[ankitahuja]

Originally Posted by Parth46

Quick question for you, and for others who've upgraded to 195/60/15:

I've almost made up my mind to go for Continental MC5 in 195/60/15 for my 2014 VMT petrol, however I've read some feedback online that with the bigger and heavier tyres, acceleration and pick-up seems to drop fairly noticeably, even though the overall planted feeling improves quite a bit.

This one potential con is making me hold off on this upgrade a bit, would've done it long back otherwise.

Could you advise based on your personal experience?

Thanks,
Parth

You won't even notice any drop in power/acceleration per say. I felt a considerable difference in drivability and road grip. Much more confident with these babies!

Like the post below, MC5/Earth 1s or Michelin, all depends on how much you drive, where all you drive. If your daily driving is short, smooth and average speeds then do not spend on Michelins since they are costlier and you won't justify the money spent on the ultra-low road noise and comfort tyres. Both MC5 and Earth 1s are good, tons of reviews on the forum itself.

FE may, may not take a hit but leave that aside and just upgrade, please!

Originally Posted by pavi

We are considering a 100+ bhp car here. The bigger tyres (195/60/15) won’t make much changes in acceleration and pickup. I have upgraded to 195 section Michelin XM2 tyres for my honda city, completed 28,000 kms and no noticeable difference in acceleration and pickup, but there is noticeable improvement in terms of wet grip, breaking, cornering etc. But you should be prepared to take a slight hit on fuel efficiency.

My advice would be to go for the upgrade if you like to drive and always go for better tyre brands, because it does make a lot of difference. I had 195 section accelera tyres before Michelins, and after upgrading to Michelin’s I now completely understand the importance of having better brand tyres.

I agree with your suggestion, However, different tyres have a different character and suited to a certain place and style of driving. My recommendation on the Michelin stands strong (having used many sets myself while ripping the OHC) but then it does make sense to consider a lower cost tyre if your driving suits it.

[Parth46]

Originally Posted by ankitahuja

You won't even notice any drop in power/acceleration per say. I felt a considerable difference in drivability and road grip. Much more confident with these babies!

Originally Posted by pavi

My advice would be to go for the upgrade if you like to drive and always go for better tyre brands, because it does make a lot of difference. I had 195 section accelera tyres before Michelins, and after upgrading to Michelin’s I now completely understand the importance of having better brand tyres.

Thanks guys, no doubt in my mind at all that the 195s are a great choice and will benefit the car overall, just that did I want to sacrifice too much on the fun acceleration part, it's clear from your posts that it won't be the case anyway.

Thanks for the inputs, will make the swap soon in a few weeks.

[varunsangal]

My City V Diesel has done ~49k kms, the current set of tires are starting to show their age. Am considering changing from the current Bridgestone B250 175 to B290 185.

Any feedback on Bridgestone's B290 185/65 R15 88H?

Also, any opinions on the recommended tire size? The recommended sizes per https://tiresize.com/tiresizes/175-65R15.htm as below.

[pavi]

Originally Posted by varunsangal

My City V Diesel has done ~49k kms, the current set of tires are starting to show their age. Am considering changing from the current Bridgestone B250 175 to B290 185.

Any feedback on Bridgestone's B290 185/65 R15 88H?

Also, any opinions on the recommended tire size? The recommended sizes per https://tiresize.com/tiresizes/175-65R15.htm as below.

My suggestion would be 195/60/R15 Michelin XM2 tires, which I am completely satisfied with, for the last 28,000+ kms. I hope 185 sections won't make much of a difference.

[varunsangal]

Originally Posted by pavi

My suggestion would be 195/60/R15 Michelin XM2 tires, which I am completely satisfied with, for the last 28,000+ kms. I hope 185 sections won't make much of a difference.

Am told Michelin tires are a much softer compound than Bridgestone. Possibly something you can confirm.

Softer tires would be a concern in Mumbai as the moon craters that that appear during rains would surely cut up the tires.

[pavi]

Originally Posted by varunsangal

Am told Michelin tires are a much softer compound than Bridgestone. Possibly something you can confirm.

Softer tires would be a concern in Mumbai as the moon craters that that appear during rains would surely cut up the tires.

I can confirm the ones I have definitely have softer sidewalls but not to the extent where one should be worried. I am in Kerala and the roads here are pretty bad. The tires have copped with all the broken roads here for the last 28,000+ kms with out any issues, not even a single puncture.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by pavi

195/60/R15 Michelin XM2 tires, which I am completely satisfied with, for the last 28,000+ kms. ....

