[Mr.Fawlty]

I want to share my tyre replacement (not upgrade) experience from about a year back. It was all very abrupt and unplanned. Ever since, I've been trying to assess the 'could', 'should', and 'what-if'.

We prepped for our drive from Bangalore to Calcutta in early April 2022. The 2016 Duster got its service done towards the end of March from Renault Whitefield. I mentioned to the SA, a long journey was coming up, and specifically requested him to take a look at the tyre condition and advise. He gave an all clear, offered the RSA pack, which I gladly took. Test drove the car, and all seemed fine. Within a week, we set off. Was careful to get the tyre pressure set as prescribed for loaded vehicle.

My personal driving comfort-zone is between the 90 to 110 kmph on divided highways. On day 1, enroute Vijayawada, however, those sections leading to Tirupati were too inviting to push a little harder. But at just under 130 kmph I felt extreme vibrations, up the steering too. This was new for me. The car has always handled 130 kmph admirably well. The speed needed to reduce anyway after those sections, and I didn't want to risk it. Stage 2, enroute Vizag, I felt those shudders again, but this time - I don't know if my mind played tricks on me - just above 110 kmph. All this while I didn't suspect the tyres could be problematic. But upon reaching our hotel for the night on the outskirts of Vizag, when I inspected the tyres closely, noticed cracks on the sidewall. All four of them. Immediately decided to extend our stay by a day, took the car to the nearest MRF showroom (Utham Tyres, Srinivasa Nagar, Vizag). The owner/manager advised immediate replacement - stock MRF Wanderer Sport. Cost me around 50k, and could immediately feel the difference. Rest of the way, and until this day, all's been smooth. No vibrations at 120+ kmph speeds.

What bothers me is that at the time of this replacement, the Duster had run just under 25k KMs. in about 5-and-a-half year, with periodic maintenances (mostly) on time. Tyres typically maintained at 29/30 PSI, treads in great condition still. How suddenly did the sidewall cracks develop? My theory is, the was driven very less over the previous two years. Covid is to be blamed - first the lockdown enforced WFH, company taking remote-first approach, overall decline in numbers and distances of roadtrips. Prolonged unuse causes tyre wear, I understand? Was the replacement premature? Was it even the tyres? What if, I didn't push it to 120+ kmph speeds to feel the vibrations, could it have been dangerous? Assuming the Renault SA, did inspect the tyres per my request and found nothing unusual, and the interim period of about one week saw little to no driving, then the cracks would have happened during the drive to Vijayawada - and that would be an abrupt degradation?

Unfortunately, I no longer have pics of the tyre conditions then, but they didn't look too alarming either.

Members' thoughts/advise would be immensely welcome.

[swapnilchandra]

Originally Posted by swapnilchandra

I finally went ahead with Goodyear Silentrac AT. Got free wheel alignment/balancing and valves with the change.
Overall happy with the purchase till now.

Thnx guys for the timely pointers.

Just to add to my previous post, I've observed the mileage come down by at by almost 1.5-2 pts.
Since these were AT tires, I was expecting the mileage to come down but not by so much. Apart from this, quite satisfied with the purchase.

[Shivank Sidhu]

Hi All,

I am looking to pick up new stock tyres of a Duster/ Terrano in Delhi NCR.

If someone is getting a new delivery and looking to upsize right away, I will be happy to pick up the OE set.

Will come over to delivery location for pick up and will better the exchange price offered by dealer!

Please get in touch. Thanks in advance.

[88_TANK_88]

I am buying a set of Apollo Apterra AT2 tyres in 235/60 R16 size. Previous tyres were Maxxis Bravo 771s in the same upsize. After 44,000 kms, one of the tyres burst on side impact. Other 3 had 20% tread left, but I have decided to change the whole set.

[Rasmo3689]

Just got my duster 215/75R15 RT(Rugged Terrain) tires, these are Goodyear Wranglers, got a set of two for 13000, the rear tires are still left with ~45% tread so did not change them. Anyways, here is a picture of the vehicle with the said tires. The height of the vehicle has increased slightly, still noticeable. The steel rims are from the Bolero Neo and were a direct fit on my Duster 1.6 petrol.

[man23ish]

Originally Posted by mav3r1ckblu3

I was riding on 17 inch Continental Cross Contact LX2's, and prior to that Apollo Apterra's (that's another story why I switched from Apterra's to Conti's).

Both those tyres were H/T, meant for Highway usage majorly. Hence my ears were trained to the absolute silence those tyres provided while driving (thankfully, the 1.3 Tce Turbo petrol engine on my Duster is pretty silent).

Hence, whatever noise these Ultra mile tyres emit are frankly, noise to my ears

Hello MaverickBlue,

Can you share more experience regarding the Continental Cross Contacts? I upgraded from Apollo Apterra 215/65 R16 Stock Tyres to Continental Cross Contacts 235/60 R16 based on the dealer recommendation of feedback from several users.

