[Xehaust]

I know that its best to have the same type of tyres on the same axle,
so my question was that whether i should buy one dunlop or two michelins

Anyways, ive decided to buy one Dunlop going by everyone's feedback and after doing a little bit of thinking.

Here is a picture of the front right tread. (p.s. - The front left was damaged)

[Xehaust]

Decided to go for replacing that 1 Dunlop tyre only. Just spoke to the dealer, he has quoted Rs. 5,700 /- on the phone.

Tyre - Dunlop Sport 9000 (Same as the others on the car)
Size - 205/55 R16

Is the price fine?
How much should i be paying to buy only 1 tyre of the above mentioned 16" size?

P.S. - Will be replacing the tyre tomorrow itself, so quick replies would really help. Thank you in advance.

[sonic]

Hi Guys,

I'm getting my Swift Vxi next week and I've decided to go for 185/65 R15 upgrade from the Zxi. I wanted to know if the ride quality will deteriorate to a noticable extent and if the suspension will get affected.

Also, can someone tell me the wheel offset for the Swift?

I know the pcd is 100, but dunno the offset. BTW, I've decided to go for League alloys with Michelin/ Yokos, since I've been running a set of leagues with Michelin Pilot Precedas on my Baleno from the past three years with absolutely no issues.

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by iraghava

Attached is a guide of the correct upsizes for cars sold in our market compiled by KPZen and me.

Disclaimer: Not all sizes mentioned in this guide might be readily available in India.

Ishan and Prajesh - great job at the excel file! However, I have one small doubt in using it.

e.g. the stock size mentioned for Getz is 155/80-13, and against that, you have recommended three possible options in 13 inch i.e. 165/75-13, 175/70-13 and 185/65-13.

Why so? And also, which one of these three is the best replacement?

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

e.g. the stock size mentioned for Getz is 155/80-13, and against that, you have recommended three possible options in 13 inch i.e. 165/75-13, 175/70-13 and 185/65-13.

Why so? And also, which one of these three is the best replacement?

Because different people have different requirements & we wanted to make the guide as detailed as possible. And all are within upsizing tolerance limits of +2 to -3% so you can't go wrong with any of them. Best amongst them would mean nit picking as the differnces would be around .5-1% at the most!

[revvedup]

I have some nagging questions about tyres in my mind. You see actually when I went out to buy a set of four tyres for my carb Zen I was given a choice between Apollo Acceleres(sic) and Michelin XM1s (Energy is not available in 13 inches) since in the tyre size I wanted the only other choices were MRF ZSLK ( new MRF tyre@2300 a piece ), JK crap, Bridgestone S322s and Goodyear GPS 2 which were all rejected since grip along without any significant drop in performance was the top priority.

I had my mind set on the Michelins but then the store owner showed me that the Apollo had softer sidewalls(when defalted) than the Michelin's and that the tyre is a result of Michelin-Apollo partnership. I was not too concerned about the latter. What intrigued me was soft sidewall=>soft compound=>more grip=>better cornering or was it because asymmetric tyres use different compounds on the inside and outside ?

And moreover I had also heard that XM1s are comfort-oriented tyres rather than outright grip-oriented tyres( not only heard but this is also mentioned on the Michelin website).

So I made a few calls to the forum's resident tyre dealer but he was unrecahable and then to Praneet who advised me to stick to my gut and go for Michelins. Moreover my mind also said that softer sidewall=>more flex=>poor handling, especially for 70 profile tyres and I finally went for four Michelin XM1's 155/70/ R 13 tyres ( 65 profile was not available) @ 2250 per tyre.

1. Now the question was my choice of tyres right or wrong and which of my thoughts processes were right if at all ?

2. Moreover these tyres have been put on stock steel 4J *13 rims of my Zen which are fine according to the Michelin website but according to tyre bible they are a strict no -no. Should I upgarde to 4.5 J rims of the Esteem ?

3. Also I have read on several other sites that tyres have a protective coating ( the one which makes them shiny) applied on them that reduces grip about the first 500 KMS and hence one should avoid agresive cornering during this run-in period of sorts. Is this true ?

[bottle]

Since you have already purchased your tyres I doubt that you would change them any time soon right ? Dont bother second guessing at this point and enjoy your new tyres. XM1's are not outright performance tyres but the grip levels are pretty good. I know since I have the same on my Palio. Your reasoning about the softer sidewalls flexing is right too though I doubt it will make much difference on regular roads.

Regarding the rims if the michelin website says its ok , i guess its fine since they should know their tyres best. Anyways hold on for one of the experts to get back on that.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by revvedup

...
...

