[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by carboy

What stickers are you referring to?

I think he is referring to the stickers stuck on new tires which mention the name ,size etc.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Nikhil, Have a question for you. As your the resident expert on rubber, wheel alignment and balance.

My Cruze went for its 10K service that included a wheel alignment and balance. Post the service I see the steering wheel is not dead straight as it used to be prior to this service.

It is maybe an 1/2 or 1 inch to the left and i am pretty uncomfortable due to this change.

Is this due to improper wheel alignment and balance? How do i rectify the same?

It most probably is incorrect wheel alignment. If there is a slight pull to either side, then it could be due to the rotation of tyres also.

Originally Posted by romyeo4u

A mixed bag of experience:
Finally after 3 months of procrastination, decided to upgrade my santro's tyres and alloys, called Nikhil a day before to get the confirmation on Michelin Xm1+, went there at 8:30 AM, spoke to Ravi, he said Michelin is there and they are 3 months old, finalized on the alloys, when the guys got the tyres, the Michelin looked as if it was used for some time, when I asked Ravi, he assured me that they are brand new, then I asked him if he's got the stickers his answer was no, and when I checked at the MFG date the tyres were almost 8 months old as against 3 months which he told me initially, though their reputation is too good, still didn't feel convinced about the Michelin and the guys were clueless, and I was desperate to get the tyres changed, had to settle for Yoko's.

bottom line: I was happy that I finally changed the tyres , would have been happier if I got the Michelin, nevertheless, enjoying the drive so far.

As they say " we believe in God, rest bring data", just watch out for those nitty things.

Well, this was a massive confusion. They were brand new tyres but they were old because of which they looked used. I apologised to you on the phone and I sincerely say sorry again.

[styx71]

Had been to Madhu's today for Aligment & Balancing for my Verna. Enquired if Nikhil was around - he was not. I was having a little chat with the person who manages the billing at the alignment bay(forgot to ask his name).

I'm not sure if quoting the amount charged by Madhu's is allowed on the forum. But it was considerably less than what Hyundai A*S*S quoted

[raghav.carfreak]

Hey
Just a small query, I'm bored of the wheelcaps on my getz, and don't have the Vitamin M to go for alloys, I was wondering if i could buy the Steel Lip that goes on the stock steel rim from here?
2 questions with that
1) Will it fall off if travelling on a bumpy road
2) how much would it cost for a set of 4?
If not available here, Any idea from where in bangalore I could source the same?

[raghav.carfreak]

Apologies for back to back posts
another couple of queries
1) do you have nitrogen at the langford road branch?
2) are you open tomorow?

[musicmanaman]

I have a question for experts and they are on Alloy wheels.

Wheel Alignment I can understand and cars may require this weather steel rims or alloys, but it's the balancing part I don't understand, even though I have done the same on my car, why would alloys need balancing, if they where rock solid and would only break but not bend? By the way I'm on alloys.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by raghav.carfreak

Hey
Just a small query, I'm bored of the wheelcaps on my getz, and don't have the Vitamin M to go for alloys, I was wondering if i could buy the Steel Lip that goes on the stock steel rim from here?
2 questions with that
1) Will it fall off if travelling on a bumpy road
2) how much would it cost for a set of 4?
If not available here, Any idea from where in bangalore I could source the same?

You can get those from J C road. Or any car accessory shop that you know of. Might cost a few hundred bucks. Not more.

Originally Posted by raghav.carfreak

Apologies for back to back posts
another couple of queries
1) do you have nitrogen at the langford road branch?
2) are you open tomorow?

Yes, we have Nitrogen and unfortunately, we are closed tomorrow. We are celebrating India's world cup victory!

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

I have a question for experts and they are on Alloy wheels.

Wheel Alignment I can understand and cars may require this weather steel rims or alloys, but it's the balancing part I don't understand, even though I have done the same on my car, why would alloys need balancing, if they where rock solid and would only break but not bend? By the way I'm on alloys.

Wheel balancing is done to compensate for wear on the tyres. Not necessarily on the wheels.

[quadra]

@nikhil: What are your shop timings (langford road) ?

[Nikhilb2008]

9:00 am - 7:00 pm. 6 days a week. Sunday holiday.

[sam_sant2005]

A big thanks to Ravi (Madhu Enterprises) for swapping my tyres in a whopping 40 mins (incl wheel alignment)

I just moved from stock 165 (JK) to 195 65 R14 (Yoko A) for my Swift D. Just amazed by the difference in road grip and steering feedback.

Cost me 15k (incl alignment charges) for a set of 4 Yokohama's (price after exchange)

[benbsb29]

Got new tyres (A Drives) as well as alignment and balancing for my Ikon from Madhus yesterday. Service was prompt and friendly as usual. Nikhil although not present in person, was highly helpful in having everything well organized and done efficiently.

Thanks a lot, Nikhil and may Madhus continue to grow in strength.

[hrman]

Today, I got my NHC's tyre rotation, wheel balancing and wheel alignment done. It was the quickest service I have experienced in a lot of time. Very courteous and efficient staff. And very reasonably priced too. Thanks Nikhil for running such a professional and efficient setup. I will visit you for all my alignment and balancing needs from now on. Cheers!!!

[shankar.balan]

I went to get the tyres balanced and wheels aligned today - 40K Kms done. This is part of my usual maintenance routine every 5K Kms just after the vehicle gets serviced.

We got all the tyres removed from the wheels, thoroughly cleaned, removed a couple of small nails and screws which had gotten stuck in the tyres.
Reversed/ turned around all the tyres on their axis to ensure better more even wear and tear - they are not unidirectional so this can be done.
Rotated all the 5 wheels bringing the spare into play.
got all the tyres balanced and the wheels aligned.

Will as usual get the tyres aligned and wheels balanced again after another 5K Kms at 45K and then again repeat today's performance when the vehicle hits 50K Kms.

Usual first class service at Madhu's. Reasonable bill and as always I tipped the gent who fixed me up. Enjoy going to Madhus for this work - they are a bunch of nice people and thorough professionals.

[quadra]

Was there at langford road last weekend, got wheel alignment > Nitrogen > wheel balancing > tyre rotation done.

Their work speaks for itself. The car does feel tighter & i am loving it. They have installed a new machine for nitrogen. Single pipe deflates the tyre and then inflates it which i what i wanted (deflate and inflate)

[devrajman]

I had been to Madhus last month after my 5K service at Suraksha for wheel alignment and balancing for my '99 Zen.

I has bought my tyres from Madhus 5K kms back (Michelin XM1+ 155/70 R13).

I was happy to see none of them required any additional weights as rim/tyre wasnt damaged. Happy i was as I had done trips to Coorg, Tuticorin/Kodaikanal, Mangalore and Tirupati in last 5K kms

I asked for tyre rotation, however guy there at front desk said it isnt req! Wondering why...?

Wheel aligment was gone for a toss as front left lower arm was replaced at service.

Steering was a little misaligned. It was fixed. However after driving for a while noticed, its still off!