[Manuuj]

Originally Posted by yaji

I have a tyre related issue cropping which I am not sure whether to be worried about or not.

I had got a replacement (supposedly OE tyre) when the tyre was damaged in the beginning and I had paid 1/2 the price out of courtesy as the service manager was pleading for some help at that time. Now that I replaced another tyre, I discovered that the tyre which was replaced earlier and which was in Stepney was a made in USA tyre and not a made in Japan Dunlop. This was the one which they had replaced.
Spec wise the number is same but upon detailed observation I found that the width of the tyre is about one cm less than the original tyre. This is not elongation after usage as I compared it with the new made in Japan tyre so there is no doubt that the other tyre itself is less wide than the original.

One of the marking on tyre also states that the Max load allowed is 1060 kgs where as on the original it is 1120 kgs.

Should this be a cause for concern or is this ok ? is it ok if one of the tyre has smaller width than the others (even if it's as small as a centimeter) and the marking gives it lesser load capacity than the other three (by 60kgs) ?

Just thought I should ask you guys and be clear on the technical aspect of it before I send a stinker to Toyota on this as I feel it's cheating that the dealer replaces a tyre of different spec when specifically asked for original tyre replacement

I just had my stock Dunlops replaced with Yokohamas, both were made in Japan. I did not want the USA made Dulops available in the market.

My OE Dunlops lasted almost 3 years and 72,000 kms. They still had another few thousand kms left in them i feel.

I feel you should press for a replacement. All new Fortuners come with Made in Japan tyres and if the service center replaced yours they should have done so with the Japan ones only.

[yaji]

Completed a trip of about 2200 Kms (Bangalore - Malvan in Konkan - Panchgani - Mahabaleshwar - Bangalore) and it was a great trip with the Fortuner giving me company without having any issues on all kinds of roads (and even places where there were no roads but only a way !). Travelled in a pack of 7 adults, 2 kids and boot full of luggage + luggage on additionally attached roof luggage carrier. Average Fuel economy was 10.5+ Kms with full time AC ON and speeds in the north of 3 figures (on NH4) and which cant be mentioned here .

Only issue faced while driving was a feeling of instability when travelling at speeds which cannot be mentioned here and that may be due to the luggage on the roof carrier which tends to alter the aerodynamics. This i say because i have not had this feeling when i have traveled at same speeds without the luggage on top and this was the first time i fixed the luggage carrier due to necessity of the trip with this many number of people (full house for a Fortuner).

Bad thing was that i had a dog hit which has resulted in a crack in the bumper :(....wondering whether to get a bumper replacement done OR get it fixed at a local tinker shop. Will ask for a quote from Toyota before taking a call.

Originally Posted by Manuuj

I just had my stock Dunlops replaced with Yokohamas, both were made in Japan. I did not want the USA made Dulops available in the market.

My OE Dunlops lasted almost 3 years and 72,000 kms. They still had another few thousand kms left in them i feel.

I feel you should press for a replacement. All new Fortuners come with Made in Japan tyres and if the service center replaced yours they should have done so with the Japan ones only.

I have had the dealer engineers visit my place and inspect the tyres and state that since the specs mentioned are same it is not an issue (which is the reply i expected anyways). When i asked about the different load carrying capacity note on the tyres they had no reply but still kept insisting that it should not be a problem. I have told them that i need a proper reply on this issue OR a tyre replacement. I intend to take this to its logical conclusion by taking it up with Toyota if i dont get a convincing reply from the dealer folks.

[Akshay1234]

I remember reading about tyre inflators somewhere on this thread, what brand do you use? What is the approx cost, and is it reliable?

In the market I only seem to see cheap chinese ones, but I need a reliable one since my 3 is now running on tubeless tyres without a spare

[lurker]

Long time no hear from Admiral Sir, there are many readers of this thread sir, do keep updating us as in the previous forum. Saw a tyre burst on a Santro happen right in front of my eyes yesterday, thankfully the car came to a safe halt because the condition of the road being poor it was being driven slowly.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

tyre inflators ~ I need a reliable one

Have a look here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2490560

Both the Generale' and me are using the same and I am totally satisfied by its performance on both the Fortuner and the Superb.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Have a look here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2490560

Both the Generale' and me are using the same and I am totally satisfied by its performance on both the Fortuner and the Superb.

Where did you buy that from? There doesn't seem to be any link on the website to buy it.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Where did you buy that from? There doesn't seem to be any link on the website to buy it.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2952174

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by lurker

Long time no hear from Admiral Sir, there are many readers of this thread sir, do keep updating us as in the previous forum.

