[kpzen]

Originally Posted by ramkris

1. Higher rolling resistance
2. lowered fuel economy
3. And most important part - the cost differential from stock tyre to the upsize
4. Will a good quality stock size tyre compared to a wider tyre the contact patch must be the same due the higher tyre pressure required on a lower profile tyre, negating most of the cornering/performance/braking aspects.
5. Ride comfort is better on a higher profile tyre due to the sidewall being bigger to take most of the impacts, with swift ride being on the harder side.

ramkris,

frankly, u are thinking too much.

Even i believe "Stock is Reliable" but the stock tires are mostly crappy so always try to upgrade (same dia but better tires) first and then think about upsizing (+1 or +2 rim size and tires both ).

Originally Posted by ramkris

If it is life threatening infact as being said, then Maruti would obviously need to be summoned to do a rethink on its strategy on its stock tyre size, isnt it.

True. but i doubt if they undergo rigorous testing for approval.
Mostly manufacturers have a target of somehow achieving the minimum possible requirement.

Originally Posted by ramkris

So now, are there still any recommendations for a better quality options for stock tyre size in a Swift Vdi. Or should I still go for an upsize.

Safest and the best option : 185/70-14

Originally Posted by arjunrudra

Yes lucky me. And yes the whole thing went into the tire. Still wondering how it went in instead of the tyre just running over it.

Once i found a M800 key, the whole thing inside the tire.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Safest and the best option : 185/70-14



Once i found a M800 key, the whole thing inside the tire.

Safest tyre option? Completely agree.


Key inside the tyre? You kidding me? That blew the lights out of me!! How the hell did that get in

[blackstallion76]

I second @Nikhil views here. Go for 185/70/R14. It would provide you a better grip and good ride quality as well.

Myself using 195/60/R15 CPC2 (Contis). I get 16.5/17 kmpl in city and 21.5/22kmpl on highways.

[sanman18]

Sorry if i am looking dumb. But i have some confusion. As mostly tyre upgrade from 165 width to 185 width. my confusion is that is it necessary to change the rim also as tyre width has increased so in same proportion ,rim width to be increased.

[asethi]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

5). Ride quality:

Yet again you are completely wrong. The 185/70 R14 and the 165/80 R14 will have exactly the ride quality because the sidewall height is almost identical. I have a feeling your reading of tyre sizes is completely wrong. Please do understand what tyre sizes mean by going through The Car Maintenance Bibles . There, go to the tyre bible.

Also, a good quality tyre of 185/70 R14 will give such a massiv improvement on ride quality over the stock JK,s you will be shocked. Size isnt everything. Rubber compound is critical. And the Yokos, Michelins and Continentals come with superior rubber which give oyu a far superior ride quality.

I reckon that after using Michelin for last 10K+ kms. There is a significant noticable difference in ride quality compared to stock JKs.
And for the mileage difference, it's hardly 0.5 to 1 kmpl in city and ignorable on highways. I get 14-16 with AC in the city and anywhere between 18-21 on the highways mostly with AC.

[sachinj12]

Originally Posted by sachinj12

Using 185/70 R14 tyres on 5" rims only. No problems whatsoever. You can go ahead without worries.

Originally Posted by sanman18

my confusion is that is it necessary to change the rim also as tyre width has increased so in same proportion ,rim width to be increased.

This should answer your query.

[ramkris]

From Page 169 (12-3) of the swift Vdi user manual, the Rim size specifications as below:

185 tyre: 14 x 5 1/2 JJ
165 tyre: 14 x 5J

Anyway, thanks for all the inputs, even though I dont agree with most of the justifications going for an upgrade.
Such as lower tyre pressure with lower profile. This will cause among other things damage to the rims and suspension.

Also, calculating the price of 4 tyres, its 1/4 cost increase compared to stock size, which is a considerable amount.

Even carbible link says otherwise about the tire pressure. And gives explanation for most of the myths about tire upgrade and performance here Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 4 of 4
gist/excerpts from the page
-------------------------
Holy crap that's complicated. Isn't there a shorter answer?

Yes.
Choose the dimensions of your tyre according to the 'comfort/cornering speed' ratio that suits you. Lower profile/series = more precise cornering. Higher profile/series = more comfort. To increase the contact patch, lower the tyre pressure a little.

-------------------------


So if I want to stick to stock size, all tyres available on stock size for swift are crap isnt it. Is this the reason I am not getting suggestions for an aftermarket brand tyre on the stock size?

