[AkMar]

My Xcent S(O) is due for change of tyres now. Will be getting it done in next couple of months depending on how the covid situation develops. Currently looking for recommendations from BHPians. Requirements:

• Should have good ride quality
• I am ready to compromise on FE for good ride & grip
• My car is a low running car, so I don't care whether the treads last for 30K km or 50K km. It doesn't matter for me because before the treads wear out, I will need to change the tyres due to tyre age. So I am looking for tyres which can last for longest time before needing change, rather than tyres which can clock 1 lakh km before treads wear out.

What do you guys recommend? The last requirement is very important for me, as the stock Apollos were not great on durability. I have not yet decided on which size to go for.

[Mr. Nobody]

Originally Posted by AkMar

My Xcent S(O) is due for change of tyres now. Will be getting it done in next couple of months depending on how the covid situation develops. Currently looking for recommendations from BHPians. Requirements:

• Should have good ride quality
• I am ready to compromise on FE for good ride & grip
• My car is a low running car, so I don't care whether the treads last for 30K km or 50K km. It doesn't matter for me because before the treads wear out, I will need to change the tyres due to tyre age. So I am looking for tyres which can last for longest time before needing change, rather than tyres which can clock 1 lakh km before treads wear out.

What do you guys recommend? The last requirement is very important for me, as the stock Apollos were not great on durability. I have not yet decided on which size to go for.

I would recommend Mrf Zlx in 175/65 size, its a upgrade over your current tires and will be more comfortable for sure with enough durability for Indian roads. If more grip is desired for long highway rides than 185/60/14 will also work well though you will lose a lil peppiness at low rpms plus a little mileage hit.

If you want to spend more then Michelin Xm2 is the best option as its soft sidewalls make ride plush and quiet.

[tud]

Hello,

I'm looking to change the tires in my Xcent SX(O). It came with 175-60-R15 tires on alloys.

I'm thinking of upgrading to 195-55-R15. One of the tyre dealers is very sure that 195 section tires will create issue with brushing against the side wall. Another dealer says the suspension will face an issue. It is a 5 years old car running on stock Bridgestone tires.

Anybody has experience with upgrading to 195 specs? The other option would be moving to 185-60-R15 as I cannot find 185-55-R15 tires.

[OmEnuS]

I got hands on my G i10 Sportz back in 2015. Immediately switched stock rims to 14 inch alloys from NEO. Kept stock tyres which were Apollo 3G MAXX 165/65 R14 79H. Till 2018, my drives were restricted to within Kolkata and a few highway runs to the beaches in Odisha and Bengal. I clocked around 24000 KMS till the end of 2018. There was very minimal tread wear too. The stock tyres behaved without complaints, with adequate grip whenever I needed. I had some heart stopping moments in the highways with trucks, but never has the car or the tyre failed me. I have had only 2 punctures, once from a screw and once from a nail, and in both cases, the air outflow was extremely low and it took me 2 days to realize i was losing pressure.

From 2019, I have been transferred to Rourkela. The roads here are not Metro City standard, and they have EATEN THROUGH the tyres within 1.5 years. I was just doing an inspection the other day, and was shocked to see the treads almost flush. My odo now reads 35641. I need to change my tyres ASAP. There are also some small cracks but i guess that is due to the age involved.

Rourkela has very little choices being a tier 2 city. I will be travelling to Kolkata next month, but the route being partially through jungles and hills, I just cannot take the risk of doing the change once I reach.

I have talked to Dealers here, and the options are as below:

1. Michellin XM2 at INR 4600
2. Bridgestone S322 or B290 approx 4200
3. CEAT Mileaze at INR 3100

No YoKohoma, Continental or Apollo Dealerships here.

I was also interested in an upsize, but almost all the dealers here advised me against it, and I personally have never felt the need.

The only thing to keep in mind is that the road conditions here are bad, and softer tyres might become mulch in a couple of years. Any advise on what I should take?

[deepakv]

Originally Posted by OmEnuS

I have talked to Dealers here, and the options are as below:

1. Michellin XM2 at INR 4600
2. Bridgestone S322 or B290 approx 4200
3. CEAT Mileaze at INR 3100

No YoKohoma, Continental or Apollo Dealerships here.

