[thirdmainroad]

My Volkswagen Taigun 1.5 DSG was purchased in late Dec 2022, and come March 2024, I have run 33,000 KM. I love driving and have immensely enjoyed driving the Taigun. I drive mostly on highways, and it's been sheer joy to drive the car. I've driven it extensively over the ghats in Ooty, Munnar, Thekkaddy, Kodai, gone up and down the Bangalore - Mysore expressway multiple times, taken the car to Dhanushkodi, Kanyakumari ... all over the south. Make that not all over the South, but mostly in Tamil Nadu, where the roads are really good. I detest driving in Kerala and Andhra.

The car came with CEATS and me being a BIG fan boy of Michelins, wanted to change the tyres immediately upon delivery, but didn't. I grew to like the CEATS, and had convinced myself that they were a good pair of tyres. When conversations about tyres came up, I'd let everyone know that I was pleasantly surprised by the CEATS, and perhaps I had been a bit crazy upgrading to expensive Michelins previously. I'd tell myself and those who'd listen that the CEATS were pretty good, had good road grip, were comfortable...

I had set a goal to change the tyres to Michelins at 20,000 KM, but there was quite a lot of tyre wear left - in fact the tyres seemed brand new, and as I told myself the tyres were good and the fact I had hit 20 k in just a few months, I put it off. At 30,000, the same thing happened. Still lots of wear left, and they were good tyres. Just over a year old.

But the itch had really started. Even though there was a lot wear, I had noticed the tyres were not performing too well, especially while braking on roads with gravel. The mountains too were getting a little weird to drive. Yet, SO much wear left. But my confidence was taking a hit.

I had enquired in Mahindra tyres Chennai (Michelin Tyre Shop in Besant Nagar, Chennai : Mahendra Tyres), my go to shop for ages for tyres, and they had quoted Rs 55,000 for Michelins for the Taigun, with a wee upgrade from 205 to 215 /55 R 17. They are definitely the best tyre shop in Chennai, and always give a much better deal than any other tyre shop, including Lals

55K is a bit of money, especially since I had good tyres - or so I told myself - and there was SO much wear left!

Tyre wear at 33000 KM



But today, on a whim, and the fact that my wife is out of town, I went and changed the tyres on the Taigun to Michelin Primacy 4 215/55 R 17

Within 10-20 meters of driving the car with the new set of tyres, I was shocked. In utter dismay. I felt really, really low - possibly one of the lowest points of my life in recent past. I couldn't stand the fact that I had driven 33000 km on the damn Ceats previously!

I couldn't believe what an instant difference it made. It was like night and day. The car felt MUCH better to sit in and drive, the tyre noise was much less, a high speed brake test proved the car was braking MUCH better that the ceats.. it was simply a world of a difference.

I couldn't believe that I had convinced myself that the CEAT secura drives were good tyres all this while, and I really curse Volkswagen that delivered a good car which such horrible tyres - though I'd take a wager that MRFS / Apollo would have been even worse.

Driving back home and passing a rough stretch that I go over almost everyday, the car was much less jerky, handled so much better on the pot holes..

I mean it didn't take me long to realise why I had taken a vow previously never to drive on any tyres but Michelins (Why I will never drive with any tyre other than Michelins).

I am pretty sure the discussion below will turn into how good CEATS are, or how good MRFs are.. but if driving is your thing, if comfort is your thing - ditch those OEM and Yokohamas and MRFS - and go for Michelins. Your only regret will be that you hadn't done so sooner!

I for one, can't wait to drive all the roads I have been on of late on the Taigun, and enjoy the drive so much more because of the Michelins. I'll be taking off to Ooty on Saturday, and then to Coorg and then to Goa and then to where the road takes me!



The Michelins



Mahindra of Mahindra Tyres, Besant Nagar, Chennai.

[Gansan]

Why all the expletives about the Ceats if you had driven 33k km on them hapily? There is a proverb in Tamil which goes roughly "the dosa you get is according to the money you pay"! What is the price difference between the two brands?

I personally prefer Apollos/MRFs/Ceats knowingly. Because the Michelins would most probably not last as long as them without suffering any cuts or bulges, causing heartburn.

PS: The title is misleading. I started reading with the impression you regretted changing to Michelins!

[Yesterdaysnews]

I can really relate to this post. I thought the same with my Taigun and got Michelins a few months ago. Night and day of a difference.

In my previous experience - Michelin’s have outlasted MRFs by a huge margin.

Michelins are almost double the price of MRFs. But I believe they are worth every rupee of price.

Haha, I really like your dosa analogy! Makes sense, and I like to have a good dosa rather than a mediocre one and don’t mind paying more.

[thirdmainroad]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Why all the expletives about the Ceats if you had driven 33k km on them hapily?
I personally prefer Apollos/MRFs/Ceats knowingly. Because the Michelins would most probably not last as long as them without suffering any cuts or bulges, causing heartburn.

Didn’t know what I was missing until I experienced it!

