[WasavaTyres]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

The balancing issue is common. I dont know nor do I want to guess about other people, but in our experience, it is most common with Goodyear GPS2, followed to a slightly lesser extent with the GT3s.

Nikhil Ji I say this again,just because you have encountered it does not mean the world has.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Wasava --- I did not generalise as a brand! I have no clue where you got that from! I'm against the GPS2s and the GT3s from GY.

By brands I meant GPS2 and GT3, not Goodyear.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

And why is everyone having a problem with me having a strong opinion?!?!

I think it's more to do with the way you said it rather than what you said. That tone of finality as I said does not hold true for people who've had an experience contrary to yours. We're here to discuss things not put our stamps of approval or otherwise on things. Now let's get back to the thread title of Assurance and put the GPS2 and GT3 aside.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

And cheap things always come with disadvantages. This doesnt mean you should never buy them.

Does that mean you'd be recommending GT3's to people who want cheap tyres

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

The balancing issue is common. I dont know nor do I want to guess about other people, but in our experience, it is most common with Goodyear GPS2, followed to a slightly lesser extent with the GT3s.

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

Nikhil Ji I say this again,just because you have encountered it does not mean the world has.

Hmmm...this is funny! In fact, I'm facing two problems with Gabbar (on GPS2) right now, one is bent rims and the other is imbalance. I did get the balancing and rim straigtening done last week but instead of curing a high speed wobble, it created a slow speed rocking motion of the steering!

I'm going again today to see if we can sort out the issue today, will update on what happens!

[Nikhilb2008]

Wasava,

Everyone has opinions. I have very strong opinions on Goodyear tyres and I think there is no harm in me voicing it! At the end of the day, it is each one's individual choice.

Let's rest our arguments You are much much more senior to me when it comes to tyres and tyre knowledge. Hopefully when I have as much experience as you, I might have a different opinion! We have agreed to disagree!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by iraghava

Hmmm...this is funny! In fact, I'm facing two problems with Gabbar (on GPS2) right now, one is bent rims and the other is imbalance. I did get the balancing and rim straigtening done last week but instead of curing a high speed wobble, it created a slow speed rocking motion of the steering!

I'm going again today to see if we can sort out the issue today, will update on what happens!

Guruji if i may, i think your rims are shot! If its iron rims get them replaced instead of banging your head with wobble. if rims are fine tire sidewall is shot and hence the wobble. Easy way to determine would be to swap the rear wheels to front and check.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Wasava,

Everyone has opinions. I have very strong opinions on Goodyear tyres and I think there is no harm in me voicing it! At the end of the day, it is each one's individual choice.

GoodYear or the particular models? i dont have any issue with GY so far, 38k kms and it gets balanced at your shop from 5k kms onwards, with not even single wobble issue reported till date

I was scared initially when i damaged one tire, actually a rogue granite piece damaged it. But since then going strong and trust me, the abuse my car tires takes is atleast 60% more than most of the TBHPian tires, especially on the highways.

Just last weekend i did 1200 kms of ripping, of which 800+ was absolutely the worst roads one can imagine. To give you an idea the poor Crv's (the other car) front end seems to be needing some work after the trip. My car was driven with utmost aggression and was doing close to 3 digit figures on these roads, only thing i noticed was that the suspension (especially the rear springs and shocks) were aging and the tires too obviously, since the twitch has increased a bit. Another reason might be, i was running lil higher pressure since i knew the roads were OTR material.

Please note i have only 4 tires which are being used and it seems i have another 5k plus to reach thread wear indicator (am surprised each time i check them after a long trip lol).

But yes i dont have any info on other models from GY.

This is one of the reason why i wanted to check other options from GY if they are available in the first place. But you guys are not helping me!!

Anyways iam waiting for rains to stop, so that i can give my alloys for a color change and then decide on the new tire's.

[Nikhilb2008]

Jaggu, I feel that way only about the GPS2 and the GT3s. GT3s to a lesser extent.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

But yes i dont have any info on other models from GY.

This is one of the reason why i wanted to check other options from GY if they are available in the first place. But you guys are not helping me!!

Ok Jaggu,

I may be your saving grace !

Just got Goodyear Assurance 205/60R15 91V upsizes on my Fusion+ on Saturday.

Too busy now to write and post the pictorial first impressions (have already clicked the pics tho').

First impression, I am happy!

Now where do I post the p-review? Here, the Fusion Tyre thread or start a new thread?

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Guruji if i may, i think your rims are shot! If its iron rims get them replaced instead of banging your head with wobble. if rims are fine tire sidewall is shot and hence the wobble. Easy way to determine would be to swap the rear wheels to front and check.

Jaggu dada, I knew for a long time now that my steel rims were bent badly; blame that big, heavy engine and my terrible high speed highway driving habits! But the problem amplified after me getting it looked at so got it done again on Sunday and after a proper straightening of rims coupled with good alignment and balancing all is normal now!

And if the sidewalls were shot, I would've known in a second. I specalise in tyres after all you know! One look at them is enough to let me know what's wrong!!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Glifford

Ok Jaggu,

I may be your saving grace !
=========================
Now where do I post the p-review? Here, the Fusion Tyre thread or start a new thread?

You can start here and do that ASAP!!

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

You can start here and do that ASAP!!

BUMP: Any updates on this gliford?

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

BUMP: Any updates on this gliford?

Sorry Jaggu,

Have been busy busy busy (in-laws were in town). Now back to a work week. Have all pics in place. Will start today evening if possible. Please wait a day (or two)!

