Safety warning: Illegal Nankang tyres in UK market
The illegal Nankang tyres can be identified by their grey-coloured tread, lack of E marking and the word ‘competition’ written on the sidewall
Nankang Tyre UK has warned consumers to avoid what it calls “illegal grey compound tyres.” According to the company, an unspecified number of Nankang-branded car and SUV tyres that were “produced for a theatre show” and designed solely for low-speed use on wooden flooring have entered the UK market and are being offered for sale. It stresses that these tyres were not imported by Nankang Tyre UK and are thus not covered by any type of warranty. They are not approved for use on UK roads.
“The performance of these tyres will be affected as they are not designed to cope with any type of surface other than a dry wooden floor. Load and speed ratings may be affected as the grey compound tyres have never been tested for safety away from theatre use,” states Nankang Tyre UK.
The Nankang tyres in question can be identified by their grey-coloured tread. They also possess no E marking and have the word ‘competition’ written on the sidewall. Suspect tyres include models from the Nankang AS-1, AS-2+, NS-2, SP-7 and SP-9 ranges. Specific sizes to look out for are:
• 15-inch: 195/50r15 NS-2 / 205/75r15 FT-7
• 16-inch: 245/45r16 AS-2+ / 265/70r16 SP-7
• 17-inch: 195/40r17 AS-1 / 245/45r17 NS-2 / 275/60r17 SP-7
• 18-inch: 235/40r18 NS-2
• 19-inch: 235/35r19 NS-2 / 245/35r19 NS-2
• 20-inch: 235/35r20 NS-2 / 245/45r20 AS-2+ / 265/35r20 AS-2+ / 265/45r20 SP-9 / 295/40r20 SP-7
The tyres are produced with the following manufacturer date codes: 4117, 4217, 4317, 4417, 4517, 4617, 4717, 5017, 5117 and 5217.
Nankang Tyre UK says it is working with Nankang Rubber Tire Corp to trace the source that imported these tyres. It states that “any parties found to be involved with the selling or distribution of the grey tyres may face legal action.”
The UK distributor for Nankang tyres implores motorists to avoid these grey-treaded products at all costs: “We strongly advise that these tyres are not fitted to vehicles of any type. Using these tyres may result in failure.” It encourages anyone with doubts about advertised Nangkang tyres to contact the company.
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