Originally Posted by varunsangal

Am told Michelin tires are a much softer compound than Bridgestone. ....

Softer tires would be a concern in Mumbai....would surely cut up the tires.

Michelin tyres having a softer compound is generally correct, however XM2 is specifically designed for tropical and rougher road conditions and has a harder compound. XM2 tyres are built tough.

I've used Bridgestone on my earlier cars for more than a decade and found Michelin XM2 to be far superior to Bridgestones in terms of tyre durability and low road noise.
However being low rolling resistance tyres, XM2 tends to squeal easily on hard braking and grip levels are good only under 120 kmph.

[varunsangal]

Originally Posted by pavi

I can confirm the Michelin XM2s I have definitely have softer sidewalls ...

Asked a few other folks as well offline, the opinion is similar that Michelin may be too soft for Mumbai roads (cuts etc).

Another option thrown up is Yokohama Earth1. Any feedback on Yokohamas?

Originally Posted by for_cars1

...Michelin XM2 grip levels are good only under 120 kmph

Is the grip lower at speeds >120kmph, lost completely, or just unpredictable?
While 120 kmph is too much to do for Indian roads, would not want loss of grip if I happen to be there.

[sensible_driver]

I am having Yokohama Earth1 in my city. The grip is good, but that cushiness of XM2 is missing. I was having XM2 in my dezire. Yes they are softer tyres but I had only one puncture on 40000 kms on dzire.

There is a trade off between the softer ride and durability of hard rubber compound . But that is my experience only.

[varunsangal]

Originally Posted by sensible_driver

I am having Yokohama Earth1 in my city. The grip is good, but that cushiness of XM2 is missing. I was having XM2 in my dezire. Yes they are softer tyres but I had only one puncture on 40000 kms on dzire.

There is a trade off between the softer ride and durability of hard rubber compound . But that is my experience only.

You are absolutely correct, there is always a trade off between softer ride and durability. The trick is to find the balance.

Am being wary here as Bombay roads can get really bad during monsoons and otherwise also have a wide array of choices to get cuts from; including paver blocks, iron ringed pothole covers inter alia.

[pavi]

Originally Posted by varunsangal

Asked a few other folks as well offline, the opinion is similar that Michelin may be too soft for Mumbai roads (cuts etc).

It all depends on how you take care of your ride as a whole. I take potholes cautiously, in other words I baby my car over potholes. Some may wish to take potholes at comparatively higher speeds which can result in tire damage or even alloy wheel bents. So if you are some one who takes care of your tires also then Michelin XM2 is a wise choice. You could read first hand happy experiences shared by members on XM2s on this thread itself which should give you enough confidence.

Note : It is like we have toothbrushes with soft, medium and hard bristles, XM2s are in the lower medium category.

[shreyak_ss]

Looking at City VMT. Want to go for a upsize. Would it be better if I upsize to 195/60R15 or something in 16". What will be the difference and what is advisable?

[pavi]

Originally Posted by shreyak_ss

Looking at City VMT. Want to go for a upsize. Would it be better if I upsize to 195/60R15 or something in 16". What will be the difference and what is advisable?

My suggestion would be 195/60/15, I am using Michelin XM2s in the same size for over 29,000 kms now and I only have praises for them. This is coming from some one who have tried 175/65/15 Bridgestone tires for 27,000 kms, and 195/60/15 Accelera tires for 15,000 kms. If you go for 16'', it would affect the ride quality. You might have experienced the 'not so comfy' ride quality of Honda City even with 15'' during your test drives. But it would be better if some one up sized to 16'' comment on the same.

[ankitahuja]

Originally Posted by shreyak_ss

Looking at City VMT. Want to go for a upsize. Would it be better if I upsize to 195/60R15 or something in 16". What will be the difference and what is advisable?

Question is, what do you want to upsize for? Comfort, GC, looks?

Most sensible upsize is 195/60/15 if you do not want to tamper with the normal functioning of the car.

If it's for aesthetics then please upsize to 16" without a doubt.

[nikhn]

I have a 2016 Honda City VX variant running on stock tires Goodyear Assurance Triplemax. I had noticed that the front right tire had a bulge and upon getting it inspected by Goodyear, I was told that the tire has been damaged due to a pothole hit and won't be covered under warranty. Now I'm in a dilemma as to whether I should change only 1 tire or replace the front two tires. I'm thinking of replacing the front two tires with a new one and the spare, while keeping the slightly used front left as a spare. Is this ok? I do not want to change all 4 tires or upgrade.