[avi550m]

Originally Posted by vsrivatsa

All three tires chosen are good and you could choose anyone of them. The price quoted also looks competitive. However, you could call a few Tire Shops in J C Road so that you have double checked the price.

I stay in Yelahanka so the cost/time taken to go to JC road does not really make sense foe me. I checked the prices with Pit Stop, Yelahanka and Sri Vari Tyres, Doddaballapur road. They are willing to give me 2k in exchange for 4 tyres, so the net cost would be around 14k for 4 tyres.

[vsrivatsa]

Originally Posted by avi550m

I stay in Yelahanka so the cost/time taken to go to JC road does not really make sense foe me. I checked the prices with Pit Stop, Yelahanka and Sri Vari Tyres, Doddaballapur road. They are willing to give me 2k in exchange for 4 tyres, so the net cost would be around 14k for 4 tyres.

You could still use the price from J C Road to negotiate with your local tire shops - you don't have to goto JC Road...
For reference: Amazon.in price for the Michelin is 3910/- [URL]

Yokohoma Earth 1 is 3,230/- : so maybe if you are choosing Yoko, there is scope for more negotiation. In general the local shops sell at Rs.300-400 more than the price listed on Amazon.in

[outdoorlover]

Originally Posted by avi550m

.
Also, if I have to change the tyres (no upsizing), what would be your recommendation. I am wondering whether to got for a sturdier (but not too hard) tyre instead of the XM2, but don't want to compromise too much for ride comfort/noise.

Hi, I too changed over from stock tyres on my A-Star AT recently and swapped my stock steel rims with new Celerio rims (14 inch) and then fitted 175mm wide XM2 tyres on them. The driving character of the car has become far more sure footed with the change in terms of intra city control as well as fantastic short distance braking capability. I had bought the new original Celerio rims from a seller on OLX (who had upgraded to alloys). I would recommend an upgrade on the wheels (that's what the export version of the A-Star had) to see the car behave in a way it was originally designed to.

By the way since you have mentioned that the car has long periods of standing in the garage, it would be be better to move to Yokohama Earth-1 as they are known to degenerate slower under such circumstances. I have switched from Michelin to Yokohama on my Honda City since it sees longer periods of garage time and my Michelins had deteriorated badly in 3.1/2 years though they had done less than 40k.

[curios]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

3600 doesn't look that bad. I got it to 3400 for the 165 section ones, but i have noticed its a much older stock. I got it from karol bagh.

Do update about the car on the other thread or my ownership thread.

Over a year later, here I am again 'trying' my best to buy Michelin XM2 tyres but got doled the same unfriendly attitude from dealers in my area. Many dealer numbers listed by them or even given by them are not working. One dealer Tyre Zone in East Delhi says he has 2017 stock (Rs.3600)and when asked about the month he gruffly added, "Hum itna sab nahin dekhte" (We don't bother checking all this).

Is Michelin looking to exit India or what? No way this is a company that even cares. I'm seriously considering Bridgestone B290, though I was told they are pretty hard and of moderate quality.

Any suggestions please on a dealership where I could be treated as a customer by Michelin (it sounds fan-boyish but I really am pissed) or which other brand/model is a good alternative for my Chevrolet Spark (stock tyres were Apollo and they lasted me 9 years already as i touch 30K soon.

Thanks a ton in advance.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by curios

Any suggestions please on a dealership where I could be treated as a customer by Michelin (it sounds fan-boyish but I really am pissed) or which other brand/model is a good alternative for my Chevrolet Spark (stock tyres were Apollo and they lasted me 9 years already as i touch 30K soon.

Look at the alternatives, particularly among the range that Yokohama offers. They are good tires for Indian conditions. In Bridgestone range, you may look at the Turanza, but check if the thread pattern is something you like.

And try to avoid tires older than 6 months while buying as you can never be sure of the storage conditions of the dealer's stock.

Regards,
Saket.

[curios]

Originally Posted by saket77

Look at the alternatives, particularly among the range that Yokohama offers. They are good tires for Indian conditions. In Bridgestone range, you may look at the Turanza, but check if the thread pattern is something you like.

And try to avoid tires older than 6 months while buying as you can never be sure of the storage conditions of the dealer's stock.

Regards,
Saket.

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I'm being told by a couple of premium dealers I managed to speak with after my last post, that they have end-2107 stock. That's 6-7 months at least. Guess it's the best possible age for Michelin in Delhi then. Also prices with these chaps are more like Rs 3950 less a cash card worth Rs 250 per tyre so it comes to Rs 3700 or so a piece. Includes wheel balancing. Makes sense?

Will check Yokohama as well.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by curios

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I'm being told by a couple of premium dealers I managed to speak with after my last post, that they have end-2107 stock. That's 6-7 months at least. Guess it's the best possible age for Michelin in Delhi then. Also prices with these chaps are more like Rs 3950 less a cash card worth Rs 250 per tyre so it comes to Rs 3700 or so a piece. Includes wheel balancing. Makes sense?

Will check Yokohama as well.

I got it from Rana tyres in Karol bagh and I am very happy with the performance of the tyres. The ride is very stable and even in rains the grip is good. No issues in city driving at all.

