[fiesta]

Completed 500 KMS on new tyres today.

I had stock Apollo Apterra's earlier... compared to which, ride quality, drive and handling is much better with Primacy. Also, I noticed fuel efficiency is hovering greater than 13 KMPL, which used to be 11-12 KMPL before.

[vikram31]

44000 kms update and suggestions for tyre replacement..

Hi All, I just completed 44000 kms on my Pirelli Scorpion ATRs and just returned from a Murud-Kashid trip. For the first time I felt that the tyres started to lose grip.

So far they have given an exceptional grip on all surfaces. In these 44000 kms I have travelled multiple times to Pune, Goa, MP, Gujarat and a 5000 kms Spiti trip. I have never been disappointed in terms of performance, safety and grip. Being AT tyres, they have always been noisy and the poor NVH levels of the XUV havent helped. Similarly, whilst they are comfortable enough, I wouldnt call them cushy.

In addition, I have hardly experienced punctures on them, Incidentally, for the entire life there have been a total of 3 punctures and all on the same tyre!

Tyres have been rotated and balanced every 10ks and a visual look tells me they are good for another 10ks. However, after my recent Alibaug trip I am thinking if I am pushing the envelope for no reason. I mean, I could upgrade them in 3 months or now it doesnt make a huge difference. In any case I dont intend to drive my car for more than 2 years from now and at an average of 25k kms per year, this should be my last tyre change anyway.

I am attaching some pics that show the current condition of the tyres. Would like to have expert views on whether I should upgrade asap or hang in there for a few more kms. I have a Mum-Aurangabad quick trip coming up and I am thinking I will replace them right after the trip.

I am also in another dilemma that I need help on.

Despite all my efforts to soften the ride quality (imported tyres, suspension firmers from rogerab), XUVs pitching and bounce keeps me upset. The last move to ATR tyres resolved the slipping and sliding issues and also helped make the ride a bit firmer, but its nothing to write home about.

I am wondering if getting Michelin Primacy SUV tyres will improve ride quality significantly from the current Pirelli Scorpions. Any other tyres I should consider for plush ride?

If the ride quality will not improve I would rather stick to AT tyres as they give my 4x2 ride a somewhat middle ground to perform in tough terrains that would otherwise require 4x4.

Among the AT tyres I have shortlisted the following:

1. Replacement Pirelli Scorpion ATRs - They have definitely kept me super happy in terms of what they are designed to do. Grippy and reliable
2. Goodyear Wrangler ATSA - Globally this tyre has great reviews and is now available in XUVs size. This is my top choice so far as it has silent armor technology that could keep noise levels low and a solid AT deep groove that will give grip and long miles
3. Yokohama Geolander ATs - Good news is that now they are available in XUVs size. I have been a fan of Yoko tyres from my last sedan. However for AT tyres there are some negative reviews on soft sidewalls. If you guys have any view on this, I would definitely consider them

Please take a look at the pictures below and let me know about the existing conditions..









regards

[apn6]

Update on my quest to upgrade from my stock Apollo Apterras :

I had earlier decided on going for AT tyres based on excellent feedback from fellow forum members. But then I drove a friend's Volvo XC60 which had the newly launched Michelin Latitude Sport 3 tyres and IMHO I've never experienced such good sticky and at the same time comfy tyres on a SUV (could also be due to the fact that it was a Volvo but nevertheless that resulted in me scouring the city for the Latitude Sport 3 for my Prime).

Atlast the manager at XL tyre point, Kodambakkam-Chennai was able to secure a set of 4 tyres from the Michelin regional distributor. Total damage to wallet was 58k incl. Wheel balancing and alignment.

PFA a few pics (Notice the deep tyre grooves and the wide contact patch area compared to the outgoing Apollo Apterra HP tyres).







Update after 5k kms on the new shoes: City rides are super comfy as with any Michelin. Tyre noise is reduced considerably. The main area of improvement that i love is how sticky these tyres are at high double and normal triple digit speeds (the bouncy ride quality of the XUV is still present but the road grip and cornering confidence has improved a lot after these new shoes).

Even though they are a bit expensive compared to the others, I'd definitely recommend these tyres for anyone who is looking for new On-road shoes for their XUV

[vikram31]

Originally Posted by apn6

Update on my quest to upgrade from my stock Apollo Apterras :

Even though they are a bit expensive compared to the others, I'd definitely recommend these tyres for anyone who is looking for new On-road shoes for their XUV

Hey apn6. The tyres look sweet. That rubber exudes softness. For on road they seem like a great option. Mich is known for performance so they should be road hugging and great on corners.

In the meanwhile, I got feedback from my dealer on the condition of my pirellis. He feels my tyres can easily do 5-10k more and recommends only another set of Pirelli scorpion ATRs. In his words, goodyear will get wobbly after 10k's unlike pirelli's sharp performance through its life. Additionally, the geolander has has sidewall crack issues being a much thinner material vs Pirellis. Looks like I am going to run mine for 5ks more and get another set of the same tyres again..

[jacobvarughese]

This is a timely comment as I'm in a similar dilemma : Apollo Apterra tires have now clocked over 35k prompting me to scout the market for the right shoes.

[vikram31]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

This is a timely comment as I'm in a similar dilemma : Apollo Apterra tires have now clocked over 35k prompting me to scout the market for the right shoes.

Hi jacobvarughese

Change them asap..they are slowing down and tempering down your mean toy. Get good tyres and see the difference and confidence that the XUV will exude.

Are you looking for road based tyres or ones for offroading as well ?