You can consider the Yokohama Earth1 or Continental CC5 for ~3.7k (Amazon / Tyremarket.com prices). XM2 may not be the best bet for bad roads and the Earth1 is probably tough enough for your use case.

[Mr. Nobody]

Originally Posted by OmEnuS

I got hands on my G i10 Sportz back in 2015. Immediately switched stock rims to 14 inch alloys from NEO. Kept stock tyres which were Apollo 3G MAXX 165/65 R14 79H. Till 2018, my drives were restricted to within Kolkata and a few highway runs to the beaches in Odisha and Bengal. I clocked around 24000 KMS till the end of 2018. There was very minimal tread wear too. The stock tyres behaved without complaints, with adequate grip whenever I needed. I had some heart stopping moments in the highways with trucks, but never has the car or the tyre failed me. I have had only 2 punctures, once from a screw and once from a nail, and in both cases, the air outflow was extremely low and it took me 2 days to realize i was losing pressure.

175/65 r14 will be a better choice with better grip and slightly better comfort as well due to increased sidewall width. Better grip always welcome in our Indian roads imo. If tire choice is a issue try the online portals for tires and get them delivered there.

[BenjiRoss]

I have an Xcent sx(o) automatic.
Car is due for a tyre change.
I understand the stock tyre dimensions are hard to get.
What would be the best option for me to upgrade.
Safety is the main concern. Comfort is good to have. Mileage is not my priority.

[tud]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

I have an Xcent sx(o) automatic.
Car is due for a tyre change.
I understand the stock tyre dimensions are hard to get.
What would be the best option for me to upgrade.
Safety is the main concern. Comfort is good to have. Mileage is not my priority.

I'm on the same boat with my Xcent SX-O Auto. The stock size 175-60-R15 is an easy find in Chennai/TN. Most tyre shops have options from Rs 4200 (Ceat) to Rs 5300 (Michelin) per tyre. As an upgrade, 185-60-R15 is the best possible option. But Lal Enterprises (Lloyd's Road shop) is advising me against this as they have had customer's complaint about tyre wall rubbing. They recommend going with the stock 175-60-R15.

175 60 R15 vs 185 60 R15





On papers, 195 55 R15 is also a perfect fit with minimal variation in speedometer reading. But the feedback (from Lal) on 185 section tires brushing is keeping me away from 195 section.

175 60 R15 vs 195 55 R15

[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by tud

I'm on the same boat with my Xcent SX-O Auto. The stock size 175-60-R15 is an easy find in Chennai/TN. Most tyre shops have options from Rs 4200 (Ceat) to Rs 5300 (Michelin) per tyre. As an upgrade, 185-60-R15 is the best possible option. But Lal Enterprises (Lloyd's Road shop) is advising me against this as they have had customer's complaint about tyre wall rubbing. They recommend going with the stock 175-60-R15.

I changed my tyres at Lal Enterprises in Egmore (Next to Sundar Tyres) on wednesday. I upgraded to Yokohoma Earth 1 - 185/60/R15. After this I have driven 400 km on the highway and haven't faced a problem with scraping to the best of my knowledge. I will try to post some pictures when I get time
Lal also recommended stock tyre dimensions, while Sundar Tyres said an upgrade was OK.
I couldn't find any shop selling Michellins - but only did a few enquiries.
The Yokohomas cost me 4700 a tyre. I feel I should have bargained a little more.

[tud]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

I changed my tyres at Lal Enterprises in Egmore (Next to Sundar Tyres) on wednesday. I upgraded to Yokohoma Earth 1 - 185/60/R15. After this I have driven 400 km on the highway and haven't faced a problem with scraping to the best of my knowledge. I will try to post some pictures when I get time.

That will be great if you can share some pics. My concern is on the inner wall of the tyre that could be brushing.

What is your feedback after moving from 175 sections to 185? Is there a considerable difference in the grip?

Does the increase is tyre wall make the ride bumpy or spongy? Are you sticking with 33 psi pressure on each tyre?

Did the fuel efficiency take a hit?

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

I couldn't find any shop selling Michellins - but only did a few enquiries.
The Yokohomas cost me 4700 a tyre. I feel I should have bargained a little more.

Michelin seems to be in demand. Resellers are saying they haven't received any stock post lockdown and the ones received before the pandemic hit us were all 2019 manufactured ones.

4700 is a reasonable cost for the tyre, I hope you squeezed in wheel alignment and wheel balancing to be done gratis since it is a 4/5 tyre purchase.

