This is interesting because most of the people I talk to say JACO's last LONGER than their current brand. It all comes down to your setup on a given day, track conditions, and the lot number on the particular batch of rubber. We see slight variations from batch to batch in terms of consistency and cell structure, but we must take what we get from the manufacturer. Be careful of anyone who claims brand x is head and shoulders above brand y. It is probably B.S. and their credibility is suspect. I personally select every sheet of rubber that goes in to every JACO tire as I have for the last 14 years. I don't claim to know everything, but I've been around the block a few times. I know the manufacturers of the rubber by their first names and they have visited my house and met my family. We do not sell tires made in Italy, Taiwan, or China and then imported here. We make the tires here, in the US from the best Japanese rubber we can buy. In the end, we must supply a consistent product that is well constructed at a fair price. We do our best.