Team-BHP - Continental tyres

Any news of Conti Premium Contact 5 in India?

I am looking at replacing the now officially unavailable C-drive tyres in 195/60 R15 size. I just love the plantrd nature, wet-grip, cornering abilities, and good braking distance of C-drive. Anything similar for me in the Continental stable of tyres?

Quote:

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun (Post 4058082)

How is the CC5 compared to the Michelin XM2 ? I have got a quote of 4100 for the CC5 in 185/65 R14 for my Figo, while the XM2's are 4300.

Comparable in most aspects.

I can safely say most normal daily drivers will not be able to differentiate between the two.

you cant go wrong with either tyre.

Today changed my amaze's tyres (mrf zvts) with Continental CCS 5 185/65/14. Old tyres were 40000 kms run. Paid Rs 14000 net after giving old tyres and fitting charges.
Tyres are quite good looking ,very soft ride but stearing feels little heavy while turning.May be due to increased Tyre width.

A quick first hand review of the MC5 tyres. I've been using these on my ANHC for the last 10 months. Size - 195 60 R15.
Pros:
- Good all-round tyres. Good grip in dry and wet
- Comfortable
- Fairly silent (exception - see Cons)
- Lends to a good feel of the steering (unlike some tyres that make the steering lighter)
- Hasn't shown much wear yet

Cons:
- Noisy over some concrete surfaces (example: sections of the Mumbai Panvel highway)
- Sidewalls are on the softer side. I've actually had to change two tyres when they were almost new, both due to sidewall tearing.
Incident 1: Car fell into a wicked pothole on the Panvel Mumbai highway (that road was littered with accidents waiting to happen in the monsoon). Sickening bang followed by immediate loss of pressure. I had initially thought the rim had bent but it was actually the sidewall that had been damaged. But given the severity of the impact I think most tyres would have given way.
Incident 2: Tyre brushed hard against a jutting out piece of pavement. Torn sidewall was the result. Again, not sure whether other tyres would have survived, though I'm willing to wager that the harder stock tyres would have. Michelins and Yokos would have suffered the same fate.

Overall, I like these tyres and would buy them again. Definitely recommended.

Quote:

Originally Posted by razor4077 (Post 4157287)

- Sidewalls are on the softer side. I've actually had to change two tyres when they were almost new, both due to sidewall tearing.
Incident 1: Car fell into a wicked pothole on the Panvel Mumbai highway (that road was littered with accidents waiting to happen in the monsoon).
Incident 2: Tyre brushed hard against a jutting out piece of pavement.

I personally am pretty impressed with the Conti's in terms of strength. Haven't had an issue so far! I find them a little more rugged than the equivalent michelins for some reason, though tyre noise is an issue undoubtedly.

If it helps in any way - Incident 1: A friend's BMW had a cracked rim (after market, not OE), and another friend suffered the same fate as you on his Verna running stock tyres (bridgestones?). All on the Panvel-Mumbai highway during monsoons!
Incident 2: Had something similar happen to the Laura (except it was debris on the fast lane of marine drive) that butchered one of the michelins.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lamborghini (Post 4157358)

I'm pretty sure most tyres would have suffered similar fates in that pothole incident. It was just a horrendous crater. That road is a veritable death trap in the monsoons.

It's a matter of luck really on these roads. But I agree that the Contis are fairly sturdy. Which is why I'd definitely buy them again.

Looking forward to upgrade the 185/60 R15 Apollo Alnac tyres. I was happy with the grip on offer but they've been quite noisy lately, a bit painful, to be precise.

I'm looking at sizes 185/60 and 195/60. Dad isn't willing to upgrade to 205/55.

Here are my usage patterns-
1) City: Will be used on fairly good roads. We're usually careful with potholes and speed breakers but tyres should be forgiving otherwise.
2) Highways: I love corners! Cruising speeds are between 100-130kmph, depending on road conditions.
3) Usually driven hard on mountain roads and hilly areas

Priorities: Grip and braking, road noise, comfort

Sidewall height of 185/60- 111mm
Sidewall height of 195/60- 117mm

How much of a difference will an increase of 6 mm make while cornering? Let us also consider the fact that the 185s are CC5/XM2 and the 195s are MC5/P3ST.

Also does Yoko S drives exist in the 195/60 size?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008 (Post 4061255)

Comparable in most aspects.

I can safely say most normal daily drivers will not be able to differentiate between the two.

you cant go wrong with either tyre.

How would the BS Turanaza ER300, Continental CC5 and the Apollo Alnacs compare against each other? The car in question is a Vento diesel with the stock size (185/60R15).

Is the difference too small to be negligible here as well?

Priority: Grip>Comfort>Tyre noise

I'm looking for a replacement to my current tires on my S4.

They currently have Dunlop 245/40/18. That's the stock size anyway. The tires are durable even for Indian roads and good control.

Thinking of these 3 options as of right now
Conti SportContact 5 245/40/18/97Y/XL
Michelin Pilot Sport 3ST 245/40/18
Bridgestone Potenza S001 245/40 R18 97Y

Any suggestions?

I would import the Dunlops if possible otherwise my choice would be as follows

1.Conti SC5 if these are available locally, purely for the novelty value (I am a sucker for trying new stuff and like to try new things/models myself rather than going by reviews on the inter web).

2. Michellin Pilot Sport 3ST. Am using them in my Jetta and these are amongst the best I have used thus far (save for the Yokohama Decibels AVSdB that I have used on another ride of mine) in terms of the combination of grip, noise levels & ride comfort.

3. Bridgestone India products are a big no for me. Their tires eat up balancing weights as if they are going out of fashion. In other words loose manufacturing tolerances.

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Originally Posted by sweetvar26 (Post 4198173)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbohead (Post 4193511)

The Apollo and the Continentals would be better I think....