Who Makes General Tire? | Brand Owner And Factory Facts

General Tire is made by Continental, the German tire maker that bought the brand in 1987 and still sells it today.

General Tire still has that rugged American feel. You see it on trucks, SUVs, crossovers, trailers, and off-road builds, which is why many shoppers ask the same thing: who actually makes General Tire now?

The answer is Continental. General Tire started in Akron, Ohio, in 1915, then changed hands decades later when Continental bought the tire business in 1987. Today, the brand sits inside Continental’s wider tire operation, drawing from a much bigger pool of engineering, testing, manufacturing, and distribution than the name alone suggests.

Who Makes General Tire? The Company Behind The Brand

General Tire is owned and made by Continental. When you buy a General Tire product today, you are buying a tire brand that belongs to the same parent company behind Continental tires.

That matters because ownership is not just a logo issue. It shapes design, factory planning, testing, distribution, and warranty handling. A brand can keep its own voice while still sharing know-how, plant capacity, and product planning with the parent company.

For General Tire, that means deep U.S. roots paired with the scale of a global tire maker. That mix helps explain why the brand still feels distinct on the shelf, yet has been under Continental for decades.

• Founded in Akron, Ohio, in 1915
• Sold to Continental in 1987
• Still marketed as a separate brand
• Built within Continental’s wider tire business

General Tire Ownership And Manufacturing Today

There is no stand-alone General Tire corporation running on its own today. The brand lives under Continental, and that shapes the whole operation from product planning to factory output.

General Tire’s own brand pages spell this out. The company’s About Us timeline notes that Continental AG acquired General Tire in 1987, while General Tire’s brand history says the brand is part of Continental. Those pages line up with what buyers see in the market today: General Tire is a Continental-owned label with its own product lines and identity.

That does not mean every General Tire model comes from one plant in one country. Tires are often built across a network. The exact plant can vary by product line, size, speed rating, load range, and sales region. One Grabber size may come from one factory, while another size in the same family may come from a different one.

So if you want the current maker, the answer is Continental. If you want the exact factory for a tire you are about to buy, check the sidewall on that specific tire.

How The Brand Got From Akron To Continental

General Tire began as The General Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, which was once the center of the American tire business. The brand built its name through passenger tires, truck tires, original-equipment supply, and a long run of U.S. manufacturing growth.

By the middle of the last century, General Tire had widened its reach. It supplied major vehicle makers, expanded production, and built a huge testing track in Texas. Later, the business moved into a holding-company structure before the tire division was sold.

In 1987, Continental bought the tire business. That single move explains why General Tire still exists as a familiar name while no longer standing alone as an independent tire company.

Year	What Happened	Why It Matters
1915	General Tire was founded in Akron, Ohio.	The brand started as an American tire maker.
1920s	The company gained notice for low-pressure balloon tires.	It built an early name in tire design and road comfort.
1930	Production spread into Mexico.	The business moved past a single-country footprint.
1955	General Tire supplied original-equipment tires to General Motors.	The brand had earned trust from a major automaker.
1959	The company opened a giant test track in Texas.	Testing became part of the brand story, not just sales.
1960s	Manufacturing spread across more U.S. plants.	General Tire grew into a bigger national producer.
1984	The business shifted into the GenCorp holding company.	This set up the later sale of the tire unit.
1987	Continental bought General Tire’s tire division.	That is the turning point behind today’s ownership.
Today	General Tire is sold as a Continental-owned brand.	Buyers get a historic name backed by a global maker.

Where General Tire Tires Are Built And Why It Varies

Many shoppers ask a second question right after ownership: where are General Tire tires made? The honest reply is that there is no single answer for every tire. Production can shift across factories inside Continental’s network.

That is normal in the tire trade. Brands often split output across regions to keep supply steady, match local demand, and line up factory tooling with certain sizes or categories. Light-truck all-terrain tires, touring tires, and winter tires do not always roll out of the same plant.

If country of origin matters to you, check the sidewall before you buy. Tire dealers can often confirm it from stock on hand, and the tire itself will state where it was made. That works better than relying on a broad claim about the brand.

Here is what to check on the tire itself:

• Country of origin: Usually molded into the sidewall.
• DOT code: Shows the plant code and the production week and year.
• Size and load details: These tell you whether you are comparing the same version of a tire.
• Tread category: A Grabber all-terrain tire and an Altimax touring tire can come from different production streams.

What To Check	Where You’ll Find It	What It Tells You
Country of origin	Sidewall text	The nation where that tire was built
DOT plant code	Start of the DOT/TIN marking	The factory identifier for that tire
Date code	Last four digits of the DOT/TIN	Week and year of production
Tire size	Large sidewall size marking	Whether two tires are the same fitment
Load range or load index	Near the size and service description	How much weight that version is rated to carry
Speed rating	In the service description	The tire’s rated speed class

Does The Maker Tell You If General Tire Is Good?

It tells you part of the story, not the whole story. Continental ownership gives General Tire access to wide product planning and long-running tire know-how. That gives buyers a solid clue that the brand is not some unknown label with no parent company behind it.

Still, a tire brand is only half the buying call. The better question is whether the exact General Tire model matches the job you need done. A quiet highway tire, an all-terrain tire, and a winter tire ask for different strengths. Brand ownership cannot settle that on its own.

When General Tire Often Makes Sense

General Tire tends to land well with drivers who want a known brand without jumping to the highest-priced shelf. The lineup is broad, and the brand has a strong hold in truck, SUV, crossover, and all-terrain circles.

• You want a brand with long U.S. history.
• You like the backing of a large parent company.
• You are shopping for all-terrain, highway truck, or everyday passenger tires.
• You want a brand that feels established at local tire shops.

When You Should Compare More Than The Name

If road noise, tread life, snow grip, wet braking, or ride softness is the main thing you care about, compare the exact model against close rivals. A General Tire product may fit you well, or another tire in the same price band may suit your car and driving habits better.

The best buying move is to start with the use case, then narrow down by size, weather, vehicle type, and budget. Once you do that, the maker becomes one useful piece of the puzzle instead of the whole puzzle.

What Matters Most Before You Buy

If all you needed was the ownership answer, here it is again in one line: Continental makes General Tire. Yet the smarter move is to pair that fact with a sidewall check and a close review of the exact model you plan to buy.

1. Confirm the tire size from your driver-side door sticker or owner’s manual.
2. Pick the category that fits your driving: highway, all-season, all-terrain, winter, or performance.
3. Check the sidewall or dealer listing for country of origin and DOT date.
4. Compare warranty, load rating, and tread pattern before you pay.

Do that, and the brand name starts working for you instead of doing all the thinking for you. General Tire carries a long American story, but the company making it today is Continental, and that is the answer most buyers came for.