[Flying Shadow]

Originally Posted by Sheel

MRF can make wonderful tires, case in point, the rubber which came with Yamaha YZF-R-15 [V1] motorcycle, that tire was a proper leech and I honestly think, that tire can stand on par with most good tires. That compound was heavenly.

In two wheeler scenario, some Indian players have improved a lot. Here too MRF and Apollo being the prominent ones, atleast for now.

The tyres on first R-15 was the start of it (more than the Zappers from the Pulsars). The MRF FY tyres on R15 V1 was a softer compound rubber. It offered good grip and it was surprising because it offered more grip than one would otherwise believe, seeing those skinny tyres.
The same compound is used in later generations too.

But the best was yet to come. The Revz C series..

Revz C series was their more performance oriented tyres, at-least in dry.

The Apollo Alphas were a shocker too. It was their first foray into that segment and they nailed it. The Alphas are praised my many for its grip level in both dry and wet.

[aarnav_b]

Definitely a yes from me !
My Hyundai Venue has Apollo Alnac 4gs and they have a good all round performance.
I shifted to MRF Zappers on my Aprilia, as the Vee rubber that had been factory fitted was not that great. The rear one suffered 5 punctures in the span of 1 year and just lasted me 8k kms. The replacement MRF was cheaper than the other brands by almost Rs1.5k and has much better grip in the wet and similar grip in the dry as compared to the previous ones. In the 6k kms it has covered, it has suffered just one puncture till now, and I even replaced the front one with the MRF.

[motonomad]

Speaking majorly from my experience with motorcycle tyres, as long as the sizes are available, the answer is yes.
The stock MRFs on R15 v2 I had were pretty good, not with downright performance but rather the balance between performance and life considering they lasted me 28K without punctures and had plenty of grip to offer. Of course back then, there weren't any options from the domestic makers that were more performance focused but that also seems to have changed over the past year or two.

Been using the Apollo Alpha H1 for a while on last gen Duke 390 and have done around 3000 kms on this set. Seems a little heavier when the suspension is doing hard work but feels more eager to lean into a corner though I would say that is more a comment on tyre character and not performance. Very happy so far and tyres still look as good as new. if its life goes well, wouldn't touch the Metzelers again for this motorcycle for multiple reasons-

-Apollo Alpha H1s were cheaper, the set costed around 9-9.5K against 13-15 quoted for Metz. Even if they last 10-11K kms (same as stock Metzelers) the savings are decent
-Were available through official brand dealers located everywhere so I could easily find the newest stock and got great service
-With my skills, I can't seem to find a performance disadvantage except that maybe they take a little longer to heat up, barely noticeable as it is still less than what it takes for the engine to reach a decent temp so any sane person won't go guns blazing anyway
-The distributors for Metzeler quoted prices that were all over the place and availability was limited (with most sitting on older stock, one even trying to pass a 2016 manufactured tyre in 2020)

Have also heard praises of TVS Protorq (could be wrong with the model name) as an alternative to stock tyres on KTMs. So at least for the two wheels, I would say they are more or less there.

[techn0l0gist]

My 2 cents - I run apollo alnac 4g in 185/60R14 on my ford figo 1.4 (old gen). It was at least 500 rupees cheaper than a corresponding "foreign" tire each.

I have driven this car hard over broken roads , highways and all sorts of surfaces without any care whatsoever! The levels of grip during braking, lane changes and cornering are very good. And the icing on the cake has been that these tires have not had any cuts or cracks in the sidewall even after driving hard and hitting the more than occasional pothole (have bent a rim or two but the tires have always been damage free!)

the previous set i ran was apollo acceleres which weren't as good as the alnacs, but pretty good on their own (better than the mrf zv2k that came from the factory).

So in my opinion the Indian tires as pretty much as good as any other brand, I would personally stick to buying Indian tires as far as possible.

