Long Distance (Bangy - Madras and back) on LowPro Tyres

[Bluu]

Hey guys!

I'll be heading out to Madras on Diwali weekend in my SX4 and I wanted to know if there is something specific I should know about doing long distances on low profile tires? I'm running 225/45/R17s on my SX4. Should I be thinking about the tires overheating? I would be driving at around a 100 on the empty stretches (Unless the devil gets me on a long stretch!). Also, should I fill the usual pressure (30psi front and back) or should it be different for this kind of a trip?

Any other heads-up (routes, tech concerns etc) will also be much appreciated!

Cheers!

[Shan2nu]

Damn!! 225/45 R17 on an SX4, what were you thinking dude. Hehe....

Anyway, the Bangy-Chennai road is pretty smooth (especially the Hosur road route) so i don't think you'l have any issues. Not sure about the sriperembedur-chennai stretch, maybe the chennai guys can help you out with that.

Shan2nu

[Jaggu]

Careful when you leave Bangalore till you reach hosur, there are some bad deviations that can catch your tyre unaware. Apart from that roads are pretty fine, you can fill in regular tyre pressure (am not aware of the company specified psi for SX4 and for your tyre size), maybe 1-2 psi is a good idea if you drive very high speeds constantly (140 ish).

[Bluu]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Damn!! 225/45 R17 on an SX4, what were you thinking dude. Hehe...
Shan2nu

They look sweet! There's a pic of them in the alloy wheels section!

Thanks for the tips guys!

[mjothi]

Its a excellent route from Hosur to Ponnamalee. After ponnamalee, the roads are good too, but you get into reasanable traffic.

Do let us know from where in Bangalore you are starting. Depending on that, you can take Silkboard-EC-Hosur, or Marathahalli-Varthur-Sarjapura Road-Attibelli-Hosur. The 2nd one is pretty good road and less traffic.

I think a distance of < 400KMs should not make the tyres or engines over heated. If so, something is really wrong either with the vehicle or the owner of the vehicle

Enjoy.

[s0uljah]

Your running Nankang rubber arent you? They arent of the best quality so watch it.

Dont offroad/speed breaker etc at higher speeds and you should be fine.

Originally Posted by mjothi

I think a distance of < 400KMs should not make the tyres or engines over heated. If so, something is really wrong either with the vehicle or the owner of the vehicle.

Hehehe, nice way of putting it.

[akroy]

Bangalore - Chennai in GQ is very smooth so any profile tyres can do it. Follow the route as mjothi suggested.
Overheating is dependent of tyre pressure and not the profile.

OT: Why wasting so much money on low profiles and Alloys which scares you to do a small highway run like Blr - Chennai?

Abhi

[yzfrj]

@Bluu

Enjoy the trip.
Nearing chennai you will see some broken sections just be careful there.

I'm wondering why no one asked till now.
Pic's of the 225/45/R17 pleaseeeee...

I'm sure they look sweet that too on SX4.
Drive safe. As always pics and detailed log book expected

[Bluu]

Originally Posted by akroy

OT: Why wasting so much money on low profiles and Alloys which scares you to do a small highway run like Blr - Chennai?

Abhi

Hehe, you're funny! I'm not scared of doing this run. Have done it many times before in different vehicles. Have been driving for 12 odd years now. It's not easy to scare me on the road. I am scared of spiders though! However, I wanted to know if there was something specific I should look out for with these tyres!

Originally Posted by yzfrj

@Bluu

Enjoy the trip.
Nearing chennai you will see some broken sections just be careful there.

I'm wondering why no one asked till now.
Pic's of the 225/45/R17 pleaseeeee...

I'm sure they look sweet that too on SX4.
Drive safe. As always pics and detailed log book expected

Thanks for the heads up! There is a pic in the alloy wheels section of t-bhp!

Thank you everyone who helped out here!

[iraghava]

Bluu - I would also recommend that you carry a portable compressor with you & a tubeless puncture repair kit just in case. You never know when you might need them.

And do go through this guide: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...-puncture.html (DIY Guide: How to repair a Tubeless tyre puncture!)

[akroy]

Originally Posted by Bluu

Hehe, you're funny! I'm not scared of doing this run. Have done it many times before in different vehicles. Have been driving for 12 odd years now. It's not easy to scare me on the road. I am scared of spiders though! However, I wanted to know if there was something specific I should look out for with these tyres!

I am not questioning you driving ability or experience. I emphasized on the fact that your upgradation should remove your worries rather than add a new worry (like tyre overheating which you already mentioned).
On that context, I told dont do that low profile which starts to backfire your subconscious mind on cruising on indian roads / highways.

You already started the thread on a backfoot (Your first post already mentions that) like you will not cross 100kmph etc etc, that means you are negatively concerned about your upgrade on the highway which IMO should not be the case.

Blr - Chennai on a SX4 is like comfortable cruising in 100-140kmph range on GQ.

Just my 2 cents (you may take it as funny too)

Abhi

[KSM-Vtec]

dude i just did a trip from mumbai-puttaparthi-mumbai(2200 kms) in my ohc with 205/45/16 had no trouble but you need to be careful with the potholes for sure. A bad one at high speeds could bend your wheel.

take care and by the way...just forget about the 100kmph mark you will go way beyond it, these days the roads in india are so good that you can surprise yourslef. On my trip i did a 12km nonstop patch at a constant of 150-155kmph so you know that you are in for.

But be sure and be careful.

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Careful when you leave Bangalore till you reach hosur, there are some bad deviations that can catch your tyre unaware.

That's number one. Number two, approach road to Chennai (Poonnamali High Road) is in BAD condition. You can add current downpour to that.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Apart from that roads are pretty fine, you can fill in regular tyre pressure (am not aware of the company specified psi for SX4 and for your tyre size), maybe 1-2 psi is a good idea if you drive very high speeds constantly (140 ish).

Road is fine but don't do that kind of speed. There too many blind spots on that road and people/bikes keep crossing all the time.

We (me and Jaggu) had this trip yesterday.

[Jaggu]

100% alertness! traffic might not be much but other road users are a big hazard. Keep an eye out at Jn with barriers, as well as the medians covered with plants. Human beings, cycles, motor cycles and tractors can pop at the most awkward moment. This is apart from idiots who drive on the wrong side of the road.

While taking turns dont go aggressive with cornering, ensure that you have a clear vision and plenty of room to change directions/lanes while attacking the corners. Slow down at intersections and junctions. Wait for trukies to make up there mind before you attempt to overtake them, some move back to LT side some just continue on the RT lane. Always keep a safe distance with the vehicle in front.

Rudra spotted atleast 3-4 bashed up cars along the road while on our onward journey.

Last but not the least fill up in the city and check tyre pressure also, we had a tough time finding decent petrol pump with both the facilities on chennai side while on our return journey.

[pypkmsrikanth]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Last but not the least fill up in the city and check tyre pressure also, we had a tough time finding decent petrol pump with both the facilities on chennai side while on our return journey.

The 1st decent pump you would find which has both is the BPCL on Sriperumpudhur byepass. Alternatively the BPCL on Vedal before Kanchipuram is good bet. Also it makes sense to tank up again at Hosur to take advantage of the lower price in Tamil Nadu as compared to Bangalore