[deetjohn]

I saw an advertisement in the newspaper today on the new performance tyre from MRF called the Z.L.O.



The available Sizes as per the official website are

• 185/70 R14 88 T
• 195/60 R14 86 H
• 195/60 R15 88 H
• 255/55 R18 109 V

Has anyone come across these tyres? Any idea on the performance, availability and the cost for these tyres?

Edit: Some websites say the price ranges from Rs. 7800 to 20000. Then, Z.L.O better be good.

[akshay4587]

7800 to 20K,that means 7.8K might be for 14" size,which is daylight robbery IMHO,unless the tyres are really exceptional.
btw Z LO,sounds like J.LO

[BANDHAV]

I highly doubt that above stated pricing is right, while most of other brands retails their tyres in the same sizes at a considerably lower price.

For example, 185/70 R14:

Yokohama MRP Bridgestone MRP Michelin MRP
4230 4553 5106

PS: Man, what name for the tyre? Z.LO, every time these tryres will be discussed, we will end up with a sweet smile.

[pjbiju]

The cost of 185/70 R14 at Pune is Rs. 4000 (MRP 4500). No idea about how good or bad these are.

[greenhorn]

wonder how they compare with the apollo accelere sportz

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

The cost of 185/70 R14 at Pune is Rs. 4000 (MRP 4500). No idea about how good or bad these are.

That price is more like it. And this was Michelin XM1+ territory some 6 months back. Any idea whats the cost for 195/60 R15?

With the stupid ISI ruling, getting a good performance tyre at a competitive rate is very hard now a days. The Apollo Acelere came out and positively surprised us. Hope MRF does better as they are the followers into the performance market.

[Nikhilb2008]

Let me write all I know about these tyres down here.

Prices in Bangalore are:

185/70-14: 3850
195/60-14: 4150
195/60-15: 4650
255/55-18: 18,750

Comparison with Michelin and Yoko:

Michelin:

185/70-14: 4675
195/60-14: 5600
195/60-15: 5800 (Primacy LC)

Yokohama

185/70-14: 4100
195/60-14: 4700 (A Drives) and 4850 for ES100s
195/60-15: 4700 (A drives)

I fit a set of these in 195/60-14 on my Getz 1.3. I was using Advan Neovas till now. The Neovas are still in great shape but I just wanted to try these new performance tyres from MRF.

So as you can see, MRF will kill the competition with the pricing if the tyre is good.

My initial impressions:

Very soft. They do not feel like MRFs. It feels like any other Michelin or Yoko. It feels softer than the A drives to be honest. The sidewall is also soft. This feels and looks like a tyre which will perform as well as the Yokos and the Michelins and will also be as easy to damage! I dont expect this MRF to last 50-70k kms! I also think this sidewall will get damaged if you hit a pothole at high speed.

The ride quality is really really soft. My old tyres, the AD07s, are known to be very hard but these are really soft. They really glide over broken roads and absorb the bumps very well. The cat-eyes on the BETL expressway make a racket when my AD07s go over them but with the MRFs, even that is reduced substantially.

I have been driving on the same roads I drive on regularly and the ride overall seems to be much much better.

Ride Quality: HUGE HUGE improvement over regular MRFs. Right up there with Yokos and Michelins. Probably not as good as the Michelins but I'm very confident it can match the Yokos.

Silence: Very silent. I dont have too many things to say about this as tyre noise is never a factor for me.

Braking:

I made sure the BETL expressway was empty behind me and then accelerated to 80 kmph and stood on the brakes. They brake very fast. They hold the road well but there is a major tendency to wiggle about. My Neovas held their line and braked in a straight line. With the MRFs, I could feel the back starting to let go a little bit. The car needed a firm grip on the steering wheel. The shocking aspect was this: I didnt feel the ABS kicking in! That means the tyres are genuinely holding onto the road!

Cornering: Grips well. Havent pushed it as much as I would like but in the 2 corners I did take, the MRFs were extremely good. Obviously not as stable as the AD07s but they held their line without too much drama. Absolutely NO squealing.

I'll be going to the airport tomorrow morning and there is one lovely curve on the way back which is usually deserted. Will try the tyres there and report back.



