Tyres for Esteem

Esteem77 · 7th July 2007, 23:31

Hi,
I have a 2005 Esteem VXI with stock 175/70R13 JK Tyres tubeless tyres. I have clocked above 31K kms, but my car tyres have worn out very haphazardly. Plus, I have had 4-5 punctures in the time I have driven the car.
I now have no option but to change the tyres due to balding at some places.
Can you please help me with my queries below:
1. I am confused abt whether to go for Tube tyres / tubeless. Most of the tyre shop folks say that tube tyres are better suited to Indian road and have a longer life. Pls help, what is preferable and why?
2. I have gone through lot of threads and concluded that:
Bridgestone, Michelin and Yokahama are front runners if I plan to get new set of tyres. But many of the garage folks say MRF / Apollo are the best and have a longer life.
3. Is there any money I will get for my old unevenly worn out tyres?

To give some background, I drive pretty fast... also the roads in Pune are not at all good.
One of the issue I have with the currently JK tyres are that they are very noisy, so am looking for the least noisy tyres..
Some of the threads say that I can upgrade to 185/65 R13.. is that a good idea?

razor4077 · 8th July 2007, 21:49

Hi Esteem77. Welcome to Team BHP!
My inputs on your queries:
1. Tubeless is far better than tubed tyres. They are more comfortable, and in principle will last longer than the tubed types (no friction between the tube and tyre means less wear & tear). However, the longevity factor is dependent on your driving style and the tyre (brand/model) that you choose. Performance tyres will wear out faster.
They are also safer, because there is no immediate loss of air after a puncture... something that is a boon at high speeds.
2. You need to decide what your priorities are and choose your tyre brand. Having said that, Michelin, Bridgestone, Yokohama and Goodyear have proven to be superior in most aspects to MRF/Apollo/JK.

This thread could prove useful:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...set-tyres.html

3. Wouldn't expect much!

The tyre upsize you have mentioned is fine. Go through the threads in this section to get some info on available tyre options.
Be warned, there is a LOT of info

esteem_lover · 8th July 2007, 22:00

Hard tyres like JKs, MRF etc will be noisy. Go for a softer tyre like michelin or yokos & enjoy the silent grip they provide.

Esteem77 · 9th July 2007, 00:52

Thanks Razor4077, you have definitely cleared my confusion. Will go for Tubeless tyres now. Cheers and thanks for the welcome

Thanks Esteem Lover, some of my friends who had stock bridgestone on their cars are better off than me, who got JK tyres... will go for Bridgestone / Michelin this time

rr_zen · 9th July 2007, 04:50

Get rid of the JKs ASAP. They are shoddy IMHO. My Esteem moved like a breeze when I replaced the JKs with Good Year. The improvement in ride quality was very much tangible the moment I got rid off the JKs. Wish I had done them the next day after buying the car. And, yes. Go for tubeless whatever be the brand you are looking at. Dont forget to get your wheel alignment done when you replace the tyres !

Esteem77 · 9th July 2007, 17:05

Thanks rr_zen. Will go through the tyre comparision posts and choose Bridgestone / Michelin / Good Year

RMB · 26th July 2007, 16:24

Did you upsize to 185/65? can it be done on stock rims? does it need any mods?

n_aditya · 26th July 2007, 20:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMB

Did you upsize to 185/65? can it be done on stock rims? does it need any mods?

No mods required if ur going to upsize to 185-65-R13. I used racing slicks of this size and had no issues. Can be done on stock 13inch rims.

akroy · 26th July 2007, 20:16

Tubeless always mate...but make sure u rotate, align and balance ur tyres every 5000 km....then the tyres will not worn out the way it did now...

As far as the brand goes, Simply go for Michelin or Yoko as ur first choice and then to Bridgestone...

Abhi

Esteem77 · 26th July 2007, 22:56

Thanks a lot Abhi

RMB, as n_aditya rightly said - No mods required if ur going to upsize to 185-65 on 13 inchers

Esteem77 · 29th July 2007, 15:12

I fitted my esteem with 175/70 R13 Birdgestone Potenza. Did not upsize as these seem to be enough for the kind of use that I have. Also, esteem already has a low GC, so did not want to reduce it further

Believe me, the difference is unbelievable. So much so, that the co-passengers can also feel the exception comfort and low noise. For the person behind steering wheel - the handling, the ride, the grip, the comfort is unbelievable. I would say - do not even think of MRF/Apollo/JK etc, Bridgestone / Michelin are class apart. Michelin is better if your main criteria is comfort as they are softer. Bridgestone is the all rounder.

Have driven in both wet as well as dry conditions and am very happy with the results
Thanks to the forum for helping me out.

Akshay1234 · 29th July 2007, 17:58

are these potenza g3s? and your saying the g3s have low noise?

kpzen · 29th July 2007, 22:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234

are these potenza g3s? and your saying the g3s have low noise?

Yes of course if u compare it with MRFs & Jks the GIIIs have less noise..
But Michelin rules the roost in terms of road noise.

akroy · 30th July 2007, 08:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234

are these potenza g3s? and your saying the g3s have low noise?

Yes, GIII s are great product from Bridgestones and I have known many car lovers fanatic about Potenza GIIIs. Noise level is definitely lesser than some other brands.. Michelin is the best as far as noise level is concerned though !

I dont know why are you laughing so loudly

???

