Sumitomo ST518 commercial
The Sumitomo ST518 is a commercial tire that's tough enough for use on or off the pavement. The ST518 is designed with wide grooves to resist hydroplaning, a tough inner liner that protects the tire's steel belts from corrosion, and Sumitomo's C.V.S.T technology that limits flex and stress on the tire's structure in rough use. Features & Benefits Designed for use on all positions of commercial trucks in on- and off-road applicaions Wide grooves remove water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning on wet roads All-steel belt casing increases strength and durability Stone ejectors built into grooves to protect casing from damage and allow for consistent traction Built with Sumitomo's C.V.S.T technology that limits flex and stress on the tire in rough use
NHTSA-reported issues for sumitomo sumitomo ST518 commercial
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Most reported: Tires (General) (48) · Tread / Belt (17) · Sidewall (12) · Valve (8) · Bead (5)
What owners described
Cracking or dry rot appears in 27% of these reports; about 2.9× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 74 reports filed against Sumitomo tires across every line and vehicle that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cracking or dry rot | 27% | 9% | 2.9× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 18% | 20% | 0.9× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 18% | 6% | 3.0× |
| Sidewall failure | 14% | 15% | 0.9× |
| Tread or belt separation | 8% | 13% | 0.6× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 8% | 8% | 1.0× |
Mileage at failure
63 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 50,320 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 5,000 and 128,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Sumitomo. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FOREST RIVER SURVEYOR SPORT RV EQUIPPED WITH SUMITOMO TOWMAX POWER KING TIRES, SIZE 205-75-R14 (N/A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HE DROVE AT 60 MPH, THE PASSENGER REAR TIRE TREAD SEPARATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE HIGHWAY INTO A SAFE AREA WHERE THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE VIN AND DOT NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 2,500.
ONE TIRE SHREDDED AT 70 MPH WITH LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON THEM. HAD FULL PRESSURE ONE MOMENT AND FAILED THE NEXT. I NOTICED ALL 3 OTHER TIRES DEVELOPED BUBBLES CLOSE TO THE TREAD AND 2 OTHERS STARTED LEAKING A WEEK LATER. SUMITOMO DEALER LOCALLY REFUSED TO REPLACE OR HONOR WARRANTY.
THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 NISSAN ALTIMA EQUIPPED WITH SUMITOMO TOURING LST TIRES, TIRE SIZE: 215/60R16, AND UNKNOWN DOT NUMBER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE PASSENGER FRONT TIRE STARTED VIBRATING UNCONTROLLABLY. UPON INSPECTING THE VEHICLE THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TIRE WAS BULGED AND THEN EXPLODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.
VEHICLE TIRES EXPERIENCING SLIGHT CRACKING IN SIDEWALL. *MR TWO TIRES EXPERIENCED SLIGHT CRACKING (PIRELLI P6000), BUBBLES IN THE SIDEWALL PRIOR TO LOSING AIR (PIRELLI P6000), RIM DAMAGE (PIRELLI), UNEVEN WEAR ON THE SUMITOMO TIRE ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S ANALYSIS. THE OTHER DOT #'S ARE: XT1001 AND XT1000. *SCC
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Specs
| Brand | Sumitomo |
|---|---|
| Model | Sumitomo ST518 Commercial |
| Season | winter |
| Type | truck-suv |
| UTQG treadwear | N/A |
| UTQG traction | N/A |
| UTQG temperature | N/A |
| Mileage warranty | N/A |
| Noise (dB) | N/A |
| Introduced | N/A |
Live prices
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Available sizes (0)
Size data being verified.
Sumitomo sumitomo ST518 commercial: what the numbers tell you
Manufacturer treadwear data for the Sumitomo ST518 Commercial is not publicly listed. This is common for OEM-only or track-day tires that don't carry a US treadwear warranty. No mileage warranty is published for this tire, which is typical for performance summer and track-day rubber where the manufacturer doesn't make wear-life claims.
Cabin noise data for this tire is not published by the manufacturer. As a winter tire built for the truck-suv segment, the Sumitomo ST518 Commercial is positioned against direct rivals within the same category. Comparing it to a tire in a different category (e.g. summer vs all-season) makes the spec sheet misleading because the design targets are not the same.
The Sumitomo ST518 is a commercial tire that's tough enough for use on or off the pavement. The ST518 is designed with wide grooves to resist hydroplaning, a tough inner liner that protects the tire's steel belts from corrosion, and Sumitomo's C.V.S.T technology that limits flex and stress on the tire's structure in rough use. Features & Benefits Designed for use on all positions of commercial trucks in on- and off-road applicaions Wide grooves remove water from the tread to reduce the risk of hydroplaning on wet roads All-steel belt casing increases strength and durability Stone ejectors built into grooves to protect casing from damage and allow for consistent traction Built with Sumitomo's C.V.S.T technology that limits flex and stress on the tire in rough use
For an apples-to-apples comparison against direct rivals, see the comparison pages linked from this tire's brand index.
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Last verified 2026-10-07.