Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co.

What Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co. does

Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co., Ltd. is a privately held Chinese tire manufacturer established in 1994, headquartered in Weihai, Shandong province, and operating in the differentiated high-performance tire segment. The company runs two brands: LAKESEA, which covers off-road, mud-terrain, and military tires (MT Series including CROCODILE, MUDSTER, GRACK, EXTREME M/T, ALLIGATOR, TRACKMASTER, X-RANGER, XT1, XTERRAIN MUD, TBC 1), and ZESTINO, which covers racing and performance tires (Gredge, ACROVA, CIRCUIT, Gravel, SAMURAI ST400, and VICTAS series). Product differentiation is achieved through tread-pattern engineering — center grooves, variable wing grooves, solid center ribs, asymmetric lug arrangements, zigzag grooves, and DOT-approved UTQG-rated compounds — rather than through software or platform layers. Underlying technical features include UTQG 340AA A ratings for street-legal performance tires, sidewall reinforcements up to 33% stronger than predecessors, and 20mm deep tread designs for soft-terrain traction.

The business operates a direct-export B2B model, selling tires to auto clubs, racing teams, and distributors in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan, supplemented by international trade-show participation (Latin Tyre Expo 2019, Singapore Asia Tire Show 2017) and an extensive motorsport sponsorship program featuring world-famous drift driver Daigo Saito as spokesperson and sponsored drivers across D1NZ, Drift Kings International Series, and rally events in Finland, Greece, France, Canada, and Japan. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with all inquiries directed to email or phone contacts, consistent with a niche B2B specialty exporter. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent entity, or public funding rounds.

Name

Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co.

Legal name

Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co., Ltd.

Website

https://lake-sea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co. is a privately held Chinese manufacturer of differentiated high-performance tires, operating the LAKESEA off-road brand and the ZESTINO racing brand. It exports MT, semi-slick, slick, rally, and drag tires to motorsport teams, auto clubs, and distributors across the US, Europe, Australia, and Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performance Tires

NAICS

Tire Manufacturing (32621), Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading) (326211)

SIC

Tires & Inner Tubes (3011)

akta.pro primary industry

Tires Manufacturing (IMACAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Off-the-Road (OTR) & Heavy Equipment Tires Manufacturing (IMANAKAD), Light Truck/SUV Tires Manufacturing (IMANAKAB)

Keywords

• Performance tire manufacturing
• Off-road mud terrain tires
• Racing semi-slick tires
• Drift rally tires
• Military all-terrain tires

Headquarters

HQ city

Weihai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tire Product Sales: Revenue generated from manufacturing and selling differentiated tire products including off-road MT tires, semi-slick, slick, rally tires, and racing tires under LAKESEA and ZESTINO brands. Products sold to racing teams, auto clubs, and individual consumers globally through direct sales and distribution channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co. is a Chinese tire manufacturer specializing in differentiated high-performance tire products. The company operates two brands: LAKESEA for off-road/military tires and ZESTINO for racing/sports tires. Its product portfolio includes mud-terrain (MT) off-road tires, studded winter tires, semi-slick, slick, rally, circuit, and drag racing tires, along with street-legal high-performance options. Products are exported globally to distributors, auto clubs, and racing teams.

Product overview

Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co. is a tire manufacturer established in 1994, specializing in differentiated tire products. The company operates two main brands: LAKESEA (off-road and military tires) and ZESTINO (racing and performance tires). The LAKESEA MT Series offers 10 off-road mud terrain tire models including CROCODILE M/T, MUDSTER M/T, GRACK M/T, TRACKMASTER, X-RANGER, XT1, XTERRAIN MUD, EXTREME M/T, ALLIGATOR, and TBC 1. The ZESTINO Racing Series offers 10 racing tire models including Gredge 07RS/07R, ACROVA 07A, ACROVA 07A UHP, CIRCUIT 01S, Circuit 07S, Gravel 09R, SAMURAI ST400, VICTAS ZS 01, VICTAS Z6, and VICTAS Z8. Products serve off-road, drift, track day, time attack, circuit racing, gravel rally, and drag racing applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LAKESEA: Off-road tires, military tires, and related product lines.
• ZESTINO

