[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by suchit23

Are you sure you are getting Yokos for Duster size? I did not find any online and the dealer confirmed the same. I got quotes of 10+ for Michelin Latitude Tour and 9+ for BS Duelers. And best exchange price for the brand new Wanderers I have got is 5 grands. Thinking of going with BS as Michelin is too soft for Indian roads for a vehicle which will be driven rough over bad roads.

Any advise from other members here would be highly appreciated.

The Duster OE size is 215/65 R16 and the tyres which can be found in the market are: Michelins, Yoko A348 / AT-S, Pirelli Scorpion STR.
The Latitude Tour HP/ Pirelli STRs will probably be the best for the Duster, as they are supple and will give a good ride and also will be good enough for mild offroading. The A348 is NOT suitable for the Duster, and the AT-S is a very aggressive tread for on-road use, and may generate more road noise.
You can get an idea of current prices of these tyres from:
http://www.changemytyre.com/TyreSize/215/65.00/16

Regards,
Behemoth

[Rada]

Originally Posted by Rigid Rotor

I just checked with my dealer TVS-Trivandrum a few minutes back - they have received news of an impending price hike - which incidentally may be a large increase of up to 30 K (speculation by the dealer). The extent of price hike however, is not confirmed. There are some chances of price protection for previous bookings - again not confirmed.

When I had gone to take Delivery of my Duster 85 RxL (O) 10 days ago, a senior executive of the dealership did confirm to me that a price increase across all variants is imminent. He did not know what will be the quantum of increase. But he expected that price protection will be given to those who have booked in July and August.

Hope this helps!

[Clouseau]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

At 15.1 kmpl in city, all you 85 PS guys can come from any part of India for Duster meet on a really frugal budget.Just a word of caution though. Maintain RPM above 1200, as low RPM on all gears gives you greater mileage at the cost of increased rattling, reduced engine bed life etc.

I'm trying to drive between 1500 and 2500 rpm in the run-in period, but will watch out especially for it not falling too low now. Cheers!

[thalavoy]

@Clouseau. With this you are getting 15? I am doing similar runs, but I am getting < 11 :(
Guess the traffic conditions are different.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

This will be a better VFM compared to Renault product, probably they will have a re-designed rear AC vent from the beginning & hope they sort out all issues reported so far.

And above all, I believe the 85 PS RXL(O) & 110 PS RXL should be within the 10L bracket [ex showroom] across India, so more savings on the on-road price!

I don't think that they will redesign the rear AC vents given there recent history of launching the same car practically under different logos. Yes the pricing would get better. The only changes I foresee are minor exterior ones.

[shankar.balan]

Unfortunately for me, my fat golf bag and trolley cannot fit if placed laterally and horizontally in the boot of the Duster OR the Yeti. I will measure the bag along its length and tell you what the reading is.

In the Duster it can possibly fit if placed slightly diagonally. I did not try this though. However, if I had a slimmer "stand-bag" I think it may fit in the Duster.

It still wont fit in the Yeti so regardless of the type of bag, I am forced to put my rear seat down and place the golf bag laterally on it.

Originally Posted by Clouseau

Hi again Shankar,

Quick update. My golf bag with 14 clubs incl. the driver (1 wood) fits nicely and completely horizontally in the boot of my Duster. Just to experiment I could also fit it between the front and rear seats with the option of putting the rear seat backs down for more space. So I don't see a problem with the golfing ...

[sharninder]

A price hike so soon? Renault hasn't beefed up it's dealer network, it's dealers and sales staff are being arrogant with customers and Renault already thinks it's time for a price hike? Shows what a little success can really do for a company. I wonder if Duster sales will still be this good in a year or two when we have many more mini SUVs/crossovers to chose from.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by suchit23

Are you sure you are getting Yokos for Duster size? I did not find any online and the dealer confirmed the same. I got quotes of 10+ for Michelin Latitude Tour and 9+ for BS Duelers. And best exchange price for the brand new Wanderers I have got is 5 grands. Thinking of going with BS as Michelin is too soft for Indian roads for a vehicle which will be driven rough over bad roads.

Any advise from other members here would be highly appreciated.

