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View Poll Results: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?
Yes 264 88.89%
No 33 11.11%
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Old 6th May 2020, 18:34   #16
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Voted a resounding YES!

When it came to upgrade the shoes of Swift K12 series 2011 model at 55K kms odd, I did opt for the CEAT ones in the same trim although heart was keen on potenzas.

At 72K Kms odd now, they have been serving me pretty well on Mumbai's rough terrain with that odd weekend highway exposure on concrete roads.

The ride is smooth and agile with the 'sound' at a bare minimum.
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Old 6th May 2020, 20:02   #17
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Quote:
Originally Posted by SmartCat View Post
Is there any truth in this now? Because if Indian tyres now offer better grip, softer ride and low noise comparable to imported/foreign tyres, then shouldn't there be a trade-off somewhere else? (sidewall strength and cost)
Your assessment is partially right as there is a reason for the general opinion about imported tyres as compared to Indian tyres.

For instance, a Michelin XM2 and an Apollo Alnac 4G have similar performance levels, grip and braking effectiveness. The tendency to develop sidewall cracks would be similar between the two. Michelins are now made in India so the tyre compounds take into account the stresses of sidewall hits etc under Indian conditions.

It is the ultra high performance low profile imported tyres that have issues. India is still in the early stage of manufacturing ultra high performance tyres so if anyone who wants an ultra high performance tyre the first choice are the imported ones. These are the tyres that develop side wall cracks and so have gained a reputation of having sidewall issues.

The reason for this is that the EU tyres have not been tested under or made for Indian / Asian / rough road conditions. The EU manufacturer assumes that anyone who has a high performance car will usually use it under ideal high performance conditions of the type usually found in EU.

Secondly stiffening the tyre sidewall would reduce slip angles - an important factor in high performance tyres that facilitate taking corners better as higher slip angles generate more cornering force.

There are some high performance tyres made in Japan, Korea etc but even these are not calibrated to prevent side wall cracks because of these reasons.

If you compare apples to apples, the tendency to develop cracks would be similar.
But as there aren't too many Indian ultra high performance tyres the imported ones have gained this reputation.
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Old 6th May 2020, 20:33   #18
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

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Originally Posted by sagarpadaki View Post
Small correction. The R15 V1 came with MRF FY, size 80/90-17. The R15 V2 and later came with MRF FY1, 90/80-17. There is also a FY2 in 100/80-17 size for wider rims. The compound is the same sticky one as the original.

I am on the third FY1 on my Pulsar. Each one lasted approx 25K kms. It is the best 90 section front tyre available in Indian market.

You are right regarding the Michelin tyres in India manufactured by TVS. All of them are crap.
Thank you Sagar for the correction. And it was your recommendation years ago when I went with FY1 if you remember.

Regarding Michelin, though grip wise they were very good, but the first batch of XM1 were Thai imports and those failed prematurely on my car. Hence, I shifted to Goodyears and find them quite good for average Indian driving conditions.

Regards.
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Old 6th May 2020, 21:27   #19
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

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Originally Posted by saket77 View Post
Aren’t some two wheeler Michelin tires are now being manufactured by TVS in India? I’ve heard that they are not really upto the name?
From what I remember, Pirelli had tied up with TVS, but I am not really sure and I believe at present neither Michelin or Pirelli are in JV / partnership with any indigenous company, at-least as far as 2 wheel tires go.

But, I could do with more info on this bit.
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Old 7th May 2020, 00:36   #20
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Voted for YES. Mrf zv2k tyres on my ecosport has done close to 52k kms and have enough treads for 15-20k kms more. Yes the ride quality is a bit firm and road noise has increased considerably but i have learnt to live with them. They may not be at the level of michelin's and yokohama's yet but they do their job quite well.

Last edited by Fordlover88 : 7th May 2020 at 00:37.
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Old 7th May 2020, 02:21   #21
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

So many posts on this thread where people are very happy with tires because they have lasted for 70-80k km or more. Everyone is entitled to their own definition of what is good in tires but this extreme focus on longevity is a major part of the crap quality rubber most of our cars on road run on. Personally, I am not comfortable with tires that claim to or last more than 50000km tops as I feel any more will be compromising on grip.

