The tire market is right now almost flooded with a lot of brands. You’ll find some brands offering premium products, some selling quality products at cheap prices, and some offering cheap products at cheap prices. So, you have a lot of choices available to pick from.
Among all the brands, Hercules is one that has been offering quality products in the market for a long time. People depend on it a lot for several reasons. You’ll see that these tires are available now in more than 12 countries. This is a sign saying Hercules Tire is focused on delivering the best quality for the money spent on those.
We’ll know more about the quality of the tires later, let’s start talking about the actual question here- who makes Hercules tires?
Who Makes Hercules Tires?
While talking about the manufacturer of Hercules tires, we have to talk about two different things- the owner of this brand and the manufacturer of the tires.
The brand Hercules is owned by Hercules Tire and Rubber Company. This company started its journey in 1952 keeping innovation in mind. From my research, I’ve found that a few tire dealers and traders started the company together to ensure quality tires for the customers.
Hercules Tire and Rubber Company doesn’t have any manufacturing facility. It used the manufacturing facilities of third parties to produce the tires. Till now it does the same.
Let’s come to the point of the manufacturer. Since 1960, tires from the brand Hercules have been mass-produced and distributed by Cooper Tire and Rubber Company. It is a USA-based tire manufacturing company having many manufacturing facilities inside and outside the USA right now.
It started its journey in 1926 as Cooper Corporation. In 1946, it changed its name and turned into Cooper Tire and Rubber Company. It started growing in 1960, the same year it started manufacturing Hercules tires. In the same year, it turned into a public company.
Most of the Hercules tires are produced in the manufacturing facilities owned by Cooper in the USA. Maybe a few come from the facilities outside the USA.
Benefits of Hercules Tires
Hercules is one of the oldest brands in the tire market. To survive in the competitive market for such a long time, they should offer some great benefits. Below are the benefits you’ll get from Hercules tires.
- Availability
This is one of the best things about Hercules tires. From the wide range of tires from this brand, you’ll get what you’re looking for.
Hercules offers tires for a lot of categories. So, if you wish to pick your tire from Hercules, you’ll surely find one without putting much effort.
- Reasonable Pricing
Budget matters and this is where most people struggle. Getting safe tires at a reasonable price is very tough. But Hercules offers this opportunity.
Tires from the brand Hercules are some of the most dependable tires in the market, I must say. And most of those are tagged with a reasonable price tag. This budget-friendliness is one of the benefits Hercules Tire offers to satisfy the users.
- Fuel Efficiency
Hercules allows users to save some bucks on fuel. Quality material with a perfect design allows these tires to run efficiently on the road.
Efficient running on the road means less pressure on fuel. Thus it helps the users to save some fuel. People who drive regularly can save a good amount with the help of Hercules tires.
- Perfect for Purpose
You’ll find several types of Hercules tires made for different purposes. The best thing is- each of these tires is designed perfectly for the purpose it is made to serve. For example- winter tires from this brand are made to work smoothly on icy road conditions and performance tires can ensure the performance needed while running.
No matter why someone buys a tire from Hercules, the purpose is served properly.
- Driving Comfort
Hercules tires are designed for comfortable handling and stability. For this, the center ring is made semi-solid. Other features are also focused on delivering the comfort drivers want. As a result, the users get confidence while sitting behind the wheel.
If driving comfort is not ensured, the ride doesn’t become enjoyable. Hercules ensures this carefully so that the users can enjoy driving with tires from this brand.
Different types of Hercules Tires
Hercules offers a wide range of tires, I’ve already said. Here I’m going to write about the categories offered by Hercules.
1. Performance Tires
To meet the demand of users who need speed on smooth roads, Hercules offers performance tires. In such cases, handling should be as efficient as possible. So, performance tires are made to offer superior grip so that handling becomes easy.
Innovation is the point where Hercules has focused the most while designing these tires.
2. Passenger Tires
These tires are made for people who require a smooth ride on smooth roads. Instead of speed, these tires are focused on ensuring superior comfort to the driver as well as the passengers. Increased tread life is another thing that these tires ensure.
With quietness and extended traction, passenger tires from Hercules are perfect for a pleasant ride.
You can use these in your minivan too.
3. Crossover Tires
Crossover vehicles require tires that can support those everywhere. This is why Hercules has designed these tires specifically for crossover vehicles. These are designed and manufactured focusing on strength, stability, durability, and performance. So, you can take these tires anywhere you want to ride.
Increased traction is one of the best benefits of Hercules crossover tires.
4. SUV/Light Truck Tires
Hercules has designed the SUV/Light truck tires to be able to handle any type of road condition. Let it be on-road or off-road, these tires can handle your SUV/Light truck like no others. These tires come with a strong sidewall and a specially designed tread pattern. So, you can dominate both on-roads and off-roads.
Some of these tires come with extra traction and enhanced durability.
5. UTV Tires
Hercules offers a UTV tire that can help you dominate off-roads like crazy. These are able to go anywhere and do anything required to keep you moving. Coming with superior build quality and exceptional tread pattern, the UTV tires from Hercules is there for you in every situation.