Conclusion:
I cannot believe MRF has made tyres which are actually this soft and grippy.

I know a lot of people will be skeptical and it's understandable. I would be too if I didnt have access to so many tyres. I would hesitate to plonk down money on these tyres as well. However, now, I'm beginning to change my mind. They look like nice tyres which might actually work for most of us enthusiasts. I honestly didnt think I would be saying this about MRF tyres, but there you go!

[bala80]

Excellent review, thank you very much Nikhil. I'm in the market for 195/60/15 C drives and looks like this is a very good contender for the yoko's. How do you think it will compare against the C-drives and if you get a chance please report on the wet grip of these tyres as well.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Conclusion:
I cannot believe MRF has made tyres which are actually this soft and grippy.

I know a lot of people will be skeptical and it's understandable. I would be too if I didnt have access to so many tyres. I would hesitate to plonk down money on these tyres as well. However, now, I'm beginning to change my mind. They look like nice tyres which might actually work for most of us enthusiasts. I honestly didnt think I would be saying this about MRF tyres, but there you go!

[theMAG]

Nikhil,

Nice review.

1. How does the manufacturing quality look - any bulges etc noticed like elsewhere? Or is it too early to comment ?
2. Wet handling/braking?

[Nikhilb2008]

Wet handling and braking is something I cant comment on right now. It was pouring in Bangalore all along and stopped the day I got these new tyres!

Manufacturing quality is superb for an MRF and right up there with the imported tyres.

I dont know if I can compare these with the C drives directly as I dont have access to a car with C drives. I can only compare these with the Neovas and knowing how far ahead of the competition the Neovas are, I can give my opinion.

[deetjohn]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Let me write all I know about these tyres down here.

Thank You Nikhilb2008 for an elaborate review. So, MRF has the right product and very favorable market conditions.

2 questions.

1. Does it make sense to swap the OEM MRF ZVTV with the Z.L.O? I am looking for 195/60 R15 tyres. Performance, ride quality and robustness are the criteria.
2. How soft is the Z.L.O sidewall when compared the XM1+? I have used XM1+ and found it to be appropriate for my usage. The ride is good and the sidewall is not vulnerable as well.

Also if possible, pls post a picture of the actual tyre.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Let me write all I know about these tyres down here.


I cannot believe MRF has made tyres which are actually this soft and grippy.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

1. Does it make sense to swap the OEM MRF ZVTV with the Z.L.O? I

Thanks Nikhil for the excellent review. This is one of the things making us addicted to Team BHP.
OT . Could we have a review of the newish MRF ZVTV as this tyre is OE on the City and New Swift Z series.

[reignofchaos]

I test drove the brio with the ZVTV - its nothing great. Understeer and poor road manners. Just like any other economy mrf. Squeals while cornering even at 60'ish.

I'm gonna dump those tyres the moment I get my brio.

[Nikhilb2008]

I tested the tyres today on my way back from the airport. Bangaloreans will know that while coming back from the airport, there is a road that goes towards Hyderabad.

Unknown road to Unknown road - Google Maps

I usually use this 270 degree curve to test tyres. It's deserted most of the time as the traffic usually goes towards Bangalore.

The ZLOs amazed me. They didnt squeal until pushed really really hard. Even then, they held on very well. Let's not get into what speeds I did but to sum up, I was able to maintain the same speeds I used to do with the Advan Neovas. Except that the Neovas are more stable. By stable, I mean they require less steering corrections while cornering. The MRFs require a little more alertness.

My dad also commented on how much the ride quality has improved in my car.

I havent driven the ZVTVs and so cant comment on it. I think the ZLOs are much better than anything MRF has made till now.

I would like to keep testing these tyres and will keep updating this thread with my thoughts.

[suhaas307]

This is excellent news!

Finally, an Indian manufacturer has stepped up and given us a true, quality product, going by Nikhil's review. Soft, grippy, comfortable over rough roads and hold the road well around corners and under hard braking. Now if MRF prices them competitively, we might see a slight decline in sales of other more expensive tyres.

I will definitely consider these tyres for my next car!

Great job MRF!