[amitoj]

Hey all

Well, its time for me to change the tyres on my zen. Since its a 98 model, it has 145/70 r13 tyres. But the new zens come with 145/80r12 tyres coz the older spec led to a lot of bent rims.
Now the question is, should i switch over to the newer specs (which means getting new rims as well) ? Or should i stick to wot i have?
If i go for new rims, i can go for tubeless tyres also, right? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of switching to the newer specs?
Some of my friends have advised me to go for the newer spec tyres and i do tend to agree with them.... after all, there must have been strong reasons behind maruti changing the specs.

Haaaalp

Amitoj

[Rice_tuner]

hey...i'd rather stick with the older specs... the change was made by MUL to improve the ride on the zen...the newer zen comes with diffrent struts(more coils) and hence they chaged to the newer spec of rims to go with the new shocks...
since u have the older struts, i recomend u go with the older specs...
cheers

[Dippy]

Hey amitoj why dont you try an upsize . I have 155/70 R13 Michelin Certis tubeless tyres on my Zen and I'm pretty happy with them after using them for 3 years that I have. Of course I have alloys too .

Try it

Dippy

[amitoj]

Hey Rice, i didnt know that... about there being more coils in the improved zens. Of course, when changing to a diff tyre specs, one should take into consideration the existing suspension also and wot effects would diff spec tyres have on the suspension. So wot would be the side effects, w.r.t the existing suspension, if i go for the newer specs ?

Dippy, 3 years??? How many times have u changed the tyres??? hmmm.... switching to 155 from 145 would give an increase of around 7mm on the rolling radius. Thats pretty ok, isnt it? Plus, more section height so improved ride quality as well. But 145/80 still has more section height than 155/70. So what exactly is the plus here? Better grip at corners?
I am jus thinking out loud here... correct me wherever i am wrong....

Amitoj

[speedsatya]

hey amitoj ,
since ur car has done 92k kms already ,i wud suggest u go for the 145/80r12 of the new zens.
the advantages cud be:

1.better ride quality
2.wheels will be less prone to getting bent which the 70 profile get very often.
3. also the rattles will be less.


as discussed so many times ,155/70r13 will touch the body with 2 people in the back seat.so u will have to raise the ht by putting pads into ur coils springs.
as it is ur suspension will be past its prime.so 155/70 has to touch.

u can try for 155/65 r13 which i have ,but as the profile is lower,the rim will be more prone to getting bent and the ride will be bad.


so my suggestion is go for 145/80r12 .get tubeless tires with 4j rims.its worth it.

[Dippy]

Dippy, 3 years??? How many times have u changed the tyres???

I bought my car second hand in September 2001. I shod it with the Michelin 155s and the aura alloys as soon as i took delivery and I'm still running on them. I've covered 45k kms with them and they are still doing well. I'm not sure bout the 145/80s but my tyres are giving me good grip on cornering. Much much better then the standard tyres.

I'll try to put up pics of my tyres for you

Dippy

[amitoj]

Speedy, u r right... 155/65s wont suit my car. And u r probably right about the suspension too. Tell me something... since both 145/70 and 145/80 have the same tire width, would it affect cornering etc? And if 145/80 reduces cornering ability, then can i counter it by putting strut braces? Satya u have struts.... and i remember u mentioning their effect also... i will have to dig that thread up.

Dippy, 45K kms and ur tires still going strong. Thats impressive. My tires are up for replacement jus after 35K kms :( they r tube tires, of course.

Hmmm... i guess another thing i could do is to actually show the car to someone who can take a look at the state of my car and then suggest accordingly.
Any ideas what would be a good place to go to??

[Shan2nu]

Well, 155/65 R 13 should work fine. Difference in circumference is just -.28%, that would be the perfect upsize.


Forget the Zen, my friend has a M800 with 155 tyres on it and i didn't see any signs of scraping at all, plus it handles well. On;y drawback is that the acceleration has come down and the speedo won't go beyond 115kmph, considering that it's a carb engine, 115 is pretty ok i guess.

Never upsize if you car doesn't lose traction easily. If your car screeches only when you really throw it into corner and not all the time, then probably the 145s are doin a pretty good job and you don't need to upsize.

Coz remember, broader tyres will slow down your cars acceleration and top speed. Always stick to tyre sizes that will let the car accelelrate fast and give you good grip at the same time.

Shan2nu

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Coz remember, broader tyres will slow down your cars acceleration and top speed. Always stick to tyre sizes that will let the car accelelrate fast and give you good grip at the same time.

