[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by NPV

Yes, I had the same suspicion so asked you to check. Can you post a close up picture of one of the current Bridgestone tyres so that we can see what size it is ?

Car is not with me till evening! Else I'd have checked the size myself!

[NPV]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Car is not with me till evening! Else I'd have checked the size myself!

It is most likely 145/70 R13 and the Tyre search/selector on Michelin site also comes up with this size (I used Wagon R LXI 2002 model for the search).

https://www.michelin.in/IN/en/tyres/.../2002/LXI.html

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by NPV

It is most likely 145/70 R13 and the Tyre search/selector on Michelin site also comes up with this size (I used Wagon R LXI 2002 model for the search).

https://www.michelin.in/IN/en/tyres/.../2002/LXI.html

For Type I and II :

Lxi : 145/70/13
Vxi: 155/65/13

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Guys, need to change Ol' Faithful's tyres urgently. I realised that the current set are a decade old, and have clicked 43500 Kms approximately.

Need to know the correct aspect ratio. The current set as well as the original set were Bridgestones, but I might go for cheaper options this time. Suggestions are invited.

Thanks.

As suggested by NPV, XM2s are good bet and so are Yoko Earth 1 Series.

I had used the following set from the day I purchased the WagonR in 2006:

Stock - JKs - 145/70/13
Set 2 : Bridgestone 155/65/13
Set 3 : Michelin XM2 155/65/13
Set 4 : Yoko Earth 1 155/65/13

As you can see, I was on 145/70 only with the stock tires and then settled with 155/65 there after till now.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

For Type I and II :

Lxi : 145/70/13
Vxi: 155/65/13

As suggested by NPV, XM2s are good bet and so are Yoko Earth 1 Series.

I had used the following set from the day I purchased the WagonR in 2006:

Stock - JKs - 145/70/13
Set 2 : Bridgestone 155/65/13
Set 3 : Michelin XM2 155/65/13
Set 4 : Yoko Earth 1 155/65/13

As you can see, I was on 145/70 only with the stock tires and then settled with 155/65 there after till now.

Thanks, that sums it all.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by NPV

I think the Michelin Energy XM2 will also be a good bet..

Originally Posted by paragsachania

As suggested by NPV, XM2s are good bet...

Would beg to differ here. Michelin Energy XM2s are wonderful tyres; their ride quality, grip and silent operation completely justifying the premium charged. However, they might not be best for vnabhi given his low running and long hiatus between replacements as evident in his post quoted below.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I realised that the current set are a decade old, and have clicked 43500 Kms approximately.

I would, despite the flak they face, prefer MRFs either in their ZVTS , ZVTV or ZLX guises.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Would beg to differ here.

Never mind. I didn't realise the low running part there .

One reason I settled for Yokos this time for my WagonR is due to the same reason - VFM and good choice for the typically low daily run (18 Kms a day).

MRF's - Never tried that and hence didn't even suggest as I have no experience with them and nor would I prefer checking google and advise about them (see that often in ICE thread these days).

[dailydriver]

@vnabhi, sorry for taking up this thread to discuss tyres in general.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

MRF's - Never tried that and hence didn't even suggest as I have no experience with them...

On the other hand, I have dealt with MRFs in my own as well as in friends' and colleagues' cars and have had very less reasons to complain. Mine were good for at least a couple of thousand kilometres more when I replaced them after eight years with 50K on the odo. From 2010-2018, I had only one puncture! This, despite driving on all sorts of nonsensical roads, no roads and through the craters of my little town, specially after every monsoon.

Of the five MRF ZVTS 145/70 R13s that came with the car, three are still being used as spares in two Wagon Rs and one Estilo. No deformation, deterioration or disintegration of rubber even after being parked in the open from 2015 onwards.

The drawback is that they are comparatively hard compound tyres and hence offer lesser wet grip as they wear and also are a bit noisy.

A colleague has them in his Ford Fiesta and he too feels them adequate except in cases of hard cornering where they tend to lose traction if not handled carefully.

Another colleague has replaced his Wagon R's Apollos with MRF ZV2Ks and is happy with them. It is true that many people do not believe MRF tyres are good and are vehement in opposing them. But I feel that based on what we need from our tyres, they are as good as any.

In fact, I have gone back to MRF and purchased four ZLX tyres. Except for their greediness in picking up tiny stones and storing them in their groves, I find them to be noway inferior to far more costlier and supposedly superior tyres.

As for the XM2s, there is no argument against choosing them if the annual running is in the range of 12-15k and the next replacement is anticipated to be within 4-5 years (3-4 is ideal though). Otherwise, i.e, if the car is more stationary than mobile, it isn't a wise choice.

