NOTE: This is sponsored content produced in partnership with Sailun.

Timex sells a wide range of reliable watches for under $50 that tell exactly the same time as a Rolex or Patek Philippe. Which is "exactly the thinking" behind Sailun Tires, says Mark Pereira, director of marketing for Sailun Tire Americas.

"Our core value is to deliver everyday quality at a fair price. When it comes to performance per dollar, that's where our focus is," he says. "Is the more expensive tire always the better tire? The answer is 'not necessarily.' Not every customer walking in the door can afford the best product from a price perspective."

Sailun executives put their money where their mouths are with a chance-taking demonstration at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, a NASCAR track. With identifying logos and information hidden  on the tire sidewalls, Sailun set up wet and dry autocross courses with their own tires and comparable tires from Goodyear in a blind test on Honda Accords and CR-Vs. The event attendees-a mix of media and tire professionals from the world of wholesale and retail, tested the tires and then rated them by which Accord and CR-V they preferred.

At the end, the totaled-up results: Sailun edged out Goodyear in both tests of dry traction, wet traction, braking, handling and ride.  The Sailun tire on the Accord was the Inspire touring tire, and on the CR-Vs, the Terramax HLT, an all-season tire for light trucks and SUVs. Savings averaged about $60 per tire for the Sailun tires.

Sailun started out as a Chinese-based manufacturer of tire-building equipment before gradually making the move to tire manufacturing in 2002, and now has over 11,000 employees. The privately held company is still based in China, with additional factories in Vietnam, and a new plant in Cambodia capable of building 13 million passenger vehicle tires a year. The tires for the North American market are engineered here and specially built for the U.S. and Canada, with many of them to come from the new Cambodian plant.

Sailun is presently the 16th largest tire company in the world, bigger than some better-known brands. "When I joined the company four years ago, we were 19th. That gives you an idea of the gains we're making," Pereira says. "One of our targets is to land in the top 10. For us that would be a significant spot to be in as a value tire brand . "

Sailun is very comfortable in its own skin, Pereira says, making replacement tires rather than seeking out OEM business at this time. The consumer catalog lists three passenger-car tires-the all-season Inspire, the Atrezzo SH406, an all-season performance tire, and the top-of-the-line Atrezzo SVA1, an ultra-high-performance all-season tire.

In the light truck market, there are four choices-the Atrezzo SVR LX+, a high-performance SUV tire; the Terramax HLT, an all-season light truck and SUV entry; the Terramax A/T 4S, and on- and off-road light truck and SUV tire, and the Terramax HLT-C, with "C" standing for commercial. Indeed, Sailun's total catalog lists a lot of heavy-duty truck and trailer tires. Sailun passenger tires are sold at a variety of outlets, including Walmart. Sailun's warranties are on par with other manufacturers.

The company is about to make a major splash in one of the fastest-growing markets-replacement tires for electric vehicles. By the end of 2022, the ERANGE EV will hit the market with new and proprietary technology that uses liquid phase mixing formation to better distribute building materials such as silica throughout the rubber.

The technology is expected to help the tire last longer, perform better, filter out road noise and help avoid range anxiety-internal and external testing on the most popular EV, the Tesla Model 3, suggests the ERANGE EV tires can actually add seven percent to the battery life of the car. The tires are built to handle the extra weight and increased torque of battery-powered vehicles. With over 30 sizes, as much as 80 percent of electric vehicles can be fit with an ERANGE EV tire at rollout.

"We want to stay in touch with the everyday driver," Periera says. "There are some brands out there that aren't. New tires are something that a family might not be planning or budgeting to buy in advance. But you need them. You need them to get to work, to take kids to school and to soccer practice, and you don't have a choice. If you can find a way to take care of that while saving some money-that's what Sailun is all about."