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-   -   XUV700 : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-alloy-wheel-section/244796-xuv700-tyre-wheel-upgrade-thread.html)

Hi Anshuman,
I was planning on getting the Pirelli Scorpion ATR in 235/65 R17 for my upcoming XUV 700 AX7 ( With OE tyre 235/60 R18 )

How was your long time user experience with the tyres ?
Would you recommend these tyres or you would now recommend some other tyres ?

Is the road noise too significant ? What is the drop in mileage compared to HT tyres (if any ?)

Would you not have to change the rims as well if you are moving from R18 to R17 size?

I believe No. Since I am planning for a higher tyre profile (235/65 in place of 235/60) .

Also, since this will lead to increase in height of side wall, with the same diameter , the ride quality should increase marginally.

I think one has to change the rim. If you fit a tyre with taller sidewall on the same rim, the ride height, GC and more importantly the tyre circumference will change drastically, which will impact the ride quality, handling and any computation the car does taking the speed in to account (ex: speedometer reading, ABS, traction control, ESP....).
Also, mechanically can you put a tyre which has now a smaller hole (inner dia) on the same rim?

PS: I am no expert on wheel upgrades :)

R17 means the inner radius of the tyre is 17 inches. R18 means the inner radius is 18 inches. You just can’t change the tyre side profile and fit tyres against a different radius rim. Side profile is just the height of the sidewall as a percentage of tyre width and totally unrelated to the tyre radius.

Yes . It looks like downsizing in this case will necessarily include changing the rim. I was overwhelmed with the thought of putting an AT tyre on my first AWD so overlooked it . Thanks for correcting me . It goes into my TIL list .

As the date of delivery for my much awaited car is coming nearer, my belief that I should change the OE tyres to something more rugged becomes firmer.

To provide a little context, my XUV 700 AWD L is scheduled to be delivered any time this month.

As I went through the ownership threads , it looks like switching from the OE tyre (MRF Wanderer HT 235/60 R18) to an AT tyre is not something that may be labelled as overenthusiastic (or is it?)

Since there are very limited options available in the 235/60/18 all-terrain tyres segment, I am making up my mind to downsize the wheels to 17" and look for options available here.

Using the tyre size calculators , I have shortlisted the following tyres. The difference from the OE tyres is < 0.5%

1. Ceat Czar A/T 235/65 R 17
2. Pirelli Scorpion ATR 235/65 R 17
3. Apollo APTERRA AT2 255/60 R 17


To all the learned folks here, can you please advise on the following pointers :

1. My usages will be mostly highways and, with all probability, once in a month we'll make a trip to the hills (some offbeat places). During the hill trips , all round the year, we encounter snow, mud, loose gravel etc . Though, I am not going to try any hard core off-roading with this car, is it okay to switch to A/T or should I stay on the OEM?

2. What could be the possible side-effect (change in road noise/mileage/handling/etc) of downsizing the wheel, even if the difference as per the tyre size calculator is <0.5% ?

3. Does stretching the width of the tyre to 255 (option #3) will cause steering/braking issues?

4. What could be the overhead cost incurred in exchanging the tyres and wheels in this case?

5. Which tyre should one choose from the above? Please add if there are any other recommendations

I had great experience with Yokohoma Geolander on my Forester. Never had a flat tyre in 6 years (I could be just lucky). It was bit noisy. I will definitely consider it as an option.
https://www.amazon.in/Yokohama-Tyre-.../dp/B07DWT8N55.
Handling will be somewhat blunted with taller sidewall but that's OK on a SUV as you will gain in the ride quality.

The kind of usage you are describing doesn’t really require all terrain tires. The stock MRFs should be good enough. Why go through all this trouble for a bit of extra traction once in a blue moon? Not only will A/Ts be more noisy and less grippy on highways where you’ll do 95% of your driving, you will also get into complications with warranty.

My suggestion is to keep the car stock for the time being. Will not suggest anything that compromises warranty on such a brand new and complex car. Over time, choice in R18 is only going to increase, this size of getting popular. We can consider our options when this set wears out.

From what we have seen on the side markings of its OE tyre - the requirement is for an (H/P) All Season Highway/Performance tyre. It should also be good in the rain and has a M+S rating for mud and snow. Certainly that doesn't make the OEM tyre an all terrain tyre but it can handle some on your way.

I don't think it's a good idea to swap the tyres at this point , once they wear out you can upgrade to premium H/P All season tyres from Continental or Michelin or Pirelli as you choose.

A 235/65 R18 is a good tyre for highways. The sidewalls are thick enough for everyday use. Unless you want to hardcore off-road, there is no advantage in shifting to 17 inch rims. Moreover the XUV 700 is not designed to do anything more than mild off-road. I suggest you leave your wheels and tyres stock for now.

Re query #1&4 :-
I would say that your use case is bad-roading. AT tyres will definitely help. It will be 70% tyres and 30% AWD system getting you out of sticky situations.
AT tyres will be noisier than HT tyres. Depending on the tyres they will have stiffer sidewalls but the increase in sidewall will tend to counteract this to some extent. Mileage will be affected. It will typically reduce by 0.5 to 1 kmpl. The peace of mind of being to go anywhere is worth the penalty.
235/65R17 size tyres are easily available. And much cheaper that 18" tyres. You will have to change your wheels also. For that you can try and swap the alloys+tyres with a MX or AX3 owner who wants to upsize. New alloy wheels are upwards of 12K each. Steel wheels will be much cheaper. Most tyre shops will offer buyback for the 18" tyres if you go to them directly after taking delivery. None of them generally offer buyback for the alloys.

Re query #2 :-
If you are within 3% you don't have to worry about braking, handling or ABS etc. etc. I am running on upsized tyres (235/70R16 instead of 225/70R16). No issues at all. I am using Continental Cross Contact AT. Running is a mix of highways, rural mountain roads, dirt tracks and mudsliding.

Re query #3 :-
Don't go to 255. It will just add resistance without any benefits. Unless you are always driving on sand or snow.

Re query #5 :-Talk to people who are using the shortlisted tyres. And then take a call.
I would also recommend the Geolander AT. Or the Continental Cross Contact LX2(75% highway & 25% badroads).

In my personal opinion, you should stick with your OEM tyres for now. You can use your them to set a benchmark of what the manufacturer intended the comfort, handling and grip parameters to be for the XUV7OO. On your next set you can try A/T tyres, looking at how the Indian tyre market is moving, we might see 18" A/T tyres soon.

1# Your usage mostly doesn't warrant the need for A/T tyres for the most part. I did use the stock 19" MRF Wanderers H/T on my Tata Hexa 4x4 for the first 3 years through sand, mud and gravel without many issues.

2# Less with the size difference in the wheel, most parameters will change cause of the tyre. A/T tyres will be more noisy, less efficient and will have overall less grip on roads (heavily depends on the grip level of the tyre).

3# For the most part, upsizing to 255 section will have minor additional strains on the steering linkages, but it's within the tolerance levels.

4# & #5 Can't comment much on the cost since this can vary wildly.

I have put A/Ts on my Seltos which is definitely not a 4x4 and the reason to do that was bad wear and tear of the OE Goodyear Assurance tyres in 25k.

I also downgraded to a R16 6.5J rim and tires put were Goodyear Wrangler silent trac ATs