Have you driven Michelins?

I’ve driven quite a lot on Michelins on my previous cars - well over 1,50,000 km - not on the same sets though. I changed around the 55-60 km mark before even though there was quite bit of wear left. I had apollos and mrfs wear out less than 40k mark.

I did have one Michelin tyre’s side wall bulge at around 40 k mark once - though I blame that on my hard driving on rough roads than the tyre. And that 40 would have been well after the life of an MRF!

I too like that dosa analogy! Weird I am in Chennai and I haven’t heard that one before.

But as yesterdaysnews, I too like my dosas to be a bit fancy with add ons such as expensive cheese (not cheese slices) on them and don’t mind paying a premium! Gone are the days when I’d go and get roadside dosas. I lived that life once and was quite content and happy, but now since I have a bit more money, don’t mind spending on luxury and comfort and this case safety too!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by thirdmainroad

I couldn't believe what an instant difference it made. It was like night and day. The car felt MUCH better to sit in and drive, the tyre noise was much less, a high speed brake test proved the car was braking MUCH better that the ceats.. it was simply a world of a difference.

Driving back home and passing a rough stretch that I go over almost everyday, the car was much less jerky, handled so much better on the pot holes..

My two favourite brand of tyres are Michelin & Yokohama, depending on the car (e.g. Pilot Sports for sedans or Geolandars for SUVs). They do significantly improve the ride & handling experience, and also reduce rolling tyre noise. Although, I think the way you are describing it, it's a bit of an exaggeration or the placebo effect .

Congrats on your new tyres! Love the Taigun 1.5L DSG & you just made yours better.

[poloman]

When ever some one say they have changed tyres, straight out of showroom or experience dramatic improvements after tyre change, I feel 'What did I miss'. I had changed apollo to Michelin tyres on my Polo. There was some improvement in ride quality and tyre noise. But it was barely noticeable and I feel most of these are in your mind. Don't think this will make any difference to a layman.

I felt really, really low - possibly one of the lowest points of my life in recent past. I couldn't stand the fact that I had driven 33000 km on the damn Ceats previously!

I would rank this as one of the most dramatic statements, I read in Tbhp .

[DRIV3R]

This effect would have been there even if it were any other brand of tyre.

Simply put, most of it is the brand new rubber effect, part of it is to the softer rubber used. Michelins are good rubber yes, but I have come across similar long term experience with few other brands like Continental, MRF and Vredestein.

[The VAG32]

Great decision . All VW 2.0 cars are not equipped with the tyres that they deserve. I own a Taigun GT plus DSG and it came equipped with Apollo alnac from the factory.

I had replaced to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 225/50/17 and Lenso jager Dyna rims (was not really a fan of the stock Manila rims from VW) at around 20k kms .
Now I have crossed 40k kms and the tyres are great.

[corvus corax]

I wonder what tyre pressure the OP is running on Michelins and from where he had been filling air on the CEATs.

I had been filling regularly from my neighbourhood petrol bunk but unbeknownst to me the machine there was overfilling the tyres, resulting in a bone jarring ride. It was until I had to visit a tyre shop to fix a puncture I realized whats been going on.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by poloman

But it was barely noticeable and I feel most of these are in your mind. Don't think this will make any difference to a layman.

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

This effect would have been there even if it were any other brand of tyre.

Absolutely, I've always felt the same after a tyre change, two times, and both times the 'excitement' dies down after a couple of days. All in the head, especially for road vehicles. Oh well, perhaps I'm not really a 'petrolhead'!

Originally Posted by thirdmainroad

The car came with CEATS and me being a BIG fan boy of Michelins,

Wow man, you really like this tyre brand and this tyre dealer. They should thank you for all the publicity!

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...michelins.html (Why I will never drive with any tyre other than Michelins)

[TorquePull]

Tyres like Ceat, Mrf and the likes get really hard after 20k-30k kms. Ride gets bumpy, road grip will be less and they are only suited for usage inside city with bad roads and low speeds.

In my family circle, many with really high usage swear by Michelins and then Yokohama. We used to buy Michelins for highway cars and Yokohama for local use cars. Michelins last long, our XUV500, Jetta have lasted 60k kms on them and we replaced them with good amount of tread left, because at that point tyre got hard. With Michelin not available, all our cars have Yokohama Earth 1 now.

[Hayek]

Have to agree with the value of Michelins. I had the same experience when I replaced the Goodyears on my Superb with Michelin Primacy 3 STs. And while not strictly comparable, when I replaced the Pirelli run flats on my X3 with Michelin Primacy 4s (albeit not runflats).

Michelin tyres are simply much better than even other high end brands.

[thirdmainroad]

Originally Posted by GTO

My two favourite brand of tyres are Michelin & Yokohama, depending on the car (e.g. Pilot Sports for sedans or Geolandars for SUVs). They do significantly improve the ride & handling experience, and also reduce rolling tyre noise. Although, I think the way you are describing it, it's a bit of an exaggeration or the placebo effect .

