[gunner fan]

Originally Posted by gunner fan

Well with service done (and some recovery from $$ damages) I did reach out to couple of known tyre folks in Gurgaon. What I learnt is as follows:
1) these guys dont have 15" rims for the rapid and dnt think it can be sourced
2) with no upsize in rim possible, the choice of tyre size is down to 185/70 (+2.3% diameter variance) or 195/65 (1.4% diameter variance).
3) for 195/65 there is only a drive from yoko. for the 185/70 there is choice between er60, xm2, a drive.

suggestions folks?

- couple of additional options in 195/65 - Hankook Optimo (K415) / Goodyear Assurance. this is to go with the Yoko A-drive option

[Aston Singh]

Originally Posted by gunner fan

Well with service done (and some recovery from $$ damages) I did reach out to couple of known tyre folks in Gurgaon. What I learnt is as follows:
1) these guys dont have 15" rims for the rapid and dnt think it can be sourced

suggestions folks?

Hi Gunner.

There are quite a few choices in 195/65 R15.
Yoko Earth 1, Yoko AVS DB v550 (hard to find and stock could be as old as a year)
Bridgestone Turanza ER 300
Continental CPC2 (again old stock since imports have stopped). There's a new model, manufactured in India, ContiMaxContact MC5, you can check that out.
Michelin P3ST. - I just got these for my car. Most expensive of the lot but brilliant! I posted a review on the other thread. Check it out if you are interested in these.

[gunner fan]

Originally Posted by Aston Singh

Hi Gunner.

There are quite a few choices in 195/65 R15.

Aston - am looking at 195/65/14 - tyre upgrade for the ambition variant with steel rims.

[Aston Singh]

Originally Posted by gunner fan

Aston - am looking at 195/65/14 - tyre upgrade for the ambition variant with steel rims.

Oh! My bad. Then you have 2 options. Either go with 185/65 or 185/70.

185/65
You'll still get the Yoko Earth 1 in that profile. Michelin XM2+ is a very good option as well.

185/70
You'll get Continental CONTIECOCONTACT 3 apart from the ones you mentioned. Also the Bridgestone Turanza Er60.

What's your usage like? City/Highway? Good/Bad roads? Sedate/Spirited driving?

[gunner fan]

Originally Posted by Aston Singh

Oh! My bad. Then you have 2 options. Either go with 185/65 or 185/70.

Any reason why 195/65 may not be an option - I was recommended this by a reliable gurgaon vendor

Originally Posted by Aston Singh

185/65
You'll still get the Yoko Earth 1 in that profile. Michelin XM2+ is a very good option as well.

185/70
You'll get Continental CONTIECOCONTACT 3 apart from the ones you mentioned. Also the Bridgestone Turanza Er60.

What's your usage like? City/Highway? Good/Bad roads? Sedate/Spirited driving?

Usage - Gurgaon to Noida almost 5 days a week - thru both pristine highways (by our definition) and not-there roads (by global definition).

[Aston Singh]

Originally Posted by gunner fan

Any reason why 195/65 may not be an option - I was recommended this by a reliable gurgaon vendor

Usage - Gurgaon to Noida almost 5 days a week - thru both pristine highways (by our definition) and not-there roads (by global definition).

Ideally 195 profile would make sense with 15" rims. If you are sticking to 14" then why not 185. Better mileage, less friction, less expensive.
If you are looking for comfort, go for Michelin or Yoko. If you want more durable rubber go for Bridgestone/Continental.

[599gto]

Originally Posted by gunner fan

Any reason why 195/65 may not be an option - I was recommended this by a reliable gurgaon vendor

Usage - Gurgaon to Noida almost 5 days a week - thru both pristine highways (by our definition) and not-there roads (by global definition).

Hi gunner fan, I am running 195/65 R14 Continental Premium Contacts (not the CPC2) on my Polo since March this year, have done around 10k kms on them, superb set of tyres I must say.

