ARTICLE: Choosing The Right Set Of Tyres for your Car

[Dead Head]

My Jetta TSI came in with GY tyres as OE. The Jetta is a beautiful car in many respects but ride quality is not one of them. On certain surfaces like on concrete highways the ride is very bumpy. In fact it is inconceivable that a luxury sedan costing 20L + should ride so badly. I have tried reducing the air pressure in the tyres to around 28psi and the ride improves somewhat. But that is not the proper solution. I wish to know whether other Jetta owners are also facing a similar level of discomfort on GY OE tyres. Lots of people have posted that they have changed their OE fitted tyres on Jetta to Michelin /Pirelli but really I want to know if changing the tyres will solve the problem completely. The VW service franchise is hopeless and cannot offer any support in this matter.

[Nalin1]

I have plans of going for either the Yokohama Geolander HT or AT set. Anyone having experienced the HT? Any feedback? I see that the AT tyres have been discussed in another thread but not able to find too much information on the HT.
I am not interested in any kind of off-roading stuff and primarily drive in cities and highways only and hate absolutely any tyre noise during highway cruising.
And of course, needless to mention there is always a chance of encountering broken tarmac, craters, bumps etc unintentionally on the beautiful roads of Bangalore and when visiting the numerous tourist places in India.

Tyre dealers said that the HT is for those who do not really need off-roading tyres and they will do just fine on bad roads. I stressed on the fact that I do not want any noise from the tyres when cruising on the highways and their response was that the Geolander AT set are not completely noiseless on highways as they are built for tougher road conditions/off road. And they obviously handle broken road/bumps/potholes better than HT!

A little confused now.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by Nalin1

A little confused now.

If your usage is on highways & broken roads, please opt for AT tyres.
For reducing tyre noise, don't just depend on tyre compound/tread pattern, please use other methods to reduce noise.
Please check these 2 posts by '::CMS::'

Post1

Post2

[1self]

Now these are some real FAQs about tyres in general. A must watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbMti7VQC1k

[King_pin09]

Hi Friends,

At the outset I admit being a novice in the world of tyres. I am considering replacement to the MRF ZVTV's that are presently doing duty on my Ciaz petrol. Although the tyres are going strong, I get a feel of them being low on grip and high on road noise. Besides they are prone to repeated punctures as they pick stone fragments into their grooves which eventually pierce through. The tyre size is 185-65 R15 and I do not intend any upsize. The requirement is for silent ride on cement roads, better grip, soft ride quality, heat resistance and durability.

My preferred brands are Michelin, Continental and Bridgestone. Any other suggestions are also welcome.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by King_pin09

The requirement is for silent ride on cement roads, better grip, soft ride quality, heat resistance and durability.

You are asking all best desirable features in a single tyre. Does such a tyre exist in real life? Most tyres are noisy on cement roads compared to tar roads. A tyre that offers better/best grip won't be durable. Prioritize among these parameters & then choose among below brands.

My preferred brands are Michelin, Continental and Bridgestone.

Choose among Michelin P3ST/XM2, Continental MC5 or Bridgestone Turanza/Potenza. You can also post your query in Ciaz specific thread.

[hitman1980]

Mod note: Post edited, Dotty post. Please avoid typing like... this... Thanks.


Hi Everyone, I need advise on my new set of Tyres Michelin Energy XM2, which I bought yesterday at a price of Rs. 4000 from Torus Tyres, Goregaon West, Mumbai.

Since this place was recommended to me by someone, I trusted them. At the time of purchase, I had clearly asked for fresh new stock tyres, to which I was assured it would be from 2017 only, less than a year.

I paid the money, and since my car was getting serviced at just next shop garage. I told to put in new set of tyres after service was over. Then I left the place, as I had some pending work to finish.

I got my Car late in the evening, with Car serviced & New Michelin tyres. I was excited, and due to that I forgot to check Tyre manufacturing date. Also it was from a recommended place, I trusted ... which was a big mistake.

This morning I checked the Tyre date, and found it to be 1515 which means it was from Mar 2015. So good old stock of 3 years.

I immediately contacted the Mr. RAJEEV from Torus tyres, and asked him why the Old stock was given when I clearly asked for new stock & got assurance about new set of tyres from less than a year stock.

To which Mr. RAJEEV from Torus Tyres, replied back with few snaps of Michelin tyres website that says

'Dont judge your tyre by its Manufacturing Date, Michelin tyres can be stored for up to 3 years from the date of manufacturing'.

He says there will be no performance issue.

That may hold true, but what about the Tyre quality & material ? Everything degrades over a period of time.

I will appreciate if you guys can share your thoughts about old stock tyres. Are they really as good as new ones ?

I certainly feel cheated. Made fool of myself by blindly trusting.

[Hawkeye269]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

There are five main elements you have to consider when choosing the right set of tyres for your vehicle -

1. Tube-type or tubeless
2. Size of tyre
3. Tread pattern
4. Rubber Compound
5. Overall quality of the tyre

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.

Originally Posted by GTO

WHOA-WESOME article, Rehaan. And superbly compiled tyre-upsize guide, Iraghava. A very informational read which, I am sure, will go on to become one of the most helpful articles yet.

Thank you for sharing this with us.

I just happened to stumble across this thread, kudos to Rehaan for starting it. Special thanks also to IRaghava and KPZen. Having said that, the wonderfully compiled tyre-upsize guide is dated 31 August 2007, i.e., more than a decade ago. Would it be possible to update it, at least for the more popular cars? Thanks in advance!!

[Lakwontsing]

Looking for a new set of tyres for my 11 year old Santro Xing.
OEM was MRF (no idea how long it lasted as i had to replace a couple of those within 20000 KM), replaced by Michelin (57000 KM) and Yokohama Earth1 (60000 KM). The Yoko's actually have been in replaceable condition for last 2000-3000 KM, just I am not getting time to replace them.