[curios]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

I got it from Rana tyres in Karol bagh and I am very happy with the performance of the tyres. The ride is very stable and even in rains the grip is good. No issues in city driving at all.

Great. Thanks for the tip.

[Fillmore]

Originally Posted by saket77

And try to avoid tires older than 6 months while buying as you can never be sure of the storage conditions of the dealer's stock.

Is that fact or assumption ?

It's a tyre which when mounted on a car is exposed to all the elements of nature with zero protection whatsoever.
I doubt storage conditions within 6 months would affect the life of the tyre as the rubber is pretty durable, and when stored at the dealer it is not even inflated and not subject to any pressure or stress.

I understand stiffening and brittleness setting in but I don't think that would happen within 6 months from manufacture, as given the options available in the market and the frequency of replacements I doubt tyres move so fast that they are sold within 6 months of mfg.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Fillmore

Is that fact or assumption ?

It's a tyre which when mounted on a car is exposed to all the elements of nature with zero protection whatsoever.
I doubt storage conditions within 6 months would affect the life of the tyre as the rubber is pretty durable, and when stored at the dealer it is not even inflated and not subject to any pressure or stress.

I understand stiffening and brittleness setting in but I don't think that would happen within 6 months from manufacture, as given the options available in the market and the frequency of replacements I doubt tyres move so fast that they are sold within 6 months of mfg.

Agreed, but when a tire is mounted on a car, the main difference is that it is in 'operation'. Tires have protection wax mixed with rubber, which is circulated when it flexes during rolling under the load of the car. This wax keeps the rubber supple and protects it from water and sunlight to a great extent. That is one big reason why you will see cracks in tires of cars which are driven less. Even if they are parked in good parking conditions.

And regarding the movement of stock at the dealer, I don't care if they are sold quickly or stuck in the inventory. I always scout for the most fresh tires that I can get. At all occasions, I have always managed to get tires less than six months old, except years ago when I was hell bent on getting Michelins and those were just a wee bit older.

Regards,
Saket.

[curios]

Originally Posted by saket77

Agreed, but when a tire is mounted on a car, the main difference is that it is in 'operation'. Tires have protection wax mixed with rubber, which is circulated when it flexes during rolling under the load of the car. This wax keeps the rubber supple and protects it from water and sunlight to a great extent. That is one big reason why you will see cracks in tires of cars which are driven less. Even if they are parked in good parking conditions.

And regarding the movement of stock at the dealer, I don't care if they are sold quickly or stuck in the inventory. I always scout for the most fresh tires that I can get. At all occasions, I have always managed to get tires less than six months old, except years ago when I was hell bent on getting Michelins and those were just a wee bit older.

Regards,
Saket.

Every dealer I called said they had "end-2017" stock, meaning Nov-Dec (perhaps). That is 7-8 months old. Is this a Delhi affair or do other cities too get stuff this dated for Michelin?

[saket77]

Originally Posted by curios

Every dealer I called said they had "end-2017" stock, meaning Nov-Dec (perhaps). That is 7-8 months old. Is this a Delhi affair or do other cities too get stuff this dated for Michelin?

In contrast to some years ago, Michelins are now manufactured in India (earlier most imports were 'made in Thailand'). Plus, Michelin is now a fairly popular brand, that too in the bigger cities like Delhi, so much fast moving than say 6-7 years ago.
I think the dealers may be trying to clear their old stock first by offering 'end 2017' stock. If they are manufactured in Dec'17, I think it's fine. But do check it out personally before writing the cheque.

Regards,
Saket

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by saket77

In contrast to some years ago, Michelins are now manufactured in India (earlier most imports were 'made in Thailand'). Plus, Michelin is now a fairly popular brand, that too in the bigger cities like Delhi, so much fast moving than say 6-7 years ago.
I think the dealers may be trying to clear their old stock first by offering 'end 2017' stock. If they are manufactured in Dec'17, I think it's fine. But do check it out personally before writing the cheque.

Regards,
Saket

No Michelin car tyre is made in India. Every single one is imported.

I was avoiding wading into this battle, but there is no logic in randomly assigning a time period for the tyres you want to buy.

It is just a psychological fear.A tyre and the rubber used in it is far more rugged than you give it credit for.

I happily installed a 2 year old Michelin Primacy LC (made in 2011) in 2013 on my Civic. It served me exceptionally well in a variety of conditions without any issue.

A tyre is not a perishable item. If you have to assign an "install before" date, then I would say 2 years or 3 years is fine.

Tyres are usually stored well(at least big brands like MRF, apollo, Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental, etc etc etc) and there is nothing to worry about. Everywhere it is stored indoors, it is delivered to dealers in closed trucks and no dealer stores tyres in the open.

This irrational fear has to be tackled and we should not be worrying about it anymore.

[murthy_p]

Research shows no difference between the performance of recently produced tyres versus tyres produced 3 years ago as per the below link from Michelin website.
https://m.michelin.com.my/MY/en/help...tyreaging.html

[rajivtelang]

Got first puncture on my Santro's XM2 today. They were put on May 2017. And yes they were December 2016 manufactured. I did not see any issues at all. The puncture causing screw was a real big one, wonder kind of no rubber in the world could stop it.
Now thinking to move this damaged tyre as spare and bring the unused spare to its position. Overall tyres to select blind folded but on expensive side.