[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by Ceyborg

I am also thinking of changing my cars tyres to 205/65/15 but am not sure whether it will cause any problems as the original size is 195/65/15.

205/65/15 shouldnt scrape in civic.. I think they will do fine..

Also, am confused between the Michelin PLC and the Yoko's. Which would be the better brand/tyre between the two? BTW what is db? Even the Conti Premium Contact 2...

Do we get CPC 2 in similar size.. CPC2 will definitely be better than Michelin PLC and Yokos, unless we are talking about the PP2 or the S-Drives, the latter doesnt even come in civic size..

Originally Posted by sandeep108

I also felt db v 550 better than the S. I am very happy with my choice so far.

I'd need your help here, please throw some light on what you liked in v 550 over S. My cedia is currently running on s-drives. I absolutely love the performance of them, considering I drive hard frequently and they have been excellent in both dry and wet. In fact I havent come across a better performance tyre in this range (miles ahead of G3, other bridgestones and Michelin Primacy). However, I dont like their delicate nature.. I am looking for performace once again and do you think the v550 are as good as S-Drives, if not better.. Thanks

Originally Posted by sandeep108

After using the Yokos on my civic (db) and another car (S drive), I would never go to Bridgestones 250 or another tire. Michelin perhaps other alternative.

lolzz after S-Drives, I can only upgrade to Advans... but their cost keeps me away from them..

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

How about the Bridgestone ER300 ?

Much better than the Good Years, two cars, civic and cedia of two cousins, were shod with ER300 after the Good Year NCTs and the difference was much noticeable..

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

Mich and Yoko seem to have the soft sidewall phenemenon which i dread because our roads are very unforgiving and you know what state the city roads are in so not cosdiering those.Noise etc is not much issue for me but the GC and the durability is.

With your kinda requirements, get ER300 if you dont drive hard in wet, in dry they are good. If you want something thats good in both wet and dry, try G3s..You can look at CPC2s. Michelin/Yokos as you said have soft side wall but then the profile here is 65 and I dont think its easy to damage a 195/65 profile..

OT: I sense that tyre prices as a whole should come down considering there is lot of brand switching these days among tyres..and people are going for cheaper tyres..

[spadix]

Originally Posted by smartcat

I hear that after 2009 & above models of Civic have stiffened rear suspension which no longer bottoms out with 5 people on board/luggage in the boot.

I wouldn't say "no longer". Depending on the road, the post-2009 Civic - whether fully loaded or otherwise - still bottoms out/scrapes at lower speeds compared to other cars.

I've never driven a pre-2009 Civic (TDs don't count) so I can't comment on the relative performance of the suspension pre- and post-facelift.

Originally Posted by patron

A piece of warning for our Hyderabadi Honda owners:

Either the guys at Pride Honda are abunch of - ignoramuses or cheats. Could not decide which one.

They're ignorant, and dumb. What's the difference? A smart ignorant will eventually lose the ignorance. A dumb one won't.

BQ has come from them and seen them 4 times. Minor niggles are never addressed properly, if at all. And the same mistakes continue to get repeated. I'd be very worried about leaving BQ with them for a major service considering I don't exactly mollycoddle the car. But that's moot now with my impending shift to G-town.

Originally Posted by Cyborg

I am also thinking of changing my cars tyres to 205/65/15 but am not sure whether it will cause any problems as the original size is 195/65/15.

Also, am confused between the Michelin PLC and the Yoko's. Which would be the better brand/tyre between the two? BTW what is db? Even the Conti Premium Contact 2...

The manual lists both 195/65 R15 and 205/60 (or 65?) R15 as valid tyre sizes. You will have no issues.

CPC2s are good tyres. I've not heard anyone complain about them giving up on tough road conditions either although that could simply be because not many have used them extensively in such tough conditions. Nevertheless, they're very good tyres.

Avoid the A-drives. Fellow Civic owners have mentioned the lousy grip of the A-drives in the wet. AVS dB/C/S series seem to be good.

Originally Posted by khoj

Well Michelins are generally considered to be better but in my experience either of Yokohama or Bridgestone if made in Japan turn out to be much better.

While the Michelins Primacy LC (as observed on a friend's car over several extended drives) are indeed quieter, for me it is the Yokohama that provides the overall balance of low noise, excellent grip and ruggedness on less than perfect interior roads in MH, DN, RJ, UK and HR and all kinds of weather conditions.

Is the part in bold important?

