[OffRoadFun]

TL;DR:
Buying tires online is considerably cheaper (Rs 3k per tire for 235/65R17), worth the hassle.


Will keep this short. The mechanic in last inspection told me tires have less than 5k km of tread left, it was time to get new tires.

Checked a few online deals initially but then decided to think tires are too important to be bought online, especially with that no-return policy for them (we will come back to that later!).

Talked to Madhu Tires and they promptly told they will arrange and reserve Michelin for me. Tires were quoted at Rs 14.7k (235/65 R17, each plus installation + alignment + balancing, quoted at around Rs 4.5k) which I was OK with.

Madhu's is bit too far from my place and I am not a fan of driving in crawling traffic. They quoted around 2.5 -3 hrs of time to finish the job. Including the drive (only possible on weekend), it meant, essentially a major part of Saturday spent there.

I was OK and proposed to family we can go to the "city", spent some time in downtown and have lunch while work is being done. But due to some unforeseen circumstances, we could not make it.

Meanwhile, I kept on looking for alternatives online and came across Continental CrossContact LX2 (available at Amazon) for Rs 11.3k each. These were rated for highway plus light off-road use, meeting my needs. The price differential for 4 tires was not a small amount. Meanwhile, I also figured there is a tires shop with alignment/balancing machines near Marathahalli. He quoted Rs 300 installation per tire plus and mentioned could finish the job in 45 minutes. I figured, I could get the job done in a short lunch break from the office.
Eventually ordered 4 tires from Amazon @Rs 11.3k each. The vendor had only 4 of these so ordered another one from different vendor for Rs 12.3k.



All set, stuffed the five tires at the back, after folding the seats. Man, The rubber stinks! Took it to the MRF shop near Kalamandir. I did not take many pictures but tires can be seen inside.



The tire guy asked sir what is that fifth tire for. I promptly replied I want to change the spare one also. He pointed to me that the spare tire is a temp one with no alloy wheel! And I paid 1k extra and waited a week for the same! Ignorance!!

Aside from the fact that the tire guy jacked up the price by around 1k after seeing Audi, it was OK experience. The Hunter machine for alignment and other equipment is state of the art. Even the MRF dealer could not match the price I got online.



The tires are good. The grip is very good and noise levels are considerably lower (than the Ceat CZAR which previous owner had put). So much that my wife and MIL pointed out the reduced tire noise!

I got one 235/65R17 Conti CrossContact LX2 which I don't know what to do with, item is non-returnable!

Moderators: Please move to relevant thread if needed.

[s4ch]

Nice! Would you mind mentioning who the seller on Amazon was and what is the manufacturing date of the tyres? Also what was the offline price for the same Continentals?

[OffRoadFun]

Originally Posted by s4ch

Nice! Would you mind mentioning who the seller on Amazon was and what is the manufacturing date of the tyres? Also what was the offline price for the same Continentals?

First four were bought from "The Tyre Expert" and the fifth one was from "Kailashnath Tyre". Experience with both was good, delievery was one day earlier than promised ( I think it is fulfilled by Amazon in both the cases.)

I think they were some 3 months old at most.

I don't have offline quote from Continental. Filled details on their website for a call back but never received.

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

I got one 235/65R17 Conti CrossContact LX2 which I don't know what to do with, item is non-returnable!

Since you do a bit of off-roading, why not get an alloy rim & put that 5th tyre you got to good use and put that in place of space saver.

The boot floor will rise by a few centimeters but you will have a full size spare tyre for those grand touring and off road trips.

I have done the same in my BMW X1 F48.

Or else you can sell the tyre on OLX. You be surprised how fast things move online in C2C segment.

[rahulya007]

Even i got my tires from amazon. 215/75R15 Continental CrossContact AT were around 7k each in offline stores. I bought them for 5k each from amazon after all discounts applied. I bought them around Sept 2020 and the make was of July 2020. So no issues there. Later i bought the 5th one as well from amazon which cost me 5.5k i guess. Net net saving of around 10k. I do regular alignment balancing from a tire outlet near me who charged me 100 rs for each tire for fitment. No issues so far, have completed around 20k on them without any sweat and they look good for another 40k as the tread depth for Contis is decently deep.

Existing tires also got me 3k making the tire deal even sweeter.

[PapaBravo]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

[b][u]TL;DR:

Meanwhile, I kept on looking for alternatives online and came across Continental CrossContact LX2 (available at Amazon) for Rs 11.3k each. .

Hi OffRoadFun. I have the same tyres on my Duster AWD in the 235/60R16 spec & have driven around 40k in them. The tyres provide you phenomenal wet grip.

I do have one concern regarding your purchase. As far as I know, this tyre is 'H' speed rated which is 210 kmph. What is the stock seed rating recommended for Q5. My X1 recommends a 'V' speed rated tyre which is 240kmph.

Cheers,
Pawan

[RubberGuru1113]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Hi OffRoadFun. I have the same tyres on my Duster AWD in the 235/60R16 spec & have driven around 40k in them. The tyres provide you phenomenal wet grip.

I do have one concern regarding your purchase. As far as I know, this tyre is 'H' speed rated which is 210 kmph. What is the stock seed rating recommended for Q5. My X1 recommends a 'V' speed rated tyre which is 240kmph.

Cheers,
Pawan

That’s a sharp eye for detail that you have, but let me put your mind at ease - I’m an industry insider. All brands test their products to fulfil a speed rating that is a step above what is printed on the sidewall. So going down by 1 step - V to H, or H to T - is not an issue.