An effective way to judge tire quality is by their UTQG rating stamped on the sidewall. I always make sure that both traction and temperature are rated A, while speed rating is H and above. I am yet to come across any Indian tire which is rated A for both traction and temperature. MRF Perfinza is rated A for traction but B for temperature, with a rather average treadwear index (280, IIRC). The Michelin Primacy 4, for comparison, is rated A and A with treadwear index of 400 or 450(will have to check for exact number). Meaning, not only will the Michelin run cooler, it will also last longer while providing similar traction. That’s why you spend the extra money.

My rule is: No UTQG rating = no sale.
Tire manufacturers skipping certification is like car companies avoiding GNCAP crash tests on the complying with local regulations excuse. Most Indian tires don’t carry UTQG ratings to date.

Also important to note is that companies make all kinds of tires to cater to different market positioning and price segments. Whether it is MRF or Apollo or Bridgestone or any other make, they all make decent tires and they all make absolute crap as well. Buyer must be aware enough to choose the right series for his requirements and not buy blindly on just the maker’s name alone.

Last edited by Shreyans_Jain : 7th May 2020 at 02:51.
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Old 7th May 2020, 09:44   #22
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Voted Yes. My personal experience (only with MRF till date and no other brands) is as follows. Owns a Figo Diesel Titanium 2012 model. Came with stock MRF ZV2K. I am a bit hard on the car and tyres with accelerations and braking. The stocks lasted till 53K and performances were satisfactory with respect to high speed cornering, braking, stability etc. Opted for another set of ZV2K that lasted till 100K. Opted for MRF ZLX after that which improved the comfort a little bit and all other characteristics remain the same. Had punctures on 2 occasions, a piercing nail on both the occasions.

Last edited by ask_017 : 7th May 2020 at 09:46.
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Old 7th May 2020, 10:48   #23
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

My 2 cents:

- Longer lasting tyres are not necessarily the best road companion. Harder compound tyres could last longer and will certainly give harsher ride quality for the duration of ownership

- Extreme heat and poor road quality (if travelling outside metros or in Mumbai ) makes me put anyone using any brand tyres beyond 60Ks a daredevil. After 60ks of usage in india, your vehicle is basically "bhagwaan bharose" irrespectve of you taking utmost care of your car/suspension and tyres

- Indian tyres are just not at a juicy enough discount for me to consider using them over foreign ones. The price difference is usually 10-20% between an OEM category indian tyre vs an entry level foreign tyre. From my experience, the bigger the tyre, the lesser the % difference. For example, For the XUV's size of 235//65//17 the Bridgestone OEMs cost ~10500-10750 and Yokos cost 11500/12000. Throw in unpopular but great brands like Pirelli and the difference could be even lower. Hence buying a foreign tyre is not that much a stretch

- A big question is do Indian manufacturers "tune" their tyres to suit indian conditions better. I believe so but better overall engineering in imported tyres balances this out

Finally, the big issue I have is how skimpy indian manufacturers are. The big motto is to make the tyre cheapest possible so that they can win tenders from OEMs and once those standards set in, unload the same standards on the replacement market as well! For example, Apollo has the Alnac 4g as a premium tyre but they also had a failed series called Apterra which was targetted at OEMs where life of tyre is all that mattered. I have expressed my grouse on 2 occasions on tbhp forums on the pathetic quality coming out of Apollo (Both OEM - as in the ones that came with my 2 new cars)

This lack of ethics and abuse of lack of standards make me shy away from Indian tyre makers vs foreign ones where the price gap of 10-20% is a fair premium for my safety and comfort
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Old 7th May 2020, 10:53   #24
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Can we have an "I don't know" option as well ?I have always stuck to Bridgestone for my cars. My current one in Creta is up for replacement soon. Was looking at Michelin but can look at Indian ones as well.
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Old 7th May 2020, 10:59   #25
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Voted a big YES, I am quite sensitive when it comes to tyres. I mean, the car should have a nice set of tyres, if not the best.

Since I like keeping things simple, so I just go with one brand at a time. Initially its was Bridgestone for me for everything, later I moved to Michelin Primacy for sedans - but now it is MRF Perfinza all the way.

Very happy with the tyres in all three key areas:
  • Grip
  • Noise
  • Strength

Already used them over 40k kms on two different cars, Expecting a tyre life of 50k kms per set - which I find very reasonable.

