[bharat4ever]

I used to live in Ooty for a while, and there were a couple of stretches on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam road, which used to always be wet due to roadside waterfalls, rain water stagnation etc. Needless to say, the roads would become non-existent in 6-7 months because of heavy bus and truck traffic. Finally what the SH dept did was to lay cobblestone tiles instead of the road for the complete stretch. Something like this.


Now, it's been almost 12-13 years since I remember them being laid. They still stand strong, and they haven't had any maintenance effort since then. And the ride over them is also not uncomfortable. And I am sure they are easy on the tires.

[Jignesh]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

After every accident blame high speeds, recommend lower speeds. Has anyone analysed and checked the root cause for this accident? Would driving at 80kmph prevent this? So if everyone drives at 20kmph, we wont have accidents.

Hello Friend,

We all can have our own point of view & I respect yours. But one thing I can say with conviction that in general if Car Drivers observe speeds limits & warning signs (like dangerous curve ahead, wet roads ahead, etc) accidents will definitely reduce to a large extent.

Regarding tyres bursts in India only, I correct myself - tyre burst happen more in areas with hot climate.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

He never said that! He pointed a possibility to that, nothing wrong in it!

Thank you for the acceptance & support.

Thanks,

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by bharat4ever

I used to live in Ooty for a while, and there were a couple of stretches on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam road, which used to always be wet due to roadside waterfalls, rain water stagnation etc. Needless to say, the roads would become non-existent in 6-7 months because of heavy bus and truck traffic. Finally what the SH dept did was to lay cobblestone tiles instead of the road for the complete stretch. Something like this.
Attachment 995027

Now, it's been almost 12-13 years since I remember them being laid. They still stand strong, and they haven't had any maintenance effort since then. And the ride over them is also not uncomfortable. And I am sure they are easy on the tires.

These tiles are more commonly knows as pavers. These are nothing but thick cement tiles commonly used for flooring in petrol bunks, commercial complexes, malls etc.. for parking areas and drive throughs. They are quite durable and capable of lasting very long even when subjected to high loads. THey are very easy to lay as well.

But IMO these are suitable for slow speeds roads like the Ooty - Mettupalayam road. At higher speeds , like on the expressway, the broken surface is likely to have the same effect on tyres as concrete roads or even worse.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by bharat4ever

I used to live in Ooty for a while, and there were a couple of stretches on the Coonoor-Mettupalayam road, which used to always be wet due to roadside waterfalls, rain water stagnation etc.
Now, it's been almost 12-13 years since I remember them being laid. They still stand strong, and they haven't had any maintenance effort since then. And the ride over them is also not uncomfortable. And I am sure they are easy on the tires.

That is a corruption free implementation of paver tiles. I wish I had a pic to show how shoddily the same has been implemented in most of Mumbai. I am sure the idea behind is to ensure annual repairs jobs to the corrupt contractors. In Mumbai the paver blocks are rough/uncomfortable and hard on tyres and suspension.

Originally Posted by Jignesh

Hello Friend,

We all can have our own point of view & I respect yours. But one thing I can say with conviction that in general if Car Drivers observe speeds limits & warning signs (like dangerous curve ahead, wet roads ahead, etc) accidents will definitely reduce to a large extent.

Regarding tyres bursts in India only, I correct myself - tyre burst happen more in areas with hot climate.



Thank you for the acceptance & support.

Thanks,

Well if the administration provides scientific speed limits, then surely its a benifit. However adhoc speed limits, due to political pressures, or speed breakers on highways to cater to village vote bank is absurd.
Example:
Scientific studied speed limit on the Mohamed Ali bridge in Mumbai is 60kmph, due to rash bikers, speed limit is an enforced 30kmph now.

Sea link speed limit was designed to be 100kmph. Moron drivers crashing into each other ensured now the speed limit enforced is 50kmph

Mumbai-Pune Expressway speedlimit was designed 120kmph. Poor driving has resulted in a enforced 80kmph.

[Shmoos]

I did the mandatory run to Agra on the Yamuna Expressway. I must say i am not big fan of concrete roads. It was rough, you could feel the abrasiveness of the surface. And the road noise filtering through. No thanks. I will take smoothness of the tarmac anyday.

[joommen]

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[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by lurker

Typical desi tyres like the old-type MRF with thick treads and thicker sidewalls may not be as vulnerable to tyre bursts in hot conditions and undulating concrete. Concrete by nature reflects surrounding conditions and amplifies it. If the climate is hot, concrete will take the heat and amplify it and if the climate is cold concrete would be colder.

Originally Posted by Bigzero

I dont think we will ever get the answer to the root causes of tyre bursts ....

The answer lies in lurker's post above.
Ever since Michellins and Yokos gave us a taste of 'low noise / comfort' tyres, others had to follow suit. To make a tyre comfort oriented the sidewall has to be supple and yielding. Also, the Silica content in these tyres made the carcass softer for better grip.