Heavens !
It certainly has been quite a while since I have come down to these parts. And thank you, lurker, for waking up this Rip Van Winkle from his slumber.
And the reasons for slipping into a deep slumber are not very hard to find.
Firstly there is nothing to report frankly. Admiral keeps going on and on.
Secondly my commute time has drastically reduced. From an average of about 100 KMs a day - it has crashed down to about 40 KMs. All thanks to a new assignment.
Thirdly no major trip/s.
And yesterday the odo touched 33K KMs. Hardly anything compared to the early days.
So what do I report ?
All I can state is that the ol' boy keeps sailing along on a steady rhythmic note. Not a single missed beat or squeak.
To a point of steady sense of easy going relationship. Some would call it boredom. But that vanishes entirely once I slip behind the wheel. Everytime. And however short the drive.

And yes, all the other routine activities are carried out.
Yesterday was a full cleaning day. Nothing new really.



What really delights me is the quality of the plastics, leather and general parts. Very solid indeed.
And the interiors look fresh and glowing as it did on the first day.






What more could I want ?

The FE ticks steadily between 11.5 - 12.0 KMPL in the city these days.

But that is not to say that Admiral doesn't have his share of thrills. A couple of weeks ago he had a minor scrape with a Hyundai Accent in front (in the maddening traffic of Saki Naka or thereabouts) which suddenly decided it had a mind of its own and veered to the right without warning. Even its own driver gave the Accent a piece of his mind. And the driver was an old, old grandpa. Just didn't have the heart to perform the war dance in front of him. So exchanged news about the Presidential elections in the US and warmly shook hands and moved on.
But of course it was only a minor scrape. Nothing the Admiral's crew couldn't fix on the high seas - a couple of days later during a Sunday session.




I tell you that Dupli-color paint pen, the F-1 ScratchOut and the Polish - all worth their weights in gold !

What else ? Nothing really. Except that I gotta get my 40 winks again. Been up too long really. Will come back when someone shouts. Or the LoH pokes me in the ribs to wake me up for a long, long drive to the south, east, west or north or wherever that catches her fancy !

Originally Posted by yaji

Completed a trip of about 2200 Kms (Bangalore - Malvan in Konkan - Panchgani - Mahabaleshwar - Bangalore) and it was a great trip with the Fortuner giving me company without having any issues on all kinds of roads (and even places where there were no roads but only a way !).

Bad thing was that i had a dog hit which has resulted in a crack in the bumper :(....wondering whether to get a bumper replacement done OR get it fixed at a local tinker shop. Will ask for a quote from Toyota before taking a call.

Hi yaji - Great to hear about the long drive.
And sorry to hear about the dog show. How badly and where was the bumper cracked ? Anyway - you go anywhere near the ASC and they'll make you pay heavily for the sin of killing that poor mutt. Try and patch up outside if it doesn't compromise on the safety and function of the B.
Do let us know what happened eventually.

Originally Posted by yaji

...tyres...to its logical conclusion by taking it up with Toyota if i dont get a convincing reply from the dealer folks.

So what was the last act on this ?

Aloha !

[yaji]

Originally Posted by Guderian

Hi yaji - Great to hear about the long drive.
And sorry to hear about the dog show. How badly and where was the bumper cracked ? Anyway - you go anywhere near the ASC and they'll make you pay heavily for the sin of killing that poor mutt. Try and patch up outside if it doesn't compromise on the safety and function of the B.
Do let us know what happened eventually.


So what was the last act on this ?

Aloha !

Well I' am trying to get the bumber fixed outside with some help from another Team BHPian. Will keep posted once i get it fixed.

Regarding the tyre, Dealer says it was supplied by Toyota and they are not at fault. I will be emailing Toyota soon to get their version of the story and effects of having one tyre of different load carrying capacity.

[Manuuj]

My brand New Yokohama tyre burst unexpectedly on a flat smooth highway at about 80-90 kmph. Luckily it was a rear tyre and the car did not lose control. i shall be posting pics and details of the incident soon on my thread.

The tyre was just 20 days old and suffered catastrophic failure due to sidewall bursting within 1400 kms of use. Never seen this in my life. As mentioned earlier the OE Dunlops lasted 72,000 kms and 3 years with no incident.

I strongly suggest that people use the same OE Made in Japan Dunlops when it comes time to replace their tyres.

If any of the front two tyres had burst in such a way at that speed, i may not have been here to write this post.

[k2max6]

With good condition tyres of every brand bursting these days, i clearly don't know which brand to trust anymore for such a crucial part of the vehicle.

