I was told that domestic made tires such as Continental, Michellin, Goodyear, etc have wider width(contact patch) than imported tires such Hankook, Toyo, Kumho, etc in the same size. Is this true?
Reason I'm asking is because I'm in between choosing tire brand for my 3rd gen GS. Currently I have Hankook v12s in 245-30-20 on 20x9 and I was going to go with same brand and size but I was suggested by a sales person that I should go with Continental DWS in 225-35-20 instead because they're more comfortable and the contact patch would be the same.
Can anyone chime in on this?
Thanks

 

It actually has nothing to do with where tires are made, what brand they are or anything else...

Some tires are just built wider than others, great example, even within a brand, Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus versus Bridgestone RE-11A, same size, and the RE-11A is a good bit wider in the tread area, though the sidewall to sidewall distance is approximately the same...

That being said, the DWS is a fine tire, though built more for true all season usage versus the Hankook that will be a better performing tire in the dry and wet...

 

Thank you Mitsuguy, I'm considering switching to DWS instead of going back to V12 because of comfortness, wear rating and everyday use. Anyone else has diff suggestions please let me know.
Thanks