[Silver Knight]

I chose not to vote as I ve never used an Indian tyre on my cats for the past 11 years. All my cars run on Michelin XM2 Energy except for the Figo which are put with Pirelli Centrutos (I didn't get Michelins in 185s). My 2 wheelers (an Uni and Swish) runs on MRFS (OE ones), I just can't gauge the performance as I hardly ride them hard to qualify tyre grip or braking prowess.
I am happy with the Michelins and the Pirelli, planning to stick with these 2 brands for now. I had a nasty experience with Apollo Acceleres (Swift Diesel( once and never took the risk again. I also tried Hankook Optimo ME02 (on Innova) and it was decent. But given a choice I will always stick with Michelins.

[amritpal2489]

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[sureshkishore]

Voted Yes:

Alnac 4G on my Baleno 1.2 has done 70 k and is reached its end of life throughout it's service life over 4.5 years I haven't had any real reason to complain.
Ride, Grip and noise levels are at par if not better than with the entry level foreign branded tires like Bridgestone Ecopia.
Vredestein an European brand was acquired by Apollo in 2009 and I am sure their technology also would have enriched the Indian company and help it improve its own line up.
Have heard positive reviews about MRF too.
However JK is one brand which I feel have a long way to go. The vectras and elanzos still have inferior ride and are quite noisy.

[aashishnb]

Hi,
On reading most of the posts, it seems that everyone seems to like the recent most replacement better in terms of grip, noise, etc.
A question that came to my mind, is this because we are trying to compare (mostly subconsciously) the recent most experience of the new tyre with the recent most experience of the old tyre - in effect comparing an old tyre with new one.
Or are we really comparing the feel of both the sets of tyres as if they were new, because it is difficult to remember the feel of a tyre from a few years ago. Of course, does not apply to cars with very high running and going through tyre sets in less than a year.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by aashishnb

Hi,
On reading most of the posts, it seems that everyone seems to like the recent most replacement better in terms of grip, noise, etc.
A question that came to my mind, is this because we are trying to compare (mostly subconsciously) the recent most experience of the new tyre with the recent most experience of the old tyre - in effect comparing an old tyre with new one.
Or are we really comparing the feel of both the sets of tyres as if they were new, because it is difficult to remember the feel of a tyre from a few years ago. Of course, does not apply to cars with very high running and going through tyre sets in less than a year.

This is most overlooked part of the tire discussion, if your car is running on decades old hard tires (regardless of brand) , even the cheapest brand new tire will feel better. My comments in the beginning of this thread are based on the 3 to 4 years of usage covering approximately 45-55K kms per set.

Recently my friend`s Ciaz changed its tire that had run close to 55K Kms in 3 years, he replaced it with the same Good year assurance as the factory tires. The difference is that earlier there was more road noise as the threads were worn out, now road noise is less - it felt the same otherwise.

[sai_ace]

Originally Posted by sai_ace

Finally upgraded my lousy Goodyear OEs for Perfinzas in the same size for my Fiat Linea Tjet. OE size: 205/55 R16

The OE tyres had done just 25K in 6 years - my running has been quite low. But the tyres were hard as a result of continuously being parked for long periods and their age in general. The final straw was a bad puncture that just couldn't be fixed.

After dilly dallying over MC5 and P3ST, almost choosing MC5 and then coming across that detailed review on the Perfinza from Nikhil and also others including Dr.Naren, I kinda made up my mind on the Perfinza itself.

Did some research, found out contacts and managed to wring a deal that was pretty good. I ended up paying for the tyres just marginally above the dealer cost price.

Right now there is no comparison of a brand new tyre to a knackered old oe tyres to a brand new replacement, but I am finally happy that I can hear my engine purr and roar.

A point to be noted at low speeds I am getting a similar ride to the old tyres - maybe its over inflation need to check it, but as the speeds go up the car just seems to gobble up the road like it used to do.

The tyres show the date 0819 - guessing Feb 2019 manufactured?

Overall I am happy for now, will keep updating here.

Quoting my old post on the Perfinzas.

I voted a strong yes. But I have a partiality towards MRFs and I do not know if I will show the same inclination towards Apollo.

