[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by floyd

Quick update - I got Yokohama Earth-1 from Sai Iyengar, Indiranager (Ahswin's store). Ashwin recommended not to upsize on the original steel wheels, so we decided on the stock 205/65/R15 size. I feel that the ride feels smoother, but it could be the psychological effect of getting new tyres!

Hi floyd, how has the tires held up? I am planning a change for my Innova. Kindly revert.

[Anupam]

I went for Chinese Tyres for my 2005 Innova clocked around 1,35,000 km, on assurance from my tyre guy, costing 3200/- a piece (the tyre guy is in no wat linked with the Chinese tyre seller, so no commercial interest here)

my logic to give in to the Chinese tyres was that, ,y running is very low and the previous set of BridgeStone hardened up and started cracking up while still having enough rubber on them

hence though of going for low cost option which can be replaced every 3 years. moreover they carry all certifications needed to sell in India and I haven't have really heard of any mishaps due to Chinese tyres

its been 3 months now, and so far so good, I have done couple of Pune-Bombay and few rural trips as well, cant say that I have found any difference as such

however, there is some squealing sound that I notice during breaking, but need more time for profound observation

[MinivanDriver]

I had Goodyear tires (2 are GT3s and 2 are Dura plus) - 5 and 6 years old respectively. After a recent outstation trip, there was wobbling on the steering wheel and it was traced to one of the GT3s that had developed 'bulges'. BTW, it was a rear tire. Went to servicing center and two tire shops and all of them said the tire could not be salvaged. The vibrations went away when the offending GT3 was replaced with the spare wheel ( 2008 cooper). Also the tire shop guys said that the rubber has hardened and the tread has started chipping off. Considering that I have to go for an outstation trip and the reports about accidents due to tire blow outs, I replaced all four tires with Yokohama Earth 1s. I chose these as per feed back in this thread as well as recommendation from the tire shop guy. Steering effort substantially improved with the new tires. Regarding road noise, I will update following my trip. What bothers me is that now this is the second time, I am having to replace tires not because they have normally worn out due to usage but due to uneven wear, bulges and rubber hardening. Some yet to be proven hunches that I have is that
1. It is not recommended to depend on the car manufacturer's service center to do a good job with respect to tire care. Last two times when they did wheel rotation and alignment, I had to immediately get back to them because the vehicle was pulling to one side. Note that these were two different service centers.
2. I have always sanctioned all recommended tire care procedures to be done during the routine services.
3. The tire shop guy as well as an informed friend are both of the opinion that authorized service centers do not do a good job with respect to tires. The steering wheel wobble developed with in 800 kms of driving after a routine service that included wheel alignment and balancing. When the alignment was significantly out when they checked it in the tire shop after putting the new tires. I somehow feel that wheel alignment is a bit of an art and the service center technicians do not have sufficient experience in doing it. BTW, I noticed that the tire shop guy was way more senior than the service center guy. In fact the service center guy had some of the junior most 'kids' working on the wheel alignment and balancing part.
4. Considering the above, I am planning to get all tire care related jobs done at the tire shop and avoid them during routine services at the authorized service center.

Greatly appreciate all fellow BHP- ians comments and suggestions

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by Anupam

I went for Chinese Tyres for my 2005 Innova

Interesting choice, can you please share brand name of these tyres and also shop name.

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

I replaced all four tires with Yokohama Earth 1s.

Glad that all four tyres now have same tread pattern and tyre brand. Running a mix of tyre tread pattern on 2 axles is also an issue.

Some yet to be proven hunches that I have is that

Answers for your queries.

1. I never used services of A.S.S. for tyre related work, always did it myself (tyre rotation) or at tyre shop (balancing, alignment).
2. Good practice but not at A.S.S.
3. Most service centers have outdated equipment for wheel alignment, wonder if they even update software to accommodate new car models.
4. Good decision, find a decent tyre shop which has good technicians & possibly latest equipment for alignment & balancing.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Interesting choice, can you please share brand name of these tyres and also shop name

Tyre is Kenda, but that hardly matters, as it depends on the stock available at that time

the tyre guy is Poona Tyre at Wagholi, can be easy find over Just Dial or Google

Originally Posted by sukiwa

3. Most service centers have outdated equipment for wheel alignment, wonder if they even update software to accommodate new car models.

4. Good decision, find a decent tyre shop which has good technicians & possibly latest equipment for alignment & balancing.

Hence for alignment and changes I go only to Toyota, however stupid that may sound, and for all other basic stuff, I am good with Darshan Tyre near my house

[sukiwa]

Kenda is well known brand for bicycle tyres, OEM for many bicycle brands & models. Kenda is relatively unknown for 4-w tyres in India, still better than other chinese brands for tyres.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

Hi floyd, how has the tires held up? I am planning a change for my Innova. Kindly revert.

I just responded privately, and posting here as well... Overall I'm happy with these tyres (Yokohama Earth1). I changed them around Nov 2014, and since then I have made several road trips between Bangalore & Hyderabad (almost once every 3 months). Tyres are holding up well, and I have no complaints at all.

[Dr.Abhi]

Originally Posted by parsh

I am drilling down to these options now.

Attachment 1477939

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.