Also, which part(s) of the balance (noise, grip, ruggedness) do the PLCs fail? Is it just the ruggedness or are there issues with grip as well in certain road/weather conditions?

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

Michelin/Yokos as you said have soft side wall but then the profile here is 65 and I dont think its easy to damage a 195/65 profile..

I thought the ruggedness was more due to the nature of the compound itself rather than the profile size. Is that not the case?

Another Q: You said the S-drives don't come in the size required for the Civic but are able to use them on the Cedia. What's the OEM tyre size on the Cedia? It shouldn't be too different from the Civic's I think.

Regards,
spadix

[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by spadix

I thought the ruggedness was more due to the nature of the compound itself rather than the profile size. Is that not the case?

Of course, but see it as.. two same compound tyres with different side profile, a 205/40 or 45 will get damaged much more easily than a 205/50 or 55 and a 205 50/55 will get damaged much more easily than a 205/60/65. So the bigger the profile, the better it is if the road conditions are not good. even if you land up in a pothole at good speed, there are very less chances that your tire will bubble if the profile is bigger compared to the same tyre with smaller side profile.

Another Q: You said the S-drives don't come in the size required for the Civic but are able to use them on the Cedia. What's the OEM tyre size on the Cedia? It shouldn't be too different from the Civic's I think.

Cedia's stock size is 195/60 R15 and you can upgrade the tyre to 205/55 or 60 R15, or 215/55 or 60 R15. In fact my cousin's cedia is running on 205/55 R16 and still there is no issue.

S-Drives come in 195/55 or 205/55 in R15. Now if you put 205/55 R15 in civic, the overall diameter is reduced from 24.98 inch (205/65 R15) to 23.87 and hence the GC will go for a toss..

So, its better to get a 16 inch alloy and shod 205/55/ R16, which is available in S-Drives and many other performance tyres as well.. Most performance tyres wont have side profiles over 50-55, or max 60 and hence you have to upgrade the alloy too..

[khoj]

Originally Posted by spadix

Is the part in bold important?

Also, which part(s) of the balance (noise, grip, ruggedness) do the PLCs fail? Is it just the ruggedness or are there issues with grip as well in certain road/weather conditions?

Yes, to me it is very important.

I never said PLCs are bad at anything. All I am saying is that if one can get a "made in Japan" tire then irrespective of it coming from either of the two manufacturers (Bridgestone and Yokohama) it turns out to be a very good product compared to others in the same league in terms of what one needs a tire to do in all sort of weather and traffic conditions on all types of surfaces.

[dot]

I think the tyre discussion rotates every once in a while

Changing topic, as I understood from dinu's post, Civic needs 9003 and 9004 headlight bulbs.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post2449529

In US, I am unable to lay my hands on 9003/9004 bulbs. Everywhere I am seeing 9005/9006 bulbs. Infact every site suggests 9005/9006 for 2007 Civic. I would like to buy Sylvania Silverstar Ultra. Any suggestions?

[Cyborg]

The manual lists both 195/65 R15 and 205/60 (or 65?) R15 as valid tyre sizes. You will have no issues.

CPC2s are good tyres. I've not heard anyone complain about them giving up on tough road conditions either although that could simply be because not many have used them extensively in such tough conditions. Nevertheless, they're very good tyres.

Avoid the A-drives. Fellow Civic owners have mentioned the lousy grip of the A-drives in the wet. AVS dB/C/S series seem to be good.


Thanks Spadix!
I too think the Yoko's AVS db V550 205/65/15 will be good.
Will update everybody once things are done.

Regarding the stiffening of the suspension in the face-lifted version, cannot say about the earlier version as I have not driven it.
This new one I have not bottomed or scraped it anywhere speedbreakers or otherwise (touch wood). Once I had a problem as went into a deep pot-hole (thanks to our lovely Bombay roads) which I did not see and the fender bottom lip touched. My heart was in my mouth - but thank GOD nothing happened.
One important thing is on really bad roads - my speed is almost zero

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by dot

I think the tyre discussion rotates every once in a while

Changing topic, as I understood from dinu's post, Civic needs 9003 and 9004 headlight bulbs.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post2449529

In US, I am unable to lay my hands on 9003/9004 bulbs. Everywhere I am seeing 9005/9006 bulbs. Infact every site suggests 9005/9006 for 2007 Civic. I would like to buy Sylvania Silverstar Ultra. Any suggestions?