I suggest you stick with the current set of tires and wear them out. The MRF Wanderers aren't bad actually. They give you decent grip and are rugged enough to handle bad roads. You could consider up-sizing when the time comes to get a new set. IMO, it isn't worth spending money on a different brand of tires of the same OE size unless there is an absolute need to replace them.

2 cents.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I suggest you stick with the current set of tires and wear them out. The MRF Wanderers aren't bad actually. They give you decent grip and are rugged enough to handle bad roads. You could consider up-sizing when the time comes to get a new set. IMO, it isn't worth spending money on a different brand of tires of the same OE size unless there is an absolute need to replace them.

2 cents.

Well, the difference between the OEM tyres and the aftermarket tyres - good brands can be huge in performance and road noise, as was the case in my Yeti (Goodyear OEM swapped with Yoko C-Drive). (30% reduction in road noise, and much better grip at high speed) and even on my Laura (Goodyear OEMs swapped with Michelin Primacy LC)
The other benefit is that you can get decent trade in value for the new tyres and the cost of the changeover is not too high (Maybe 9-10K total for 4 tyres)
I can't comment on the MRF Wanderer's though as I haven't ever used them, but would they be comparable to Michelin Latitude Tour HP? I have a feeling that the Michelins will be at least 20% less noisy and possibly much better in Grip and especially High speed grip.
My recommendation would still be to go for the change!
It is well worth it!
On the Duster, there is less Noise Insulation than the Yeti and road and Tyre noise are bound to become a problem, especially once the Tyres have run 5K kms.

Regards,
Behemoth

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I don't think that they will redesign the rear AC vents given there recent history of launching the same car practically under different logos...

I read multiple comments on the feedbacks provided to the manufacturer that rear AC vent is a serious problem and the company is infact re-working on it [as per SAs]. Also the Nissan version will come only in another year. My expectation is that Renault would have done a re-design by then and Nissan will incorporate the same.

Originally Posted by sharninder

A price hike so soon? Renault hasn't beefed up it's dealer network, it's dealers and sales staff are being arrogant with customers and Renault already thinks it's time for a price hike? Shows what a little success can really do for a company...

Every brand is doing a hike for the entire portfolio citing raw material price increases. So Renault should be doing base on the same. Wonder after the hike, even the 85 RXL(O) & 110 RXL prices will go above 10L across India, which also mean an extra 20K added to the OTR prices.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Well, the difference between the OEM tyres and the aftermarket tyres - good brands can be huge in performance and road noise, as was the case in my Yeti (Goodyear OEM swapped with Yoko C-Drive). (30% reduction in road noise, and much better grip at high speed) and even on my Laura (Goodyear OEMs swapped with Michelin Primacy LC)
The other benefit is that you can get decent trade in value for the new tyres and the cost of the changeover is not too high (Maybe 9-10K total for 4 tyres)

From our experience, Goodyear make some terrible OEM tires for cars in India. Case in point, the Civic! Over 35k of mixed highway / city driving, our Civic's tires suffered over 5 punctures. The grip wasn't good and the road-noise was intrusive too. We recently swapped them for a wider set of Michelin XM2s and the difference is more than just noticeable. Road noise has reduced and grip levels have improved. The tires are softer and we'll have to baby the car through rough roads and that's the only drawback.

Originally Posted by Behemoth

I can't comment on the MRF Wanderer's though as I haven't ever used them, but would they be comparable to Michelin Latitude Tour HP? I have a feeling that the Michelins will be at least 20% less noisy and possibly much better in Grip and especially High speed grip.
My recommendation would still be to go for the change!
It is well worth it!
On the Duster, there is less Noise Insulation than the Yeti and road and Tyre noise are bound to become a problem, especially once the Tyres have run 5K kms.

It won't be fair to compare the Michelins and MRFs. The Latitudes would certainly be better, although I'm not in a good position to comment because I haven't experienced them. But is it really worth spending 30k (40k minus 10 for the OEM set) on them, considering that the only thing you get is marginally lesser road-tire noise and marginally more grip?

If one has the money to spend, then certainly it wouldn't be a problem. But according to me, it just doesn't make economical sense to spend 30k on a new set of tires when you already have a new set of tires waiting to be worn out.

It would be a different matter if one is looking to up-size though.