Quantifiable outcome

• 175 kph attack speed achieved by drivers using Gredge Semi Slick tires in Drift Kings International Series
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Daigo SaitocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld famous racing driver serving as official spokesperson for Lakesea Tyre Co. Competes in Russian Drift Series and represents the company in motorsport competitions globally.
• Darren KellycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional drift driver partnered with Zestino driver program for three years. Uses Zestino semi-slick Gredge 07R tires and achieved 2019 D1NZ Championship drift king title.
• Cole ArmstrongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional drift driver partnered with Zestino driver program for three years. Achieved final podium in D1NZ 2019 championship driving Nissan Skyline 250GT.
• Christos Chantzaras (Team 22)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreek Drift Champion. Won 2019 Drift Kings Round 3 championship using Zestino tires. Vehicle branded with Monster Energy livery.
• Alexandre StranocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZestino France sponsored driver. Finished 1st at Drift Kings Round 5 in Melk Austria using ACROVA 07A tires.
• PatrickminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada Ontario time attack driver. Used Zestino Gredge 07RS tires on reinforced Subaru Brz achieving records close to IMSA racing GT cars.
• HiroponminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapan track day driver and loyal Zestino fan. Used Zestino Gredge 07RS on Mazda rx7 achieving 2nd place in local track day.
• Massimo ChecchinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrift Kings International Series driver achieving 175 kph attack speed using Gredge Semi Slick tires.
• Juha RintanenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZestino Finland team driver. Finished 1st at Venetsia Drifting Finland competition.
• Emily HartumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanada youngest Zestino driver competing in Spec D Drift Series with family team support.
• ChengshanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly business partner - well-known domestic tire company that Lakesea cooperated with when starting in the domestic market in 1994.
• TriangleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarly business partner - well-known domestic tire company that Lakesea cooperated with when starting in the domestic market in 1994.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hankook Tire: Korean tire major with motorsport programs in drifting, circuit racing, and rally - directly comparable sponsorship footprint to ZESTINO's. Overlaps with semi-slick and high-performance categories.
• Kumho Tire: Korean tire manufacturer with motorsport involvement across circuit, drift, and rally series. Competes with Lakesea in performance and light truck/SUV tire segments across global markets.
• Yokohama Tire: Japanese tire manufacturer with deep motorsport heritage including WRC, drift, and time attack. Its Advan performance and Geolandar off-road lines compete with both ZESTINO racing and LAKESEA MT products.
• Triangle Tyre: Large Chinese tire manufacturer and one of Lakesea's earliest business partners. While broader in product range (PCR, TBR, OTR), Triangle competes in overlapping segments including performance and off-road tires.
• Westlake Tire: Major Chinese tire manufacturer with a global export footprint and product range that includes performance and light truck lines overlapping Lakesea's offerings. A broader incumbent competitor in export markets.
• Toyo Tires: Global tire maker with strong off-road and motorsport heritage (including drift). Its Open Country M/T and Proxes lines compete head-on with LAKESEA MT and ZESTINO racing products in international markets.
• Nitto Tire: US-based performance and off-road tire specialist under Toyo group with deep motorsport ties. Overlaps directly with Lakesea's MT and semi-slick categories while operating at far greater scale in North America.

Direct peers

• Federal Tyres: Taiwanese performance tire maker with a comparable motorsport-driven brand identity and product mix spanning semi-slick, rally, and off-road tires. Closest direct analog to ZESTINO's drift and rally positioning.
• Achilles Radial: Indonesian tire manufacturer with a strong motorsport sponsorship program and product range that overlaps Lakesea's performance and motorsport categories. Competes in similar export markets across Asia-Pacific and the US.
• Maxsport Tyres: Niche performance tire brand focused on semi-slick, rally, and circuit tires - directly comparable to ZESTINO's racing range. Targets similar motorsport consumers and shares the drift/time attack sponsorship approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/zestinomotorsport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qingdao-lakesea-tyre-co-ltd

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Qingdao Lakesea Tyre Co.