[aneeshanand]

@predator - nice to read a detailed ownership report from you.
also the tips helped me a lot, to overcome my only bad feelings with the car - the rattles.
@pras - count in me too, with my Verna @ 16.3k now, to the team Happy to be with some experts.

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Updates planned for the 3rd year

1. Upgrade to 195/60 R14 tyres. The B250s are holding on gamely, but I can sense they're nearing the end of their working lives. Will replace them with something sporty, like Yoko ES100s or Advans.

Yesterday I gifted Predator new tyres for Christmas. As said, the B250s were nearing the end of their working lives. I'm a bit paranoid about tyres. I Check pressure 1-2 times a week, religiously rotate them every 5K kms, align and balance at regular intervals, and generally fill 2psi above normal. All this had ensured the B250s still had decent tread, and whatever wear had happened was uniform across the 5 tyres. Here's a pic of what they were looking like at the end of 33K kms:







That said, one of the tyres had been ripped by a stone during my Puri drive last year, and was being used with a tube. One tyre had seen a bad puncture across the tread, and the puncturewallah had done a hash job on the repair (chemical not cut off properly, hardened and made the tread irregular). 2 more tyres had seen 3 punctures each. I had only one good tyre with no punctures in its entire working life.

With a long drive looming in end-December, it was the clear the B250s needed to go.

Choice of Tyre - Part 1 (Performance tyres)

Ever since reading Nikhil's thread on Yokohama AD07's, I'd planned to get them for Predator. Unfortunately they've been discontinued now, and no one knows when AD08s will come in.

Other performance tyres I considered were Bridgestone Potenzas, Goodyear GSD3s, Yokohama ES100s and Hankook RS2s.

Potenzas are reportedly too noisy, and the Kolkata dealer quoted 5K per tyre which I found not worth for a 2 generation old tyre.

Goodyear I don't personally trust as a brand (very bad experiences with 2 sets across 2 different cars)

ES100s are used by NOS Power (Joseph) and SGChaudhuri (Souvik), 2 Kolkata bhpians and my good friends. Minku of Indo Radial Club also recommends them. I drove Joseph's car a bit to check them out. While grip was good, the tyres were too noisy. And the closed tread was a stone magnet! My car does about double kms per month compared to his, and I wasn't sure how comfy I'd be with these problems.

The Hankook RS2s were a last minute choice. A clone of the AD07s for half the price, and decent reviews. Got people in Delhi and Kolkata to look for them. All searches proved negative.

That was the end of my quest for performance tyres.

Choice of Tyre - Part 2 (Comfort tyres)

Next up, Comfort Tyres. I'm a bit of a Yoko fan, so first choice was to look for Yokohama C-Drives. Premium comfort tyres with slightly sporty streak. A search with both Delhi and Kolkata dealers confirmed that they were only available in 185/65 R14 (my existing size) and not 195/60 R14.

Bridgestone Turanzas were my next choice. The local Bridgestone Wholesaler (Eastern Tyre House) asked for 4750 a tyre, a bit too expensive. Better and newer tech 14" tyres are available for cheaper.

Last consideration was the Pirelli P6, something Minku showed and recommended. I even put up a thread asking for opinions, no one replied!

So what did I go for?

So in the end, I stuck to the brand I've known and loved for 2 years in my Indica - The Yokohama A-Drives. They've already proved how comfortable, silent and durable they are. In the Verna their grip will be tested (compared to the naturally aspirated Indica!) but I'm sure they'll cope well.

Yesterday had the chance to drive around about 70kms after fitting the tyres. No remarkable change in handling. Ride feels a bit more comfortable. The noticeable change is in the absence of road noise! I had no idea my old tyres used to make a hum at high speeds (always dismissed it thinking it was engine noise) before I realized its absence yesterday!

The true test of the A-Drives will come in the (above 2000 kms) long drive that I'm planning in next week of December. Stay tuned.

Here are some pics:











Edit - Forgot to add. I got these tyres for 3750 each, plus Rs 600 cash back for my 4 old tyres.

[cityvic]

Hahahaha,congrats on your upgrade Aniket da.That makes it 3 A drives in the kol gang.


So was it minku or lambas?

[shuvc]

Very good. You'll surely feel more confident through your holiday drive.

Did any of the tyre shops suggest the Yoko AVS DBV550? Asking since I was told it's available in the 195/60/14 size, when I bought my set.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Rs 600 cash back for my 4 old tyres.

Happens only in Calcutta! Someone pays you 20% of the price of a new tyre for used, damaged and discarded 33k km-old tyres!

[kpzen]

Congrats PW,
A drives can take a lot of torture. I have been torturing them for almost 70k kms now.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Did any of the tyre shops suggest the Yoko AVS DBV550? Asking since I was told it's available in the 195/60/14 size, when I bought my set.