Improved wet and dry grip, low noise and shorter breaking distances. I have posted about them on the Continental tyres thread, only grouse is that due to the tread patter a few stones get stuck at times, making an irritating kat-kat noise!

I doubt if these are still available as even the CPC2 has been discontinued. Also, Apollo Acceleres were available in 195/65 R14 size last time I checked!

The tyres are quite some improvement but still my suggestion will be to upgrade your rims to 15 inchers, I regret not doing it, decent quality alloys would cost about 6k a piece, and OE rims should cost you between 2-2.5k a piece!

[gunner fan]

Originally Posted by 599gto

Hi gunner fan, I am running 195/65 R14 Continental Premium Contacts (not the CPC2) on my Polo since March this year, have done around 10k kms on them, superb set of tyres I must say....

... Also, Apollo Acceleres were available in 195/65 R14 size last time I checked!

The tyres are quite some improvement but still my suggestion will be to upgrade your rims to 15 inchers, I regret not doing it, decent quality alloys would cost about 6k a piece, and OE rims should cost you between 2-2.5k a piece!

Well I don't really want to spend much moolah on shoes - will want to retain car for a year or two at max - return will not be worthy of the investment. Will be going ahead with either the 195/65/14 or 180/70/14 tyre options only; where for 195/65 believe that A-Drives will be better than Acceleres!

[599gto]

Originally Posted by gunner fan

Well I don't really want to spend much moolah on shoes - will want to retain car for a year or two at max - return will not be worthy of the investment. Will be going ahead with either the 195/65/14 or 180/70/14 tyre options only; where for 195/65 believe that A-Drives will be better than Acceleres!

Well, same reason why I didn't up-size, in that case you should look at 195/65 options, will be quite an improvement for however long you would want to keep the car!
Cheers!

[gunner fan]

Originally Posted by gunner fan

Will be going ahead with either the 195/65/14 or 180/70/14 tyre options only;

Well I stuck hard to the mind in the "mind vs heart" debate - only changed the tyres. Went to the trusted Mr Deepak (Star Wheels) in Gurgaon and got all 4 shoes changed - Yoko A 195/65/14s. Got them topped with Nitro to 32psi. This was about a good month ago - and since then have been enjoying the plush ride.
Positives noticed - attributed to new tyres and A drive pattern - silent ride / higher grip / smoother over bumps / belief that ground clearance has improved

Originally Posted by 599gto

Well, same reason why I didn't up-size, in that case you should look at 195/65 options, will be quite an improvement for however long you would want to keep the car!
Cheers!

[rki2007]

Originally Posted by suhas_raj

After having browsed through a lot of threads on our forum about tyres, I finally zeroed in on Yokohama AVS DB V550 195/60/15 for my just out of showroom Skoda Rapid Elegance

Got a good price from the tyre dealer on stock tyres buyback. The entire deal set me back by about 7600 which is not too bad at all. The ride comfort is plush & the cabin is noiseless !

Hi, sorry for quoting an older post. Did you really feel that there was requirement for trye upgrade. Which brand were the stock tyres?

If you don't mind can you tell me how much did you pay for Yokohoma and what was the buy back price of your stock tyres.

[suhas_raj]

Originally Posted by rki2007

Hi, sorry for quoting an older post. Did you really feel that there was requirement for trye upgrade. Which brand were the stock tyres?

If you don't mind can you tell me how much did you pay for Yokohoma and what was the buy back price of your stock tyres.

Sure mate, don't be sorry. Happy to help.

The stock tyres were Apollo alnac 185/60/15 (erstwhile accelares not alnac 4g). These aren't too bad but are basically hard compound tyres & notorious to get noisy & harder over time. Not very comfortable either.

Upgrade to 195/60/15 results in better steering feedback & handling. Yoko AVS db are soft compound tyres that give you better comfort, plush ride & are super silent even at triple digit speeds. This size upgrade will also give you a 6 mm increase in ground clearance, for Bangalore roads any increase in GC is welcome

It also makes sense to go for exchange on your brand new tyres as you get a good buyback. I got 2k per tyre as buyback n the Yoko's came at 3.9k per tyre so a total set back by 7.6k for a set of 4.

