[pedrolourenco]

My sister's Wagon R had the exact same problem as the 1st post in this thread. Replaced them with Apollo's. When I bought the Celerio for my wife I saw the JK's during the PDI. asked the dealer to swap them with Apollo or MRF. They didn't have Appollo's so had to settle for MRF's.

[Leoshashi]

The JK-Tyre SAGA continues...........


My friend's 2010 Ritz ZXi had deformation issues with JKs from as early as 20k kms. When its customer care was contacted through dealership, all we got was a letter citing that its not a manufacturing issue.

Another tyre got deformed recently, and this time we simply replaced it with ZLOs, without even caring to contact anyone. I wonder how it manages to achieve highest ratings in JD Power survey, when everyone I meet is dissatisfied with JKs.







On the flip side, I personally have been lucky enough to never experience this type of failures. Once the JK Ultima lasted for well over 98k kms without any signs of wear, though it had become horribly bumpy and hard!! We got scared of its supernatural life and got it replaced by MRFs.


Regards

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by Leoshashi

The JK-Tyre SAGA continues...........


My friend's 2010 Ritz ZXi had deformation issues with JKs from as early as 20k kms. When its customer care was contacted through dealership, all we got was a letter citing that its not a manufacturing issue.

Another tyre got deformed recently, and this time we simply replaced it with ZLOs, without even caring to contact anyone. I wonder how it manages to achieve highest ratings in JD Power survey, when everyone I meet is dissatisfied with JKs.

Attachment 1414129

Attachment 1414130



On the flip side, I personally have been lucky enough to never experience this type of failures. Once the JK Ultima lasted for well over 98k kms without any signs of wear, though it had become horribly bumpy and hard!! We got scared of its supernatural life and got it replaced by MRFs.


Regards

Dayumm!
Those pics don't look like they're from a 20k run car. More like a 70k run.
Also, those tyres show signs of under-inflation, not that it was the cause for the deformation which is clearly JK's atrocious product quality.

[Mortis]

Those tyres look like they are well past their usable lifespan judging from the worn treads. I dont think JK Tyres quality is an issue in this case

[rajneeesh]

I had to replace the JK Vectra's on my SX4 at 54 KKm. The tyres had lost shape and the car used to wobble like it was on a pogo stick. VIsually there was plenty of tread left on them. I replaced them with Good Year Assurance which is a VFM tyre. The Goodyears have completed 20 K Km and are holding up well.

Jk is a brand to avoid at all costs. I dunno how they got the awards at JD Power. Maybe it is the car manufacturers who buy these tyres who rate them ( most seem to be using JK Tyres). I would rather go for Chinese tyres which cost 40 - 50 % less than the JK's if I am not in a mood to replace my tyres with expensive brands. If you want to save money and are willing to compromise on quality why not go the whole nine yards.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Those tyres look like they are well past their usable lifespan judging from the worn treads. I dont think JK Tyres quality is an issue in this case

Still they shouldn't get deformed like this!!.

And the pics were taken when those tyres had done just 20k kms. Two other tyres of same age and batch which came with the car are still doing duty without a fuss. Initally we thought there might be some issue with the car, but the new ZLOs don't have any such issue.

Regards

[cruising_rapid]

My Skoda Rapid came fitted with JK Vectra 185/60 R 15. They were good till 14000 kms but then started to loose grip on the road and also during cornering. On my drive from Dharamsala to Dhanbad, they started locking on and slipping on the road. During an emergency braking when a bus driver suddenly came in front of me, the car swerved as if there was no ABS in it, though ABS kicked in almost 3 seconds late. Twice has been the are when my car almost toppled sideways because of the wheels loosing traction and locking. I am so worried if its the problem with the braking system or the ABS, but now I think tyres could be the real culprit behind my worries. The car has done just 16000 KMS.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

Adding my experience:
My A-star's OEM JK tires have completed 3 years/20,000 km. Alignment and rotations done every 5K.
One of the tires had started bulging (on the treads, without my knowledge), and burst while the car was parked overnight.

Second JK tire started showing signs of deformation at the treads, so I replaced it with the extra OEM JK that I had kept at home when I bought 2 Michelins. (I had bought 2 Michelins when only one JK burst last time, so I was keeping the extra OEM JK at home).
As per the mechanic, JKs are good for around 3 years after which they start showing (bulging/deformation/hardening) issues. He says that taxi drivers are happy with this tire because some JKs run even one lakh kilometers (within 3 years, of course).

[supremeBaleno]

Now that all the crappy JKTyre Vectras on the Swift have been replaced, the story shifts to our A-Star_AT. Last few days, I was noticing unusually heavy vibrations while driving it. At around 65-70kmph on smooth roads, the car was literally jumping up and down. Since it is shod with the same JK Vectras, the tyres were my first doubt.

But a normal visual / physical check did not show anything amiss.


Took the car to my mechanic friend so that he can TD it. But with just a quick look at the front-right tyre, he said it is the tyre. Swapped it with the stepney and no more vibrations.

Observations of the failed tyre (run 25,300 kms, 5 years old OE):
- the tyre has the wringed out look, but not as bad as it was in the Swift
- just a few metal wires protrude out - the Swift tyre was actually cut off
- deformed patch from the inside - dont remember seeing it on the Swift.

Snaps - you can make out the deformation and the wires sticking out.




