be had when purchasing big dollar items from auto parts stores.
