[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by CaptainPrice

Hi Team, I'm planning take delivery of my Honda City ZX next week, and thinking of changing the stock Bridgestone Ecopias (185/55 R16) with Earth1 in the same size or the 195/55 R16, which will add about 5 mm of GC

The issue is the cost. I'm on a budget(broke after buying the car) and looking to change the entire set of 5 for less than 20k, including Valves, Wheel Balancing and Wheel Alignment (and trading in the existing Ecopias).

Does anyone have a good reference that can make this happen, or are my expectations too far-fetched? The Yokos currently retail for 6k on Amazon, but Amazon doesn't offer buyback.

What makes you think the Earth 1 is better than the Ecopias?

Just because the Ecopia came as stock?

This is the biggest fallacy in the market. Dont need to change tyres just for the heck of it. In all probability, the difference between the Earth 1 and the Ecopia will be ZERO. And you would have lost thousands of rupees replacing a good tyre with another tyre which is exactly equal.

Dont be stupid. Retain your stock tyres.

[AutoSphere]

+1.
I have always had an excellent experience with Bridgestone tyres across various types of cars ( SUV, sedans and hatchbacks) and you should retain them on your new Honda City.

Also, I am not clear how you will get additional 5mm of GC, since the aspect ratio has not changed?

[CaptainPrice]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

What makes you think the Earth 1 is better than the Ecopias?

Just because the Ecopia came as stock?

This is the biggest fallacy in the market. Dont need to change tyres just for the heck of it. In all probability, the difference between the Earth 1 and the Ecopia will be ZERO. And you would have lost thousands of rupees replacing a good tyre with another tyre which is exactly equal.

Dont be stupid. Retain your stock tyres.

Thank you, Nikhil. I appreciate your down to earth response. I was swayed by the discussions happening at the following places:

• This Initial Ownership Review - where the OP talks about the upgrade straight after delivery
• 4th Gen Honda City Tyre and Wheel Upgrade Thread (4th gen. Honda City : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread) - where various options are discussed.
• Ecopia Discussion

After seeing these, I was under the impression that the benefit to changing to better tyres would outweigh the cost, and I had selected the XM2, the MC5 and the Earth-1, but considering that you're advice is to retain stock, I am in two minds now.

A significant number of people were advocating the tyre upgrade as the stock tyres were deemed insufficient. I'd like to hear more from you if possible, considering you operate Madhus, a place for tyres.

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by Joxster

While I fully understand your requirement, the Cooper S already has stiff suspension, and these tyres aren't soft (they're made more for long life and good mileage), so that might make the ride quite uncomfortable. Also, as per feedback from other members, they get noisier as they age, and I'm sure that is not something you would appreciate in a hot hatchback.

My suggestion is not to go with anything below the Michelin XM2, and only look at tyres which are at par or above them. Honestly though, if I was in your place, I wouldn't compromise on grip levels in such a fun car, and would blindly go for the Michelin PR4 like Santoshbhat has already suggested

Cheers

I think you must be referring to the R5x generation which had a bone jarring ride. The F56 is very plush and complaint, a little bouncy actually. But I had adaptive dampers that negate that when required.

I wanted to understand how these tires are because they were offered as an option guess they don't make sense. Especially since they are just Rs 1000 less than Pilot Sport 4. Grip levels is a subjective thing, currently, I am running 195 and I really enjoy that they break traction sometimes during hard acceleration in a straight line. I've had the tires start spinning from 60~80kph shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear at times when I hit the white lines on the road. Its a lot of fun to let it slide around a bit.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Again, the Cooper S deserves better tyres for 99% of the time it spends with you.

If my experience with the PS3 is anything to go by, the PS4s are not delicate darlings. They are soft compound tyres and will probably even ride better that the Earth1s and being tubeless they will be less prone to pothole hits. The superb grip and handling will let you enjoy your Mini to its full potential.

Only downside I can see is lower tyre life. In all other aspects the Earth1 cannot hold a candle to the PS4s

Tire wear is something I know I can't expect over 8-10k for any tires in either case (with rotation) so I'm good there.

I guess you are right no use looking at these especially if the price difference is a meagre 1000. I will look at other tubeless non-performance tire options as-well.

[CaptainPrice]

Originally Posted by AutoSphere

+1.
I have always had an excellent experience with Bridgestone tyres across various types of cars ( SUV, sedans and hatchbacks) and you should retain them on your new Honda City.

Also, I am not clear how you will get additional 5mm of GC, since the aspect ratio has not changed?

Bridgestone does indeed make some good tyres. The Turanzas, Potenzas, B250s, B290s etc. have been well received, but my confusion was regarding this particular series called the Ecopia.

Regarding the GC, the aspect ratio hasn't changed but the width has, from 185mm to 195mm. Therefore, the increase will be (195-185) x 55% equals 5.5mm. This is not exact science, but this has been my understanding so far.

[Nikhilb2008]

The Ecopia is decent. I may not choose it if I have to buy a set of tyres but frankly, the miniscule difference between that and a set of Earth 1s doesnt justify the thousands of rupees you are going to spend.

You can save the money and go all out for Michelins after 35k kms or so

[CaptainPrice]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

The Ecopia is decent. I may not choose it if I have to buy a set of tyres but frankly, the miniscule difference between that and a set of Earth 1s doesnt justify the thousands of rupees you are going to spend.

You can save the money and go all out for Michelins after 35k kms or so

Please correct me if I am wrong. You are saying that it is not worth it to upgrade from the Ecopia to the Earth-1 given the similarities between the tyres. Got it.

