[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Seems like its the bent on the wheel, check if the other alloy that was on the same side also has the issue. Yes a bent at the rear will not show at the steering but can create some minor road noise while resonating. But if the balancing is right and there are no other damages to your suspension, then alloys are most likely the reason.

Thanks Jaggu. I was checking my car today for any other potential causes and while looking at the rear wheels I was surprised to see the weights were normal. On further inspection I realised that the wheel with the 100+ gram weights was on the front right wheel. This seems to be the likely cause.


Im 100% certain I was told that it was going to the back but for now I'll get my mechanic to put the spare up front and check the alloy for any visible signs of damage.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

I had decided to upgrade the OEM JK Tyres due to the wobbling issue I faced at higher speeds (refer to my post on the same page) before doing a long drive back to Cochin. I called up Madhus last Friday for options and quotes and on Sat went there with the A drives and Z LOs being at the top of my shortlist.

After talking to the young gentleman there (I forgot his name, very helpful chap) I decided to go in for the A drives in 185/70/ 14 based on his recommendation. Despite the steady stream of customers, the work was done quickly and I did get a Tbhp discount as well so I was very satisfied. The only thing was that they didnt have a 5th tyre on Saturday so I had to go back on monday to get that. Again, the work was done quickly. Top marks for service and customer centricity and definitely recommended.

Wrt the tyres, they are definitely a big step up in terms of grip and noise reduction as compared to the OEM set. Braking distance has come down noticeably and it was fun chucking the car around in the few curves between Palakkad and Trichur. Mileage seems to have dropped a bit though. I've always read about how X tyre was better than Y in terms of ABC parameters but for the first time I have actually experienced it .

The thing is though, the wobbling has reduced but is still present. Earlier it used to come in around 80 and the steering wheel used to judder at 100 and at speeds higher than that it used to judder much more to the extent that I would back off to a slower speed. At that point in time I put it down to the old tyres. Yesterday while driving back to Cochin I found it now judders between 90 and 110 and beyond that the steering wheel transmits minor vibes but I can feel these minor vibes through the seats as well. Its not unpleasant but it is noticeable. I'll be taking it to my mechanic tomorrow to see if he can check the suspension and identify if there is some other cause other than the tyres.

On sunday I had planned to check if the high speed issue was eliminated but the smaller sized spare wheel (stock ones were 165s) meant I didn't want to take a risk of going out on a long drive without a usable spare. The only potential source I can think of is that one of the alloys had a higher weight added (100 gms IIRC) which the technician said was due to a minor and barely noticeable bend but the fact that it was placed at the back would mean that it would not cause any issues.

Guys, any suggestions on what to look for to eliminate this problem? Will be cross posting in the Punto thread for any thoughts from fellow owners.

Its 100% the wheel which has had 100 grams. U can remove the rim from the stepney and fix the new tyre on it and then rebalance it. Surprised, the mechanic just added 100 grams weight and put the tyre in the front too.

Check out the weights in the other rims too and post the weights.

[500ContyCruiser]

After discussion with Nikhil, upgraded my car tyres to MRF ZLO 195/60R15.

Old tyres had done 48,000 kms. I still see some threads left.

Nikhil had already informed about my visit to his store and everything was already set for me! As soon as I reached there, is boys started working on my car. Within an hour I was all set. Big THANKS to Nikhil and his team

Unfortunately, I could not even test the new tyres and the vehicle was towed to Skoda service center because of gear box issue. This is not because of tyre upgrade!

Old tyres:




New tyres:






Road Force:


All set for fixing:


Done!


I could not take full car photos outside of Madhus. Will post once I get back my car after repair.

Suggestion: Would be good if Madhus had an option of washing the Alloys / Rims. As this is one of the times where the tyres will be removed and can be cleaned completely (in and out).

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by 500ContyCruiser

Suggestion: Would be good if Madhus had an option of washing the Alloys / Rims. As this is one of the times where the tyres will be removed and can be cleaned completely (in and out).