Thank god the rear tyre bursted and not the front. God forbid if these things have to go on happening, they should happen for the rear tyres only.

[lurker]

Sam's LR was also fitted with Yokohama AT/MT. Seems like they are either selling second rate tyres in the Indian market or have recently skimped on quality in a big way by decreasing sidewall thickness etc.

[Guderian]

Compliments of the season & A Happy Diwali to all Togo Channel Readers/Viewers, TBHPians & Fellow Toyota-Fortuner Owners !

And good ol' Admiral was made ship shape and ready for Diwali on the Sunday gone by.

The GDW was in a rather good mood what with his Diwali Bonus having been paid out.


And keeping in mind the fact it was a total clean up after a long time all major equipments and lotions & potions were on standby.


All ready. And engine bay first, as usual.


The brains (ECU box) requires some cleaning up too.


And that's when a new cotton bud escaped and fell deep into an inaccessible chasm between the battery and fusebox. Now way was it going to be coaxed to come out on its own.


The cavalry had to be called out.


Yes, a Craftsman Pick Up Tool. This is 24.5" flexible, manual pick up tool. The other type being rigid magnetic pick up tool.

The snaps of course would detail how it works.




And in a second, the escapee was escorted back to the cell:



So you think the ECU didn't look dirty ?


And along the way taped up quite a few points where I saw exposed wiring or the old tape was begining to wear off.

AC Sensor point:



Deep in the bowels - Turbo sensor:


Brake Booster & Brake/Clutch Oil Reservoir Sensors:



I just simply hate exposed wires or points.

And then the interiors - vacuumed, dash & other plastics cleaned up, all seats/leather cleaned, and so on...

And then some hard fight against organised grime !
While the alloys are/stay by and large clean the hub is an issue because of the design.




Hub ornament removed:


An invaluable ally in the fight against organised grime.

Use a used toothrush on Admiral ? Eeeeew ! Are you nuts ?

And also Mr Muscle proved to be an able ally too. Thanks dot who gave me this tip almost an year ago. Put to good use now. It left the alloys not just squeaky clean but also fragrant !!!


And 4 hours of hard labour gave me an excellent Sunday workout. Who needs a gym ?


Real sunshine kid this Admiral.


Have a fabulous year ahead Compadres !

[Guderian]

Originally Posted by Manuuj

My brand New Yokohama tyre burst unexpectedly on a flat smooth highway at about 80-90 kmph.

Hi Manuuj,
Sorry to have read and heard about your sorry Yoko experience.
As mentioned elsewhere - Yokos have very weak sidewalls. Very, very weak sidewalls. And this I speak from experience. Have exploded 3 Yoko AT tyres on my earlier ride - the Scorpio CRDe. Once it was when two tyres exploded simultaneously (how much more exciting can it get ?!!) when the left side front & rear tyres' sidewalls lightly rubbed against a metal projection, on a Mumbai road (the BPT Road near Wadala where the Mono Rail work was/is on). Any other tyre would have sailed through - but the Yokos got themselves ripped apart. Had to replace them. And then once when the front left tyre's inner sidewall hit a misaligned/wrongly placed road divider on a Thane flyover, at speed. The front right tyre missed it. That left front tyre was patched up from the inside with large double patches and ran with a tube inside. Any other tyre would have just brushed it aside. But no, not the Yokos. They have to burst with grief at not being treated properly, leaving the owners in tears !
To my mind the Yoko ATs are superb as far as ride comfort, grip (esp wet grip) etc are concerned. So they're very good if you are basically running within the city with an occasional mild off road run.
But for rougher terrain where the sidewalls would have to contend with rough outcrops - metallic or stone or concrete (like on construction sites etc) even in the cities and/or tougher OTR conditions my experience would say - no !
Natural corollary is that the Yokos are very sensitive and require the right air pressure in them. Both over-inflation and under-inflation could be detrimental to the sidewalls.

If only the sidewalls were tougher those Yoko ATs would be real killers !

Let's hope the re-examination of your Yoko tyre/s by the Yoko Reps on Friday brings you some relief, Manuuj.
Till then I shall not Yoke about them or poke their sidewalls in mirth.

[Monaro CV8]

Hail HG !

Hope the festivities were on full swing at the docks !
Let me officially wish you "season's greetings".

I read somewhere that you were keeping an eye out for Toyota recommended aftermarket tyres for the Fortuner.

Bridgestone's for Rs. 13.7 k

What do you reckon general ?

Look what I stumbled upon -
Noticed this today while I was at the Toyota Service centre, when I had gone to drop off my Fortuner for its 20 k service.