[suchit23]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

If one has the money to spend, then certainly it wouldn't be a problem. But according to me, it just doesn't make economical sense to spend 30k on a new set of tires when you already have a new set of tires waiting to be worn out.

It would be a different matter if one is looking to up-size though.

Thanks Behemoth and Suhas for your feedback. Just to add exact financial data points I am getting new good brands at 10K a pop and wanderers will go for 5K a pop. So we are talking about 25K for 5 tyres or 20K for 4 keeping the MRF as backup. I am in the same dilemma as Suhas has indicated. Change now to same size (don't want to up size until I know better ) or up size later. I would have definitely gone for the second option. But Neil's burst tyre is giving me nightmares as I go out on highways and bad roads a lot.

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

It won't be fair to compare the Michelins and MRFs. The Latitudes would certainly be better, although I'm not in a good position to comment because I haven't experienced them. But is it really worth spending 30k (40k minus 10 for the OEM set) on them, considering that the only thing you get is marginally lesser road-tire noise and marginally more grip?

If one has the money to spend, then certainly it wouldn't be a problem. But according to me, it just doesn't make economical sense to spend 30k on a new set of tires when you already have a new set of tires waiting to be worn out.

It would be a different matter if one is looking to up-size though.

Fully agree with you here. I have decided to pussyfoot the accelerator and stay on the south side of 100kmph and tide over the OE tyres. Besides, Wanderers are a totally different breed of MRFs. Nothing like the previous MRF tyres. Grip is pretty good. My only concern is whether MRF is the right choice as OE for Duster, considering that Duster invites the Driver to take on any kind of road at greater speeds with relatively high comfort.The Duster will surely take the abuse, but will the Wanderers be able to do the same?
Edit: I would not recommend upsizing as the OE tyre itself is splashing muck pretty much everywhere on the body and even beyond. Besides, the present level of grip itself is really high.

[sathyaprakash]

Hi everybody, got delivery of my Duster 85(o) last week even though it was lying in the yard from 1st of this month bcz of non availability of my fancy No. from RTO. Renault dealer was very strict even after full payment in handing over my keys without registration. Got mudflap and floor mats and puja while delivery free.

Went to Pondy MH Big beach along with family last weekend it was an wonderful experience but made sure not to cross 2500rpm at 110kmph as it was very tempting to do so, mileage i got was 15.5kmpl.

Till now clocked 500kms

Pros>

eats the potholes with ease,
powerful head lights
good audible horn
spacious for three at back while I am 185cms driving
gear shift good and sleek
no turbo lag as I am driving in between 10-40km without changing gears
vast boot space but not for humans
good AC even without rear one
never felt wind noise may be bcz of poor audio
good turning radius
back charger hole very useful
did lane changes at 90km at ease
clear view of both rear and front

Cons>

very poor audio
callers hear echo noise while in BT
while playing in USB mode it plays from the start every time i start the engine
no auto retraction for RV mirrors while parking
wrong placement of rear window switch which accidentally opens frequently
no back support for drivers seat as it starts paining after few hours of driving
mud splashes at the side need to add mudflap as it was not available while delivery
very poor support from the sales people.

Changes planned in future

To add a good seat booked Autoform U-HB seat cover at Jeewajee Annanagar which is skin fit for 10500/- which includes 1500 for labour and 500 for courier
3M film CS 50 for side and rear from 3M Nungambakam costing 5735/-
Boston components for front 4500/- and rear 2000/- from Jeewajee
friends are these price reasonable? or any where else it can be done cheap please advice.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by sathyaprakash

Hi everybody got delivery of my Duster 85(o) last week even though it was lying in the yard from 1st of this month bcz of non availability of my fancy No. from RTO. Renault dealer was very strict even after full payment in handing over my keys without registration.....

Congrats on your new acquisition!

Originally Posted by sathyaprakash

To add a good seat booked Autoform U-HB seat cover at Jeewajee Annanagar which is skin fit for 10500/- which includes 1500 for labour and 500 for courier
3M film CS 50 for side and rear from 3M Nungambakam costing 5735/-...

What is this courier + labor charges? And labor charges seem to be a rip off. When I spent 10K on seat covers, I expect labor to be free!

Do you want to install sunfims? Might be asking for trouble after shelling out close to 6K !