I had my mind set on the Michelins but then the store owner showed me that the Apollo had softer sidewalls(when defalted) than the Michelin's and that the tyre is a result of Michelin-Apollo partnership. I was not too concerned about the latter. What intrigued me was soft sidewall=>soft compound=>more grip=>better cornering or was it because asymmetric tyres use different compounds on the inside and outside ?

A few years back i was told to avoid apollo at all costs - by a person in the tyre business whos opinion i would definitely value. I dont know how much that has changed with this partnership though.

IMO a softer sidewall has less to do with rubber quality and more to do with tyre construction and design.
Thinking that a softer sidewall = softer rubber = better cornering is wrong.
What i would see as being true is softer sidewall = better ride comfort (bump absorbtion) since its equivalent to having a "softer suspension".

Asymmetric tyres sometimes use different compounds, but i would assume that is mostly on the thread and dont think that would extend to the sidewalls (otherwise 1 sidewall would be made of a different rubber/durometer than the sidewall on the other side of the tyre)

Originally Posted by revvedup

And moreover I had also heard that XM1s are comfort-oriented tyres rather than outright grip-oriented tyres( not only heard but this is also mentioned on the Michelin website).

Yes, they are in the "comfort" range. However, an entry level rolls royce is still more luxurious than a top-end <insert an appropriate manufacturers name here>, if you know what i mean.

Originally Posted by revvedup

1. Now the question was my choice of tyres right or wrong and which of my thoughts processes were right if at all ?

2. Moreover these tyres have been put on stock steel 4J *13 rims of my Zen which are fine according to the Michelin website but according to tyre bible they are a strict no -no. Should I upgarde to 4.5 J rims of the Esteem ?

3. Also I have read on several other sites that tyres have a protective coating ( the one which makes them shiny) applied on them that reduces grip about the first 500 KMS and hence one should avoid agresive cornering during this run-in period of sorts. Is this true ?

1. Personally, i think you cant go wrong with the michelins. The only thing i dont like about the michelins i have used in the past is the lack of audible feedback when you are on the extreme edge of breaking traction - along with a very sudden (and quiet) loss of traction that can catch you offguard.

2. The tyre brochure says 4s are ok? If so, i wouldnt worry too much. However, if you wanna be on the safe side the esteem 4.5s wouldnt hurt - though check that they wont cause rubbing issues.

3. Yes, apparently the grip will improve after a few hundred kms of driving due to what you mentioned as well as the tyres wearing in correctly, apparently.

cya
R

[revvedup]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

IMO a softer sidewall has less to do with rubber quality and more to do with tyre construction and design.
Thinking that a softer sidewall = softer rubber = better cornering is wrong.
What i would see as being true is softer sidewall = better ride comfort (bump absorbtion) since its equivalent to having a "softer suspension".

I was also in favour of the latter line of thought that softer sidewall=>more flex=> better ride=>poor handling and as I mentioned later in my earlier post that this was the main reason along with Michelin's motorsport heritage that convinced me to buy the Michelins instead.

But still there is this doubt, tyre compound and construction being uniform throughout the tyre (except in the case of tyres with sidewall reinforcements like the BMW runflats) shouldn't softer sidewalls translate into a softer rubber tread that deforms itself according to the road surface so as to grip the road firmly ?

Asymmetric tyres sometimes use different compounds, but i would assume that is mostly on the thread and dont think that would extend to the sidewalls (otherwise 1 sidewall would be made of a different rubber/durometer than the sidewall on the other side of the tyre)

Point taken.

Yes, they are in the "comfort" range. However, an entry level rolls royce is still more luxurious than a top-end <insert an appropriate manufacturers name here>, if you know what i mean.

Again point taken, but entry level Rolls Royce ?

1.Personally, i think you cant go wrong with the michelins. The only thing i dont like about the michelins i have used in the past is the lack of audible feedback when you are on the extreme edge of breaking traction - along with a very sudden (and quiet) loss of traction that can catch you offguard.
2. Moreover these tyres have been put on stock steel 4J *13 rims of my Zen which are fine according to the Michelin website but according to tyre bible they are a strict no -no. Should I upgarde to 4.5 J rims of the Esteem ?

1.Thanks for warning me about this beforehand !

2. I am all for Esteem rims if they are a necessary expense otherwise I would be happy to retain my existing rims. The only resaon I asked this was because the Michelin site seems a bit misleading as it mentions 4J as the minimum rim width for 155/70 XM1s and 4.5 J for 155/65 XM1s. Aren't rim widths a function of tyre widths instead of section profiles ?

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by revvedup

....shouldn't softer sidewalls translate into a softer rubber tread that deforms itself according to the road surface so as to grip the road firmly ? ...

No!
As mentioned before, the sidewalls may not be exactly the same material as the tread.
And even if it was, the sidewall isnt just a piece of rubber. Tyres are a fairly complex construction with layers of different materials (including steel!), so the construction and amounts and types of materials used would play a part.
Even IF the sidewall was only rubber - there could still be a difference in construction - For eg : A 4mm thick hard rubber sidewall might flex more than a 6mm thick soft rubber sidewall na.