I had a mixed reaction as soon as I hit the road... The Ride Quality had definitely improved and there was a distinct noise reduction from the Road... However, I'm facing a loss of power and my usually peppy and revv-happy Captur doesn't seem to be so cheerful and agile anymore... Another trouble is with cornering and sharp turns...

Did you face any similar problems and do you have any recommendations/ suggestions for me... I'm thinking of increasing the Nitrogen to 36/38 PSI instead of the usual 40 PSI to check if it improves the agility of the vehicle...

Any suggestions/ feedback will be greatly appreciated...

[man23ish]

Originally Posted by man23ish

Hello MaverickBlue,

Can you share more experience regarding the Continental Cross Contacts? I upgraded from Apollo Apterra 215/65 R16 Stock Tyres to Continental Cross Contacts 235/60 R16 based on the dealer recommendation of feedback from several users.

I had a mixed reaction as soon as I hit the road... The Ride Quality had definitely improved and there was a distinct noise reduction from the Road... However, I'm facing a loss of power and my usually peppy and revv-happy Captur doesn't seem to be so cheerful and agile anymore... Another trouble is with cornering and sharp turns...

Did you face any similar problems and do you have any recommendations/ suggestions for me... I'm thinking of increasing the Nitrogen to 36/38 PSI instead of the usual 40 PSI to check if it improves the agility of the vehicle...

Any suggestions/ feedback will be greatly appreciated...

In general, incase anybody has upgraded from 215/65 R16 to 235/60 R16; How has your experience been? And what did you do to overcome the sluggish of the vehicle incase you experienced any?

[mav3r1ckblu3]

Originally Posted by man23ish

In general, incase anybody has upgraded from 215/65 R16 to 235/60 R16; How has your experience been? And what did you do to overcome the sluggish of the vehicle incase you experienced any?

Hi Man23ish, thanks for the question. Conti tyres are generally very good quality wise. They use soft compound rubber which are better grip wise and also emit less road noise. For your issues, I will say check the correct tyre pressure for your 235 tyre size, I keep mine on 32 PSI for the 215/65 tyre size. 235 size means that per tyre weight will increase, which effects the driving, handling etc. Your suspension and steering has to pull more weight, increase in contact patch means better grip on straights, but try to turn the steering and it'll feel hard to turn.

[Rasmo3689]

Originally Posted by man23ish

In general, incase anybody has upgraded from 215/65 R16 to 235/60 R16; How has your experience been? And what did you do to overcome the sluggish of the vehicle incase you experienced any?

I was running this size on my erstwhile Duster AWD. To be honest, there wasn't any noticeable lag. However, the fuel economy definitely took a hit and reduced by at least 2 kmpl. The ride comfort increased; body roll was more or less the same as before. One thing that I would like to mention is that the car seemed to work slightly harder to move from a standstill. The effect would be less pronounced on the 2WD because of lesser weight, I guess. The tires lasted a good 35,000 km, given my driving style and use (twisty, steep mountains of Uttarakhand 90% of the time).

[man23ish]

Originally Posted by Rasmo3689

I was running this size on my erstwhile Duster AWD. To be honest, there wasn't any noticeable lag. However, the fuel economy definitely took a hit and reduced by at least 2 kmpl. The ride comfort increased; body roll was more or less the same as before. One thing that I would like to mention is that the car seemed to work slightly harder to move from a standstill. The effect would be less pronounced on the 2WD because of lesser weight, I guess. The tires lasted a good 35,000 km, given my driving style and use (twisty, steep mountains of Uttarakhand 90% of the time).

Thanks @Rasmo3689; I concur with your observations...

I just returned from my annual road-trip to Gujarat and Kutch to Bangalore (Driven 5185 kms on the Odo) I received an average of 19 kmpl diesel; Earlier I used to clock 20-21 on a regular basis on the highways...

As you rightly mentioned, moving from a standstill is a lil' painful. But once the Turbo kicks in, there is no difference in the performance and the vehicle is as peppier as it has been... I guess, it is more of a matter of getting used to these tyres in the City and adjusting my driving style to the new tyres...

[man23ish]

Originally Posted by mav3r1ckblu3

Hi Man23ish, thanks for the question. Conti tyres are generally very good quality wise. They use soft compound rubber which are better grip wise and also emit less road noise. For your issues, I will say check the correct tyre pressure for your 235 tyre size, I keep mine on 32 PSI for the 215/65 tyre size. 235 size means that per tyre weight will increase, which effects the driving, handling etc. Your suspension and steering has to pull more weight, increase in contact patch means better grip on straights, but try to turn the steering and it'll feel hard to turn.

Yup, You are bang-on target... Thanks for all the inputs...