There’s another dimension to it - a different speed rating for the same size requires a fresh BIS certificate, and associated costs and bureaucracy. Interestingly, as long as the speed symbol doesn’t change, companies can sell any number of different products using the same certificate. For example, 205/55R16 91V Michelin Primacy 4 and 205/55R16 91V Michelin Pilot Sport 4 can be sold with one BIS certificate, whereas if Michelin wants to sell the Primacy 4 under both H and V speed ratings, they require 2 different certificates.

As a result, companies prefer to get the certificate for the largest volume product and would label the speed symbol for even the higher rated product by a step down, cause you’re one of the rare exceptions - nobody even pays attention to the speed symbol on the tyre, and of course, many don’t even know it’s there. I suspect this is the case for OffRoadFun’s tyres because for this particular size, the Scorpio, XUV500 and 700 come with H rated tyres and naturally they would constitute the biggest volume.

[OffRoadFun]

Originally Posted by PapaBravo

Hi OffRoadFun. I have the same tyres on my Duster AWD in the 235/60R16 spec & have driven around 40k in them. The tyres provide you phenomenal wet grip.

I do have one concern regarding your purchase. As far as I know, this tyre is 'H' speed rated which is 210 kmph. What is the stock seed rating recommended for Q5. My X1 recommends a 'V' speed rated tyre which is 240kmph.

Cheers,
Pawan

I am not sure of stock rating but did notice 108H. I believe H (210 kmph) is good enough for almost all sedan/SUVs in India, even abroad. I would never even think about crossing 200kmph unless I am on closed track in any car in India.

[SanSabh]

General query here. Accounting for different tyre sizes, which are the most quiet tyres, taking the following factors into consideration?
1) Brand name
2) Tread pattern type
3) Profile for a given rim size

[RubberGuru1113]

Originally Posted by SanSabh

General query here. Accounting for different tyre sizes, which are the most quiet tyres, taking the following factors into consideration?
1) Brand name
2) Tread pattern type
3) Profile for a given rim size

It's difficult to answer this because there is no product line which is offered on the complete range of sizes. Usually, product lines are offered on a limited range of sizes, like 12"-14"; 14"-17"; 16"-18", etc. Your query is better answered if you mention the vehicle that you are talking about.

In terms of "profile for a given rim size", theoretically, is that wider the tyre, and lower the aspect ratio, noisier the tyre. For instance, 195/55R16 will be noisier than 195/60R16; while 195/55R16 will be noisier than 185/55R16.

Hope this answers your query.

[SanSabh]

Originally Posted by RubberGuru1113

It's difficult to answer this because there is no product line which is offered on the complete range of sizes. Usually, product lines are offered on a limited range of sizes, like 12"-14"; 14"-17"; 16"-18", etc. Your query is better answered if you mention the vehicle that you are talking about.

In terms of "profile for a given rim size", theoretically, is that wider the tyre, and lower the aspect ratio, noisier the tyre. For instance, 195/55R16 will be noisier than 195/60R16; while 195/55R16 will be noisier than 185/55R16.

Hope this answers your query.

Thanks!
Is there a thread dedicated to tyres, their wear&tear and noise characteristics?
It will be great if there is one. If not, I think there should be one!

[RubberGuru1113]

Originally Posted by SanSabh

Thanks!
Is there a thread dedicated to tyres, their wear&tear and noise characteristics?
It will be great if there is one. If not, I think there should be one!

There are vehicle specific tyre and wheel upgrade threads in the Tyre and Alloy Wheel section - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...wheel-section/

Some examples:-

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...de-thread.html (Volkswagen Vento : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...de-thread.html (Maruti Ciaz : Tyre & wheel upgrade thread)

You can go through BHPians’ comments and posts here to get some feedback

[irdevanand]

Originally Posted by RubberGuru1113

I’m an industry insider.

Immediately looked at the profile name and it said RUBBERGURU . Could connect with the name now . Assume you have lots of experience in this field which gave you confidence to buy this online. Tyres will be one of the last items i would order online. I want to see the tyre, check the date, then get it fixed on my car right in front of me.

Happy Driving.

Dev

[RubberGuru1113]

Originally Posted by irdevanand

Immediately looked at the profile name and it said RUBBERGURU . Could connect with the name now . Assume you have lots of experience in this field which gave you confidence to buy this online. Tyres will be one of the last items i would order online. I want to see the tyre, check the date, then get it fixed on my car right in front of me.

Ahh I was not the one who purchased the tyres, I had just responded to a query about the speed symbol. Also I agree with you - I’d never buy tyres without seeing the date of manufacture, and online e-commerce for tyres isn’t mature enough now, plus you never know if the tyres come with warranty or are grey market import. Peoples’ experiences are also a mixed bag, from what I read here.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by OffRoadFun

I am not sure of stock rating but did notice 108H. I believe H (210 kmph) is good enough for almost all sedan/SUVs in India, even abroad. I would never even think about crossing 200kmph unless I am on closed track in any car in India.

Not against ordering tyres online and you have probably got a nice set of tires as well however as a general rule avoid downgrading the tyre specifications from stock. So load rating, speed rating, temperature , traction, M+S etc etc. Get the closest match that suits your budget.

Also take care to meet the tyre pattern, an example is the tyre pattern that used to come in Hexa will give a headache If used in an Innova but an otherwise dull B390 will run 90K kms without any trouble.

There is nothing wrong with that tyre it's just that it's NVH profile does not suit a different vehicle. Like this there could be other things specific to your vehicle, for ex there could be a rim protector.