[anoshdhondy]

Hello BHPians,
Have been an avid follower of TBHP for close to 2 years now and have depended a great deal on a various posts. Now I was wondering if you guys could give me a feedback on a query of mine.

Among the cars I own are a 1957 FIAT and a 2003 TCIC Safari EX 4x4 and as far as the bike dept goes I have a pocket rocket 1986 IND SUZUKI AX100.

My query today focuses on the Safari. Let there be no bones about it I love the car no end and somehow what irritates others about the Safari make it even more endearing to me( viz the fact that the electricals have a mind of it's own).
I had been using Bridgestone Duelers ( tubeless) for close to 3 years and though the tread was still fine the rubber had gone soft which apart from making the car all slouchy at a standstill also started to affect the cornering speeds which I was accustomed to ( to give an idea for those who know the WAi ghat that leadds to pune for my Dad and me it is a 7 to 8 minute run as opposewd to the normal 18 to 20 minutes that it takes some folks) I see a corner and instinctively the right foot flexes down .

Anyways when my dad when to change the tyres ( at international tyres opera house ,Mumbai) he gave us the option of the Yokohamas as he was out of bridgestones and we could not afford to spare another day as the next day the car would be back on the road the next day.

I came to Bombay aq few weeks later and the first thing i noticeds that the Naming of the tyres in white outlining made the car look much better.
That same weekend took it to our weekend house at Alibag and there the disappointment started.
From south Bombay right uptill panvel it was fine ,infact i even mentioned to dad that it felt that the tyres were soaking a lot more bumps and ruts that filtered through the bridgestones but once i got on the twisty karnala sections it felt all woolly and detached. Now i know that the Safari does not rate as a good handler by a majority car users and experts but having been driving the same car for the past 5 years i have a certain connection with the car and was always confident while pushing it beyond what it was deemd by some to be safe. With the yokos though i was holding back ,i felt too much side wall flex while cornering and the whole driving experience was floaty and frankly weird.

So my main point is that i am looking forward to hearing from other people who have used or are currently using these tyres and would like to know if it's just me or is it a trait of yokos

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by anoshdhondy

From south Bombay right uptill panvel it was fine ,infact i even mentioned to dad that it felt that the tyres were soaking a lot more bumps and ruts that filtered through the bridgestones but once i got on the twisty karnala sections it felt all woolly and detached. Now i know that the Safari does not rate as a good handler by a majority car users and experts but having been driving the same car for the past 5 years i have a certain connection with the car and was always confident while pushing it beyond what it was deemd by some to be safe. With the yokos though i was holding back ,i felt too much side wall flex while cornering and the whole driving experience was floaty and frankly weird.

So my main point is that i am looking forward to hearing from other people who have used or are currently using these tyres and would like to know if it's just me or is it a trait of yokos

Are you running the tyres at the right PSI? I feel you may have under-inflated the tyres, your comment about better comfort ride makes me think that.

Were your earlier ones HT tyres? As you may know, HT has more contact patch and grip than AT tyres on tarmac.

[AVR]

I use the same tyres (Geolandar ATS) on the same vehicle (Safari 2004 EX 4x4).

My view: I think its one of the best options for the Safari and I have felt much more comfortable on fast/sharp turns with the Yokos than with the earlier Ceats. Especially when its raining or long winding turns where I could actually hear the Ceats skidding a bit. Yokos have inspired a lot of confidence. I don't think you should worry about handling/turns as long as you are pushing it within limits of the vehicle. Have used them for 35K+ Kms so far and no issues so far (just 1 small puncture induced to offroading over some thorns!)

If you feel too much sidewall flex they are probably under-inflated. Check on that. Also, one of the reasons for shifting to the 235/70R16 from the older 235/75R15 with the Dicor Safari was to afford better handling (lower profile) as compared to the earlier (higher profile) tyres for the same overall diameter (approximately). Nevertheless, nothing to worry with what we guys use!