Heres a pic for what its worth :

Source : Tyres :: How are tyres made?

Originally Posted by revvedup

Again point taken, but entry level Rolls Royce ?

Ya ya

Originally Posted by revvedup

2. I am all for Esteem rims if they are a necessary expense otherwise I would be happy to retain my existing rims

Well if you do decide on the esteem rims, they could be had for fairly cheap since the steel wheels are usually bought by the tyre dealers for a few rupees/kg. Finding a set in good condition might be harder.

Originally Posted by revvedup

The only reason I asked this was because the Michelin site seems a bit misleading as it mentions 4J as the minimum rim width for 155/70 XM1s and 4.5 J for 155/65 XM1s. Aren't rim widths a function of tyre widths instead of section profiles ?

Well, they are a function of both - but a larger weightage in the equation goes to the tread width. However the sidewall height does play a part...

For example (absurd numbers just to illustrate the point) :
(A)If you had a 5 foot wide tread width, and a 2" high sidewall (lets talk inches, not %ages since its simpler), your recommended rim width would be 5feet +/- ~0.5".

(B)If you had a 10inch wide tyre with a 2feet high sidewall, the recommended rim width could be anywhere between 5" to 20".

As you can see, (A) has a much tighter rim tolerance than (B).

Applying this to what you have read on the michelin site, the 155/65 tyre has a slightly lower rim width tolerance than the 155/70 tyre. Since 155mm = 6.xx inches - the tyre with the lower tolerance would require a wider rim as the lowest value in the recommended range.

Hope that makes sense
cya
R

[sharathjeppu]

I have completed close to 43K kms on my car and my stock tyres (JK Vectra 185/70 R14) have worn out quite unevenly (irregular shoulder wear on the outside). Haven't yet diagnosed on what causes this. I normally slighly over infate my tyres over teh reccommended pressure. (32 psi instead of the reccommedend 29. I do this to compensate of the hot tyres as I found that filling 32 psi in hot tyre conditions equals 29 psi in cold conditions). I would be grateful if anyone could give me some pointers to help understand this.

I need to replace tyres now and I need some free advice.
My preference is to stick to the manufacturer's size advice. I have the stock rims which I am not planning to replace. Mileage and quiet tyres are important to me. I have visted just one Bridgestone outlet in Bangalore so far and got the following options

185/70 R14
JK Vectra : Rs.3250
Bridgestone Potenza GIII : Rs. 3600

195/60 R14
Bridgestone Potenza GIII : Rs. 4200
Bridgestone Turanza ER 60 : Rs.4000

the the bridgestone tyres, what the seller told me was that the Potenzas are slightly noiser tyres, will reduce the mileage slightly and wear out more quickly compared to the Turanzas. However, the Turanza is not available in the 185 size.

Also, the net circumference difference between the 185/70 and the 195/60 is 78mm (with the later having a smaller circumference)

So if I assume that the 185/70 tyre shows the true speed on the speedometer, the 195/60 will actually show a higher speed on the speedometer with an error margin of about 4%.

What I need help on this
1. What tyre brand, type and size to buy for my car based on my preferences?
2. Where would I get the best deal for the same in Bangalore.
3. What causes the uneven wear on my tyres and how can I avoid it?
4. Is there anything that I can do with the old tyre instead of just throwing it away? Does anybody take them for recycling?

Thanks in advance
Sharath

[anilkalvani]

@sharath
just read your post actually. i have changed my stock 2500kms old JK Vectra's for Michelin Energy XM1+ same size you mentioned 185/70 R14. if you are a sedate driver buy these for comfort, for performance get the PP2. Check out the Michelin Website Michelin India - Home for more info.

[Autocop]

@Anil,

I believe logan stock types aren't tubeless.

1. What is the size of logan stock tyres?

2. Can you install tubeless tyres on stock wheel? If yes, can you upsize your tyres with stock wheel or you have to go for new wheels/alloys?

3. Are you using stock wheel or that one is also upgraded? Clarification on questions and some more details on your overall tyre upgrade experience would be very much useful.

[zerocritical]

According to the xls by iraghava right tyre up sizing for a swift is 195/65 r14. Cant a swift be fitted with a 195/60 R14? If not, what are the drawbacks of 195/60 or advantages of 195/65.

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by zerocritical

According to the xls by iraghava right tyre up sizing for a swift is 195/65 r14. Cant a swift be fitted with a 195/60 R14? If not, what are the drawbacks of 195/60 or advantages of 195/65.

1. GC will reduce and chances of underbody getting scrapped will increase.
2. Speedo error