[balenopower]

The original plan was to stick to the stock rubbers till the VTEC makes the MRF's squeal, however the only squeal came from me when the ZVT's managed to scare the living daylights out of me. Dont get me wrong, they are just right if you expect good fuel economy and 'nothing' else. But then my City is used 80% of the time for my Mum-Pune and leisure trips. I have the power benath my hood, but 'Power is nothing without Control'.

After lots of t-bhp and the World Wide Web, I only got more confused. Finally I decided to just head to the shop, line up the tyres and go with my gut feeling. I did the same back in 2007 and went ahead with the Yokohama ES 100's and it worked. I absolutely loved the tyres and they served me extremely well.

Coming to the current list, I decided to pick between the following in 195/60 R15 specs

• Yokohama ES 100
• Yokohama C Drives
• Goodyear GSD3
• Bridgestone Potenza GIII
• Pirelli P6
• Michelin Primacy LC

The Yokos had served me well, so the temptation for another hassle free ownership was there but there was an equally strong temptation to try another brand. At the shop the ES 100, Goodyear’s, Bridgestone and the Michelins were imediately ticked off with... cant repeat it, not available, dated and a very subtle tread pattern being the reasons respectively. It finally came down to choosing between the Yoko C-Drives and the Pirelli P6.

Had read very good reviews about both these tyres and i was tempted towards the C-Drives from day one, but my gut feeling said otherwise and I zeroed in on the Pirellis. Got a fantastic deal thanks to Anand tyres at Milan Subway.

Rs. 5100 for the Pirellis and I got almost 2900/tyre (a little more for the unused spare) for the MRF's which had already seen upwards of 2200 km which meant I paid 10k for a set of 5 brand new Pirellis including alignment and balancing.

Now these aren't out and out performance tyres like the ES100's but aim to offer a good balance between comfort and performance like the C-Drives. First thing to notice is that they ride and feel exactly like the thinner MRF's which speaks volumes about the tyres low rolling resistance. Even though the profile is 5mm down the original, better quality of rubber has ensured slightly better ride quality as well. For some reason, unless one really looks at the tyres it’s difficult to notice that the City is now sporting a wider patch of rubber. The ES-100's square shouldered look makes it stand out a lot more.

Grip and straight line stability is something I still have to judge since I only managed one short trip in the city. My next trip to Pune should answer a lot of questions. Another friend with, an equally new but with a few km more on the odo, Jazz also upgraded his cars footprints. He went for the ES100's with the same section as mine. Here are a few pics. (Sorry for the night time images will upload daylight ones later)

[GTO]

Congrats on the new rubber & thanks for sharing this review.

Am sure you are on top of the world after getting rid of the lousy, hard OEM tyres.

Rs. 5100 for the Pirellis and I got almost 2900/tyre (a little more for the unused spare)

Nice deal. You sure have a unique way of buying tyres .

For the last 3 sets of tyres I bought, the decision was based 100% on Team-BHP reviews & opinions (not tread design and the like).

I haven't tried the P6's, but from what I hear, they offer a good balance between comfort & grip. Beware of the quick treadwear & high speed noise though.

Do update this thread once you log more highway & expressway kms on them.

Drive safe.

[arup.misra]

@balenopower, I'm in the same boat but looking to change OEM rubber for my Brio. MRF ZVT's are IMO the worst. Neither is the ride plush nor is the noise bearable even at high double digit speeds.

Please let me know your experience with P6 as it is one amongst Michelin LC and Yoko C that I've shortlisted.

[balenopower]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nice deal. You sure have a unique way of buying tyres .

For the last 3 sets of tyres I bought, the decision was based 100% on Team-BHP reviews & opinions (not tread design and the like).

I haven't tried the P6's, but from what I hear, they offer a good balance between comfort & grip. Beware of the quick treadwear & high speed noise though.

Do update this thread once you log more highway & expressway kms on them.

Drive safe.

Haha, well im hoping the unique way works again. My choice was based on both, tread design and grip and I read the P6 offers a good balance of both. While teh wear of the treadwear remains to be seen, im sure teh tyre noise will be way better than the stock MRF's.

[balenopower]

So the Pirelli's finally got some action today. Was on a deadline. It was 6:30 am and i had to be at Talegaon by 8 am sharp. The City was mostly in its i-Vtec range while the Pirellis were shown their reason of being. First impressions..Brilliant. The first thing to notice was the straight line stabilty. Now the MRF's are no comparison here but lets compare to the ES100's which i had on the Baleno.

The ES100 thanks to their broad shoulders i feel were more noiser, this isn't as silent as the Michelins im presuming but better definitely quiter than the ES. Out right grip while attacking corners however i feel was better on the ES. They are more sportier while the P6 are supposed to offer a good balance. Ride quality felt a tad stiff at 30 psi, but 29 works beautifully. I feel they rquire a few more km to set in after which i am expecting a slight change in the Pirellis characteristics.

[irdevanand]

@balenopower I have to decide between Michelin Primacy 3st (Rs6150) and Pirelli P6 (Rs 5350) for my ANHC. It clocked 60k kms so far in the stock Michelin tyre but i am trying to upsize it to 195*60*R15. Was Michelin in your list before you went for Pirelli? Just curious to know. What made you stick to P6?

Dev

[irdevanand]

Went with Michelin Primacy 3ST. Wanted to try Pirelli this time but in chennai i felt theres a lot of gray market tyres for pirelli. A dealer quoted me 5800 initially then came upto 5000. I dont think they would have so much margin if the tyres are genuine. Also pirelli india was out of reach. So decided to go with the known devil.

[balenopower]

Originally Posted by irdevanand

@balenopower I have to decide between Michelin Primacy 3st (Rs6150) and Pirelli P6 (Rs 5350) for my ANHC. It clocked 60k kms so far in the stock Michelin tyre but i am trying to upsize it to 195*60*R15. Was Michelin in your list before you went for Pirelli? Just curious to know. What made you stick to P6?

Dev

Went through a lot of reviews and i found the Pirelli's to be pretty favorable and after putting them I have nothing to complain about. I have personally never considered Michelis because one, they are known for relatively softer sidewalls and two, the tread design are the saddest of the lot. Heck even Apollo acceleres have a better tread design. But i guess that depends on person to person. Hope you are finding the Michelin's good.