[vnabhi]

Thanks guys. As i don't plan to hold on to the car for more than a couple of years, i met with my trusted tyre shop, WheelOCity, and sought his advice. He suggested i go in for Nexen tyres, which cost Rs 2300 a piece, as against Rs 2900 a tyre for Bridgestones. He also said it comes with a 1 year unconditional warranty, apart from a standard 3 year warranty.

So I took the plunge yesterday. Paid Rs 9500 for a set of 4 Nexens 145/70/13 of March 2018 manufacturing date, including WA and WB. The car rides softer now. The odo reading was 89861 at the time of change yesterday.

Ol' Faithful is 17 years old today, and the odo stands at 89900. Good going so far. When the car is free, I will need to get the AC checked. The cooling has dropped this month, and the AC belt still makes a squeaking sound when switched on, despite changing it a month ago. The AC technician in Saboo Motors feels the Evaporator coil could be jammed with dust, and needed a full day to inspect it, after removing the dashboard.

The Skoda horn i had installed 5 years ago is also squeaking, and needs a change. Will try to get both attended to this weekend, as the car is being used daily by D.I.L. for 42 kms daily from this month.

Below are a few pictures of the new tyres:

Originally Posted by dailydriver

A colleague has them in his Ford Fiesta and he too feels them adequate except in cases of hard cornering where they tend to lose traction if not handled carefully.

.

Agree with you. My Fiesta came shod with MRFs that I used for 40000 kms. But they used to skid during hard cornering. I replaced them with Michelin XM2s, and have driven around 30000 kms on them. Very pleased with them over the past 5 years

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

T

When the car is free, I will need to get the AC checked. The cooling has dropped this month, and the AC belt still makes a squeaking sound when switched on, despite changing it a month ago. The AC technician in Saboo Motors feels the Evaporator coil could be jammed with dust, and needed a full day to inspect it, after removing the dashboard.

The Skoda horn i had installed 5 years ago is also squeaking, and needs a change. Will try to get both attended to this weekend, as the car is being used daily by D.I.L. for 42 kms daily from this month.

I got the horn changed for Rs 750 at the same local shop where I'd paid around Rs 700 around 5 years ago.

For the AC, I left it with RK Saboo Motors (MASS) last week. They estimated Rs 7000 for AC overhaul, including dashboard removal and fixing charges, and around 3 K more if the evaporator coil had to be replaced.

They returned the car late evening. The discounted bill was around Rs 5712. They did not have to change the coil, but had to refill some gas (Rs 542), compressor oil (Rs 350), leakage test (Rs 850), compressor repair (Rs 850), dashboard charges (Rs 1450), coil check (Rs 550), belt (Rs 220), front bumper fixing (Rs 75) and GST of around Rs 900.

I asked them why they had to change the belt, as they had changed it only 3 months ago. But as they showed the overall discount was many times more than that, I did not argue further.

The AC works like new now, and my son and daughter-in-law say that even the pickup has improved. So overall a good job done. What impressed me is that the stock AC lasted 17 years without any attention at all!

The only gripe was that they tried to hard sell injector cleaning for Rs 1400, which i flatly refused. They also said wheel alignment was off, but I strongly refused, as I knew that both WA and WB were done a couple of weeks ago with the new Nexen tyres.

Long story short, Maruti's are easy on the pocket as long as you know when to put your foot down to avoid unnecessary expenses.

[vnabhi]

Ol' Faithful got a highway drive of 590 kms to Laknavaram Resort over the weekend. My son was gong there for a team outing, and they had 2 other WagonRs on the trip, but those were the new-gen models. He was initially thinking that the 17-year old may not even make a 34-km trip to the airport, and wanted to take the Fiesta. But as the brake pads on the Fiesta were due for a change, I prevailed upon him to take the Waggie. I also assured him that the tyres were new, so he need not have any apprehensions.

He came back very happy with it. He got an overall FE of 15 kmpl, which is decent when compared to the speeds he was driving it. His only gripe was rattles and lack of dynamics at triple digit speeds, though they rarely got a chance to attain those speeds. Even the other WagonR users were astonished that such an old car could keep pace with them.

If my memory is correct, this was the first highway trip after May 2003 when I had driven to Vizag from Hyderabad and back. Glad to know that things are still working fine. The only minor issue we are facing is the squeaky sound when the AC is first switched on. Though the belt was changed and the AC was overhauled, it has come back. Need to get it fixed. Sheer laziness has prevented me from driving one km to Saboo Motors.

[am1m]

So cool to hear this! In this day and age of changing cars every three or five years, so nice to hear about a 17-year old gaadi doing good. Kudos to you!

