Slate Auto Selects Kenda Tire as Official Supplier

[RobertOne]

why the concern? The sizes are common, made by many companies. Besides, few retailers carry a large array of sizes "in stock", most relying on same/next day delivery from a warehouse/distribution center, regardless of brand.
why would you feel the need to prematurely replace the OEM Kenda's merely because they aren't rep'd by many nearby retailers?

Mixing brands and/or tread types can be problematic. I find it's best to keep all four tires of the same brand and tread pattern.

 

[FlyHappy]

Mixing brands and/or tread types can be problematic. I find it's best to keep all four tires of the same brand and tread pattern.

sure, I'd never put a single oddball on.
so you're concerned about not being able to find an exact match for a single unrepairable tire, I take it?

I guess I'm okay with replacing fronts or rear pairs of different types when needed. It's probably been at least 30 years since I've had to replace any tires prior to end of service life.

 

[AZFox]

The same tire in an OEM version and a retail version are not necessarily one in the same.

Sometimes major-chain tire stores offer overstock OEM tires, or at least they used to do that. I've seen an OEM version have a different (lower) UTQG rating than the retail version.

I doubt you'll be able to buy the exact same tire that comes on a Slate from any retail tire dealer, but I'm an internet rando so you might want to grab one of these:

 

[FL4XE]

I'm a little concerned about the choice of Kenda for the supplier of tires. On their web site, Kenda lists three retailers in my area. None are major tire outlets.

Walmart and Simpletire have them. Simpletire will ship tires to many local installers.

 

[malewizard]

Kenda Rubber Industrial Company is a major global tire manufacturer founded in 1962 in Yuanlin, Taiwan by Chin-Pao Yang. Originally starting as a small manufacturer of bicycle tires and tubes, the company has grown into a multinational corporate juggernaut with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion. Kenda currently ranks as the 24th largest global tire manufacturer. [1, 2]
The company's core philosophy centers on a diverse and versatile production line, operating under the practical motto that if an object is "black and round," Kenda likely manufactures it
A.I. search

 

[RobertOne]

Walmart and Simpletire have them. Simpletire will ship tires to many local installers.

According to Kendatire.com, Walmart is not an authorized Kenda dealer and will not warrant Kenda tires sold by them. Simple Tire is listed as an authorized online dealer.

 

[007]

It's probably like TireRack. They promise warranty service and all kinds of good things. But they make it so difficult to make a claim few claims are likely completed and successful.

 

[007]

According to Kendatire.com, Walmart is not an authorized Kenda dealer and will not warrant Kenda tires sold by them. Simple Tire is listed as an authorized online dealer.

It seems to say

However, I can not find any Kenda tires for sale by Tire Bros on the Walmart website. I also used AI and no Kenda tires are sold by Tire Bros on the Walmart platform. None

Here's one of many Kenda tires that seem to be sold by Walmart;

TireRack sells only one Kenda tire and it's a compact spare;

Buyer should beware. But it seems like Kenda doesn't really sell many tires and Kenda's website looks outdated and poorly done.
https://automotive.kendatire.com/en-us/find-an-automotive-retailer/authorized-online-retailers/

It's hard to understand how Walmart is not "authorized" considering it a multi-billion dollar corporation that tries to avoid lawsuits.

 

[RevMS]

Nice flex on the Cougar.

 

[RobertOne]

"However, I can not find any Kenda tires for sale by Tire Bros on the Walmart website. I also used AI and no Kenda tires are sold by Tire Bros on the Walmart platform. None"

Interesting, because I found literally dozens of listings for Kenda, Kenda Vezda and Kenda Klever tires on Walmart.com. Go figure. Here's the URL I used: https://www.walmart.com/search?q=Kenda+tires

 

[KevinRS]

Walmart has a marketplace. The first (sponsored) tires that come up for me at that link are Tire Bros.
A few clicks, and it looks like lots that are on 3 day shipping are Tire Bros. The ones that say available for installation are sold by Walmart