Will this require a relay?
Sylvania is suppose to be a good brand.
what about DRL's have you seen anything different out there?

[dot]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

Will this require a relay?
Sylvania is suppose to be a good brand.
what about DRL's have you seen anything different out there?

Sylvania is Osram. Intially I was baffled. Then I realized. No, this wont require a relay as the wattage is same. But then which one to buy? 9006 or 9003, HB or H7?

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by sandeep108

Another poster had changed to yoko 205/60 and not reported any issues. He felt braking in rain was slightly less. I have not felt this at all.

I preferred 205/65 for better GC and comfort. My chap recommended yoko over michelin, but I feel mostly a personal choice. I also felt db v 550 better than the S. I am very happy with my choice so far.

I have the same profile 205/60/15 Yokohama db V550 tyres.
Even I feel braking is pathetic at WET surface. Except for that fact, it is an excellent tyre in every other sense.

Originally Posted by Cyborg

Has anybody heard about the Conti Premium Contact 2?

I have used them. They are indeed very good tyres.
But not many shops sell them.
Quality is ALMOST similar to Michelin, but Michelin is better than CPC2.
CPC2 is priced below Michelin tyres.

Originally Posted by mdsaab

That makes complete sense.
The ride quality on the Goodyear stocks that the Civic come with are not great at all.
The time to change them is arriving soon.
Possible look at MRF for the Civic then, what do you folks say?

AFA my experience is concerned by using Good year tyres,(Which I had used on OHC)
They are worst tyres. Braking is bad, too much of road noise, tyre bulges.
Only good thing is that they last longer than the Michelin/yoko/bridgestone (soft tyres).

MRF, you can give a try. they are slightly harder tyres. In my prev experience with MRF (ZEN, 800 etc and other vehicles), I have found that they slide a lot more on hard braking in DRY surface when compared with other tyres.

Originally Posted by dot

Sylvania is Osram. Intially I was baffled. Then I realized. No, this wont require a relay as the wattage is same. But then which one to buy? 9006 or 9003, HB or H7?

No extra relay is required if the wattage is same. Civic has a relay.
I have Philips Crystal Vision 4300 HB3 in my highbeams, which I have put very recently.
HB7 is for Low beam AFAIK, I can check the bulb n let you know in a short while

[sandeep108]

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

205/65/15 shouldnt scrape in civic.. I think they will do fine..




Do we get CPC 2 in similar size.. CPC2 will definitely be better than Michelin PLC and Yokos, unless we are talking about the PP2 or the S-Drives, the latter doesnt even come in civic size..



I'd need your help here, please throw some light on what you liked in v 550 over S. My cedia is currently running on s-drives. I absolutely love the performance of them, considering I drive hard frequently and they have been excellent in both dry and wet. In fact I havent come across a better performance tyre in this range (miles ahead of G3, other bridgestones and Michelin Primacy). However, I dont like their delicate nature.. I am looking for performace once again and do you think the v550 are as good as S-Drives, if not better.. Thanks



lolzz after S-Drives, I can only upgrade to Advans... but their cost keeps me away from them..


With your kinda requirements, get ER300 if you dont drive hard in wet, in dry they are good. If you want something thats good in both wet and dry, try G3s..You can look at CPC2s. Michelin/Yokos as you said have soft side wall but then the profile here is 65 and I dont think its easy to damage a 195/65 profile..

OT: I sense that tyre prices as a whole should come down considering there is lot of brand switching these days among tyres..and people are going for cheaper tyres..

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

Of course, but see it as.. two same compound tyres with different side profile, a 205/40 or 45 will get damaged much more easily than a 205/50 or 55 and a 205 50/55 will get damaged much more easily than a 205/60/65. So the bigger the profile, the better it is if the road conditions are not good. even if you land up in a pothole at good speed, there are very less chances that your tire will bubble if the profile is bigger compared to the same tyre with smaller side profile.



Cedia's stock size is 195/60 R15 and you can upgrade the tyre to 205/55 or 60 R15, or 215/55 or 60 R15. In fact my cousin's cedia is running on 205/55 R16 and still there is no issue.

S-Drives come in 195/55 or 205/55 in R15. Now if you put 205/55 R15 in civic, the overall diameter is reduced from 24.98 inch (205/65 R15) to 23.87 and hence the GC will go for a toss..

