I've always heard that there are 7-8 tire companies in the world that make 90% of the tires sold. Is this true and what company makes what tires? I know Bridgestone makes Firestone and Dayton. What are some of the other relationships?

it's not quite true. There's more companies than that, but a few companies do have a huge market share of the tires sold in the US simply because so many people are driving around with the tires that the car came with.

i dont know relationships. but i know tire companies like Nitto, Pirelli, BF GoodRich

Thanks drdisque. I'm searching for tires for my minivan and I am finding that if you buy "off-brand" tires, the place that sells them are quick to say that they are made by Cooper, BF Goodrich or YOkohama. It made me wonder, who actually makes what tires. And also to get a glimpse of how the tire industry works.

Here's a link that I found: http://www.tiredefects.com/private_brand_tires/Default.htm