The desi MRFs, JKs, Bridgestones are still offerring their older patterns with 2 Polyester sidewall plies whereas most other 'comfort and low noise' tyres have a single Polyester sidewall ply.

[Bigzero]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

The answer lies in lurker's post above.
Ever since Michellins and Yokos gave us a taste of 'low noise / comfort' tyres, others had to follow suit. To make a tyre comfort oriented the sidewall has to be supple and yielding. Also, the Silica content in these tyres made the carcass softer for better grip.

The desi MRFs, JKs, Bridgestones are still offerring their older patterns with 2 Polyester sidewall plies whereas most other 'comfort and low noise' tyres have a single Polyester sidewall ply.

Hmm, interesting point. Does this mean these comfort/silent tyres are currently contributing to maximum tyre bursts? A survey should help figure this out. If that is the case, smart Insurance companies could pick this up and start hiking premiums based on tyre type!!

I also liked the point someone made in the Agra Expressway thread that sometimes tyre bursts become a scapegoat for bad driving. Its easy to palm off the blame to the poor tyre which could have very well ruptured because of the crash....

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by Bigzero

Hmm, interesting point. Does this mean these comfort/silent tyres are currently contributing to maximum tyre bursts?

The car owner asked for a 'comfort tyre' and got one. If he was going to exceed 100 kph in the scorching heat on the concrete MPEW, he should have asked for 'performance tyres'. All manufacturers have those as well but are pricey indeed and few are willing to spend extra. Even MRF has a VFM performance tyre called ZLO ... but hey, Madras Rubber Factory sounds so bland huh?

Well then, how about JK Tyres? .... they are OE on Suzuki, Tata and Nissan ...."they are crap says everyone! and doesn't JK sound a bit like the Hindi picture villian?"

Some people fall for a particular brand just because they liked the tread design or felt the rubber so soft on touch !!! How many buyers care to look at the speed index or the load index of their tyres? and they won't think twice before stuffing 6 people + luggage and merrily head for the highways. How many people check/fill air before starting a journey? A majority of Indians have been neglecting and abusing their tyres far too long. The comfort tyres certainly won't stand to such abuse.

[zoombiee]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

A majority of Indians have been neglecting and abusing their tyres far too long. The comfort tyres certainly won't stand to such abuse.

This is completely true. Tyres need to be cared for well. I have 2 cars, one running JK and one XM1+. The grip offered by JK vectras is very inferior. If there is just a weebit of sand/water on the road surface, the car seems to skid when braked hard. Doing very slight curves at speeds of about 80kmph is scary. The XM1+ on the other hand offer better grip. I am very careful while driving the car with xm1+. I inspect it before every long ride and also once in 3 hours during a long ride.
I am not sure about tyre bursts, but the probability of getting into trouble with Vectras (grip/stability related) seem more likely to me than xm1+.
Hard sidewalled tyres can withstand more abuse than soft sidewalled tyres. Why dont we think why should so much abuse be thrown at them especially on well done/maintained highways where one can stop/rest easily once in every couple of hours inspect and continue.

[supremeBaleno]

I hate driving on concrete roads - bumpy ride being the main reason. There is this small stretch of subway leading to OTA that is concretised and I hate the few minutes of ride over it.

Originally Posted by lancer_rit

Given Yeti's unfortunate fatal blowout on MPEW, one cannot emphasize more on doing whatever is possible to keep car tyres in good condition.

Were the tyres old or in bad condition leading to the blowout ? Do not have the details, hence the query.

Originally Posted by lancer_rit

Rather change earlier, than try to extract a couple of thousand bucks more by running tyres for longer ?

I doubt blowouts can be solely attributed to only older tyres or less tread-depth. Is it that new tyres will absolutely not have a blowout ? IMO there are lot of factors at play. Ofcourse agree that it is safe to keep tyres in good condition - no doubt about that.

[headers]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

I doubt blowouts can be solely attributed to only older tyres or less tread-depth. Is it that new tyres will absolutely not have a blowout ?

Yes. New Tyres will absolutely NOT have a blowout iff inflated correctly and driven sanely

[supremeBaleno]

^^^That's too many "ifs" there, sir. Especially the "driven sanely" part.

But the reason I asked was because I remember reading about a fatal accident that happened many years ago due to tyre blowout on an SUV belonging to some business-associate of SachinT.
I believe the SUV was new and tyres were not old either. Am sure there are other such instances too.

[Chewbacca]

^^
^^
"New Tyres will absolutely NOT have a blowout" .... this kind of arrogance and confidence is another contributing factor for the fatalities on our highways.

[headers]

^^: @ Chewbacca: You ought to read the complete sentence sir