Might it be worth it to upgrade to Michelins if the budget somehow allowed for it? To rephrase the question, what according to you, would be a prospective price of the Michelins that would make the change seem sensible? Apologies for deviating slightly.

[Nikhilb2008]

Nope. Nothing is worth an upgrade from the Apollos. Dont go by reviews online. Most reviews are of people comparing worn out tyres at the end of their lives with brand new Michelins or Yokohamas or whatever.

Brand new Apollos to Brand new anything else wont be worth the money unless the brand new something is some super high end tyre like Michelin PS4 or Yokohama Advan Sports (which arent available in your size).

I think I've explained enough! It feels like I'm repeating the same things again and again!

[CaptainPrice]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Nope. Nothing is worth an upgrade from the Apollos. Dont go by reviews online. Most reviews are of people comparing worn out tyres at the end of their lives with brand new Michelins or Yokohamas or whatever.

Brand new Apollos to Brand new anything else wont be worth the money unless the brand new something is some super high end tyre like Michelin PS4 or Yokohama Advan Sports (which arent available in your size).

I think I've explained enough! It feels like I'm repeating the same things again and again!

I don't know if you were (also) referring to me and the Bridgestone Ecopias, but this post has been quite informative, and your perspective has made me think of ways to make my driving smoother, safer and more responsible instead. After all, that's the best solution for someone driving mostly on the streets of Namma Bengaluru.

Cheers, mate.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by CaptainPrice

Please correct me if I am wrong. You are saying that it is not worth it to upgrade from the Ecopia to the Earth-1 given the similarities between the tyres. Got it.

Not the point. The stock car with those tyres will do just as well with Apollos or Bridgestones. Your car does not need any upgrade (why do you need more GC anyway!), use the stock tyres and replace them with something considerably better once they wear out.

[SchumiFan]

Originally Posted by CPJ

If ride comfort is your priority then you should definitely consider Michelin XM2.
Regards,

Thank you sir. Went ahead and changed the tires to XM2. Really happy with the decision as ride comfort is much more than the stock tires. Feels like I am riding a car now and not auto. The dealer didn't have Yokohama and I was given an option of Pirelli (4.6K) or Michelin (4.9K).

Came to 5K per tire incising alignment, balancing and discount for the unused 5th tire (1000/-).

Have to look for 5th alloy so I can do 5 wheel rotation.

You've been a great help for me. Thank you again.

[FarPatel]

Chanced upon this thread about a week ago and realized that my Fiesta Classic, which I so far thought of as still new, was 4 years old and had covered 65K kms on XM2s, which I had put in the day I got the car. So got down on my knees and checked the tyres, which still looked as if they could go another 10-15k without any problems. The only obvious signs of age and wear were those very fine, probably superficial, cracks or scratches on the treads. However, reading these posts made me think that maybe the ride has become a bit noisier and harder than usual and could it be because of the age and kms run?
Anyhow, since 65k kms was more than what most of you guys recommend for a tyre change I carefully weighed the pros and cons of the XM2 vs the Earth 1 and after going through this thread as well as two others on tyre and wheel upgrades for the Figo and Fiesta, decided on XM2 over the Earth 1.
So, got four new tyres this morning at Rs. 5150 each (185/65 R14) and another Rs. 2400 for new valves, WA, WB.
The difference in comfort, sound and handling was apparent as soon as I left the tyre shop and this woke me up to the fact that I didn’t notice the slowly deteriorating condition of my tyres over time and only realized it after taking action on reading about it on these pages.
So, thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences.
Cheers

[Rshrey22]

Hello BHPians,

My Dzire vxi is due for a tyre change. I am thinking about going for an upsize from 165/80 r14 to 185/70 r14.
I am confused between Yokohama Earth 1, Bridgestone Turanza AR20 and Michelin Energy XM2.

The car is mostly driven on highway with a hint of city driving as well (9:1 ratio). Could you please give some advice regarding the upgrade as all the three tyres cost more or less same.

[arunmichael]

Originally Posted by Rshrey22

My Dzire vxi is due for a tyre change. I am thinking about going for an upsize from 165/80 r14 to 185/70 r14.
I am confused between Yokohama Earth 1, Bridgestone Turanza AR20 and Michelin Energy XM2.

I too have been planning an upgrade for some time now. I have shortlisted Earth 1, B290 and XM2. And from the reviews and comments here i would recommend XM2 since 90% of your driving is on highways.

NB:I have little info on AR20. Hence not commenting on that.

Meanwhile, Fellow TBHPians,

I have shortlisted XM2, B290 and Earth 1 for my Honda Amaze. Upgrading to 185/65/R14 from Goodyear 175/65/R4 which has done 36k kms.

I do two long drives a month (1000 kms each), drive mostly at nights via ghats and don't want to get stuck during odd hours with a tyre burst. My priority in decreasing order are safety, FE, comfort and road noise. And i am not a sedate driver though i used to extract 23 to 28 kmpl on these drives. Your suggestions are most welcome.

[RedDevil_KP]

Need a suggestion for my Toyota Liva TRD Sportivo (with stock body kit). I'm in line for replacing my tyres. The stock one's are Bridgestone Turanza (A10 I think) 185/60/R15. Planning to do an upgrade to 195/60/R15. Couple things I wanted to know as i'm getting mixed responses :

1. Is it worth making an upgrade from 185 - 195? Some of the dealers say it might effect the turning radius & Power steering. Others say it's not a problem if you upgrade. Your thoughts?

2. Couple of my friends who are on Yokohama/Michelin say these tyres are the best in the market now. Whether I opt for 185/195, would you recommend to switch to Yokohama/Michelin or any other? If not should I stick to Bridgestone only?