So, its better to get a 16 inch alloy and shod 205/55/ R16, which is available in S-Drives and many other performance tyres as well.. Most performance tyres wont have side profiles over 50-55, or max 60 and hence you have to upgrade the alloy too..

I had no problem in getting S drives or dbv550s at 205/65/15 or 205/60/15 sizes.

I had no issues scraping the fender at full lock, I checked before finalising.

I checked the details / specs of the DB 550, they seemed superior compound, quieter tires. Drawback or asset I do not know - they are unidirectional. So if one goes for them one has to tell the 'asses' not to touch the tires during service.

I have S drives on one car and db 550 on the civic. The S drives are also excellent. 550s are a tad quieter, seemed better spec'd and were only some 1k more for set of 4 so I opted for them. The increased profile and softer sidewalls also seems to help cushion the suspension. This is a real boon in these days of million potholes. My car has not developed any new rattles at all in spite of being a tad reckless at times. Helping my poor back as well.

The higher profile does seem a bit odd and initial feel is that handling is impacted slightly, but superior grip of the 205 more than makes up (not yet had even tire squeal at some insane cornering) and more important the increased GC allows me to treat any speed breaker with contempt.

Due to the 205s, the steering does become slightly stiffer and one has to be careful not to turn when on standstill to ensure power steering is not stressed. But I actually love the slightly heavier feel of the steering. A small speedo / odo error will be there as OD has changed.

With the OEM Bridgestones, low speed ride was quite appalling from day one. Not so with these Yokos. Car feels well planted and even more so at higher speeds. Should have probably done this upgrade a couple of years earlier.

I have however maintained a slight lower pressure - 30 as against 32 suggested. Highway maintain 34. Getting older, comfort is more important...

I hope the above helps all you guys and explains why I am so happy with them. But I am sure same would apply to the Michelins or S drives in 205/65/15 or reasonably other good brand.

[manim]

Finished 90K Service.
Car is silky smooth as usual.
No (major) problems what-so-ever in over 4.2 years of ownership.

bill-break-up:
Synthetic oil - 3,095
Oil filter - 190
Washer - 19
Labour 90K service - 1,191
Wheel alignment - 441
Wheel balancing (4 no.s) - 441

Total - Rs.5,377 (including taxes).


FE on highways is an impressive 14 to 16 kmpl.

[spadix]

Originally Posted by manim

Finished 90K Service.

And our man(im) continues to rack up the miles!

Way to go, manim.

Originally Posted by manim

Total - Rs.5,377 (including taxes).

FE on highways is an impressive 14 to 16 kmpl.

While we pay through the nose initially, this is where we laugh our way to the bank with the Civic compared to petrols even a segment below.

Regards,
spadix

[manim]

@sgiitk had posted earlier on faster wear of brake-pads on an AT.
I am proud of myself that after 50K kms my front-pads may still do another 10K.

I mostly drive on highways, and have trained myself to (subconsciously) avoid using the brakes as much as possible. This also give me great FE.

However I have to do a lot of ghat driving (my children are studying in Ooty) so when coming down the hills cannot avoid heavy use of brakes. (I have climbed the Ooty hills 59 times in 4.2 years).

[spadix]

First of all, Sandeep, thanks a lot for the very informative post!

Originally Posted by sandeep108

With the OEM Bridgestones, low speed ride was quite appalling from day one. Not so with these Yokos. Car feels well planted and even more so at higher speeds. Should have probably done this upgrade a couple of years earlier.

I resisted the urge for a tyre upgrade when I bought the car. Lack of Vit M was the reason. I think the stock tyres sell for around 1.5-2k each if you sell them without using them.

By the way I didn't know the Civic used Bridgestone as well as an OEM partner. I thought it was only Goodyear (NCT5) and Michelin (Energy MXV8). That's what I see these days. Which Bridgestones did they use OEM?

Originally Posted by sandeep108

I have however maintained a slight lower pressure - 30 as against 32 suggested. Highway maintain 34. Getting older, comfort is more important...

I forgot what the manual recommends for the 205 size. Is it 32? 30 is default for the 195 size.

I've heard that some suspension bits can get damaged if tyres run on higher pressure. On smooth tar-road highways such as the NH7 that should be a non-issue, I think.

Regards,
spadix

[vasoo]

I have Michelin PLC 205/65 R15 for more than a year and I am delighted with the comfort, silence and grip. Never even had a flat tyre yet with lots of driving of really bad roads. I upgraded the low beam bulbs to Philips Extreme Power and that's much better than stock.