[gunner fan]

finally i change the smelly feet - i meant the tyres...

it had been almost 60K on the odometer and i thought it prudent to get the shoes changed. i was juggling between the classic vfm/economy conundrum - a drives, xm1+ and turanzas (er60) - finally settled in for the turanzas.

though it's been only 10 km since the change, i already like the fact that i'm no longer riding on the puny stocks. as far as how the turanzas go, well that'll be one story which will unfold...

damages - 3520 per shoe.
place - t-mart (gurgaon)
experience - so far so good...

[happy_traveller]

i had a bad experience just yesterday. was returning from cousins wedding in the blazing afternoon on the highway when the left rear tyre of my 2 yrs swift zxi (stock 185/70R14, 16K on the odo) just busted open on the highway when i was doing around 80 speed. it deflated completely with a 2 inch tear on the side wall. could have hit a stone or something sharp, but there was no foreign object embedded in the rubber. the road was new black top (medchal highway, close to cineplanet). the tyre is almost new - its the spare which i rotated and brought in use at 10K. tyre repair guy told to put tube and use it as a spare. the dealer where i went to buy the tube saw the damage and told the tyre is useless. the tyre swallowed an entire 3 inch screwdriver. its just unbelievable that an almost new tyre just busted open. Desperately wanted to go in for Michelin or Yoko of same size but since the other 4 tyres are in really good shape, had to go in for the same JK Vectra. Costed 3300 Rs including balancing & mounting.

Could under-inflation cause such problems? also it was blazing hot in the afternoon.

[Nikhilb2008]

happy traveller --- That is indeed scary. The reasons could be varied and many.

A large nail, a large piece of glass, a huge chunk of metal, anything could have caused the tyre to rip open. It doesnt look like a case of underinflation though.

[arjunrudra]

Originally Posted by happy_traveller

i had a bad experience just yesterday. was returning from cousins wedding in the blazing afternoon on the highway when the left rear tyre of my 2 yrs swift zxi (stock 185/70R14, 16K on the odo) just busted open on the highway when i was doing around 80 speed. it deflated completely with a 2 inch tear on the side wall. could have hit a stone or something sharp, but there was no foreign object embedded in the rubber. the road was new black top (medchal highway, close to cineplanet). the tyre is almost new - its the spare which i rotated and brought in use at 10K. tyre repair guy told to put tube and use it as a spare. the dealer where i went to buy the tube saw the damage and told the tyre is useless. the tyre swallowed an entire 3 inch screwdriver. its just unbelievable that an almost new tyre just busted open. Desperately wanted to go in for Michelin or Yoko of same size but since the other 4 tyres are in really good shape, had to go in for the same JK Vectra. Costed 3300 Rs including balancing & mounting.

Could under-inflation cause such problems? also it was blazing hot in the afternoon.

Its probably something like what happened to me. Check out the previous page. It also happened to me at around the same time at the same speed also , probably a little more.
Have put up photos also of the incident.

[Fountainheader]

I am looking for options in 195/60/R15.

I guess the following are available
Yoko - ADrives and CDrives
Mich - Primacy LC
Conti - CPC2
Apollo - Acelere
Bridgestone - Turanza ER60
BFG - Sport

Primary need is comfort .. and also a decent bit for grip. Road noise can be tolerated since the car wont be doing high speeds, and its primarily for city driving.

What are the likely costs for these ?

[Nikhilb2008]

For comfort, go in for the Primacy LC or the C drive. Both will be excellent given your requirements.

If not that, then go in for the CPC2. But nothing else.

[mTorque]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

For comfort, go in for the Primacy LC or the C drive. Both will be excellent given your requirements.

If not that, then go in for the CPC2. But nothing else.

Hi Nikhil,
What is your opinion about Pirelli tyres? one of my friend got this for this Accent (R14/185) for Rs. 3.4K per tyre. The tyre dealer said they are good.

[fine69]

Hey bhpians, I am currently running michelin xm1+ 185/70 R14 on stock rims on my swift ldi. I was planning to upgrade to alloys and had a few questions around it
1. Swift stock rim is 5.5J so what width should I be looking at in the alloys I purchase? 6J or 6.5J or would it remain at 5.5J?
2. If the width is going to be 6J or more would it make the tyres look a little more fat than they already are? Please say yes
3. I was planning to visit BK Tyres (lajpat nagar, delhi) for getting the alloys. Would you recommend any other place where I could get good R14 alloys. BTW I am looking for white ones (5 spoke or more) for my white swift.

Something to consider before you suggest anything. The tyres have only done 4k so at least for another year or so I wouldn't be looking at an upgrade but if I plan to upgrade to 195s (r14 only, can't compromise on suspension going bad or ride comfort) later I would be very happy if the same alloys work with them too.