[DrANTO]

My daily drive is a Hyundai Elite i20 CRDI Asta (option). I bought my car in March 2017 and covered 38000 km during last 15 months. Elite i20 is a good car which strikes a good balance betweenquality,style,comfort,features,power and reliability.

My ride






Elite i20 comes shod with Goodyear Assurance 195/55/R16 tires from the factory with alloy wheels. Spare wheel is also of the same size but with steel rims. Hyundai recommends (according to owners manual) changing tires when tread depth is below 1.6 mm. After 33000 kilometers my Goodyear tyres were at 2 mm thickness; tread wear in all four tyres were more or less equal. I prefer to change my tires before they are completely worn out and doesn't want to compromise on the comfort/safety aspect.

My opinion about Stock Goodyear Assurance Tyres


1. They are not CRAP as some people think. They are average quality tires when you compare with other OEM tyres offered by similarly priced cars.
2. Road noise (tyre noise) is very high.
3. Ride comfort levels are average (hard compound I think)
4. They lasted 33000 km with my driving style (with at least 5000 km left when I changed them). There are people who reported 45-50k on these tires. So overall impressive tire life
5. Two punctures during last one year. A sharp nail was the culprit both times


Picture of Goodyear tires before the change





All of you are aware that elite i20 is not a performance hatchback. it is a smooth,family hatchback with a brilliant 90bhp engine. Also I am more of a sedate driver who enjoy cruising rather than fast driving. So I was clear about what I want from my tires and started the search accordingly.

For me there are five pillars to evaluate a good tyre (Disclaimer: any resemblance to MKBHD youtube phone review is not a coincidence but purely intensional)


1. Visual Appearance (looks):

You might be thinking who cares about how the way a car tire looks; but I do. I like some tread patterns and hate a few.

eg: I like tread pattern of Continental Cross Contact AT and hate Bridgestone Dueller HT

2. Ride Quality :

Soft /medium compound is preferred

3. Performance/Stability

Most important Criteria for me

4. Tire life/Longevity

I don't want my tires to wear out at 20000 km. Minimum of 30000 km life is a must.

5. Cost

I am a " value for money" kind of person.


Whenever we talk about tires in general the name Michelin comes to mind first. We all know they make some of the finest quality rubber in the industry. So obviously my preferred choice was Michelin and I did not want to consider anything else. But after reading and hearing good feedback about MRF Perfinza tires, I reluctantly added them to my shortlist. So Final contenders were

1. Michelin XM2 (195/55/R16) : stock size
2. Michelin Primacy 3ST (205/55/R16)
3. MRF Perfinza (205/55/R16 )
4. Continental MC5 (205/55/R16 )


I have Michelin XM2 in my Maruti Ritz (185/70/R14) and they are decent tyres with good tire life. But I wanted to upsize ; so eliminated them first.

Continental MC5 has poor tire life (20-25000). I have never used them but many friends who have used it said even though they are good they wear out fast.

Now the Big decision Primacy 3ST vs Perfinza; To solve that I had to resort to my five pillars of Tire Assessment


1. Looks ; Asymmetrical Pattern of Perfinza over Primacy 3ST anyday. I love Asymmetrical pattern.

2. Ride Comfort: NO idea I have driven cars (a polo GT/Verna) shod with Primacy 3ST and found the ride to be good. But I had no clue how the Perfinza will fare

3. Performace : I believe Primacy 3ST will be better here (just an assumption; may be I am wrong)

4. Tire Life :

Primacy 3ST usually lasts between 30-45000. They are even members here who has reported 50000 km+ life with these tires.
MRF company recommends these tires for W204 C class (C 200 kompressor model came with 205/55/R16 tires). According to company they are good for 25000 km for C class. My humble i20 being lighter and less powerful than the mighty Mercedes; So I expect at least 30-35000 km life with them

5 Cost :

David Vs Goliath

Michelin Primacy ST : 8400-8600 per tire ( may vary depending on your city)
MRF Perfinza : 7000 per tire

Huge difference. So I was like why don't I give Perfinza a try ( Heck they are even cheaper than 195/55 size XM2 which cost 7600)


2 points which tilted the balance in favor of Perfinza are

1. Distinguished Bhp-ian Nikhilb2008 (our resident tyre expert) has MRF Perfinza installed on his mighty drool worthy vRS. He is very positive about the feedback. So I PMed him and he gave his thumps up.

2. Local MRF dealer is a friend of mine and a fellow petrol head; He encouraged me " Doc, please try this; they are excellent. These are not like stone hard MRF's"



So that is it. I changed my tires to MRF perfinza 205/55/R16 in last week of April at 33000 km Odometer. I have covered 5000 km so far on these tires and my initial impressions are very positive. A few observations


1. Tire noise is very minimal (compared to Goodyear). I am not saying it is ZERO but very very less compared to stock tire.

2. Grip/Performance : Excellent ; They are very grippy and confidence inspiring. I can take curves at 70-80 without any drama. Wet surface performance (tested extensively in Kerala Monsoons) is also very good.