Shan2nu

That rules out 155s. Shan the 145/70s have done a remarkable job so far with the cornering. But if i go for 145/80s, the section height will increase by as much as 14.5mm!! This increased section height will seriously affect cornering. Dont u think?

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by amitoj

And if 145/80 reduces cornering ability, then can i counter it by putting strut braces? Satya u have struts.... and i remember u mentioning their effect also... i will have to dig that thread up.

??

abe amitoj,
heheh,
u r just looking for an excuse to fit a strut brace.my strut braces have not made a big diff to the handling,
and of both 145 tires definitely the 70 profile will give u better handling but that will be negligible.we wont be able to amke out.
but wat abt ur rattles.
and regarding Shan saying abt his friend putting 155 tires in a 800,we have seen Iceman putting 14inch 175/45 tires in his zen and another member has 185/55 tires ,but for that u will have to do some serious modifications.
i am with 145/80r12.


major diff that the new zen has over the older versions including mine:

1,heard that the coil springs in the rear have more turns.
2.its got ventilated discs.
3.AC refrigerant is CFC free

i say go for 145/80r12 with ur existing suspension.or else ,overhaul the entire suspension and go for upgrades like 155/65r13 or 165/60r13.but for these u have to raise ur ht also

[amitoj]

hehehe... arre speedy, why do u think i have listed only 145/70 and 145/80 in the poll options? If i want tyres that are 175 or 185, then i will buy them with the car that comes fitted with them.
But for the time being, i need to change the tyres with minimum amount of extra effort and maximum gain (yeah call me lazy and greedy)
Oye by the way, how can u assume that my car rattles, hayein??

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by amitoj

hehehe... arre speedy, why do u think i have listed only 145/70 and 145/80 in the poll options? If i want tyres that are Oye by the way, how can u assume that my car rattles, hayein??

bcas mine has started after 27k kms.so urs after 92k has to have it.


If ur tires are lasting only 35k then u shud check ur suspension also.first correct ur suspension and then talk abt grip,handling....
hehe ,no bhadaks

[Shan2nu]

But don't forget, by reducing your wheel size and fitting 80 profile tyres, you're gonna lose a lot on cornering ability.

Trust me, 155/65 R 13's won't harm you suspenssion as the overall diameter and circumference wont be changed. By Fitting alloys, that could bring the overall weight of you wheel tyre combo to the the combo you have right now.

So acceleration wont be affected by a huge margin.

155's will also be safer as they'll provide a wider track and better braking.

145/80 R12 is a big no,no. Unless you plan to drive it normally and vouch, never to rip it on twisty roads.

Nothing comes close to ripping a car on the twisties than on a straight highway.

Shan2nu

[amitoj]

hehehe... employing method of extrapolation to cars? Jus for the record, my car doesnt rattle. Although its hood had started rattling a bit, i got that fixed during the last service. Dont ask me how they fixed it
Got suspension overhauled barely couple of months back. But the damage had already been done to the tyres by then.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

But don't forget, by reducing your wheel size and fitting 80 profile tyres, you're gonna lose a lot on cornering ability.

Trust me, 155/65 R 13's won't harm you suspenssion as the overall diameter and circumference wont be changed. By Fitting alloys, that could bring the overall weight of you wheel tyre combo to the the combo you have right now.

So acceleration wont be affected by a huge margin.

155's will also be safer as they'll provide a wider track and better braking.

145/80 R12 is a big no,no. Unless you plan to drive it normally and vouch, never to rip it on twisty roads.

Nothing comes close to ripping a car on the twisties than on a straight highway.

Shan2nu

hey shan , u may be right on the hadling front.but the zens with 13 inch rims having 145/70 tires were prone to the rims getting bent very often.
that was the very reason maruti gave them 145/80r12 tires.
and the ride quality is really good in the new zensas compared to the older ones.


regarding the 155/65r13 tires,i have them with alloys .but i am not all happy with it.the handling is suspect and the tires make a lot of noise.dunno if its due to wider tires.
also i had to fit rubber pads in the rear ,as at speeds above 60kph even with 3 people on board it used to touch the body.

also now my top speed shows only 150kph on the speedo.but the maruti engg says that it cud be because of a worn clutch plate .quite possible as off late there were a lot of wheel spins.
but the same clutch plate with my 145/80r12 tires showed 160kph on the speedo.
hehe.

i am with 145/80r12 in a 92k car.