+101 every time i do wheel rotation, i have the very same thought. A pressure washer and some stuff to kick the grime out of the alloy would be soooo good

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

+101 every time i do wheel rotation, i have the very same thought. A pressure washer and some stuff to kick the grime out of the alloy would be soooo good

I wash my spare alloy after every alignment /balancing activity . And from my observation, just blasting with water does not do any good since the dirt and brake dust would have baked properly. So you need a brush and a wheel cleaner to remove the grime . So it would not be feasible to do the washing of the alloys .It takes some 5 mins for me to get the alloy in a clean condition

[condor]

Yet another satisfied customer at Madhu's:

I had referred a friend to Madhu's for alloys + tyres for his Punto. Though Nikhil was away from BLR, the team there took care of my friend's requirements. My friend is very happy with the way the whole work was done. He got a set of HRS and Yoko A-drives.

Thanks to every one there !

[TheTeacher]

Kudos to Nikhil and Madus - I am another very satisfied customer!

To begin, though, apologies - my first (and only so far) interaction with Madhu's & Nikhil was on April 19. I have traveled a lot since then and couldn't find time to do a detailed write up. So here goes. Another apology for a long post.

I bought my Linea TJet at the end of July 2013. It was my intention to drive straight to a tyre shop after getting delivery of the car, and to change the stock Goodyear NCT5 tyres to something better. I had shortlisted Continental Premium Contact 2 and Pirelli P7.

Nikhil was out of town, and I couldn't connect properly with his staff, so I got Pirelli P7s at another place. Even the spare was changed to Pirelli since I wanted all 5 to be the same.

Three months later, I hit a concrete slab that was at an elevated level compared to the tarmac. It was night time, there was grass growing in the gap between the slab and the tarmac, making it look like a smooth ramp, and I didn't have much choice with an auto swerving in front of me. The next morning, the tyre had a nice bulge. I swapped it with the spare.

Some time later, I noticed a cut in the sidewall of the front left tyre. This was bad! Was my decision to swap the OEM tyres bad? Was my choice of the new tyres bad - were the Pirellis too soft for Indian roads?

Soon my right rear tyre started losing air. I went to the place I got the tyres and had them look at all the three tyres. They said I could keep the tyre with the bulge as the spare; the front left tyre wasn't leaking air at the sidewall cut (they poured some water on the cut), so it was declared good; and the right rear had a nail in it at the very edge of the tread, quite close to where it transitions into the sidewall. A standard puncture repair was performed, and all was declared well.

I was still worried, though. Since a highway trip was coming up, I decided to seek Nikhil's help. He was driving back to Bangalore when I called him, but was gracious enough to talk with me and give me an appointment. I was Madhu's at 9:15 am Saturday, April 19.

All 5 wheels were taken off the car, and the 3 suspect tyres were taken off the wheels for thorough inspection.

The tyre with the bulge was inspected from inside, and Nikhil made me feel how soft the sidewall at that place was. In the undamaged areas, the inside of the sidewall was very hard and couldn't be pushed with one's finger. He declared that tyre unsafe; it could burst at any time without warning. I agreed immediately with him that we should replace it. Nikhil was impressed that the Pirelli had not failed on impact with the concrete slab, and stated that any other brand would have failed on the spot. This reassured me that my choice of the Pirellis was not bad.

The tyre with the sidewall cut was also inspected from inside. There was no damage at all, and after close scrutiny Nikhil declared it to be safe since the "cut" was like a skin wound, very superficial. We decided to make this the spare.

Nikhil was not very happy with the standard puncture repair on the third tyre. His recommendation for a puncture this close to the sidewall would have been to use the mushroom patch. As of now the tyre is running fine, but I will go to Nikhil for even a puncture in the future.

The new tyre (that replaced the one with the bulge) was mounted and balanced, then re-oriented on the wheel to place the heaviest parts of the tyre and wheel on opposite sides to minimize the amount of balancing weights used. This takes time and patience to do, and I have not known any other tyre place to be so meticulous. All wheels were balanced and Road Force matched. Nikhil explained the concept in detail.

