This might be a silly question, but when is a tire considered aftermarket? Is it just when it's a tire that is not the same type of tire that the car originally came with? I just thought a tire was a tire and the wheels were considered aftermarket. Thanks in advance

 

Assuming that oem means the Michelin or Contis that our cars orignally came with, then aftermarket could mean another brand of tire. Generally it means parts that are not from the oem. There are not a lot of those available for our cars other than exhaust or CAI systems.

 

I think "Aftermarket" means anyting that you didnt buy from (and pay way too much for) a dealer.

In that regard, my car is proudly "aftermarket maintained".

 

I've had good luck with Toyo tires. They're somewhat sticky, so you get decent grip out of them, as long as your driving isn't too aggressive. For that, i got over 50K miles out of my last set. But like any set of tires, you need to check the air pressure on a semi-regular basis to get the most life out them (as well as the best gas millage.)

 

IIRC, there's a newer spec Conti that's cheaper AND better. Doesn't get much better(at least for all season) but some other manufacturers are trying.