@np23 - thanks !
When I bought the car, I had planned on just 3 things. Sunfilm, ICE and a tyre change. The first two had been done in week 1 and 2 respectively. Week 3 (today) I changed the tyres.
The stock Michelin Energy MXV8 195/65/15s (dated 4309, Made in Thailand) were replaced with Yokohama AVS dB V550 205/60/15s (dated 4809, Made in Japan).
The MXV8s are good tyres. So why did I change. Ummm, not entirely sure
! Maybe I just wanted 205 tyres !!
I was ok with the sliiiiight decrease in GC with 205/60, given that >95% of my commute is on decent roads. But certainly did not want an increase in GC, which would have happened with 205/65.
The options in this size for grippy (good in dry and wet) yet comfy, silent tyres are limited. I was given the following options.
Pirelli P6000 - Around 5K
Yoko ES501 - Around 5K
Yoko ES100 - 4.8K
Yoko V550 - 5.15K
Bridgestone Potenza GIII - 5.4K
BFG G-sport - 5.5K
Conti CPC2 - 5.5K (learnt of this at the last moment)
Michelin XM1+ (didn't ask price)
Michelin PS3 (Nikhil says will come end of the year - too late)
Michelin PP2 (tried a lot - did not get them)
The Pirelli and ES501 did not have good reviews in wet weather. The GIII, BFG and ES100 would be noisy after a while. Came to know of CPC2 availability too late in the day and also general opinion seemed to indicate that CPC2 and V550 were more or less at par. So by a process of elimination I decided on the V550. It also helped that I liked the tread pattern over the MXV8 as well as the CPC2 and that these tyres have got favourable reviews for decent performance both in dry and wet conditions at the same time being pretty silent too.
Got in touch with Yoko Delhi. They gave me the number of the Sales Manager here (Arijit). Extremely helpful guy. He arranged for the tyres to be sent to a dealer near me. Got a fair exchange price of 3K for each of the MXV8s (they had run around 750kms). A pair of CAT shades free. Deal struck yesterday evening, tyres fitted today evening. Needed 150gms of weights in total for balancing.
I drove a total of 20kms in the dry. Took her upto 130kmph. Solid. The balancing concern I had earlier has now been resolved. Thankfully (both for the heat in Calcutta and the new tyres) there were heavy rains in the evening. So drove another 15kms while it was pouring - wiper was at max speed. Touched 80ish quite a few times. Went through standing water. Did not for once feel any hint of aquaplaning. Felt extremely confident.
Since I've used the MXV8s for only 750kms and that too mostly sedate driving and never in the wet, I'm not really in a position to compare the 2. But whatever little I drove today, I'm happy with the V550s.
Oh and I must add that while getting through to Yoko people were a breeze, I tried calling the Michelin helpline mentioned on their website, all day. And it never got answered - repeatedly went into voicemail.
Here are some snaps.
MXV8 vs V550.
Note how the 195 Mich looks as wide if not wider than the 205 Yoko. The Mich seems to have a more 'bulging' sidewall, making it look wider. The Yoko, although with a 1cm wider contact patch, has near flat sidewalls.
Does this sidewall bulge happen due to usage? Or are Mich's like this? I recall I had a discussion with @razor that Michelins tend to look as wide as other brands one size wider.
After the wet run.