[jacobvarughese]

Originally Posted by vikram31

Hi jacobvarughese

Change them asap..they are slowing down and tempering down your mean toy. Get good tyres and see the difference and confidence that the XUV will exude.

Are you looking for road based tyres or ones for offroading as well ?

Thanks much- I swapped the 2 front tyres for Michelin Primacy SUV at New Bharat Tyres, Trivandrum.. They didn't have the Latitude Sport 3 unfortunately.

I retained one of the behind tyres and replaced another back tyre with the spare tyre.

[avimal]

I have clocked 15k on pirelli scorpion atr. They are damn good on all surfaces. I don't mind the extra noise at high speed as I rarely drive above 100 kmph due to the low biting power of brakes in xuv.

[vikram31]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Thanks much- I swapped the 2 front tyres for Michelin Primacy SUV at New Bharat Tyres, Trivandrum.. They didn't have the Latitude Sport 3 unfortunately.

I retained one of the behind tyres and replaced another back tyre with the spare tyre.

Hi Jacob, any specific reason for not swapping all 4 tyres? My thoughts would be that you retain your spare (fresh) tyre as a spare only and change all 4 tyres. In my experience people feel only the front wheels need traction but I have been in a horrible situation where my rear tyres see this:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...d-morning.html

Do not underestimate the role of your rear tyres and get fresh shoes for all the wheels.

The Primacy SUV should work well, however dont expect a similar performance to the latitude sport 3

[PMK-MoJo]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Thanks much- I swapped the 2 front tyres for Michelin Primacy SUV at New Bharat Tyres, Trivandrum.. They didn't have the Latitude Sport 3 unfortunately. .

Hi,
Is the tyre spec which you changed is of 235/65 R17?
I can see only 225/65 R17 in Michelin website for primacy SUV model.
But 235/65R17 is showing available in Amazon

[jacobvarughese]

Originally Posted by PMK-MoJo

Hi,
Is the tyre spec which you changed is of 235/65 R17?
I can see only 225/65 R17 in Michelin website for primacy SUV model.
But 235/65R17 is showing available in Amazon

Yes it was 235/65 R17

Originally Posted by vikram31

Hi Jacob, any specific reason for not swapping all 4 tyres? My thoughts would be that you retain your spare (fresh) tyre as a spare only and change all 4 tyres. In my experience people feel only the front wheels need traction but I have been in a horrible situation where my rear tyres see this:

The tyre distributor had suggested one of the back tyres had juice left in them, and it's good to be used- same verbiage for the spare tyre.

[apn6]

Originally Posted by jacobvarughese

Yes it was 235/65 R17



The tyre distributor had suggested one of the back tyres had juice left in them, and it's good to be used- same verbiage for the spare tyre.

Hi Jacob,

In my experience, please change all four tyres to the same thread pattern and rubber type for maximum stability and good performance. As Vikram has suggested, retain the spare and replace the rear tyres to Michelins as well.

Given that ours is a 2 tonne elephant, having soft rubber on the front and hard rubber on the rear will affect braking and cornering extensively! Moreover using soft compound tyres in the front in a FWD car and harder compound in the rear will result in drifting (because this is the technique used in drift racing for Fwd cars as the sticker Front tyres will hold ground while the rear goes out first) However the dynamics change if it's a RWD/AWD car. In that case having a soft front and hard rear can help prevent understeer to an extent! (Experts correct me if i'm wrong)

[vikram31]

Hi Jacob, now 2 of us are telling you. Please do the needful. There cant be enough emphasis on safety especially for something like tyres.

One update on tyres. Apparently the Goodyear Wrangler ATSAs do not have v good reviews (maybe the indian version is different). My tyre vendor told me that post 10-15k Wrangler ATSA goes wobbly and people have been coming back to check why. Among the complaints are:

1. Hands shaking on steering on high speed
2. Car feeling out of control in 3 digit speeds

According to him, the single ply sidewall on the yoko geolander at makes it a no no for my kind of driving (spirited, not slowing down for potholes/rumblers and himalayas) as it will take just one or two sharp stones/surfaces to render the tyres useless.

I was also happy to hear that he feels even at 45k's the tyres are in great condition. He checked that the rubber still had the expected softness and did a detailed checkup that there was no tyre damage whatsoever. He is confident they will give me 10ks more.

I was surprised as I had gone to replace my tyres and if the dealer is telling me not to change, he must indeed be right.

So I am thinking I will keep them for 6 months more (I intend to do a Mumbai-Ladakh trip within these 6 months) and soon after change them.

After these 6 months, these pirellis would have given me 55k's which I am very happy with..cheers

[jacobvarughese]

Originally Posted by vikram31

Hi Jacob, now 2 of us are telling you. Please do the needful. There cant be enough emphasis on safety especially for something like tyres.

After considerable deliberation and all of your nudging, I finally replaced the 2 rear shoes today as well with Michelin PrimacySUV tyres- thanks much guys !

[Sheel]

Vikram, I am seeing a dozen SUV’s (my office has space for Bajaj electric vendor who oversee the fitment of poles & wires everywhere and they have Safari/Scorpio & others) on these Wranglers and 3 S10 & 2 XUV’s with these AT/SA and no issues with them.

I personally have done over 20,000 kms and no issues at all, no pressure drop till date (yes, you read that right) and no wear outs, in fact they appear as new. Shopkeepers have their agenda (old stock or not moving stocks of Pirellis or less commission on Goodyears), can be anything.

I am not saying Wranglers are superior but whatever is said by the shopkeeper isn’t right.

By the way, Continental has launched the Cross Contact AT in this size as well as Michelin. So plenty of options now. And please read reviews about tires in Australian 4X4 forums as well as US, lots of experiences shared there.