[bharatsomany]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Guys, I was just looking this thing below. And found the 16 inch tires close to the stock tires in circumference difference as well as speed:

Certainly, you are right. I have honestly not heard of any sizes that do not have alternatives in different width, profile and rim size.
Do make sure you get a new set of wheels with the correct load rating, offset, centre bore (else a spigot ring) and width (to suit your choice of tyre).
It is also better to get wheels with the right number of holes to suit your car. Multi PCD wheels are inherently more prone to mechanical failure than those that have a specific PCD.

[adarsh76]

Originally Posted by bharatsomany

Certainly, you are right. I have honestly not heard of any sizes that do not have alternatives in different width, profile and rim size.
Do make sure you get a new set of wheels with the correct load rating, offset, centre bore (else a spigot ring) and width (to suit your choice of tyre).
It is also better to get wheels with the right number of holes to suit your car. Multi PCD wheels are inherently more prone to mechanical failure than those that have a specific PCD.

Thanks, but still the concern of ABS sensor is haunting me as this is a very important safety aspect. I shot out a mail to Honda asking specifically on the ABS and below is the reply I got:

Dear Sir,

Reference to your communication, we would like to inform you that any alterations/ changes with respect to the standard specifications of the car may affect / damage the other car components. Since the testing of cars is based on standard specification, we would not be able to recommended/ clarify on the functioning of anti lock braking system in the car.

Kind regards,

Parampreet Singh
Customer Relationship Management
Honda Cars India Ltd., Greater Noida


I really do not think this is answered by a real engineer. But there are no other mail id's where I can ask this to Honda. Do we have any email id of Honda headquarters in Japan?

[Tommie]

Folks,

I am looking for changing my Michelin Primacy LC tire 195/60/15 after 5 years and 50K (all 5 tires) on my Honda city. There is some more thread left for another 6-8K kms but I want to change since I am feeling that the tires feels slippery on Bangalore's sandy and poor roads. After running on the Primacyy soft tire on Indian roads, I have decided to switch to hard tires.

I have shortlisted Bridgestone Potenza RE88 and Turanza ER-60. Any recommendations?

[dmv]

Folks,

I'll be taking delivery of a new City VX CVT in a few days from Dakshin Honda, Hosur Rd, Bangalore. Saw the car in the yard and it has Michelin XM1. Considering upgrading to 195-60-R15 as done by many folks on the forum.

However, I am getting strongly discouraged by the sales manager and one SA I spoke to. I was wondering if anybody’s had any further discussion on this topic with the SA's at Dakshin/Magnum/Whitefield Honda or even Honda India directly.

Also, if anybody has had actual warranty claim issues due to this, please respond.

Thanks !!

[Tommie]

Originally Posted by Tommie

Folks,

I am looking for changing my Michelin Primacy LC tire 195/60/15 after 5 years and 50K (all 5 tires) on my Honda city. There is some more thread left for another 6-8K kms but I want to change since I am feeling that the tires feels slippery on Bangalore's sandy and poor roads. After running on the Primacyy soft tire on Indian roads, I have decided to switch to hard tires.

I have shortlisted Bridgestone Potenza RE88 and Turanza ER-60. Any recommendations?

I finally decided to go with Potenza RE88.Most of the dealership did not have Turanza ER-60 and according to them ER-60 has been stopped. I did choose Potenza G III since it cannot be swapped from left to right and vice versa.

I forgot to mention that the old Primacy LC developed a lot of minor cracks after 5 years. I was little surprised to see lot of cracks considering that it was a softer tyre and had more silicon in it. Also, my ABS used to get activated even at 10-15kmph braking just before a speed breaker where sand or mud was present with the Michelins.

According to the Bridgestone mechanic, Bridgestone tyres comes with 6 years warranty and the mileage for the tyre is much higher than any other brand. Also he mentioned that Bridgestone tyre never cracks which sounded little surprising to me.

Just done first 100 kms with Bridgestone RE88 and the experience is completely different that Michelin. The bad speed breakers which used to scrape my car bottom or the mud flaps are no longer are a worry. The ride quality on the bad roads has significantly improved, however, the ride quality on the good roads has deteriorated when compared to the Michlean Primacy. So in summary, the ride quality is uniform on both bad and good roads. I prefer better ride quality on bad roads since the ratio of bad road to good road is higher in Bangalore. I had used Bridgestone Doughnut tyres for my previous Esteem for over 40,000 kms. I felt the similar experience with the ride quality and improved ground clearance for Indian roads.

