[dhuli]

Having done 60394 odd km on my Feb11 Innova VX running stock Goodyear GT3's, I have been on the lookout for a change. Top choices are Michelin, Bridgestone, Continental and Yokohama...not in any order, since I am figuring out. Everytime I check in the market, products seem to change faster than those old jungle sayings!

Was considering Primacy LC and here is what their website shows - discontinued. Since I plan to upsize to 225/60/R15, the tyre selector here doesnt show an option. Very surprised.

Any ideas why these companies seem to be churning their products like telecom rate plans?

Spoke with Bridgestone rep and got to hear that AR-10 is discontinued. But AR-20 is very much there alongside, or actually, below ER-60 their best all rounder. AR20 apparently fits between B390 and ER-60. Potenzas are more for the speed enthusiasts and tend to be noisy, poorer wet grip compared to an ER-60

Yokohama - all points to C Drive, while the Earth1 seems their all rounder.

Do help fill this ( I am keen on 225/60/R15, priority for low noise, grip)

Bridgestone - ER60...or_______
Michelin - _________
Yokohama - C Drive..or______
Continental - Conitmaxcontact MC5...or________
Falken Azenis PR722...or________
Hankook Optimo ME02 K424...or________

I will appreciate all suggestions including..avoid this or that.

Thanks.

D

[pravdr]

ive found michelin xm2 working well on my innova vx 2011 no upsize.

no punctures in 24000kms you may say im lucky.

no bulges.

getting tyres aligned every 5000kms.

is thid the correct way to go?will it prolong tyre life?

pg

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by pravdr

ive found michelin xm2 working well on my innova vx 2011 no upsize.

no punctures in 24000kms you may say im lucky.

no bulges.

You are indeed lucky, not to have any issues with your Michelin XM2. The earlier variants of the same tyres XM1 and XM1+ were prone to punctures and sidewall damages. They were not at all suitable for Indian roads. However the XM2 are a vast improvement over their previous versions in terms of adaptability to Indian roads without loosing their original characteristics.

getting tyres aligned every 5000kms.

is thid the correct way to go?will it prolong tyre life?

pg

Getting the tyres aligned alone is not sufficient. You have to do the tyre rotation every 10K kms. Most important factor for prolonging tyre life is maintaining correct tyre pressure. It should be checked at least once in two weeks. It is worthwhile to invest in a good quality pressure gauge and compressor/ foot pump and do it regularly yourself.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by pravdr

ive found michelin xm2 working well on my innova vx 2011 no upsize.

no punctures in 24000kms you may say im lucky.

no bulges.

getting tyres aligned every 5000kms.

is thid the correct way to go?will it prolong tyre life?

pg

Lucky man!

I'd suggest you to add wheel balancing and tyre rotation too to the list.

Wheel alignment and balancing - 5K kms
Tyre Rotation - 10K kms.

Apart from this, maintain a weekly schedule of checking and maintaining the tyre pressures as recommended will prolong tyre life.

[hkollar]

Had terrible experience with Yokohama C-Drive tyres with Innova. It gave way in just 16,000km.

Admittedly I take innova through the Shiradi Ghat sections, that were pretty bad (till recently). But, I was earlier using the Bridgestone tyres in same section without any problems.


For a tyre to completely come off the way Yokohama did shows it is not meant for Indian conditions (i.e. bad, pot holed roads.

Looking at the picture is evidence enough. The tyre has just gone out of shape because apparently the internal metal wireframe gave way. It has happened in both tyres, but more evident in one. Both were front tyres.

I just replaced them with Bridgestone again. Will never repeat Yokohama again.

[dhuli]

After my recent query on this thread (link) couple of days back I was at Madhu's Tyre Clinic in Bangalore determined I will see the treads after reading all these threads, and change my tyres.

Firstly, before I arrived at the shop, I had made my mind to stick to the OEM specs of 205-65-R15 instead of upsizing as I had earlier intended. Reasons were - fewer choices in the 225-60-R15 segment and this article swung it for me.

My choice was between Bridgestone Turanza ER60, Yokohama Earth 1, Michelin Energy XM2, Continental PremiumContact2.