[Jaggu]

Alright but why do you need 2 days!? Pics and report will take 30 mts only he he

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Alright but why do you need 2 days!? Pics and report will take 30 mts only he he

Ha ha ha! I tend to be verbose. (seen my DIY Wheel restoration post?). Organising thoughts and posting takes some time. Ok, will stay up tonight to have it posted. Even I am itching to get it done away with.

[Jaggu]

Reason better be good! ehm eh!

Glifford wake up and post that review, editing we can do later!

[amplyfryed]

Whoa! Excuse me for jumping in. Apparently it seems Assurance have still not become popular. I have been using Goodyear Assurance on my Fabia 1.2 HTP(replaced OE Matador tyres) since last one year and covered a measly 5500 KM since then. Cant say much about tyre life or wear pattern. But, Comfort and handling on dry and wet roads is simply superb. The grip on wet road is very assuring (no pun intended). I drive frequently on the Eastern Express Highways and some of you may be familiar with the poor quality asphalting done on the E. Ex.highway making the road very slippery in monsoon. Compared to Michelins on my Optra, I find gripping much more superior. Braking is very effective. Have put emergency braking to use quite often in city as I love drive this rev happy car in higher rpms only to be abruptly cut by some mindless rickshawala. Have not got opportunity to test tyres and car on Mumbai-Pune Expressway till now. In all, i think it is decent tyre but to soon comment on its ability to cope in long run with our some stretches of rough roads.

[Glifford]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Reason better be good! ehm eh!

Glifford wake up and post that review, editing we can do later!

Sorry Jaggu! Crazy work got the better of me and every moment I was waiting to update the thread. Very late nights, tight schedules and (I admit) one more DIY project (ICE) that flopped and I burnt (actually cut & bled) my fingers (& time) on. Even now I am pushing a stroke of midnight to post this out.

Anyway amplyfryed has just given a good review and mine is just a preview.

So here comes the first part of the preview:

Need for a Tyre Change and Requirements from the new set:

I was overdue for a tyre upgrade. The stock Goodyear GT3 195/60R15s on the used Ford Fusion + ABS I had bought at around 42,000 km were already near-end-of-life. Still these tyres performed decently well. Except for uphill enthusiastic (read nervous) uphill standing starts, they rarely ever skid. And if they did (when braking), ABS kicked in to compensate. So I was not complaining. Although the ride was hard (typical Fusion), the cornering was excellent and so was the way they handled bad roads. At the first service under my ownership, they said a life of 5000 km was left on them.

I neared that 5000 km and was pushing my luck. Ignored wheel balancers and service guys who asked me to change ASAP as I wanted to touch that mystical 50,000 km figure and then change immediately. I did get stuck once atop Mulaingiri as it rained and the sandy soil got water logged and the front wheels spun liberally. But barring that incident, they performed perfectly fine. The tread had also lost chunks off the shoulder on the inside shoulders because of climbing up bad road shoulders on bad/broken roads. I was pushing 48,000+ by now.

Then it happened! Returning from a 1000 odd km trip to Wayanad and Coorg, the steering suddenly developed a strong sway / wobble after Kushalnagar. It was strong enough that my wife could feel it in the passenger seat. Limped into Cauvery Ford Mysore and they cited any of the three reasons for this:

1. Alloy Rim Bend (ouch, gonna cost a bomb )
2. Balancing Needed (no point balancing on worn tyres, weight consumption will be huge)
3. Tyre Damage (as near end of life).

They quickly identified the front left as culprit and interchanged it with the rear left. Ride was much smoother and sway was down. We drove back comfortably. Back in Bangalore, Tyre Empire helped me identify it as a flat-spot / tread-separation on the culprit tyre. On touching it revealed that the circumference on the tyre suddenly gives way to a flat spot (see the pic in later posts). It was a relief for me as I was scared of a rim bend and finding a single OE alloy rim (that too a Ford) was giving me nightmares!

So it was replacement time overdue! Started looking out.

Here were my requirements from the new tyre (not necessarily in order of preference):

1. Slight Oversize: 205/60R15 over the stock 195/60R15. (Would have preferred 215/55R15, but not sure they would fit without spacers and the incremental cost was prohibitively high). My research with oversizes can be seen here, here and here. Reasons for an oversize included looks (who wouldn't?), better ground clearance (more is never enough), better (cushier ride) and dry grip. Of course was wary of poorer handling (increased CG) and fuel efficiency.

2. Good Grip: Not complaining about the stock ones

3. Better Ride: This was a sore point (not necessarily for me) about the stock tyres. The Fusion itself has a pretty hard setup (also means awesome handling tho’) and the stock ones don’t help.

4. Decent Price: Considering stock Goodyear GT3 195/60R15s were a bargain at around 2700 a piece

5. Decent Life: The existing ones overwhelmed me. So anywhere near 60% of that should be good enough I guess.

6. Ability to handle Bad Roads as well as Good ones: This was important as this is primarily a weekend/getaway vehicle for me (not used to commute). On trips out of town I do come across some really bad stretches and I don’t want to land up with tyre damage at the end of it.

7. Less Noise: The GT3s were noisy (not that I was complaining). The Fusion because of its shape (not exactly aerodynamic) is noisy and tyre noise filters in through.

8. Steering Feel: This was important. The Fusion with its weighted (too heavy for many a beginner) and sharp hydraulic power steering is definitely one of the best around. Is what makes the car so much fun to drive. You can feel the driving surface on your finger tips and cornering is exhilarating. Some research revealed that tyre manufacturers now intoduce a solid (no pattern) circumferential rib (normally around the centre of the tread). The original GT3s didn’t have it (never felt the shortage I admit). This became a new requirement.


To be continued...