So in summary, I would recommend Bridgestone tyres anyday for Indian roads than any other tyres.

Originally Posted by dmv

Folks,

I'll be taking delivery of a new City VX CVT in a few days from Dakshin Honda, Hosur Rd, Bangalore. Saw the car in the yard and it has Michelin XM1. Considering upgrading to 195-60-R15 as done by many folks on the forum.

However, I am getting strongly discouraged by the sales manager and one SA I spoke to. I was wondering if anybody’s had any further discussion on this topic with the SA's at Dakshin/Magnum/Whitefield Honda or even Honda India directly.

Also, if anybody has had actual warranty claim issues due to this, please respond.

Thanks !!

I have been using upgraded tyres 195/60/15 from day one and I had been servicing at Whitefield Honda. I remember that one of the special model/customized that was sold by Whitefield Honda had upgraded tyres of 195/60/15.

I do not think it should be a concern for them. If they create a ruckus, you could try to swap the tyres with one of your friends car for a while if any issue arises or work with a local tyre vendor as a temporary adjustment for the warranty claims.

However, my recommendation based on my experience is to run with the stock tyres till they wear out (40K Km) and then upgrade it. It is not really worth the extra money for the upgrade for a new car. The only difference you get is better control on the steering on highways when travelling at high speeds. If you really want a stiffer steering, then upgrade the tyres. If someone says that it can improve the rear stability, i would disagree. If you need stabilty for the rear wheels, you would need to have 2 adults sitting behind or some 40-60 kgs bags in the boot. It will make your car planted on highways for the rear stability.

[aa-Crecy]

Well, after reading all the comments on the Tyre upgrade I changed my Tyre from Good Year GT3 175/65/15 to XM2 195/60/15

Though it feels much nicer, and rides quiter, and little more comfortable too. I am not very happy by the way it looks on the stock alloys. The bigger tyre needs a wider rim to look good.

And, then I did a few more research, and came to conclusion that I should have gone for the XM2 in stock size itself. The XM2 are really nice tyres with better grip and great handling, the need for wider tyre is only at speeds higher than 160KM (which I haven't gone to after changing the tyres) under this speed the stock size handles well and optimally.

I also looked at the stock sizes of other cars, the verna, vento and rapic, all these come with tyres thinner than 195, in this class only linea has typres of 195 width. How can all manufactures be irresponsible, It must make sense to use thinner tyres.

And in a given brand and range, the thinner tyres will save you upto 2K on 4 tyres.

Attached are the pictures, I think the upgrade makes sense only if the desired tyres are not available in the size 195/60/15 being more popular. And I would suggest an allow upgrade too along with the tyre upgrade to keep the balance of looks to a 6"X15"

[fastraj]

Even I had a doubt on how 195/60 would look on 5.5 inch rim width. I had bridgestone b250 which were quite hard. So I upgraded to primacy 3st after 2k kms.At first I couldn't feel much of a difference but gradually the ride got much smoother and the car dynamics improved a lot. And coming to the looks , I quite like the muscular look of the tyre.

[reppy]

Guys, after much pondering I have shortlisted Bridgestone turanza Ar 20 for my Honda City VX CVT in size 195/60 R15.

Anyone have experience with these tires?

I am not happy at all with the Michelin Energy XM2 on my i20 so they are ruled out. The mileage I am getting is 8-9 kmpl versus 11+ on my old Yoko S drives. For the same reason I am wary of going for Primacy 3ST.

Please suggest guys. My priorities are: ride, mileage, grip in that order.

[bharatsomany]

Originally Posted by adarsh76

Thanks, but still the concern of ABS sensor is haunting me as this is a very important safety aspect. I shot out a mail to Honda asking specifically on the ABS and below is the reply I got:

Dear Sir,

Reference to your communication, we would like to inform you that any alterations/ changes with respect to the standard specifications of the car may affect / damage the other car components. Since the testing of cars is based on standard specification, we would not be able to recommended/ clarify on the functioning of anti lock braking system in the car.