A couple of hours later I was on my way. Nikhil spent the entire time with me, explaining what was being done, discussing tyres, etc. I was almost embarrassed, seeing how much of his time I was taking up.

This was a 10/10 experience for me, my concerns addressed, my needs more than met, and most important, complete peace of mind.

As the mods always say, this small contact patch is the only thing keeping us on the road at speed, and you don't want any compromises on tyre safety.

I am grateful to Nikhil for the time and personal attention he gave me. I am now a committed customer of Nikhil's.

I got back yesterday after driving to Mangalore and the Pirelli's performed wonderfully. Sticky as heck, full control even with throwing the TJet around in Shiradi Ghat.

Thanks Nikhil!

[pahwa]

At Madhus Langford road as I write this. Must say that these are by far the most professional tyre guys in the town. Well organized, planned and well resourced.

Will post my detailed report of the work done later.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by pahwa

Must say that these are by far the most professional tyre guys in the town. Well organized, planned and well resourced.

Couldn't agree more, I was there this morning for a 5K KM alignment & balancing routine.
Also met Nikhil and another TBHPian there.

[itwasntme]

Excellent experience again at Madhus. In at 0915 and out at 1020 with 4W balancing and alignment plus invaluable tips from Nikhil and his professional staff :-)

[neel911]

I had got puncture in one of the tyres. In spite of staying almost 6 km away from Madhus, I always make it a point to go there for all tyre related work. My portable inflator helped me pump enough air on the tubeless tyre to run the distance to reach to Madhus.

To my surprise, Nikhil just came in when I was there and as usual got a series of very useful advices including tyre pressure to maintain for more comfortable ride. He was on the floor the entire time, talking to customers, understanding the issues and giving them genuine advice.

Superb experience as always

[paragsachania]

I pass by Madhus every day on my way to work and on Tuesday I just dropped by to get the alignment done for my Ertiga.

There was a slight pull towards the left and the steering was not in center position while the vehicle moved in straight direction.

The alignment bay was empty and the car was parked there, technician spent less than 12 minutes and did the alignment.

While he was working on it, I didn't want to specifically point about the steering centering and let him work as I knew if there was something wrong the Machine would point.

After the job was done, I asked him if steering was fine and he did mention me that it was tilted one notch towards left and he has corrected that by alignment itself (Not removing the steering).

Paid my bill and started towards EC and I could notice the difference almost instantly and what better than the BETL where I could test it for 9 kms. The alignment was done perfectly as I did sense that there was no unusual drag on flat surface.

I did look for Nikhil but realized he wasn't there. He wasn't there last time when I got my wheels Balanced for the WagonR as well. Look forward to meet you some time.

Keep up the great work Team Madhus!!

[PearlJam]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

I got the axle changed today morning and they have asked to monitor this issue for the next few days

Hi @arun_josie, after you changed the axle, did you get perfect alignment readings/report? Did you face any problems after that? Is this a major job, or was it done quickly? Thanks in advance!

[nkrishnap]

My Linea after being abused on bad roads was pulling to the left and also the steering was off centre by quite a margin. Called Nikhil and check if I could drop on Saturday afternoon. After an yes, headed to Madhus to get it fixed.

I was in and out in 15 mins with the alignment and the steering correctly aligned to the center. The car felts so much better to drive.

Thanks Nikhil. Your team is doing fantastic job. Keep it up.

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by PearlJam

Hi @arun_josie, after you changed the axle, did you get perfect alignment readings/report? Did you face any problems after that? Is this a major job, or was it done quickly? Thanks in advance!

Hi PearlJam, changing the axle took around 2-3 hours. Even after the change, the marks on the edges still occurred. But after around 27K on the new tire set, there was no wear and tear seen. And then I met with an accident,

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...d-my-life.html

Now I have moved to Fiat Linea,

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...linea-mjd.html

You can try changing axle along with the bearings(its the complete set), this might help if its really an axle issue. You can talk to Bimal Bannerghatta Road and refer my issue.