As mentioned in my query, I was keen on lower noise levels followed by toughness. After talking to a few people I got to know that noise is reduced when a) the tread blocks are staggered so as not to produce the repetitive (beat?) rhythm, and b) channels that connect across the thread for air to move outwards from center towards sidewalls.

Then I checked the weight of the tyres. All seemed similar except Earth-1 from Yokohama which was very clearly heavier.

Tread pattern and block design seemed to favour Michelin most, followed by Bridgestone ER60, followed by Continental and then Earth-1 (being not fully connected at the outer most channel.

Bridgestone seemed to be more reliable for sidewall toughness based on what I have read here, although the Michelin seemed equally pliable or tough to touch. Again, a very helpful Mr.Ravi at Madhu's specifically had the Bridgestones brought for me within 20 min from their branch in Basavangudi. The date was 2915 which seemed the newest of the lot I was seeing. I got 4 Bridgestone ER60s fitted. Got Mr.Anand to inspect the 5 Goodyear GT3's factory fitted in Feb 2011 and run 60,184 KM, to choose one that is worth retaining as spare.

First impressions - only regret, why did I wait forever to do this!

The new tyres felt like my feet were wrapped in a nice cushion. The comfort was entirely obvious. Going over speedbreakers was not that hard bumpy experience but so much more gentler. Lastly, the sound - I wasnt expecting silence, but clearly the engine sound was the only major sound now! The extra SHSHHHHHHH at higher frequency was gone, muffled. The sound is a more lower frequency hum. Cornering, not to forget, was so very cool and confident. Only, after the change I realized how I used to handle steering so much more gingerly at corners. With the Bridgestones, I am far more relaxed now!

The joy apart, let me also add that there was wheel balancing, the tyres were new filled with nitrogen, while the older tyres were perhaps hardened and weary from exposure to elements after 60000Km; so these add to the new experience. Factor that in and slash the joy I described to half and you are left with how much can be truly attributed to the new ER60's.

BTW, among the choices I was looking for Primacy LC or C-Drive, they seem to be out of circulation, discontinued I am told.

The car unshod revealed a rusty surface where the wheel attaches. I was told its common. Mr.Anand said he will apply some grease there...though I didnt see how that would help.

Images below:
1. My Innova waiting for the new wheels
2. Michelin Energy XM2
3. Yokohama Earth 1
4. Continental PremiumContact2
5. Bridgestone ER60 Turanza <-- my choice
6. The rear brake drums. (please suggest, if this can be cared for or restored!)

Thank you all out here for all your posts, each one of which has helped me.

[LoneWolf9]

Hello everyone,

Can anyone recommend good tyres for Innova which is mainly driven on a concrete road. The main criteria is comfort . Budget is not an issue. Between Michelin xm2 and Michelin primacy. Which one is better for a comfortable ride.

If there is any other brand that offers much better comfort, please let me know.

Thank you.

[parsh]

Saw Apollo Apterra sometime back. Looks good and tyrewall seemed sturdy. Anybody has any experience with these on Innova, Grip - wet mainly, Comfort etc?

The same dealer was quoting Hawkz been discontinued, this is the new version of it. Is that true? Could not find Hawkz on Apollo site too.

For comparison sake:

Apollo Apterra





Apollo Hawkz



Bridgestone B390

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by parsh

Saw Apollo Apterra sometime back. Looks good and tyrewall seemed sturdy. Anybody has any experience with these on Innova, Grip - wet mainly, Comfort etc?

Hello Parsh, I don't have first hand experience of the Apollo Apterras on the Innova. However the same make of tyres are fitted on my TUV3OO, although a different size. Hence thought of sharing my experience over here, hope you find it relevant. The Innova size is 205/65 R15, whereas those on my TUV are sized 215/75 R15. I had the Bridgestones B390 fitted newly on my preworshipped Innova. The Apterras run pretty silently compared to the B390s. The road noise is also comparatively lesser. On the grip levels both are equally good. On the wet grip levels of the Apterras I don't have any experience, but should be at par.