My wife's Alto was doing great at 12 when we sold it this year. Was in great shape for both city and highway drives. The people who bought it are very happy with it and keep saying how lucky they were to get it. We didn't really want it to go, but it was high time my wife got a more comfy city ride and we have just one car parking space at home (didn't want to park one car on the road and cause hassles for other people).

[vnabhi]

For the first time in 17.5 years, Ol' Faithful let us down. My daughter-in-law complained that she's not able to slot it into gear from neutral yesterday morning. The car was idle from Friday, and everything was hunky dory till then.

I went down and found that with the engine on, the gear would not shift from neutral to any other gear. When more pressure was applied, it started resisting with a 'grr' sound.

So I switched off and tried again. All gears were slotting fine with the engine off. I tried again with the engine on, and had the same issue again. So I switched off, slotted in first gear, and started the car with the clutch pressed. To my horror, the car bolted forward, disregarding the pressed clutch!

So I switched off and tried the same trick with the gear in reverse slot. It darted backwards! So I knew the clutch was the culprit. And I was disappointed that the odo was around 95000, and the entire clutch assembly was changed at 77000 kms in February, 2016! I just could not believe that the clutch got fried in 18000 kms, when the original lasted 77000 kms!

I called Saboo Motors which was a km away. I was also wondering if they would need to tow the car. Towing it to reverse from the parking slot, and then forwards up the steep ramp from cellar parking would pose some issues.Even the mechanic that came in the afternoon had the same apprehension. But after a couple of trials, everything seemed normal! The gears were slotting fine with the engine on!

My son accompanied him to the workshop, where they concluded that the clutch would need to be examined fully and parts replaced. They gave an estimate of maximum 7 k if all components were to be replaced, but could be lower too.

But for the present, they said the car could be used for a few more weeks without the repair. They oiled some components and also went on a 10 km drive.

Overall, I am disappointed with the reliability of the replaced clutch. Did not expect this from Maruti. I'll keep this thread updated over the coming days.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

So I took the plunge yesterday. Paid Rs 9500 for a set of 4 Nexens 145/70/13 of March 2018 manufacturing date, including WA and WB. The car rides softer now. The odo reading was 89861 at the time of change yesterday.


Below are a few pictures of the new tyres:

Attachment 1785428

Attachment 1785429

Here's an update. I drove Ol' Faithful for around 25 kms today around 8 am for a railway station errand. I was surprised to get a humming sound above 45 kmph on 4th and 5th gears.

I thought the clutch or the starter motor were the culprits, but that was not so. When I increased the speed, put the gear in neutral and rolled on, the noise was still there. So I homed in on the Nexon tyres that have done 5000 kms so far.

They are darn noisy nowadays. Reminds me of my Goodyear GPS tyres on my M800 way back in 1992. So despite the fantastic warranty Nexon offers, this is a negative for those who value silence.

Apart from the above, the clutch is surprisingly fine now, despite the recent drama. Hope it continues that way. Fingers crossed!

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

with the engine on, the gear would not shift from neutral to any other gear.

switched off and tried again. All gears were slotting fine with the engine off.

started the car with the clutch pressed. the car bolted forward, disregarding the pressed clutch!

But after a couple of trials, everything seemed normal! The gears were slotting fine with the engine on!

This is a clear indication that the clutch was stuck with the flywheel - most likely due to driving through, say 1 foot water and leaving the car overnight OR leaving the car idle for many days in severely wet weather.

Your shock treatment of starting the car and moving forward/backward and braking, freed the clucth.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

humming sound above 45 kmph on 4th and 5th gears.

Apart from the above, the clutch is surprisingly fine now, despite the recent drama.

I don't suspect the noise to be due to tyres; it could be one or more wheel bearings that have reached end of life.

At least 5000km is too early for tyre noise to creep in unless the wheel alignment is way off and that had caused tyres to wear unevenly.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

When I increased the speed, put the gear in neutral and rolled on, the noise was still there.

Try to change the direction of your car's motion while in neutral by twisting the steering wheel left to right to left few times (like the warm-up lap in F1) and see if this changes the noise intensity. Needless to say, you do this under safe conditions.

As vigsom says, it is most likely one of the wheel bearings at work causing this humming noise. I have till now replaced just one wheel bearing (LHS front) in my WagonR when a humming noise developed around 220,000 Km.

If it is the tire noise, visit an ASC and swap the wheel of another WagonR and check if issue persists but for sure tires of that age shouldn't develop such noise this soon although here is an instance of humming noise originated from a new set of wheels and how replacing them resolved the issue. But to be able to pin-point on the tires, you will first have to do the swap test followed by the efforts required like this case below in dealing with the representatives.

Originally Posted by a4anurag

HUMMING NOISE UPDATE:

For now, get the bearings checked.