My feedback after 5k kms on these now.... Totally worth it !!

[rki2007]

Originally Posted by suhas_raj

Sure mate, don't be sorry. Happy to help.

The stock tyres were Apollo alnac 185/60/15 (erstwhile accelares not alnac 4g). These aren't too bad but are basically hard compound tyres & notorious to get noisy & harder over time. Not very comfortable either.

Upgrade to 195/60/15 results in better steering feedback & handling. Yoko AVS db are soft compound tyres that give you better comfort, plush ride & are super silent even at triple digit speeds. This size upgrade will also give you a 6 mm increase in ground clearance, for Bangalore roads any increase in GC is welcome

It also makes sense to go for exchange on your brand new tyres as you get a good buyback. I got 2k per tyre as buyback n the Yoko's came at 3.9k per tyre so a total set back by 7.6k for a set of 4.

My feedback after 5k kms on these now.... Totally worth it !!

Thanks a lot my dear friend. I am yet to take delivery of my Rapid 1.5 TDI. I am planning to upgrade the stock apollo alnac to either XM2 or P3ST. I have read a lot of reviews about these two tyres and understand that they are fantastic. But the question is upgrade size. I am bit worried about these Skoda guys that they may create a fuss for the suspension warranty if there is an upsize.

Also I understand that 195/60/R15 as against the stock 185/60/R15 is a deviation of almost 2%, so will 205/55/R15 (least deviation) make more sense or just stick to 185/60/R15 itself. Really don't know about this!!

Inputs will be greatly appreciated.

[suhas_raj]

Originally Posted by rki2007

Thanks a lot my dear friend. I am yet to take delivery of my Rapid 1.5 TDI. I am planning to upgrade the stock apollo alnac to either XM2 or P3ST. I have read a lot of reviews about these two tyres and understand that they are fantastic. But the question is upgrade size. I am bit worried about these Skoda guys that they may create a fuss for the suspension warranty if there is an upsize.

Also I understand that 195/60/R15 as against the stock 185/60/R15 is a deviation of almost 2%, so will 205/55/R15 (least deviation) make more sense or just stick to 185/60/R15 itself. Really don't know about this!!

Inputs will be greatly appreciated.

Both XM2 & P3ST are good choices, you can't go wrong with either of them. I stayed away from Michelin considering the several holes it would burn in my pocket.

Can't comment much about Skoda's warranty refusal based on tyre size upgrade, haven't come across any on our forum for this reason. But they are quite capable of such nonsense anyway. They are Skoda after all !!

You are safe up to 2% deviation so not much to worry there. 205/55 although is the option with least deviation, I felt its kinda overkill. Unless you intend to drive like Louis Hamilton around the corners you should not need such bulky tyres. Besides it may end up adding too much weight to the steering, unless you want that ?

I felt the 195/60 added the right amount of weight to the steering to still be nifty in the city while also improving the handling & feedback just that wee bit extra.

All of this is my personal opinion only... I suggest you try both options if you have a friend's ride & take a call on what is it that you are looking for with your ride... All the best mate !!!

[satyamkaushik]

Hi Folks,

The wheels on my Rapid are going bald and are demanding a change.
At the time of purchase i had upgraded to alloys retaining the stock tires (175/70/R14).
Now after 45K on the ODO i am planning to replace the stock Apollo Acelere to a better tyre.

I am confused on whether to upsize/upgrade or to retain the stock specifications.
Since i had already invested in alloys earlier i have no plans to upsize to 15" so i just have few limited options (attached image).

80% of my running is normal Delhi-Noida City driving (75 km/day) and rest 20% accounts for highway trips to Dehradun and Baddi, hence i want a tyre which is durable and also gives me good performance and handling).

What as per you would be the best option for the Rapid Diesel and what brand shall i go for ? I am planning to get the change done on the weekend.