It has been 6K+ Kms with the Perfinzas. Some situations encountered are extremely heavy rains on the way to Goa last year during the monsoon. On the same trip we touched speeds closer to the max speed of tjet - vehicle felt solid (kudos also to the balancing and alignment done by MRF Musclezone, the biggest truck tyre center in bangalore). On broken roads in sirsi, the ride was solid. And till date haven't heard a squeal. Had a nail once - pulled it out to realise it hadn't gone all the way.

My experience with the perfinzas have been top class. And I would immediately recommend it.

My pleasant experience with MRF has not been limited to cars alone. My Apache RTR has gone through three set of Tyres

Front: Stock TVS 90/90->MRF Zapper FS 90/90->Michelin Pilot Sporty90/90->MRF Masseter 80/90

The rating would be MRF Masseter>>>MRFZapper>Michelin PS>TVS

The thinner MRF Masseter blows the rest away. Terrific Grip and feel, and corners so beautifully.

Rear: Stock TVS 90/90->MRF Zapper Q 110/90-> MRF Masseter 100/90

The rating would be Masseter>>>Zapper>>TVS

Same story here - the masseter as a compound is head and shoulders above anything else I have experience in these sizes. Pity that the availability is low.

Special note on the Michelin - STAY AWAY. The way the grip levels deteriorate is to be seen to be believed. My tyres locked up on a patch of water at 25kmph when I tapped the front brakes.

Concluding it is clear that MRF has the regular line of tyres - but when they launch special lines like the Perfinzas for Cars and Masseters for the Bikes, they are definitely worth considering.

[knrn]

Originally Posted by aashishnb

Hi,

On reading most of the posts, it seems that everyone seems to like the recent most replacement better in terms of grip, noise, etc.

A question that came to my mind, is this because we are trying to compare (mostly subconsciously) the recent most experience of the new tyre with the recent most experience of the old tyre - in effect comparing an old tyre with new one.

Or are we really comparing the feel of both the sets of tyres as if they were new, because it is difficult to remember the feel of a tyre from a few years ago. Of course, does not apply to cars with very high running and going through tyre sets in less than a year.

A double yes. Both for the poll and also to the above quoted post by Aashish. Whenever a tyre is changed, since the previous one is worn out, the difference is immense and immediate. I guess users who have multiple vehicles with different tyres or those who have a high running and hence change tyres frequently will be able to comment better.

I will mention two experiences.
There is an MRF agency close to my home. So all my replacements are MRF and the owner, a serious Sikh gentleman of few words, happened to mention during my last visit that MRF has improved their tyre quality. Not only is the portfolio of products widened but they seem to have upped the ante as well. And also the general perception about MRF tyres in public is improving resulting in increased sales.

Secondly

I recently replaced my old ones with new tyres. The old ones had clocked only 8000 kms. But were wearing fast and unevenly. The previous ones were ZTVS and these new are ZTX. They are hard, have high road noise and yes they squeal under hard breaking. But one difference is obvious. The difference in ride quality. I have clocked nearly 10000k on these. I remember when I shod the previous ones and the ride was nowhere as soft as of now.
Based on above two observations I can say that MRF seems to have improved. Can't say about other brands.

[WhiteKnight]

I voted yes.

When I joined tbhp, my car had mrf zvts. Even without having much knowledge, I could figure those tyres were hard and noisy. Based on research and expert advise from here, I switched to Michelin Xm1, then to 2 sets of XM2 with two cars.

I never liked the loose steering feel with Michelin. I was itching to experiment but was not confident to rule out the public and expert opinion on Michelin. Finally, I did try a set of Bridgestone MY02,which I sourced with help from Madhus. They were sharp and noisy.

Currently I am experimenting with Continental--MC5 and CC5 and another car still on Michelin. They are no nonsense tyres for sure, not that noisy as Bridgestones, sharp handling. They do seem to get overwhelmed under braking.

Will I experiment with Indian tyres? Yes, my next set, I might go for MRF.

Real issue in the market is multi-fold

• Buying tyre is a bit of heavy expense. So one would play safe and go with popular choice.

• All international brands are learning and adapting to Indian Market. There is not much to complain about them. In fact, our big car brands have lot to learn from them.

• Indian brands lost the mind share due to the above,more so with MRF compared to Apollo. Others are out of picture. Heck, even bus operators are switching to Michelin.