Kind regards,

Parampreet Singh
Customer Relationship Management
Honda Cars India Ltd., Greater Noida


I really do not think this is answered by a real engineer. But there are no other mail id's where I can ask this to Honda. Do we have any email id of Honda headquarters in Japan?

adarsh76,
Don't let the ABS sensors haunt you. Just as an alibi Honda markets the City with 16" wheels in Taiwan. Here is a link if you wish to see for yourself (although half the text is unintelligible, you can clearly make out the tyre sizes in clear roman characters):

Honda Tawian - City Specifications

As for operational theory, design and other related information on ABS systems, here are some basic facts:

ABS sensors are basically proximity sensors aligned to a tooth gear located INSIDE the axle so as to provide fairly high resolution feedback of wheel speed to the controller/ECU (since the axle and wheel are mechanically connected, there is no need to monitor the physical wheel/tyre).

Here is a diagram:


Besides the wheel speed sensors, full-spec ABS systems also have an acceleration sensor (accelerometer / gyroscopic sensor) which is normally located somewhere above the accelerator pedal as far as I know it. Although I cannot say for all cars, I did have a good look at one installed in a Hyundai Elantra which had a warning printed on it saying that it was useless if dropped from a height over 6" or something. This keeps the system informed of vehicle acceleration even if all 4 wheels have locked completely.

From all this combined information, the controller decides the best course of action for the vehicle to achieve best braking performance along with best possible control/handling dynamics. (As with any system there is always a caveat and an ABS will typically achieve a longer stopping distance in gravel /sand or any other loose surface).

With the required action determined, the system actuates the pumps to execute the work mechanically in an iterative approach typically about 15 times per second. (For more details, lookup "closed loop control systems" or "control theory" for a broader understanding).

If you've managed to follow my reasoning upto now, you will instantly realize that it is impossible for the system to be befuddled by an insignificant change in wheel speed and especially by any change in the wheel itself.

As for the remaining argument of modified ground speed in relation to engine/drivetrain speed caused a change in tyre size, this is irrelevant as such a situation happens every time a car turns wherein the inner wheels turn less than the outer wheels or when using a worn tyre vs. a new tyre. Furthermore, for such a change to actually have a substantial enough effect, you would already reach the physical limits of the suspension and body insomuch as scraping the fender liners before the wheel speed sensors and pump capacity limitations even come into play.

Still, this is ofcourse a highly technical subject matter and not really plausible for me to explain in small writeup if full justice is to be done to it and I would therefore be happy to see a counter-argument.

[jesrani]

I am getting delivery of my Honda City Diesel VX in a few days. I checked out the car and it has MRF tyres unfortunately so i want to change them. However still not sure whether to change size or just go for the same size in Michelin. Will it lead to any warranty issues? Is it better to just change to same size in 3ST?

[hondabuster]

Originally Posted by jesrani

I am getting delivery of my Honda City Diesel VX in a few days. I checked out the car and it has MRF tyres unfortunately so i want to change them. However still not sure whether to change size or just go for the same size in Michelin. Will it lead to any warranty issues? Is it better to just change to same size in 3ST?

I am having MRF tyres on my 2014 city ivtec. Initially I was disappointed to see MRF and not Michelin too. But i continued with these tyres. To be honest, they are decent. Except they are little noisy and sound can be heard clearly in cabin. Grip wise they are surprisingly decent enough.Although I feel tyres looks glaringly skinny on city. while most of the time i drive in the city and getting avg of 13.5 kmpl with AC on. Mileage will suffer after changing original tyre size.

[jesrani]

Originally Posted by hondabuster

I am having MRF tyres on my 2014 city ivtec. Initially I was disappointed to see MRF and not Michelin too. But i continued with these tyres. To be honest, they are decent. Except they are little noisy and sound can be heard clearly in cabin. Grip wise they are surprisingly decent enough.Although I feel tyres looks glaringly skinny on city. while most of the time i drive in the city and getting avg of 13.5 kmpl with AC on. Mileage will suffer after changing original tyre size.

I took delivery of my City on Friday and immediately changed to Michelin 3ST 195/60R15 as recommended by one and all. These seems to be very good and quite silent. Am very happy with the ride and did get a decent value of Rs.3,000 per tyre for the MRF's. Also I drive on the highway regularly so it was probably better to change to Michelins

[themonster]

Hey everyone.
Happy New year 2015 !!

I am an owner of a taffeta white Honda City VX I-VTEC. I had received my car in April 2014, and they were shroud with Goodyear GT3 175/65 R15. Initially, one of my relatives had suggested not to change the tyres at the time of delivery, but later.
Now, I am at 18600km approx, and I am looking at options to change the tyre. I am planning for an upsize to 195/60 R15 and would like to know which is a good tyre.
The goodyear tyres i had gotten with the city lack grip, especially in roads with loose sand and wet roads. Overall, till date, the tyres had one sidewall tear (sharp stone hiding in a pothole, happened during the run-in period, the tyre was changed) and one puncture (a small screw).