3. Ride quality: Average ; I don't know what is wrong, I expected better ride quality from these. I maintain 32 psi but still ride quality is only marginally improved compared to stock Goodyear assurance.

4. looks nice. I love the stance from the back.

5. No punctures so far. No air loss either.

6. After 5000 km tire tread depth is decreased by 0.7-1mm only. Not bad. (initial thickness was 7-7.1 mm)

7. Only negative point is poor brand recognition among fellow enthusiasts. Usually I advise everybody to change to Michelin tires and now they are making fun fun of me by saying " So, you have become an MRF fan now "

Conclusion :
MRF Perfinza is a good option if you want to try some thing different. According to me they offer 95% of what Michelin has to offer at 80% of the price. Tire life is a totally unknown entity here; if Perfinza lasts less than 35000 km the cost advantage they have over Michelin Primacy 3ST will be nullified.


I will update this thread and share my long term feed back. Till then a few pictures for you





Lovely Asymmetrical tread pattern



As fresh as it gets (1818) means 18th week of 2018. Early April manufactured
Attachment 1781178

measuring tread depth with my Michelin TPMS/tire depth indicator




Work in Progress
Attachment 1781183




End result


Attachment 1781171


Cheers

[ajmat]

Note from Moderator

Have this out to the forum. Thanks for sharing

[Quatro]

DrANTO,

I was wondering why you did not have Yokohama in consideration. I have Yokohama and Michelin in two cars and I find the Yokohama to be better of the two.

Thanks

[DrANTO]

Originally Posted by Quatro

DrANTO,

I was wondering why you did not have Yokohama in consideration. I have Yokohama and Michelin in two cars and I find the Yokohama to be better of the two.

Thanks

Simple reason. Availability (or the lack of)

I don't have access to a good Yokohama dealer because the place I work and live doesn't have Yokohama dealer. All the multi-brand tire showrooms I enquired they have Michelin/Bridgestone/Continental only. May be they are not very popular in Kerala. But you are right, I have heard only good reviews about them except for weak side walls in some of the tires.

For my Gypsy I am opting for Yokohama Geolander AT (215/75/R15) because according to my research and feedback from fellow team bhp-ians, they are the best in the given size. I have to go to Kochi to source these (100km from my home) that is why I am still riding on stock tyres

[F150]

I am also in the same dilemma. MRF Perfinza 195/60/R15 is available at Rs 5050. Same size in Michelin P3ST is at Rs 6600. I am wondering if it is really worth paying the extra 1600 Rs for P3ST.

[thoma]

Originally Posted by DrANTO

I don't have access to a good Yokohama dealer because the place I work and live doesn't have Yokohama dealer. All the multi-brand tire showrooms I enquired they have Michelin/Bridgestone/Continental only. May be they are not very popular in Kerala. But you are right, I have heard only good reviews about them except for weak side walls in some of the tires.

Give M.M Chandy & Co. at Kottayam a try. Got a pair of Yokohamas from them for my neighbor's Polo and it has made a lot of difference by just changing the front tires alone.

[DrANTO]

Originally Posted by F150

I am also in the same dilemma. MRF Perfinza 195/60/R15 is available at Rs 5050. Same size in Michelin P3ST is at Rs 6600. I am wondering if it is really worth paying the extra 1600 Rs for P3ST.

From my experience so far MRF perfinza is a solid tyre which is almost as good as Michelin Primacy ST. Also price difference is huge. Go ahead with Perfinza. You won't regret it

[sidhu_hs]

Originally Posted by DrANTO

Elite i20 comes shod with Goodyear Assurance 195/55/R16

My opinion about Stock Goodyear Assurance Tyres


1. They are not CRAP as some people think.

Currently in the same boat with Goodyears at 38k on the odo. I am not using the car much these days, so will be changing in the coming months before doing any outstation trips.

I agree these tyres are not CRAP! And everything else you said.

One thing I have observed at the local tyre dealer is that Goodyear Assurance Triplemax tyres usually have the widest Tread Width, so they appear the widest of all 195/55R16 tyres from different brands. While Section Width is fixed for a particular dimension and is more or less same for all tyres of the same size, tread width is the part that touches the ground and varies depending on the purpose of tyre. So a sporty tyre such as Advan Neova in the same size on a similar rim will appear far wider than a economy tyre such as Ecopia. And Goddyear Assurance Triplemax at least in this one department is up there with the best!

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by DrANTO

Tire noise is very minimal. I am not saying it is ZERO but very very less...

Good to hear that.

However, I have seen very small stones getting stuck in the tyre grooves and creating a racket. When dislodged while moving, they shoot into the wheel wells and cause further noise. They are a pain to remove during wheel balancing too.

Few problem areas

Have you not faced this issue?