[BenjiRoss]

Originally Posted by tud

What is your feedback after moving from 175 sections to 185? Is there a considerable difference in the grip?

Does the increase is tyre wall make the ride bumpy or spongy? Are you sticking with 33 psi pressure on each tyre?

Did the fuel efficiency take a hit?

Too early to say. Steering is firmer - feels better. Can't really comment on grip as I am a sedate driver and feel any assessment of grip is just arbitrary. Ride quality was the same - but I'm not an astute driver and may not notice differences as much as a genuine car enthusiast
Fuel efficiency - I don't usually keep track. Overall my xcent has sloppy fuel efficiency (<10KMPL in pure city driving) and with my limited driving (40000 KM in 6 years), fuel efficiency has become an imaginary number in my mind!

[dr.aviansh]

Hello BHPians, I hope you all are doing well.

I have a Hyundai Grand i10 CRDi which wears 165/65 R14’s and is currently on Bridgestone S322 after wearing out her stock Apollo’s.

The harsh ride quality at front of this car has been the concern since Day 1 and the front seats were terrible too. I got them swapped for Verna 2011-2016’s seats which have eased matters by 50%. (Will post a separate thread with photos)

The car has given me BACK PAIN along with our driver and now my dad too. Due to personal reasons, Lateral Upgrade is not on the list so we have to live with it. Also, tried a couple of other Grand i10 CRDi’s which felt equally stiff for my liking.

Now, 165/70 R14 : Seems to be the obvious upgrade but since the ride quality is terribly harsh, I want something taller.
I tried 175/70 R14 : But they gave some lateral side to side movement, so 175’s are out of question.

Henceforth, I’m left with 165/80 R14 which has been the OEM size in the Second and Third Generation Swift LXi/VXi, and its tall sidewalls are known for a soft cushy ride in the Swift.



Provided this size doesn’t scrape with the wheel well, should I upgrade to it?

Speedometer error, Cornering Ability and Road Noise etc. are NOT my concern. I just want a SOFT CUSHY RIDE devoid of any side to side movement for unmaintained Delhi Roads.

Also, suggest me what Tyre Model should do other than Michelin’s as my budget is ~ 13-15k for 4 tyres.
- Apollo’s or Conti’s are soft or not? If yes, then please specify the tyre model.

Thanks in advance.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by dr.aviansh

Speedometer error, Cornering Ability and Road Noise etc. are NOT my concern. I just want a SOFT CUSHY RIDE devoid of any side to side movement for unmaintained Delhi Roads.

Provided it doesn’t scrape anywhere due to the 15.7cm difference (especially on a full load), you’re good to go with 165/80 R14. Don’t forget to keep your speed in check when speed cameras are operating, as the speedo will over read by about 9% (when the speedo reads 96kph, your actual speed will be 105kph).

Another thing to look into would be getting a good pair of shocks & struts which assist ride quality. Also, play with the tyre pressures to suit your requirements (but don’t under-inflate).

I’ll let others recommend the tyre brands.

[scorpian]

Have you checked the air pressures? Buy yourself a good gauge and check it yourself.I once out of curiosity filled air in four different places and all of them were over inflated leading to a harsh ride. In-fact on my suzuki access one tyre shop kept pressure of 54psi!
I would suggest you check on this and then plan ahead.

[Turbohead]

In my experience of upgrading to a larger sidewall tire (1.9% more diameter than original specs), the biggest difference I noticed was how the gear ratios changed.

1) Having a larger diameter has an effect of less torque going to the wheels, which means slower acceleration timings.
2) You will end up slipping the clutch more than usual to get the car rolling in 1st gear. This can become frustrating. This will be an issue when you have to start from still on a gradient.
3) The suspension geometry will differ greatly. Also suspension components will wear out quickly.
4) Safety issues: In case of a moose test like situation, chances of rollover are higher.
5) Just like point 1, braking power also decreases.


May I suggest you a more practical approach if you haven't considered.

1) Try a car with Michelin tires if possible and consider them (all options including stock size, greater width and higher sidewall). They are known to be the softest in the segment.
2) If you haven't started, try working out/ play some sports to get your back muscles strengthened. Personally, workout and football has done wonders for my back pain since I had to ride a scooter for 50 km for college commute everyday.