[parsh]

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

Hello Parsh, I don't have first hand experience of the Apollo Apterras on the Innova. However the same make of tyres are fitted on my TUV3OO, although a different size. Hence thought of sharing my experience over here, hope you find it relevant. The Innova size is 205/65 R15, whereas those on my TUV are sized 215/75 R15. I had the Bridgestones B390 fitted newly on my preworshipped Innova. The Apterras run pretty silently compared to the B390s. The road noise is also comparatively lesser. On the grip levels both are equally good. On the wet grip levels of the Apterras I don't have any experience, but should be at par.

Thanks for the quick turn around Deepak. That really helps throw some light on these tyres. They look pretty sturdy though and the tread pattern looks good too. I am contemplating trying them this time. Lets see. Just to note additionally, the Apterras TUV300 runs on are in a different league, with different characteristic treads than the ones shown above. Good to hear that you are experiencing better ride on them.

[AutoIndian]

Originally Posted by parsh

Thanks for the quick turn around Deepak. That really helps throw some light on these tyres. They look pretty sturdy though and the tread pattern looks good too. I am contemplating trying them this time. Lets see. Just to note additionally, the Apterras TUV300 runs on are in a different league, with different characteristic treads than the ones shown above. Good to hear that you are experiencing better ride on them.

Even I would suggest you to go ahead with the Appterras. By the way what is the price difference between them an the B390s? There could be difference in the tyre treads for Innova and TUV. Moreover the higher width and profile of 75 in TUV tyres make them more rugged, larger sidewall depth and good shock absorbing capability.

[parsh]

HT HLs
AT HL

For Innova: HLs suggested, 205 profile

All others are in 215 onwards profiles.

For TUV300: HT are factory fitted, 215 profile
These look like Bridgestone Duellers and Yokohama Geolandar HT patterns.
Guess TUV300 could do well with AT pattern.

Quote:
Apollo Apterra HLs: 5000
Bridgestone B390: 5600-5800

Sidewall does look sturdy and am getting keen on these HLs now.

[parsh]

I am drilling down to these options now.



Treadwise:
Apterra HLs have distinct block design, should be comparatively better on mud, sand, rough terrains. At the same time, bigger block design will mean more noisy. Don't know how grippy it will be on wet surface, should be less comparatively. Still getting aligned towards the same. Anybody with feedback on these?

B390 has been all rounder.

AR20 seems to have stiffer sidewall of the lot. Also seems to have best grippy rubber patch for wet surfaces by looks of it.

Earth 1 seems to have garnered quite a good feedback.

[parsh]

Finally, changed to Apollo today from Tyrex, Mulund. C-Drives had become pretty unstable these days and dearly needed replacement soon.

Specs:
Apollo Apterra HLs
205/65 R 15 94T
94 - 670 kg max load
T - 190 kph max speed

Ride so far with very small drives is nice, well planted. Need to test more to comment better. However, with windows rolled down/up in Mumbai roads and traffic, the tyre noise did not seem to be significant or rather could not notice it, open silent road drive will tell.

Checked Earth 1 and Apterra side by side and the Earth 1 wall is much softer than Apterra. Apterras tread will make it more multi-terrain worthy which is what I want having seen dismal performance from C-Drives. But I doubt anything will be able to hold foot with C-Drives on speed and wet surface handling. Time will tell how Apterras behave.

Warranty is said to be unconditional and lifetime, replacement without question, even if sidewall cuts, but pro-rata. This is something only situation will ratify, although not pinning high hopes on it.





While the tread blocks nice and chunky for various multi-terrain use



I guess, picking up small gravel could be common grievance and may need plucking every now and then



Overall, tread looks nice and useful. Lets see how and where all it can take.

[P76]

Has anybody tried 205/70 r15 tyres for the Innova? Yokohama has the Geolander H/T in that size, and I am interested in upgrading to that size given the potholed roads I frequent.
The load rating is 96H, similar to the OEM spec. I opine that the added profile would give added cushioning and higher ground clearance, although the negative being poorer handling.
I have noted that Innova users in Indonesia, Thailand prefer these higher profile tyres.
Waiting for your valuable inputs on this. Thank you !
http://www.yokohama-india.com/wp-con...anderHT-S1.jpg