The thing that has changed for me is the distance I travel each day. This is because I shifted from Dwarka (Delhi) to Noida and my office is in Gurgaon. Earlier I traveled 60 KM per day and now it is 100 KM per day (4 days a week). Overall I clock close to 1800-2000 KM a month. Now, looking for some trade-off i.e. high mileage but lesser noise.

If I go for Yokos, it may last me around 2.4 years or so. Michelin seems to be on softer side and may last even lesser. Spoke to a dealer and he suggested Bridgestone B290. But I recall I read here on some thread that B290 is very noisy.

Can someone suggest me tyres that can last me longer than 60K, possibly 70K+ but the tyres should not be so hard that I can't hear music in the car? I wouldn't want to change the tyres before 3 years.

Also thinking to sell off Santro in next 12-18 months so in that case I should not bother about the duration and may go with Yokos too. But just in case I keep using Santro for say, next 3 years, can someone suggest which tyres I should go for?

By the way here is the price I am getting:

Bridgestone B290- 3600/-
Yoko Earth 1 - 3400/-
Continental CC5 - 3400/-
Michelin XM2 - 3800

Looking for some hints from the experts!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Lakwontsing

Also thinking to sell off Santro in next 12-18 months so in that case I should not bother about the duration and may go with Yokos too. But just in case I keep using Santro for say, next 3 years, can someone suggest which tyres I should go for?

I would say go with the cheapest option since you do not plan to keep the vehicle for too long. I had purchased Falken Sincera and they worked pretty decent till i sold the car. Decent wear and no punctures when we sold the car at about 10k kms. Costed about 11.x k for all 4, through Paytm.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by Lakwontsing

Can someone suggest me tyres that can last me longer than 60K, possibly 70K+ but the tyres should not be so hard that I can't hear music in the car? I wouldn't want to change the tyres before 3 years.

Michelin XM2 are known to last to long (Kms not age). Forum users like ParagSachnania & Arun_Josie have used XM2 for 70k+ kms on their Ertiga & Linea respectively. Their usage was high in short span of time (less than 4-5 years), similar to your current usage of 100km/day.

Also thinking to sell off Santro in next 12-18 months so in that case I should not bother about the duration and may go with Yokos too.

If you are sure about selling in next 18 months, why not try Conti CC5. You are getting it at same price as Yokos.

But just in case I keep using Santro for say, next 3 years, can someone suggest which tyres I should go for?

In this case, Michelin XM2 just looking at your daily run of 100Kms.

Your choice really depends on how long you wish to retain Santro.

[SoumenD]

Need a tyre change on ~30k run 7 year old stock tyres in zen estilo lxi(2010 model). Stock size 145/70-R13.

Am ok with grip levels as I don't drive it very hard in city and on highways I am usually <80kph. What I am looking for is slightly smoother ride comfort for 2-3 people and decent life(of tyres). Got suggestion on XM2 155/65-R13 but since I might sell the car off in next 12-18 months don't want to spend that much. So any suggestions for decent VFM tyres for estilo? I don't mind sticking to stock size.

Thanks in advance

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

Need a tyre change on ~30k run 7 year old stock tyres in zen estilo lxi(2010 model). Stock size 145/70-R13.

Stock size:
Bridgestone B290
Bridgestone Ecopia EP150

Upsize 155/65R13:
Goodyear Duraplus
Falken Sincera

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by SoumenD

...So any suggestions for decent VFM tyres for estilo? I don't mind sticking to stock size.

+1 to Bridgestone B290 in stock size. It improves the handling by a certain percentage as well due to Flat contact patch. But, I think the difference per tyre between XM2 and B290 is just a few hundred rupees.

Next, anything from MRF Zxxx series, they offer comfortable ride for an year or two post which the ride quality deteriorates exponentially.

Even though they are inexpensive, do not fall for any of Apollo Amazer, Goodyear Duraplus, Ceat Milaze, JK tyres. They belong to super hard compound category.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

...
Upsize 155/65R13:
Goodyear Duraplus
Falken Sincera

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

+1 to Bridgestone B290 in stock size. It improves the handling by a certain percentage as well due to Flat contact patch. But, I think the difference per tyre between XM2 and B290 is just a few hundred rupees.

Thanks for the suggestions.

After some reading online about experiences of various folks, I have decided to upsize to 155/70 R13 now. Was under impression till now that this configuration isn't available and only 155/65s are available. With 155/70 my ground clearance would stay intact, so am fine with the small upgrade in width from 145->155.

Talked to a couple of dealers and these are the options I got for 155ers.

Tyre Empire HSR quotes :
yokohama Earth1 = 3580
Michelin XM2 = 4010

Minerva Tyres Akshaynagar:

goodyear duraplus - 3200
bridgestone b290 - 3700
yokohama earth1 - ~3500

JK/Apollo 3G - ~3000

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Even though they are inexpensive, do not fall for any of Apollo Amazer, Goodyear Duraplus, Ceat Milaze, JK tyres. They belong to super hard compound category

Noted.

I am planning to get this done tomorrow morning. Michelin XM2s seem a bit overpriced without much gain over the other two(as per reviews shared here). My budget was initially 3000 per tyre but guess need to increase it to 3500 now which I don't mind if they are worth. All I need is a bit smoother drive over my current set of stock tyres without compromising too much on the existing strengths i.e. mileage and mid range.

Final contenders are Bridgestone b290 and yokohama Earth 1. Which one should I go for? Both seem to be in the ball park region of 3500 as per the dealers. Is it correct price as online(amazon.in) its around 3000-3200 range?