Tire (tyre) brands come in three categories:
Tires in categories 2 and 3 are usually much less expensive than tires in category 1, since you don't have to pay for all that advertising.
The question is: Do tires in categories 2 and 3 go through as much (or even more) rigorous testing as tires in category 1?
In the US, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) is the governing body that controls testing and specifications of motor vehicles. They mandate that a certain set of standardized tests are carried out on all tires sold for highway use. Tires that are made for off-road equipment and possibly some trailers might not have to undergo the same testing, but, in general, all tires sold for cars and trucks in the US must meet the testing standards. I can only assume that other major world markets have a similar governing body and required tests.
So, this is a partial answer to your question. All tires sold must meet some minimum testing, but I'm not sure if "brand name" tires are subjected to more testing.
Per my comment on the question, I assume that the bigger companies do more exhaustive testing to put out the best quality tire possible, and they more than likely have more advanced, specialized tests for their performance, wet weather, and winter tires. But again, this is only speculation.
Fun fact: the average mid-sized car tire sees ~800 revolutions per mile, so every component of a 50k mile tire must endure more than 40 million loading/unloading cycles! (note: some tires are not guaranteed for 50k miles). Source + testing information can be found in the PDF titled 'The Pneumatic Tire' on this page.
Regardless of mileage rating, all tires that can be legally fitted to commercially sold vehicles (in the US, including farm, low load, and low speed tires) are required to meet minimum standards prescribed by the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 139. For most tires, the requirements include: high speed endurance, mileage endurance, low inflation pressure performance, tire strength (road hazard), & bead unseating resistance testing.
To answer your question, major tire companies definitely hold their tires to internal standards that meet & exceed those prescribed by FMVSS 139, while cheaper brands will likely only meet the minimum requirements (no source). While the amount by which major brands exceed the standards will vary, and is not readily available so far as I can tell, this article indicates that Toyo recalled 585 of their Proxes 4, Proxes F24, and Nitto NT555 brand tires because, despite meeting federal regulations, they did not meet Toyo's internal dimensional tolerances.
To elaborate on FMVSS 139: From what I understand, each test is conducted at 100°F, is repeated several times at several psi ratings up to the max pressure, and at several loads up to max load (except low inflation performance test). Each new test is conducted on a brand new tire. All testing is done in a controlled lab on a drum with a 17.6' circumference, such that 300 revolutions = 1 mile.
High speed testing lasts 90 minutes, and is based on the tires speed rating. The tests consist of 20-30 minute cycles that increment from 20 mph below speed rating up to the maximum speed rating of the tire.
Endurance testing takes place over 36 hours through a variety of different acceleration, speed, pressure, and load conditions.
Low pressure testing is similar to high speed testing, but done at highway speeds 50, 65, 75 mph with the tire at or near maximum load inflated to 20 psi.
Tire strength is tested by loading the tires contact patch onto a plunger with a set surface area. The test ends when the tire fails, or plunger forces the tire to touch the rim.
Bead unseating is done by pushing a solid block of some surface area into the sidewall of the tire up to a minimum load. Surface area and load vary depending on tire size, psi, etc. Results are Pass/Fail only.
In Europe, only tires with an EU Tire Label are allowed to be sold. Big brands were initially happy for the introduction of this label, but were disappointed about the results. Those "crap" Chinese tires were performing almost equal with the big brand tires, but cost half as much.
A lot people say "it's your safety don't do it". The companies would be very happy if we would listen to those scary advice.
For my own car, I needed a set of 225/40/18. I did some research on the internet and looked for reviews, tests, and experiences. All those tests are sponsored by the big brands. Or the tires were not tested equally.
Most people also do want to believe that their #1 brand tire is performing the best because of the marketing and the price they have paid for them.
I decided to buy a set of Fortuna F2000 for less than half the cost of a set of Dunlop/Bridgestone tires, and they perform great, even in the Netherlands where it rains often.
Most people tend to make pronouncements without substantiation or repeat each other
I heard these comments:
Of course, there are tires that perform badly, but the big brand tires also have them. There aren't many manufacturers. If you research about it you will find out that there are huge companies selling different brands. The #1 brands are paying alot for marketing.
There are too much variables for testing a tire properly. For example look at Youtube for some tire tests and make a conclusion for yourself. Some tests with the same brands could have contrary results. There is no 'best' tire
The tires should also match your requirements.
Going by the results of tests carried out by consumer organizations: no-name/unknown-brand tires often don't perform as well as the well-known brands. Worse: performance tended to be uneven. Cheap tires that worked well in the dry would have 2x the stopping distance of all the others in the wet, for example. There are outliers, both positive and negative of course. In the latest ANWB/ADAC test, an unknown brand was one of the top scorers.
A-brands do spend more effort on research and production. They use more accurate machines for tire assembly, and they add steps to the production process to ensure quality and reduce the chance of failure. The price difference isn't just a matter of marketing. (source: conversations at a company that builds machines used in tire production. Tire companies are secretive about the details, so no link to corroborate this.)