[anoshdhondy]

Sorry did not pay much attention to the earlier tyres " bridgestone duelers"'

Originally Posted by Samurai

Are you running the tyres at the right PSI? I feel you may have under-inflated the tyres, your comment about better comfort ride makes me think that.

Were your earlier ones HT tyres? As you may know, HT has more contact patch and grip than AT tyres on tarmac.

The tyres are at the right PSI thats for sure. As I mentioned it is not there there is any loss of grip as such just the fact that the car feels more "how do I put this" WAVY? no wait FLOATY like a mashed potato. the Bridgestone Duelers I had earlier were more crisp Potato wafers ( trying to be a bit jeremy Clarkson and failing miserably)

Originally Posted by AVR

I use the same tyres (Geolandar ATS) on the same vehicle (Safari 2004 EX 4x4).

My view: I think its one of the best options for the Safari and I have felt much more comfortable on fast/sharp turns with the Yokos than with the earlier Ceats. Especially when its raining or long winding turns where I could actually hear the Ceats skidding a bit. Yokos have inspired a lot of confidence. I don't think you should worry about handling/turns as long as you are pushing it within limits of the vehicle. Have used them for 35K+ Kms so far and no issues so far (just 1 small puncture induced to offroading over some thorns!)

If you feel too much sidewall flex they are probably under-inflated. Check on that. Also, one of the reasons for shifting to the 235/70R16 from the older 235/75R15 with the Dicor Safari was to afford better handling (lower profile) as compared to the earlier (higher profile) tyres for the same overall diameter (approximately). Nevertheless, nothing to worry with what we guys use!

[Jaggu]

What size are the Geo's? Same size as OE duelers? Tyre pressure are you maintaining the same pressure as company recommended?

In an older tyre since the rubber gets harder one would tend to keep lesser pressure but in a new tyre this would be low and can lead to floating nature. Now comes the obvious question of using the right pressure gauge, always try the electronic ones and do try it with one or two such equipments to rule out any errors.

Also hope you would have done a complete wheel alignment done and done a health check up of suspension and steering components for any undue wear. All these will be highlighted when one moves to a new rubber.

Dont rule out the running in of tyres also, they do take 500-1000 kms to reveal the complete characteristics, generally the time that takes the injection dye to wear off.

But at the end, Geo's are AT=All terrain and as far as i know, Duellers are HT=Highway tyres aka regular road tyres??

[anoshdhondy]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

What size are the Geo's? Same size as OE duelers? Tyre pressure are you maintaining the same pressure as company recommended?

In an older tyre since the rubber gets harder one would tend to keep lesser pressure but in a new tyre this would be low and can lead to floating nature. Now comes the obvious question of using the right pressure gauge, always try the electronic ones and do try it with one or two such equipments to rule out any errors.

Also hope you would have done a complete wheel alignment done and done a health check up of suspension and steering components for any undue wear. All these will be highlighted when one moves to a new rubber.

Dont rule out the running in of tyres also, they do take 500-1000 kms to reveal the complete characteristics, generally the time that takes the injection dye to wear off.

But at the end, Geo's are AT=All terrain and as far as i know, Duellers are HT=Highway tyres aka regular road tyres??

I think you are right about the Duelers ,they were HT (which would explain why they were better for on road use) .As to the point about the suspension et al ...no prbs in that dept all fine there ,tyre pressure is maintined with our own gauge ( it's not the needle type but the one in which a scale juts out ) and also the pumps I fill up at do have the electronic one....As to the running in point ...that is a valid one I feel but it is way past the kms you have indicated ,they have now done about 3000 kms .
I feel it boils down to the fact that the Yokos are AT ( which are made to do well on and off road ) while the Bridgestones were HT ( which are more suited for on road)

I think that I may also be being a bit unfair to the Yokos it could just be ( and I think it is ) that I have to change my driving style and and angle of attack in the corners ,it could be I haver got used to the Duelers which I have used for 5 years and I passed a poor judgement on the Yokos after driving for just 90-100 kms