[Screwdriva]

I've booked a Honda City Automatic which should arrive in March. It appears that the stock tires supplied by Honda are MRF, marketed as low rolling resistance, which is a bunch of B.S.

Honda knows that the only real low rolling resistance claim can be made by Michelin which is why Michelin were the only tires you could get on a Honda in India before the price cutting exercise a couple years ago.

I plan to replace my MRFs with XM2 Tires with the goal of softening the ride quality and increasing longevity of the tires. It will cost approximate Rs.10,000 total for 4 tire replacements with the trade in.

Any thoughts? I'm concerned they may launch an XM2+ tire with additional benefits

[wanderluster]

Go for it. I've had them on my Swift for a year now and they're great.

These tyres will be in the market for a while and I don't see them launching XM2+ (or XM3!) for a while.

[Mpower]

What brand MRF are these? Are they new?

[pyrodrive]

The MRFs on the previous city were quite noisy at higher speeds. They were hard and durable but upgrading to better rubber is advisable. Go for it.
Are you going for 195s or sticking to stock size?

[IshaanIan]

Try out Yokohama's Earth 1 tyres. I have tried out both and Yokohama being the more newly engineered one, was noticeably better to me in terms of braking and grip.
Meanwhile, Falken also has a few good tyres and their road hazard warranty policy really is impressive so do check them out

Remember that low rolling resistance tyres, perform very poorly in the wet especially in terms of braking.

[Screwdriva]

Most Michelin LRR tires actually perform better in wet conditions than their competition. I also don't believe another manufacturer can come close to the investments that Michelin has made in their LRR tire range.

[deetjohn]

XM2 is a good tyre for Indian conditions. It is surprisingly resilient and robust along with all the other advantages of a Michelin tyre. I have been running one for the past 5K KM.

The main problem is that its too costly and the tyres look narrow on the car. Snapdeal is running some very good offers at the moment. Do check it out.

[pramodpk]

Originally Posted by Screwdriva

I plan to replace my MRFs with XM2 Tires with the goal of softening the ride quality and increasing longevity of the tires. It will cost approximate Rs.10,000 total for 4 tire replacements with the trade in.

Any thoughts? I'm concerned they may launch an XM2+ tire with additional benefits

Go for it. I recently replaced the stock tyres of my Fiesta at 36 K KMS with Michelin XM2 and am really happy with them - Low noise and comfort.

[GTO]

Please tell me you plan to upgrade the tyre size as well.

175 mm tyres are simply too skinny for an 1100 kilo car with 117 horses on tap. Even an i20 & Dzire ZXi (with far lower power ratings) are equipped with fatter tyres. The only reason Honda went for this puny rubber size is the ARAI fuel economy rating & cost. Don't let their irresponsible priorities compromise your safety.

The difference of grip levels in one emergency manouveur can be the difference between life & death.

Originally Posted by Mpower

What brand MRF are these? Are they new?

MRF ZVTV.

[eq24]

I saw a lot of City's on delivery at the Gurgaon yard having Good year's, are these OK or one should consider upgrading them?

I too have booked a Petrol City and GTO's comment about safety does make sense, but I have never changed stock tyre's, should I do this at the dealer or a tyre shop?. Also for a brand new car, considering one goes up a size for say the XM2, what should one expect to pay more and how much will the old ones go for?. Does the spare needs changing as well or is it OK to keep that.? And one last thing, does this have any effect on mileage and warranty?

Thanks

[saket77]

Originally Posted by eq24

I too have booked a Petrol City and GTO's comment about safety does make sense, but I have never changed stock tyre's, should I do this at the dealer or a tyre shop?.

Go for it. The benefits are worth every penny. The City definitely needs wider rubber. Agreed, the City is no beast, but it's not a sheep either.

Originally Posted by eq24

Also for a brand new car, considering one goes up a size for say the XM2, what should one expect to pay more and how much will the old ones go for?. Does the spare needs changing as well or is it OK to keep that.? And one last thing, does this have any effect on mileage and warranty?

Thanks

That's a negotiation that you will have to strike through. I don't know how excited a dealer will be to retain those tires, but give it a try and let us know. People who have already done that should be able to guide better.

Michelins are among the best in business. Go for XM2 without thinking twice. Since, you expect the old rubbers to be bought back by either the Honda dealer, or the Michelin guys, your setback should be very limited, and as I said, worth every penny you pay.

Wider rubbers will definitely take a small toll on the FE. Should not be more than km per litre IMO, but its a small price you pay for better ride, better braking and better handling - overall safety & comfort. Honda is not too fussy about the warranty and since the City in International markets is sold with wider profile tires, you should not be worried much.

Regards,
Saket

[eq24]

Originally Posted by saket77

Go for it. The benefits are worth every penny. The City definitely needs wider rubber. Agreed, the City is no beast, but it's not a sheep either.


Regards,
Saket

One more question, will the alloys need to be changed when going for new tyres or will they put the tyre over the existing alloy?.

Thanks again

[malgudi]

Originally Posted by Screwdriva

I've booked a Honda City Automatic which should arrive in March. It appears that the stock tires supplied by Honda are MRF, marketed as low rolling resistance, which is a bunch of B.S.

I also saw Bridgestone & Michelin on the diesel City in the showroom. For all you know, you might end up with Michelins from Honda

[maverick145]

I was also looking for some information related to the tyre upgrade for the latest City. What is the best upsize size? Will the standard alloys required to be changed for an upsize? Which are the best tyres for city / highway use and broken roads?

[Shreyans_Jain]

City is being shipped with 4 different types of tires.
1.MRF ZVTV
2.Goodyear GT3
3.Bridgestone B250
4.Michelin XM1+

While 1 comes from the official review, I have seen 2, 3 and 4 on various cars are the dealer. XM1+ is a very decent tire, and one can insist for a car with these.

195/60R15 is the std upsize for the City.