[jay3sh]

Overall diameter is same for both 185/60 R15 and 175/80 R14

Did not understand this. R15 would have a radius 15 inches and R14 would have a radius of 14 inches, an inch smaller in radius. incorrect?

[techiecal]

Originally Posted by jay3sh

Did not understand this. R15 would have a radius 15 inches and R14 would have a radius of 14 inches, an inch smaller in radius. incorrect?

Not exactly, there is a difference of 1.28 inches in diameter because 175/80 R14 works out to 25.02 inches whereas 185/60 R15 works out to 23.74 inches.
To see how:
In the first case 175 mm is the width of the tire and 80 is the aspect ratio so,
175 X 80/100 =height of the tire from rim to tread in mm.=140 =5.51 inches

So twice this height (for both sides of the tire) = 11.02 + 14 = 25.02
Similarly for 185/60 R15 you will get 23.74

Furthermore you should not be using a tube in a tubeless tire as there is a chance of air pockets forming which may be dangerous at speeds. It may be done as an emergency measure only. Get the punctures repaired as soon as possible.

[m_upreti]

Originally Posted by kspv

Sometime later, I also replaced the standard screw jack with a Rs.1,000/- Hydraulic Bottle Jack I found for sale online. I was later told that a Hydraulic Bottle Jack always needs to be kept upright, or else air may enter its hydraulic system and render it useless.

I don't think this is true, in my Scorpio, hydraulic bottle jack is provided as a standard accessory and it is housed under the front passenger seat in a horizontal position.

[alexgv]

Guys, need help/tips.
I have a 2 year old innova just show up with a flat tyre(Rear left side) when parked over night. The tyres had never been changed.
Had changed tyres for Ford fiesta/Alto earlier..this one is super heavy tyre though..
Got the stepney out.
I loosened the nuts on the puncture tyre.
Lifted up the vehicle with bottle jack provide. Removed the nuts.
All good so far.
Then the tyre just refused to budge. Ofcourse Innova tyres are heavy and I go to Gym looks like I need more workout!
It just refuses to move..I had to put the nuts back on and try again in the evening. Looking for tips on how to loosen the tyre..any help appreciated!!
thanks.

[alexgv]

Got some clues from:
http://autorepair.about.com/od/quick..._lug_break.htm
Will report back if that also did not help..

Originally Posted by alexgv

Looking for tips on how to loosen the tyre..any help appreciated!!
thanks.

[ssambyal1980]

Thanks for an informative and useful thread. Would like to add that one should always carry a square wooden plank of a minimum size of 6" by 6" and with a thickness of at least 1cm. This will come in handy when the ground is too soft to place the jack. In such a scenario the wooden plank will come in handy as it will evenly spread out the weight of vehicle lifted on the jack, over a large area, thereby preventing the jack from burying into the ground.

[sriram.raghavan]

I have been changing spare wheels and rotating wheels since the time I was a teenager. I have done it for a lot of different cars (dad's premier padmini, my ikon etc). However, when I tried replacing the spare wheel for my XUV recently, I could not even remove the lug nuts using the factory wrench. I literally stood and danced on the wrench, doing a simple math (65 Kg * 10 N * 0.5 mts wrench) I was putting 325 Nm of torque and the nuts did not budge. I decided to then go and get a longer GI pipe (pic attached below).


With this pipe, I was able to open the wheel nuts but the wheel itself did not come out. I finally had to get the friendly neighborhood puncture shop boy, he brought a huge hammer(with padding) along and hammered the wheel out. I could see a lot of rust on the wheel wherever it came in contact with the wheel hub. The puncture boy told me that the jamming often happens with alloy wheels.

I would advice all XUV 500 owners to carry an air compressor, a one meter GI pipe, a hammer with padding. I have bought one air compressor (michelin, pic attached).



My car is Dec 2013 model and the wheel has been rotated during services.

[drmohitg]

My BMW 320d recently got a puncture and I encountered a funny moment at the puncture repair shop ( a proper JK tyre dealer and not a roadside shop). There as confusion as to what should be the position of the gear in an AT car when you are about to take off the tyre? Should it be in "P" or "N' mode? Also should the handbrake be engaged or not? The repair shop guy first suggested me very confidently to put the car in N. Now the funny thing is when he lifted the car up on the jack ( it was the right rear tyre) and rotated the tyre manually to check for the puncture site, the tyre kept moving and never came to a standstill. He got confused and then re-confirmed with me if the car is in N position. I finally had to use the brakes to stop the tyre from rotating and then put the transmission in P and then we repaired the puncture.

