Ok then, how have we all been?
Some of you might think that I've been kinda late in writing this up but I thought that it was important to have driven the car for atleast 2K on the new set of footwear before I could write down an honest opinion on what I think of the tyres. To say that I'm glad I brought the tyres would be an understatement
Here is the real deal and I hope that this will put an end to a lot of people's dillemma about how Michelin really is.
Before, I purchased the Michelin's PP1, like everyone else here, I did a lot of reasearch on this very site to find out what would be a good buy, especially considering how i drive, virtually pointing a middle finger at every driver who comes my way. Somehow, I'm always in a hurry to reach someplace or the other. Hence, the first thing that I did need was grip, which would come in handy while swerving around and in case of sudden braking, which was currently not there on the stock tyre of GPS2.
What the michelin's PP1 does is offer you unbelievable grip. There's a lot of rubber which has been laid out on this tyre and is the medium-hard rubber in comparasion with the other tyres which get the soft rubber, thereby offering more comfort. Having said that, the medium-hard rubber offers not only good grip but also does not compromise on comfort although the ride can feel a bit stiff if you're driving below 50 especially on the new set, but as the tyre wears on, it smoothens the ride out.
Another thing which is amazing about this tyre is that it takes away those wheel spins, which normally happen in the honda city especially in the 2nd gear especially on a loose top. Also, The fuel economy, at least in my car has not taken a hit and the car is still delivering the usual 14kmpl avg that it was on the stock tyres.
Apart from this,for the one's who like to live extreme, can actually try to increase the high speed on corners or the "S's" without sliding or slipping or having their heart in the mouth. I took a 120 S turn today in 4th gear and really didn't feel a shiver. It was a smooth one.
This I guess would take care of the dry weather. Now, we move the wet weather testing
As all the guys in NCR would have known and experienced the torrential downpour that not only led to the seasonal, never-ending traffic jams in the capital, it also led to water logging,which gave me a chance to test the car speed at 120kmph without a frown on my face.
Earlier what used to happen on my stock tyres was that in case of sudden braking the wheels would lock up and the car would just slide out of control and my heart would be in my mouth, but not anymore. The PP1's being asymmetrical tyres, litterally splash the water out and if you have people on 2 wheels goin by you and you happen to go over through a big puddle, just watch your rear view if you wanna hear some curses being thrown at you. What the splashing does is that the contact with the ground does remain and the car offers an unbelievable grip even at high speeds. However, the downside in the wet conditions is that the tyre noise is EXTREMELY high on the wet roads and sounds as if your engine is over-loaded. Other than this, can't think of any other draw-back that this beauty has.
So, to sum it up, this tyre is ideally suited for following drivers/conditions
1. High speed
2. Guys/gals looking for good 2nd gear grip especially on pebbles
3. High cornering speed
4. Wet weather/high speed
This tyre is not suited for
1. Slow drivers
2. Budget drivers
3. FE conscious
4.
To elaborate on point number 2- one wouldn't want to buy a tyre as expensive as 4K and having a cut on it the 2nd day. That
The only and the only draw back of this tyre is, that it takes some time to get the heat in the tyre, hence I would suggest being careful while braking for the very first time during the day.
Well, i guess this is pretty much it. If you guys do want to know anything, don't hesitate to drop in a line, otherwise, Jus pick up the new set of tyres without worrying too much.
Cheers!
M2S
P.S.: The testing was done at sohna road in Gurgaon and on NH8