Now maybe in another few months (4-6 months) I will be changing the tyres. I would like to have some input from others. Things I am looking for is grip and durability, resistance to punctures. Mileage +/- 1kmpl is fine. nother thing I would like to know, is whether it is better to change all 5 tyres at a time or to keep the spare the stock size.
I have considered the following tyres:

1. MRF ZLO
Well, in the forum, most of the people talk about MRF as an okay sort of brand, but I have read and heard good things about MRF ZLO.
Cost - Rs.5088/- per tyre
http://www.changemytyre.com/Car/Tyres/MRF/ZLO/2340

2. Falken Sincera SN835
I searched high and low for information on this tyre. It is a fairly new tyre in the market. I had read a handful of reviews on Team-BHP about the previous Falken Sincera (i don't remeber the model). Reviews on other sites, say the tyre is pretty good.
Cost - Rs.5300/- per tyre
http://www.changemytyre.com/Car/Tyre...ERA-SN835/3775

3. Yokohama
Another Japanese brand. Heard really good things about these tyres. My confusion lies in which one to chose, the AA01 A drive, AC01 C drive or V550 AVS db tyres. I heard about S drive too. I am considering the C drive though.
Cost -
AA01 A drive - Rs. 5190/-
http://www.changemytyre.com/Car/Tyre...1-A-Drive/1422
AC01 C drive - Rs. 5567/-
http://www.changemytyre.com/Car/Tyre...1-C-Drive/1428
V550 AVS db - Rs. 5720/-
http://www.changemytyre.com/Car/Tyre...50-AVS-DB/1432

4. Bridgestone
This brand is very popular. People swear by it that these brand tyres get minimal punctures, but road and tyre noise is on the higher side. The Potenza G3 and the Turenza ER60 has got my attention.

5. Michellin
I don't think I need to give any details about Michellin. Almost every 4th gen Honda City owner has gone for wither the XM2 or the Primacy 3ST.

It would be helpful, if members could help me chose the right tyre.
I know each tyre has its pros and cons, but I would like to narrow down to one.
My driving is a mix of city and highway drives along with some driving on unpaved/rural/mud roads.

i know the Michellin XM2 is the best all rounder and also offers the best mileage; the Michellin Primacy 3ST is the most comfortable and smoothest tyre; Bridestone and Yokohama are strong tyres and resistant to punctures; MRF ZLO is an excellent value for money tyre and the Falken Sincera is said to be quite good, but there are less people taking the plunge.

If I have made any errors in any of my statements, please feel free to correct me. Also, I am not planning to change my car tyres immediately, but in the future, say about 4-6 months, when the present tyres life is about done.

[Aston Singh]

Hey "themonster" !
Happy new year to you as well.

Your research is quite detailed and accurate. But now that you don't plan to change your tyres any time soon, I would say just wait it out. Expect new models to come up and then you'll have more options to choose from.

About changing the spare wheel, you should go ahead with it considering your up sizing by +2. So during a highway run, even if you have to put on the spare, you won't face any issues.

[psp62in]

My 2009 Honda city stock tyres are due for replacement. The originals were Micheline XM1 175/65 R15. All four running tyres have developed cracks after 5 years and 30k kms. (The spare wheel tyre though is in a very good condition).
I seek the expert advice on the replacement (make/model and size) with following in view:
1. Typical usage in city, with ocassional long distance highway runs. Average kms covered 6k/yr.
2. Typical speed on highways 100-130kph
2. Priorities for tyre selection: A. Safety B. Comfort (ride and noise)
3. Planning to retain the existing spare wheel tyre unchanged.

I need to choose between Micheline and Yoko and then the size (175/65 R 15 or 195/60 R 15).

Prices quoted are
A. Micheline XM2 175/65 R15 ... Approx price offered 5300/- in Mumbai
B. XM2 195/60 R 15 (Not sure if XM2 is available in this size, the website does not show this size but the dealer says its available! I am told the price is approx 5700/-).
B. Micheline primacy 3ST 195/60 R15, approx price 5900/-
C Yokohama A drive 195/60 R 15 Approx price 4900/-
D.Yokohama C drive 195/60 R 15 (Price not known)

May I have you opinion please.