Manufacturer’s recommended tires refer to a specific brand and model of tire that would normally come with a new vehicle. These are referred to as OE (Original Equipment) tires, and have been tested by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle model they’ll be sold.

The reason for a recommended tire is that, from the vehicle manufacturer’s perspective, the combination of tire, wheel, and vehicle together as one unit, either passes or fails. Once the unit passes, a manufacturer is willing to stand behind that combination and warrant it for safety and durability – as specified in the warranty material you would get when buying the vehicle.

When you purchase new tires, your tire retailer may recommend you buy the manufacturer’s recommended tire – especially if they sell that brand. However, you may decide to buy a different brand of tire – one that is not recommended by the manufacturer. The service dealer will sell you the tire you want, but mark the paperwork to indicate that you opted not to purchase the manufacturer’s recommended tire. This should not be a problem, but check for warranty implications.

When checking different tire dealer’s websites be sure to know either the brand and type of tire you have on your vehicle now, or your vehicle’s make, model (including suffix, such as GT, or SE-R, etc.), and year.