Abhi

Akshay1234 · 30th July 2007, 15:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by akroy

Yes, GIII s are great product from Bridgestones and I have known many car lovers fanatic about Potenza GIIIs. Noise level is definitely lesser than some other brands.. Michelin is the best as far as noise level is concerned though !

I dont know why are you laughing so loudly

???

Abhi

mate. look at my garage. even i love the g3s. but i dont find them silent. ive already had them on my baleno and now have them on my innova.

7th July 2007, 23:31	#1
Esteem77 Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 20 Thanked: 0 Times	Tyres for Esteem Hi, I have a 2005 Esteem VXI with stock 175/70R13 JK Tyres tubeless tyres. I have clocked above 31K kms, but my car tyres have worn out very haphazardly. Plus, I have had 4-5 punctures in the time I have driven the car. I now have no option but to change the tyres due to balding at some places. Can you please help me with my queries below: 1. I am confused abt whether to go for Tube tyres / tubeless. Most of the tyre shop folks say that tube tyres are better suited to Indian road and have a longer life. Pls help, what is preferable and why? 2. I have gone through lot of threads and concluded that: Bridgestone, Michelin and Yokahama are front runners if I plan to get new set of tyres. But many of the garage folks say MRF / Apollo are the best and have a longer life. 3. Is there any money I will get for my old unevenly worn out tyres? To give some background, I drive pretty fast... also the roads in Pune are not at all good. One of the issue I have with the currently JK tyres are that they are very noisy, so am looking for the least noisy tyres.. Some of the threads say that I can upgrade to 185/65 R13.. is that a good idea?
	() Thanks

8th July 2007, 21:49	#2
razor4077 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,882 Thanked: 298 Times View My Garage	Hi Esteem77. Welcome to Team BHP! My inputs on your queries: 1. Tubeless is far better than tubed tyres. They are more comfortable, and in principle will last longer than the tubed types (no friction between the tube and tyre means less wear & tear). However, the longevity factor is dependent on your driving style and the tyre (brand/model) that you choose. Performance tyres will wear out faster. They are also safer, because there is no immediate loss of air after a puncture... something that is a boon at high speeds. 2. You need to decide what your priorities are and choose your tyre brand. Having said that, Michelin, Bridgestone, Yokohama and Goodyear have proven to be superior in most aspects to MRF/Apollo/JK. This thread could prove useful: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...set-tyres.html 3. Wouldn't expect much! The tyre upsize you have mentioned is fine. Go through the threads in this section to get some info on available tyre options. Be warned, there is a LOT of info
	() Thanks

8th July 2007, 22:00	#3
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 502 Times View My Garage	Hard tyres like JKs, MRF etc will be noisy. Go for a softer tyre like michelin or yokos & enjoy the silent grip they provide.
	() Thanks

9th July 2007, 00:52	#4
Esteem77 Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 20 Thanked: 0 Times	Thanks Razor4077, you have definitely cleared my confusion. Will go for Tubeless tyres now. Cheers and thanks for the welcome Thanks Esteem Lover, some of my friends who had stock bridgestone on their cars are better off than me, who got JK tyres... will go for Bridgestone / Michelin this time
	() Thanks

9th July 2007, 04:50	#5
rr_zen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 1,799 Thanked: 400 Times View My Garage	Get rid of the JKs ASAP. They are shoddy IMHO. My Esteem moved like a breeze when I replaced the JKs with Good Year. The improvement in ride quality was very much tangible the moment I got rid off the JKs. Wish I had done them the next day after buying the car. And, yes. Go for tubeless whatever be the brand you are looking at. Dont forget to get your wheel alignment done when you replace the tyres !
	() Thanks

9th July 2007, 17:05	#6
Esteem77 Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 20 Thanked: 0 Times	Thanks rr_zen. Will go through the tyre comparision posts and choose Bridgestone / Michelin / Good Year
	() Thanks

26th July 2007, 16:24	#7
RMB BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 47 Thanked: 7 Times	Did you upsize to 185/65? can it be done on stock rims? does it need any mods?
	() Thanks

26th July 2007, 20:16	#9
akroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Posts: 2,423 Thanked: 85 Times View My Garage	Tubeless always mate...but make sure u rotate, align and balance ur tyres every 5000 km....then the tyres will not worn out the way it did now... As far as the brand goes, Simply go for Michelin or Yoko as ur first choice and then to Bridgestone... Abhi
	() Thanks

26th July 2007, 22:56	#10
Esteem77 Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 20 Thanked: 0 Times	Thanks a lot Abhi RMB, as n_aditya rightly said - No mods required if ur going to upsize to 185-65 on 13 inchers
	() Thanks

29th July 2007, 15:12	#11
Esteem77 Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 20 Thanked: 0 Times	Got new shoes for my car!! I fitted my esteem with 175/70 R13 Birdgestone Potenza. Did not upsize as these seem to be enough for the kind of use that I have. Also, esteem already has a low GC, so did not want to reduce it further Believe me, the difference is unbelievable. So much so, that the co-passengers can also feel the exception comfort and low noise. For the person behind steering wheel - the handling, the ride, the grip, the comfort is unbelievable. I would say - do not even think of MRF/Apollo/JK etc, Bridgestone / Michelin are class apart. Michelin is better if your main criteria is comfort as they are softer. Bridgestone is the all rounder. Have driven in both wet as well as dry conditions and am very happy with the results Thanks to the forum for helping me out.
	() Thanks

29th July 2007, 17:58	#12
Akshay1234 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 10,265 Thanked: 12,317 Times	are these potenza g3s? and your saying the g3s have low noise?
	() Thanks