Its available in 195/60-15
in 14" only AD07, ES100 & A drive is available.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Happens only in Calcutta! Someone pays you 20% of the price of a new tyre for used, damaged and discarded 33k km-old tyres!

How did you calculate that ?
I think he got 600 for 4 tires.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by kpzen

How did you calculate that ?
I think he got 600 for 4 tires.

600 each or for all 4?

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by cityvic

Hahahaha,congrats on your upgrade Aniket da.That makes it 3 A drives in the kol gang.

Thank you. 3 A-drives bole to? 2 sets in my cars and one in your Getz?

Originally Posted by cityvic

So was it minku or lambas?

Minku.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Very good. You'll surely feel more confident through your holiday drive.

Did any of the tyre shops suggest the Yoko AVS DBV550? Asking since I was told it's available in the 195/60/14 size, when I bought my set.

DBs are not available in 14" size. Only 15" and upwards. In fact, I'd have loved DBs considering the silence and comfort they provide!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Happens only in Calcutta! Someone pays you 20% of the price of a new tyre for used, damaged and discarded 33k km-old tyres!

How did you calculate this dada? He paid me Rs 600 for 4 tyres, against the 15K that I paid for them? Works out to only 4%

Originally Posted by kpzen

Congrats PW,
A drives can take a lot of torture. I have been torturing them for almost 70k kms now.

Thanks buddy. I'm already aware of the longevity, comfort and silence that these tyres provide. My only concern is whether they'll be able to take the punishment I dish out to the Verna on a daily basis.

But if B250s could have, why not A-Drives?

[architect]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Thanks buddy. I'm already aware of the longevity, comfort and silence that these tyres provide. My only concern is whether they'll be able to take the punishment I dish out to the Verna on a daily basis.

But if B250s could have, why not A-Drives?

The A-drives are excellent for comfort and performance at that price point. Mine had a lot of life even after 30,000 km. Sadly, multiple punctures (due to wide centre grooves where all the heads of the nails would gladly fit in) and sidewall failures on two of them, forced me to move to Michelin XM1+. I still miss the ride comfort of the A-drives.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

How did you calculate this dada? He paid me Rs 600 for 4 tyres, against the 15K that I paid for them? Works out to only 4%

Oops... my bad. Read it as Rs.600 per tyre. I thought you'd found someone who fell in love with your used tyres!

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

My only concern is whether they'll be able to take the punishment I dish out to the Verna on a daily basis.

I've been unleashing 130bhp & 270 Nm torque of torture on them.

[cityvic]

Nope.

2 sets in your cars

1 in our NHC.

[AutoIndian]

Very good write-up PW, went through each & every post. However there has been no update on this thread for more than 4 months now, is your Predator not letting you off the wheelz? How many miles have your Predator crunched by now? Also please share the service details if any that you might have done in the meanwhile.

[AltoHoncho]

Dada, congrats on the new shoes and nice mid-life b'day for the machine, now is the start of the real problem, both you and the machine are into the famed mid-life crisis , i'll keep subscribed to see how both of you hold up.

also, any more updates on the planned ICE?

[predatorwheelz]

Today my car crossed 40,000 kms! 2 years 7 months of sheer driving pleasure.



First and foremost, I keep getting surprised at how trouble-free the ownership experience has been. Yes, I do take good care of the engine, religiously fill MDMX, take care of the bodywork, get the interiors professionally cleaned every 3 months - blah blah blah. But that doesn't explain why there is so little interior noise, why there are no niggling problems (except the ORVM screws which get loose from time to time), and why any amount of abuse I throw at it doesn't unfaze the car. The clutch feels easy as new, the gears shift well, the power windows don't creak when they go up (cue - any 3 year/40K old Tata car with power windows), the switches/wipers/door locks function normally and don't feel like they'll fall off (cue - the same example again). I guess modern Hyundais really have evolved into a different, Jap-car like league of build quality.

Any changes due? Yes, just 2.

1. The rear brake pads are on their last leg and will need change at the immediate next service.
   
2. The rear tends to act funny when the car is fully loaded (4 big size adults in the car). It gets a little hesitant when cornering at high speeds. Also, there's an unusual bobbing when I take the car over successive bumps. I'm guessing it is either the rear suspension bushes or the rear dampers which are losing it. Gotta check out at the next service.

The new Yokohama A-drives are a perfect compliment to the car. In my "Great East Coast Drive" they performed silently, as they do in my city commute. The wobble at 140K+ speeds (which I experienced with the earlier B250s) was gone. Best of all, even after 650 kms of hard driving (Chandipur to Vizag) the tyres didn't heat up much.

Overall I'm extremely happy with the car, and can't wait to get another 40K kms under the belt.

@Nikku - The ICE project is well on cue sir, although unexpected delays are pegging it back somewhat. Give me another 3 months max

@AutoIndian - Only one service (36K) since the last update at 29.5K kms. Give me a few weeks till I take it for the next service, and then I'll upload both service bills together.