Went and bought a Bridgestone for the stepney. Ofcourse, this is just the start. In the coming months, I am sure I will have to replace the other 4 tyres too. Just a matter of when, not if.

P.S.: Till today, I was angry at JKTyres for giving us such shoddy tyres. But today I was thinking about the culpability of the car manufacturer. Possibly JK quotes dirt-cheap prices for OE supplies and these guys lap it up. But what about the tyre-bursts while driving and the accidents / deaths. The manufacturer has a responsibility too - I plan to write to them.

[cruising_rapid]

One fine morning my neighbour pointed out the sidewall damage to my front tire. I was surprised to see it as I had mostly driven them on good roads, kept them on Nitrogen and the total milage done was just around 17000 KMS.

I had a long road trip to Himachal Pradesh coming up, tried replacing all of them by S-drives but could not source them at Bareilly. I finally replaced one tire by Bridgestone B290.

At 21660 KMS, I was finally able to replace all of them by Yokohama S-drives in 205/55 R-15.

They can probably last very long but are just not meant for the prolonged high speed driving and fast cornering.

[honeybee]

Mere odo readings may not tell how a tyre has been used. Constantly running under inflated tyres or running on a flat tyre for some distance with loads could cause damage to the tyres.

The last time I bought MRFs for our Ikon the authorized dealer was firm that deformation or bulging or ballooning would be the only defect admissible for replacement under warranty - so I am assuming these tyres shouldn't deform on their own.

My personal experience with the Nano is the rear set of MRFs gave up at 40k, owing to the rear engine rear wheel drive layout coupled with some spirited driving and occasional rubber burning. Front MRFs have crossed 60k and are still good on dry tar, though they will have to be replaced by monsoon.

So an awful lot depends on how the tyres were used.

[black_rider]

Originally Posted by cruising_rapid

One fine morning my neighbour pointed out the sidewall damage to my front tire. I was surprised to see it as I had mostly driven them on good roads, kept them on Nitrogen and the total milage done was just around 17000 KMS.

...

I can see some marks on the rim, just above the sidewall deformation. Couldn't it have been an external impact?

[cruising_rapid]

Originally Posted by black_rider

I can see some marks on the rim, just above the sidewall deformation. Couldn't it have been an external impact?

Sidewall damage was small initially, it got longer as I drove some 200 KMS on them. When I first saw the deformation, there was no mark on the rim. This mark is external but after the sidewall damage.

Though the car is mostly driven on very good roads, I still can't rule out a faint possibility of external impact, but none that I noticed.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Now that all the crappy JKTyre Vectras on the Swift have been replaced, the story shifts to our A-Star_AT...
.... In the coming months, I am sure I will have to replace the other 4 tyres too. Just a matter of when, not if.

Been there, done that. JK's on my A-star AT started showing trouble at around 20K kilometers, 4 years (tell tale sign - car starts wobbling). I started replacing tire by tire, and all 4 tires had to be replaced by 25K kilometers.

First tire burst when parked overnight, so I bought 2 Michellins for the front (kept one JK at home, because the mechanic predicted that I would need it soon). Second tire deformed within a month, so I replaced it with the extra JK that I had in hand. Then 2 more JK's deformed, so I bought 2 more Michellins.

Now I am running on 4 Michellin XM2s and the stepney is still the original JK.

My advice:
1. It's better to change all 4 tires now. You would not be able to stretch the remaining JK's by even 5K kilometers anyway.
2. Standard tire warranty mandates that you have to buy the same brand and pay for the kilometers that have been covered already.
If you assume a total usable life of 40K kilometers for JK's, and if you have covered 20K kilometers already, claiming warranty means that you would be forced to buy JK's (again) and would need to pay half the price. Are you willing?

Now I am thinking that I should have changed the tires the moment I bought the car.
1. The ride was harsh from day one - so much that I had to stop every hour on a long journey to allow my family to puke. Now the ride is so comfortable on new tires (certified by an aged relative).
2. The power steering was so tight that it was very difficult to turn at parking speeds. Now after changing the tires, the steering has freed up so much.
3. It's not worth risking a high speed tire burst! (As per the mechanic, JK's are more prone to bulging at the treads than at the sides. So you would not easily notice the tire deformation before it bursts)

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

Been there, done that. JK's on my A-star AT started showing trouble at around 20K kilometers, 4 years (tell tale sign - car starts wobbling). I started replacing tire by tire, and all 4 tires had to be replaced by 25K kilometers.

Ah, OK. Our other AStar_MT is also shod with OE JKs - not sure when that starts acting up.

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

You would not be able to stretch the remaining JK's by even 5K kilometers anyway.

Yes, I agree that the other 4 tyres would not even go another 5K kms - as seen from the experience with the JK Vectras on our Swift.

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

If you assume a total usable life of 40K kilometers for JK's, and if you have covered 20K kilometers already, claiming warranty means that you would be forced to buy JK's (again) and would need to pay half the price. Are you willing?

What ? I would not take another JK Tyre in my life even if I got it for free.

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

It's not worth risking a high speed tire burst! (As per the mechanic, JK's are more prone to bulging at the treads than at the sides. So you would not easily notice the tire deformation before it bursts)

Agree again. But normal usage for this car is at sub-40 speeds (when driven by wifey / FIL) and at 60-ish when driven by me during weekends. Apart from my part of Kerala not having roads to let rip, age has mellowed me down as far as speeds go. Not to mention that driving an AT (esp. a low powered one) is just not much fun.