[DrANTO]

Originally Posted by thoma

Give M.M Chandy & Co. at Kottayam a try. Got a pair of Yokohamas from them for my neighbor's Polo and it has made a lot of difference by just changing the front tires alone.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will check with them as I am trying to source Yokohama Geolander for my Gypsy

Originally Posted by sidhu_hs

One thing I have observed at the local tyre dealer is that Goodyear Assurance Triplemax tyres usually have the widest Tread Width, so they appear the widest of all 195/55R16 tyres from different brands. And Goddyear Assurance Triplemax at least in this one department is up there with the best!

Good. I didn't know that. Thanks for the information. Yes,they are far better than many factory spec tires which comes in cars below 10 lakh.

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Good to hear that.

However, I have seen very small stones getting stuck in the tyre grooves and creating a racket.

Have you not faced this issue?

No. I haven't faced any. In fact I drive without music most of the times. But still I haven't noticed this. I will check my tires for the presence of any stones. Thanks for pointing this issue

[aniketi]

Originally Posted by DrANTO

Continental MC5 has poor tire life (20-25000). I have never used them but many friends who have used it said even though they are good they wear out fast.

Thanks for nice review. Looks is also a major factor for me when i replace tires, be it car or bike (I have Pulsar 180). My wife has no clue on this and for her all tires looks same


I had my stock tires as MRF (company fitted) and upgraded them to Continental tires (195/60/R15) on my Ertiga Vdi. Till now i have done more than 28 K in last 1.5 years and no complaints so far. Not a single puncture or any abrupt air loss. By the looks of it, i guess it will last another 20 K minimum. My driving pattern is 30% highway and 70% city. Till now i am very satisfied with them. Noise is less and good comfortable ride. Grip is above average but not very good.

[Ashdel]

I dont know if you guys would believe me or not, but i have crossed 85,000 KM on Continental Cc5 on my Swift Vdi initially, then again choose to go for it.

On my Brezza, i opted for Accelera tyres and its been 25 K running with them and touch wood Zero punctures and good life so far.

[Chillout]

First thanks for the detailed review, I was eager to get information on these tyres as I look to change the Goodyear on my ecosport. I definitely want softer tyres as the suspension on Ecosport is hard and at slow speeds even small stones make their presence. Going by the review it appears that they may not be ideal for Ecosport

[scuderiaferrari]

Originally Posted by DrANTO

Thanks for the suggestion. I will check with them as I am trying to source Yokohama Geolander for my Gypsy


Good. I didn't know that. Thanks for the information. Yes,they are far better than many factory spec tires which comes in cars below 10 lakh.


No. I haven't faced any. In fact I drive without music most of the times. But still I haven't noticed this. I will check my tires for the presence of any stones. Thanks for pointing this issue

Based on your registration number, assuming you are from the same place, you can get the Yokohama's sourced there itself. Try Kartek and they may be able to get it. Also there is a tyre shop in Pala - Erattupetta after Bharananganam, who used to deal with Yokohama.

[DrANTO]

Originally Posted by aniketi

Thanks for nice review. Looks is also a major factor for me when i replace tires


My driving pattern is 30% highway and 70% city. Till now i am very satisfied with them. Noise is less and good comfortable ride. Grip is above average but not very good.

It feels good to know that you also consider "looks" while selecting tires. For layman, this is something they won't understand. Also your predominantly city driving cycle might have contributed to this sort of healthy tire life.

Originally Posted by Ashdel

I dont know if you guys would believe me or not, but i have crossed 85,000 KM on Continental Cc5 on my Swift Vdi initially, then again choose to go for it.

Heck, that is phenomenal tire life. But I think Continental CC5 and MC5 has different tire compound. From my understanding CC5 lasts better due to hard compound compared to a softer tire like MC5. But still 85k is really good.

Originally Posted by Chillout

First thanks for the detailed review, I was eager to get information on these tyres as I look to change the Goodyear on my ecosport. I definitely want softer tyres as the suspension on Ecosport is hard and at slow speeds even small stones make their presence. Going by the review it appears that they may not be ideal for Ecosport

I may be wrong but for me it appears that even though Perfinza is a soft tire, side walls are strong which reduces the flex. So it offers great grip and control while not much improvement in ride comfort ( for example compared to tires like Continental MC5). But if you frequent bad roads it is better to opt for a tyre with strong sidewall like Perfinza. I have atleast 4-5 incidences were my car was basically hammered inside big potholes at high speeds but still no side wall or alloy damage so far. So I like this combination of great handling and toughness while trading off ride comfort. But i20 has a relatively soft suspension so even with hard tires it has got acceptable levels of ride comfort. On the other hand EcoSport has got firm suspension. Keep that in mind when you choose your tire.

Originally Posted by scuderiaferrari

Based on your registration number, assuming you are from the same place, you can get the Yokohama's sourced there itself. Try Kartek and they may be able to get it. Also there is a tyre shop in Pala - Erattupetta after Bharananganam, who used to deal with Yokohama.

I think I know the place which you have mentioned. Thanks for the suggestion. I will try to enquire with them next time.