Congrats on your new tyres! Love the Taigun 1.5L DSG & you just made yours better.

Haha thanks GTO. I have not ever tried Yokohama's and wasn't meaning to, but considering you think them good, I am going to try them on our Ignis.

Yes, a little exaggerated for sure, but there is no doubt that the Michelins instantly made the Taigun feel MUCH better. I was really surprised that a tyre change could make so much of a difference.

Let me say here that I really, really feel the vehicles I drive. They tend to become an extension of my body - and I do pick up even tiny variations when behind the wheel for anything - engine shudder or something wrong, suspension being a little whacked, a sound out of place, or any other even minor variation. And that said the change in tyres made a BIG difference for sure.

Originally Posted by poloman

When ever some one say they have changed tyres, straight out of showroom or experience dramatic improvements after tyre change, I feel 'What did I miss'. I had changed apollo to Michelin tyres on my Polo.

I would rank this as one of the most dramatic statements, I read in Tbhp .

Were they the Michelin XM2s?

Originally Posted by The VAG32

Great decision . All VW 2.0 cars are not equipped with the tyres that they deserve. I own a Taigun GT plus DSG and it came equipped with Apollo alnac from the factory.

I had replaced to Michelin Pilot Sport 4 225/50/17

I feel you brother! I wish VW felt us!

Man those are really good looking wheels! With a quite big upsize from 205 to 225 and going down to 50 .. what difference did it make? Have you felt improved cornering and braking? And with the tyres now being of a lower profile, how has that impacted ground clearance? And the Indian Question.. impact on mileage? As much as I enjoy driving my Taigun and I take long trips just for the sake of the drive, this car is really starting to bleed me wet. I cannot drive it sedately and every km is really starting to count now!

Would LOVE to have a small test drive of your car if possible! I live on the ECR and if you are ever this side, please bump me up! In turn, I have a ObdEleven device and I could unlock anything for you - you can see what I have unlocked/tweaked in my car

Originally Posted by corvus corax

I wonder what tyre pressure the OP is running on Michelins and from where he had been filling air on the CEATs.

I know what you mean. I have long stopped filling air at petrol bunks because I didn't find them reliable. I have a Michelin tyre inflator, and every few months, I get the pressure checked in an MRF tyredrome immateriality after using my tyre inflator to make sure pressure is right.

I believe tyres and air pressure are one of THE most important things when it comes to road safety, especially on the highways where I spend most of my time and keep a constant vigil.

Originally Posted by am1m

Absolutely, I've always felt the same after a tyre change, two times, and both times the 'excitement' dies down after a couple of days. All in the head, especially for road vehicles. Oh well, perhaps I'm not really a 'petrolhead'!


Wow man, you really like this tyre brand and this tyre dealer. They should thank you for all the publicity!

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-...michelins.html (Why I will never drive with any tyre other than Michelins)

I am pretty sure my excitement with the new tyres will last a lot while longer. I really enjoy driving and am planning all manner of long trips in the upcoming weeks just cos Ive got a new set of Michelins.

Happy to boost good business if I can. I have been a customer of Mahindra tyres for very many years now, since early 2000s when my father would go to them, and they have always given great service, and great prices. What I really like about them is they give the best price they can in one shot and up front and won't haggle.

Originally Posted by TorquePull

Tyres like Ceat, Mrf and the likes get really hard after 20k-30k kms. With Michelin not available, all our cars have Yokohama Earth 1 now.

True that! The Ceats really quickly deteriorated on performance vastly as they got closer to the 30k mark, though they was quite a lot of wear left, and neither were the tyres old.

Michelin is not as widely available as before. Import restrictions, price hikes have impacted their business. Being one of the most expensive tyres out there, I think their business was always a bit niche. A huge chunk of our cars run on cheaper tyres like MRFs and Apollos. Many also believe that MRFs are better suited for India, being designed in India and made in India, but I think that's sadly not true - they simply cannot afford the R&D that Michelin can.

Michelins are available - albeit with very select dealers in every city. Search and you shall find!

Originally Posted by Hayek

I replaced the Pirelli run flats on my X3 with Michelin Primacy 4s (albeit not runflats).

Michelin tyres are simply much better than even other high end brands.

Do you think Michelin's trump Pirellis as well? I have never tried Pirellis and I know they are much softer tyres, but did that not make them better with grip and comfort?

[kvamshi04]

I have driven my Altroz for 40k on the OEM MRF tyres. It's time to replace them, any inputs on Bridgestone Sturdo.

TIA

First time car tyre buyer !!

[TorquePull]

Originally Posted by thirdmainroad

Michelins are available - albeit with very select dealers in every city. Search and you shall find!

Michelins are available but was told that they are smuggled in from Nepal, you probably can't claim warranty. Price was also on the higher side, for Creta 215/60 r16, the difference was 2k per tyre when compared to Earth1. So we decided to go with Earth1.