For almost all types of off-road terrains, you can depend on these UTV tires.
6. Winter Tires
When the temperature is dropping, you can depend on winter tires from Hercules. These tires are specially designed to ensure maximum traction on snow, slush, or ice. Silica tread compound ensures durability besides ensuring traction. Also, you can add winter studs to these tires.
Though these are made for winter, you can use them all around the year without a huge performance drop.
7. All-steel Light Truck Tire
If you need to rely on the tire to carry a huge load, Hercules has this tire for you. It comes with an all-steel construction that keeps it strong and durable. Being featured with commercial-grade construction, this tire is there to deliver maximum performance in towing, hauling, and carrying loads.
For light trucks in your commercial sites, this tire can be the perfect pick.
8. Commercial Tires
Hercules offers a lot of commercial tires for several vehicles including medium to heavy trucks, industrial vehicles, agricultural vehicles, and lawn machines. These tires are made specially to deal with the respective use cases.
You’ll find these strong, heavy-duty, and durable. Instead of being just tires, these are supports that help you to get the job done properly.
How Much Do Hercules Tires Cost?
The amount of bucks you have to spend for Hercules tires is reasonable compared to many other known brands. This has made Hercules one of the most favorite brands the users.
The typical range of the price of passenger tires from this brand is around 90-170 USD. Most tires of this range are for regular use or touring. When you’re looking for some special tires like performance ones or SUV tires, you might have to spend some more, around 100-190 USD.
For winter and mud tires, the range is a bit higher. You’ll get those within a range of 120-200 USD. Most CUV tires also come within a similar range. Commercial and heavy-duty tires from Hercules come within a higher price range. Depending on the tire you’re going to pick, you would have to spend around 200-500 USD or even more.
These are the common price ranges of Hercules tires. Depending on the size of the tire you’re picking, the price differs sometimes. Also, some models come with a price tag out of these ranges. So, it is always best to keep your eyes on the price while picking a set of tires.
The Best Hercules Tire in My Opinion in 2024
Hercules Avalanche RT 225/60R16 98H BSW
The Avalanche series from Hercules is made for winter roads. But tires from this series are good at running in dry weather too. This is something that has made Avalanche RT a favorite pick for me. To stay stable in extreme weather conditions, this tire is made of a triple polymer compound. Thus you’ll get enough traction for comfortable handling with a superfast response.
It comes with several features to stay stable on an icy or wet road. The grooves are designed in the shape of a sawtooth. These specially designed grooves grab snow for utilizing snow-to-snow traction. You’ll see thin gauge sipes on the grooves that ensure a more biting edge. Thus the tire gets better flexibility and traction on winter roads.
This is a studdable tire. So, in extreme conditions, you can make it more able to bite the ice and help you to move forward. It works great on muddy trails too.
Overall, I love it because of its ability to withstand extreme winter. Also, you can use it during summer, but I don’t recommend doing that.
FAQs About Hercules Tire
Do Hercules tires come with a warranty?
Hercules doesn’t have a fixed warranty policy for all of its tires. You’ll see several policies that they call the Performance Promise Plan. According to this plan, the passenger and light truck tires from this brand are under workmanship and material promise. If any of those become unserviceable for material and workmanship defects within the first 50% of tread life, you’ll get replacements for those.
The Road Hazard Protection Plan covers all passenger and light truck tires. You’ll get a replacement for problems caused by road hazards within the first two years or 50% of tread life. Also, you’ll find a Mileage Coverage Plan of 85,000 miles for many light trucks and passenger tires.
Hercules has a support plan if you’re not satisfied with the tires. You can return those within 45 days of buying and pick up replacement tires from Hercules.
The warranty policy of Hercules comes with too much confusion, I think. So, I recommend talking to the seller before picking up a set of tires of this brand.
How long do Hercules tires last?
You’ll find several types of Hercules tires in the market. Durability is subject to the type of tire and use.
However, to keep the tires lasting for a long time, you should take care of those properly. According to the opinion of the users and experts, Hercules tires last around 40,000 to 80,000 miles if taken care of properly.
The range is applicable for passenger tires, SUV tires, and CUV tires. Most performance tires last within this range. But commercial tires don’t fit in this.
Are Hercules tires worth the price?
According to the users, Hercules tires are worthy of the price tags they come with. Those are priced very reasonably but perform well.
Hercules offers dependable tires for various purposes. Compared to most other cheap tires, these tires ensure longer service time. Also, you’ll find these doing great in extreme driving conditions. So, you can’t complain about the performance these tires provide.
Should I Buy Hercules Tires? (Expert Video)
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for some dependable tires at reasonable prices, Hercules is one of the best options. Being manufactured mostly in the USA, tires from Hercules offer smooth performance and serve the purpose very well.
Here I’ve talked about who makes Hercules tires, why these are dependable, and how much you have to spend to get these tires. Also, I’ve talked about my favorite tire from Hercules. I think this will surely help you in picking the best tire.
If you’re already interested in Hercules tires, you should give these a try.