Team-BHP - Maruti Suzuki Swift : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread

Hi Guys,

what do you think are the best tyre upgrade options for the swift, i'm planning to go for a Swift Vxi ABS and i was told that they come with 165/80 R 14 Tubeless tyres, with normal rims.

It would be great if someone could walk me through the possible options and also the approx pricing. I'm looking to upgrade to 185/70 R 14's.

What do you think of 195/60R15? It has practically the same OD as the 185/70R14 which is the stock size on the Swift ZXi model. Would 195/60R15 compromise the ride too badly for Bangalore roads?

Quote:

What do you think of 195/60R15? It has practically the same OD as the 185/70R14 which is the stock size on the Swift ZXi model. Would 195/60R15 compromise the ride too badly for Bangalore roads?

Yeah 195/60 is also fine. As long as the aspect ratio doesn't go below 60 it's ok. 55 and below will provide a bit harsher ride and might even need the suspenssion to be replaced to handle the low profile.

Shan2nu

Thanx Shan,

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Does that mean that 165/80's will gimme a better ride than 185/70's would ?

could someone also tell me which brand to go for and the approx pricing.

Quote:

Does that mean that 165/80's will gimme a better ride than 185/70's would ?

If you're considering the same tyre brand and model then yes. 165/80 is more comfort oriented than 185/70 as it allows the sidewalls to flex when you hit a pothole or stone, reducing the effect of a jarring ride.

But, the same can't be said about other brands or models. I upgraded from 175/65 R14 Bridgestone S322s' to 195/60 R14 Bridgestone GIIIs but, interestingly, the ride quality has improve, the car rides better on bad roads.

Shan2nu

165mm tyres on a car that has as much power as a lancer is quite useless. Your making a smart and obvious move by upgrading the tyres to keep it in control. I would suggest a higher profile as compared to a bigger rim size as these small cars tend to get very bouncy in the rear seat and a higher profile would cushion the ride.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

185/70 R14 or 195/70 R14. U can even go in for 15" wheels. 185/65 R15 isn't that bad cos the aspect ratio is still good for ride comfort and handling.

Something I don't understand here. Suppose we upgrade from 185/70R14 to 185/65R15. Since the width of the tire (185mm) is the same in both cases, won't the contact patch of the tire with the road be the same size? In that case, how will the upgrade make a difference in the grip and handling of the car? :confused:

Quote:

That's bcos the sidewall is being reduced. 70 aspect ratioactually means 70% of 185mm and 65 is 65% of 185mm.

Ok let me give u a better example. Imagine a normal bus and a double decker. Both have the same lenght and width but, do you think the double decker will be able to handle as well as the normal bus? No, it won't bcoz it has a higher aspect ratio than the normal bus.

Similarly, low profile tyres don't just have a lower sidewall but these tyres are designed to withstand higher lateral forces without deformation or flexing of the sidewalls.

It's not just the profile but also way these tyres are made.

Shan2nu

ummmmm,
shantanu you forgot a very very important thing: WEIGHT AND G_FORCE they play a major role in this toooo....
better footprint with a right aspect ratio even if it is larger or smaller than stock OD will improve the handling of any vehicle "provided ample space available for an upsize"

higher the weight ,lower the tire profile and a wider footprint = Better Handling

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman91

better footprint with a right aspect ratio even if it is larger or smaller than stock OD will improve the handling of any vehicle "provided ample space available for an upsize"

Hmmm iceman. Would the Swift have the space for an upsize to 195/65R15? :confused:

This would increase the OD from 614.6 mm to 634.5 mm, and the speedo error would be 3.2 % slower than the actual speed.