So what is the correct procedure to follow here?

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

... Should it be in "P" or "N' mode? Also should the handbrake be engaged or not?...
So what is the correct procedure to follow here?

"P" with the hand brakes engaged.

I am not sure why the mechanic would suggest or even think otherwise.

[arun_112]

Most of the puncture wallas will puncture good tubes and tyres and then try to repair multiple punctures or force you to buy tube.

They will also damage the valves and sell it for Rs 200.

You will never get multiple punctures in a tube or a tyre at one time. Such incidents should be seriously reported to the nearest police station.

**************************************

Originally Posted by jay3sh

Mom's Polo highline (R15 alloys with R14 steel rim spare tyre) front left tyre got a flat while driving Thane Pune. She thought of getting it repaired on highway around Baner. The fellow said there were multiple punctures (8-10), mom called me after he had already done 8. I thought something is fishy and asked her to just get the flat tyre replaced with Stepney and come back to Thane, I will take care of the puncture here. The puncture repair guy in Thane has got a tube fixed in it and switched with the rear opposite tyre. Anyone else done this? Is it safe for highways, using a tube in tubeless tyre?
Next, the tyre is 185/60 R15 while the tube he installed is 175/80 R14. He says it will expand itself and won't cause a problem. You comments on this?

[Surprise]

Originally Posted by kspv

3. A 'bit' for removing the wheel-nuts,

Once I got stuck in Ladakh as I was not able to loosen the wheel nuts to replace the spare tyre....it got slipped few times & the nut edges lost its shape. Have to find a welder to cut it open which costed me 2 days & the vehicle left at no mans land

A tool like one in the below link may come handy..anyone using such a tool?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eF_ketzhgc

[Mr. Nobody]

Changing a tire is a real pain and time taking task especially when you are stranded and its hot. What makes it worse is the tool given by my car company is designed such that one needs to do a lot of manual work. The jack used by the puncture repairmen is so easy and within a minute one can lift the car. However on research i see many different designs available so not sure which one to get and from where to get? The ones on amazon have a lot of mixed reviews. For something like this buying offline seems better.

Examples:https://www.amazon.in/dp/B06W2HNFPH/..._GzB6BbMBVAKMY

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0158OYLNO/..._kAB6BbDWFZ0PK

[MSC]

Both the types of Jacks i.e. bottle Jack as well as the other variety have got own disadvantages as well.
1. The bottle jack type is easy to store and does not occupies much space in the trunk. However these types have stability issues. The bottle jacks used by buses and trucks have a strong and wide base on which these heavy vehicles lift off. But the ones as mentioned in Amazon is having somewhat narrow base and may or may not give a stable lift off.
2. The other types is stable and gives good lift but has a major con. Such small jacks come in plastic boxes which occupy more space in trunk. Also, you have to have some sort of support for the plastic box other wise it will keep moving here and there in moving vehicle and create unnecessary noises.
If you have got a sub woofer nstalled in trunk, it's just a good bye for luggage space as you won't be left with much space in a hatch.

P.S. I am using the second type of jack and have got sub installed as well. No space except for a small bag.
Whatever type of jack you intend to buy, just have a look in local motor market. When I bought it 2 years ago, it retailed for 1600 bucks on Amazon & Flipkart. But got it for 1200 in Chandigarh motor market. Don't bother much for quality as most of them are Chinese made and it's just difference of stickers and nothing else.

[Jeroen]

I have amongst a few other types, these two very two jacks in my garage.

The bottle jack always comes with us on longer drives and tours across Europe. I also carry some pieces of wood to provide stability on the ground and or against the chassis.

The other jack is just to cumbersome to bring with me in the car.

When you use the bottle jack make sure to keep the car in gear and on the handbrake and put something in front and behind the wheels to prevent any movement of the vehicle. Whatever you do, never ever get underneath a car just on a jack, no matter what jack. Always uses axle stands for those jobs requiring you to get underneath.

Jeroen

[Mr. Nobody]

Thank you for the comments. I am fine with the space gone from trunk as its always empty anyway. The box can be secured using those nets you get. The second type looks better to me too but at Rs 1700 it is quite expensive. I tried a few shops locally but none had this in Gurgaon. I assume locally will be cheaper as such heavy things involve a fair shipping cost added in price online.