To conclude, the turnaround will take long time. Only way I think this can happen is by offering these tyres via oem route and force customers to experience their brilliance.

[Blooming Flower]

If one looks at the history of any Indian tyre manufacturer, it is evident that all of them had very humble beginning years back. All of them purchased or borrowed technology or collaborated with some established tyre brands around the world at that time to make tyres. In India, tyre market for CV as well as PV evolved with the trending developments in the automotive world. That tyre is an ancillary product not to be taken for granted has been understood by a large number of vehicle owners in recent years and it directly reflects the growing awareness of tyre among the people. Manufacturers always have to be more careful with the quality of their products to cater to the informed and aware customers to keep a hold on the market. Indian tyre industries are no exception to this.

For the last decade, most of the homegrown tyre manufacturers have invested a huge chunk of their profit into R&D only. With the increased budget and influx of more money, most of them are now equipped with state-of-the-art equipment starting from the research and testing down to the large scale manufacturing. The advent of automation in every sub-field ensured high amount of accuracy and quality control. Most of the manufacturers have already ended the agreement of initial technological collaboration with foreign companies; thanks to the growing experience with in-house facilities and knowledge pool. And yes, by now, they are self- sufficient to produce world-class tyre in direct competition with the big honchos around the world. Name any prominent indigenous tyre manufactures like Apollo, CEAT, MRF, JK -- they all followed the aforesaid trajectory and had grown up manifold. Growth by increasing global market share in a competitive market cannot happen without the improvement of product quality.

Let’s think of another possibility. Even after huge and continuous investment in R&D and world-class manufacturing, the quality of the tyres is not improving. This feat can be achieved either by improper utilization of the resources or the companies are deliberately doing so to keep the cost of production lower.

The first assumption becomes null and void— unless management finds objective data of resource utilization conforming to projected ROI they wouldn’t have been investing continuously for commissioning modern instruments, manufacturing units, and recruiting costly and the finest talents from industries around the globe.

And the second assumption is nothing but a travesty of the doctrine of growth for any industry.

Well, enough said to prove and disprove assumptions on the ground of theories. Let’s take a look at the market statistics. Nowadays. many indigenous tyres are finding a way to the OEMs. Owners of those vehicles are voicing their experiences with the factory fitted tyres and most of them are way more positive brimming with satisfaction from the expected performance. Some of them are so happy with the OEM tyres that they want to stick only to that particular brand even for replacements. Today, there is a plethora of options in the market just from the Indian manufacturers according to the choice of price range to spoil the rest of them!

Having said so, I must admit that there is a long way to go to be at par with the global leaders in tyre industry. But we must see the sincere effort made by Indian manufacturers to cater to our needs as well as export markets. We may be 10 years backward from the global leaders in most of the aspects of tyre technology, but the wheel of steady progress has already started to roll and is gaining pace rapidly. Better late than never!

So my vote goes for a big YES.

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by Blooming Flower

So my vote goes for a big YES.

The best comment in this thread, coming from none other than someone who is involved in R&D for a leading automobile company

I myself had a great run with MRF ZV2K on my Ecosport, which was recently replaced with Primacy 4ST

[Nikhilb2008]

I actually voted NO

Because most of you guys are confusing "Quality" with "characteristics I want/need in a tyre as an enthusiast"

MRF, Apollo, CEAT, etc have always been of very good quality.

Quality = ability to do it's job without failing midway.

The above three brands have traditionally been quite good.

Now, why is it that TBHP-ians are saying their quality has gone up? Because now, these companies are looking at making tyres with characteristics desired by car enthusiasts.

MRF's ZVTS, ZVTV, ZV2K, and so on and Apollo's Amazer series have always been great tyres for the common man and the taxi segment. Durable, long lasting and minimal problems.

It is just that these companies had their production capacity full making these tyres and didnt have the bandwidth to focus on competing with the softer compound tyres brought in by Bridgestone, Michelin, Continental and so on.

In the last few years, they have created new products, new brands to cater to the premium segment.

Their quality has always been good and it's just that now, us enthusiasts are feeling it because we are using it.