Hello Parsh, how are your Apollo Apterra Hls faring? I am considering between Apollo Apterra Hls and Bridgestone B390 for my ecosport and as you have used both tyres, you can guide me for the better one. I want my tyres to be sturdy(read puncture resistance), with outstanding dry braking and good traction on uphill loose stony surface. I have used stock Goodyear assurance and been to leh ladakh and zanskar on them. Though long lasting tyre, they aquaplane easily, puncture easily, lock easily on dry surface panic braking. I have personally seen both b390 and Apterra. b390 sidewall is comparatively soft and blocks are small so seem to be more suited for highway use. whereas Apterra sidewalls are wood hard and tread blocks are big so may not be a problem in stony terrain. kindly compare these two tyres comprehensively. a lot of thanks in advance.

[parsh]

Originally Posted by Dr.Abhi

Hello Parsh, how are your Apollo Apterra Hls faring? I am considering between Apollo Apterra Hls and Bridgestone B390 for my ecosport and as you have used both tyres, you can guide me for the better one. I want my tyres to be sturdy(read puncture resistance), with outstanding dry braking and good traction on uphill loose stony surface. I have used stock Goodyear assurance and been to leh ladakh and zanskar on them. Though long lasting tyre, they aquaplane easily, puncture easily, lock easily on dry surface panic braking. I have personally seen both b390 and Apterra. b390 sidewall is comparatively soft and blocks are small so seem to be more suited for highway use. whereas Apterra sidewalls are wood hard and tread blocks are big so may not be a problem in stony terrain. kindly compare these two tyres comprehensively. a lot of thanks in advance.

Hello Dr Abhi,

I am sure you must have gone through couple of my posts on same and key points of comparison.

Bridgestone B390 and Apterra HLs are both good.
B390 is truly an all-rounder. Durable, Pliant, Cruise-worthy, Comfortable. The ride is pretty stable whatever be the terrain. Ofcourse with really tricky terrain the small blocks don't help much.

Though the B390 tyrewall is bit softer than HLs, they never failed on sidewall on all the rough usage they saw through all kinds of treacherous routes in Himalayas, though sometimes they proved less grippy than needed for difficult terrains. Which is why we shifted to experimenting with Yoko Geolandar on Innova, not tried before, atleast we did not come across.

That is where HLs come up. So far they have given nice ride on all sorts of terrains. The 2 ups with these are seemingly stronger sidewall and bigger blocks for rougher terrains which have held its promise so far.

But, the bigger blocks also seem to make ride little bouncy, but a lot less than Geolandars, easily experienced while cornering also. Not that it cannot be lived with, but that is one aspect that comes out experiencing all these sorts of tyres and especially the fabulous (ride perspective) C-Drives.

If you have lot of rough terrain riding, HLs could be good, however, they are relatively new, although next generation of Hawkz only, and their various aspects especially, longetivity and durability are unknown. They are definitely much cheaper than others and hence quite a lucrative bargain.

Earth-1 could be another all-rounder if you want to consider.

[Dr.Abhi]

Thanks parsh for the quick reply. any difference between b390 and hls during hard braking?

[parsh]

Originally Posted by Dr.Abhi

Thanks parsh for the quick reply. any difference between b390 and hls during hard braking?

Not significant, but had little experience on HLs so far on that front so take it as speculative. B390 was definitely good on that front, we had quite a few extreme escapes on highway due to rough truckers and they never disappointed.

[kavu75]

I have done around 56000km with stock B390(steel rim) on my Innova, which is more than 5 1/2 years now. I think still thread left for another 5k+ km. But looking to change.
Couple of questions-
1. How about going for little up-size, 225/60 R15. I have read few good reviews about this upgrade, but this thread is pulling me back (http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/...-size-matters/). Any further comments?
During my 55k service I asked about this to my SA and got a negative reply.

2. Which tyre to go for? My requirement is Durable - Grip. I am more inclined towards Bridgestone. Confused between ER60/AR20/B390
I had good experience with ER60 on my previous car. How about this in Innova?

Anyone tried this https://www.tyremarket.com/
Currently they are serving in Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli area.
Thanks

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by kavu75

1. How about going for little up-size, 225/60 R15.

Search this thread for posts by 'Buffetfan'. He must have completed 2 sets of 225/60R15 (Yoko C-drives) so far on Innova.

2. Which tyre to go for? My requirement is Durable - Grip. I am more inclined towards Bridgestone. Confused between ER60/AR20/B390
I had good experience with ER60 on my previous car. How about this in Innova?

If you want to continue with Bridgestone, also look at AR20 along with ER60.

[Anupam]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Kenda is well known brand for bicycle tyres, OEM for many bicycle brands & models. Kenda is relatively unknown for 4-w tyres in India, still better than other chinese brands for tyres.

I just completed a 2500 km trip to Coorg via some forest reserve and plenty of rural areas

Driving was, high speed on good terrain, bad broken road, extreme hills, hot climate - melting tar roads, complete off roading environment with no roads at all, missing the speed breakers and jumping over it, extreme breaking and driving over gravel roads at moderate speed for long stretch

I think I covered all kind of terrain that one can subject to in normal life

The tyres have held up well and cannot differentiate between this and my previous Bridgestone on any count

Having said that, the rolling noise seems to be a tad higher and also some squealing during breaking is seen




Sent from my iPad using Team-BHP

[parsh]

If anybody has noticed, the new Innova is coming in with Bridgestone B390 and Apollo HLs, so seems Toyota too opting for HLs. HLs should be definitely cheaper than B390, so it is possible they are put on basis variant. With experience so far, seems a pretty good decision and they are performing flawlessly in about 3k+ kms.