Last edited by VKumar : 7th May 2020 at 11:01.
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Old 7th May 2020, 17:29   #26
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

My Vento had Apollo Alnac 4Gs as OEM tyres. One of my friends who bought a GT TSi drove straight to a tyre dealer and exchanged them for a set of Michelin XM2s. I did not do that and do regret my decision. I changed the Apollos at about 35000km for Michelins (same size- 185 section) and did about 20000km and I have to say that the difference is immense. The ABS kicks in much later at highway speeds and they grip like a charm. I did not observe any change in the amount of road noise. Also the MRFs that are on my Brio are pathetic. I will look out for other Indian brands while tyre shopping in the future.
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Old 7th May 2020, 19:22   #27
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Voted for yes , my recent acquisition of Ford Endeavor 3.2 had MRF wranglers on them . But i was not happy with the performance of the same , so I opted for Falken wildpeak at3w. Very happy with the rubber compound and saved at least 30% compared to Yokohama geolanders . Falken has unconditional warranty for 2 years and total of 5 years.
A slight off topic but even on my BMW I have opted for Accelera in staggered setup . Accelera is an Indonesian make and I have already done 22k on the same and will comfortably last at least 10-12k kilometres easily .I just had 3 punctures till now .
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Old 7th May 2020, 19:52   #28
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Voted NO.

I used to drive my friend's 1st gen Ford Figo who used to travel daily Jawhar-Nashik-Jawhar which comprised of 30 kms 4-lane highway, half of which was under construction and then 60 kms of ghat section. A perfect place to test a car. Owing to high mileage and spirited style of driving, he has to replace tires every ~40,000 kms which was every ~8 months! Now the car is close to 2,00,000 kms and have seen - MRF ZVTS, JK, Ceat, Bridgestone Turanza, Yokohama Earth1, Michelin XM2 in chronological order. Michelin XM2 is excellent. For the price Yokohama Earth1 was very good. Nothing to write about the other brands except good puncture resistance.

Among Indian manufacturers, I rate Apollo highly. I was impressed when I drove friend's VW Polo shod with Apollo Acelere, I felt them Michelin-like. My cousin brother has replaced pathetic Bridgestone Ecopia in his EcoSport by Apollo Alnac 4G, I found it way better.

May be some models from some Indian brands are better (MRF Perfinza), however, I haven't experienced, so can't comment. I think just like cars, they are produced to satisfy masses, who value life and puncture resistance more over everything else. Look-wise they are definitely improving.

On the other hand, foreign brands have shown more improvement. Most of them suffered from low life and side wall cut when they arrived in India. Now, they are coming up with compound which lasts more. They have strengthened side walls optimizing comfort.
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Old 7th May 2020, 20:21   #29
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Quote:
Originally Posted by saket77 View Post
Aren’t some two wheeler Michelin tires are now being manufactured by TVS in India? I’ve heard that they are not really upto the name?
Hi saket77, I am not aware of current status of the JV, but it started as TVS-Michelin for two wheeler tires. IMO four-wheeler tires from Michelin are still imported and it is one of the reason of being expensive.

My wife's TVS Wego has second replacement as Michelin City Pro. Me and my wife found it superior than earlier tires - TVS (OEM tire) and MRF Zapper. MRF was worst having two main issues - air leakage and a scary sideway movement (dug-dug) even on well paved road.

My elder brother's Hero Karizma's OEM rubber - MRF Zapper was replaced with Michelin Sirac (blocky pattern) instead of City Pro, as he rides around rural and semi-urban area and extremely happy with them.

However, anyone of them is not close to Michelin M45 (imported) which I had in my Hero CBZ from 2007-2010. It was brilliant.

Off topic - I had experienced this even in cosmetics (fragrances), that the moment they start manufacturing in India, performance deteriorates compared to their imported counterpart.

Probably that is the reason NCAP crash tests are performed for cars manufactured in specific region.
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Old 7th May 2020, 20:27   #30
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Re: Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

Voted Yes.
Our car came equipped with Apollo Amazer 3G which isn't considered as a premium tyre but rather a VFM product. I've driven the car spiritedly and found their grip levels to be amazing. Till now there hasn't been any screeching from the tyres(which does mean I haven't pushed her hard enough ). These seem to have a pretty decent shelf life as well.

Although one thing to take a note of is the availability of the products. Indian manufacturer's currently aren't offering premium tyres for A,B+ segment cars. Take for example Maruti Suzuki Alto,Indian brands like MRF, Apollo, Ceat, JK don't have premium tyres that can be said to perform like Michelin Energy XM2's for this car. I know there might be a small market out there for premium tyres for such segment but manufacturer's should provide some options for those who are willing to pay.
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