[JayKavadi]

To update, I finally bought the Yokohama Earth 1 in the stock ANHC size. Got them for 4500 a piece from Saifee Tyres in Santacruz (My third set of tyres from him; Earlier 2 sets being XM1 and XM2).

First impressions (purely on an optical basis), the tire does not look premium to me somehow. The XM2s looked the part. The Earth1 has a nice tread pattern but the sidewall will not win any beauty competition. Anyway, Hopefully they ride well. Will update the thread.

[rayjaycleoful]

Originally Posted by asitkde

I got myself the full set of Continental MC5 195/60/R15 tyres to replace my 4 year old Michelin XM1 stock (175/65/R15) tyres. The tyres are still on the stock steel wheels. However, I shall replace the steel rims with alloys in the coming months.

Looking to change tyres on my Honda City 2011- smt. Is 195/60/R15 well compatible?

Even I have heard it's suitable only if you have alloys but I have steel wheels as well. What is the drop in performance and FE like with the upsize?

Would also like to know recommended brands in stock 175/65/R15 size.

[asitkde]

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

Looking to change tyres on my Honda City 2011- smt. Is 195/60/R15 well compatible?

Yes. This size is the usual recommendation for the next upsize from 175/65/R15.

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

Even I have heard it's suitable only if you have alloys but I have steel wheels as well. What is the drop in performance and FE like with the upsize?

I suppose one needs to check the condition of the steel rims. In my case, they were pretty good, and they did not have any rust on them. We have not seen any significant drop in FE.

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

Would also like to know recommended brands in stock 175/65/R15 size.

On our cars in the last few years we have used Michelin XM1, Bridgestone Turanza ER60, Yokohama A-drive, and currently on both our cars (Honda City and Polo GT TSI) the Continental MC5. Among these, the Contis are by far the best (decently balanced performance with good road-grip, comfort and lack of noise) Apart from these, based on reviews on our forum, people are very happy with Michelin XM2 and P3STs. I am not sure of the availability in size 175/65/R15, but this is a very standard size.

[rayjaycleoful]

Originally Posted by asitkde

Yes. This size is the usual recommendation for the next upsize from 175/65/R15.


I suppose one needs to check the condition of the steel rims. In my case, they were pretty good, and they did not have any rust on them. We have not seen any significant drop in FE.

Thanks . What about performance change? Does the typical city agility remain?

[asitkde]

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

What about performance change? Does the typical city agility remain?

Performance of course improves with improved grip and braking. I was always unhappy with braking with the stock tyres (175/65 Michelin XM1). A bit of hard braking, inevitable at times in city driving, very often resulted in ABS being employed. Since the tyre changes, this has not happened. The feel of the braking is very assured.

Yes, the agility is still there, otherwise it would lose its USP. I am personally quite convinced that this is the correct size for my Nov 2012 Honda City, especially with the Conti MC5 tyres.

[sweetvar26]

Cross posting from the other thread.

I just upgraded the tires on my dad's car from the stock 175/65/15 MRF to 195/60/15 Yokohama Earth 1. 4700/tire, I'm glad we are moving away from the horrible air bubbles that keep popping up, got at least two tires replaced under warranty over the past year and now two more had the same issue. Sick of them.

[Racer911]

Hi Guys,

My Honda City 1.5 iDtec is up for a tire change. I need advice along with proper reasons why I should choose a particular tire. The car originally came with 175/65 R15 tires from Bridgestone (dont remember which series). Later only the front 2 tires were changed to 185mm width upon the advice of the tire shop for better grip as we drive 110 Kms daily on the highway.

I want to keep the tire width to 185 only, but need a more informed opinion of which tires to choose. There are a lot of options and company claims like reduced road noise, increased fuel efficiency etc. Do different tires actually offer such significant differences or are these more of marketing gimmicks?
Different grip levels I can understand according to hard compound, soft compound tires. But am a little skeptical about the rest of the claims.

Please help regarding this.

We generally use our tires for about 80000 Kms before actually needing to change them. The Bridgestone Turanzas on my Corolla Altis always lasted for about 90 to 95000 Kms.

PS: I request for suggestions to be of a proper informative nature and not just like, Go for so & so Pirellis or Michelins, they're the best tires in the world.

Thanks.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Racer911

Hi Guys,

My Honda City 1.5 iDtec is up for a tire change. I need advice along with proper reasons why I should choose a particular tire. The car originally came with 175/65 R15 tires from Bridgestone (dont remember which series). Later only the front 2 tires were changed to 185mm width upon the advice of the tire shop for better grip as we drive 110 Kms daily on the highway.

I want to keep the tire width to 185 only, but need a more informed opinion of which tires to choose. There are a lot of options and company claims like reduced road noise, increased fuel efficiency etc. Do different tires actually offer such significant differences or are these more of marketing gimmicks?
Different grip levels I can understand according to hard compound, soft compound tires. But am a little skeptical about the rest of the claims.

Please help regarding this.

We generally use our tires for about 80000 Kms before actually needing to change them. The Bridgestone Turanzas on my Corolla Altis always lasted for about 90 to 95000 Kms.

PS: I request for suggestions to be of a proper informative nature and not just like, Go for so & so Pirellis or Michelins, they're the best tires in the world.

Thanks.

Not an expert, but a tyres have different properties depending on which ones you buy.
The stock tyres are generally hard compounds that have a long life, and can take a little bit of abuse.
However, a good set of tyres does enhance comfort, grip, and can have lower rolling resistance (may translate to better FE as this means the car can effectively coast more - in gear always, never in neutral) & also depending on the brand significantly lower noise (tyre noise).
The best tyre - I will let the experts come in with their opinion on the same. Would be good if you listed your priorities as each tyre model (within the same manufacturer also) serves different purposes.

Other observations - it may not be safe or advisable to keep the tyres for such a long duration. Each tyre has a life and should be replaced on time to reduce chances of blow-outs & failures, etc. Ideally a 4-5 year period and 50Kkm (unless tread wears out earlier) is recommended but varies depending on car.

80Kkm is really pushing it though - I am assuming more of relaxed cruising on the highways has helped increase tyre life.

Secondly - what profile have you upgraded to? 185/60R15 would be the ideal upgrade, and it's recommended to put the newer tyres on the rear - keep in mind the rear brakes are typically weaker than the front.
Also, when going in for a size upgrade - always try and upgrade all 4 tyres at the same time (if not 5), instead of a staggered set-up (unless the car is designed to take the staggered set-up - such as the 530D).
The difference in diameter affects the behaviour of the car on road.

Remember - the tyres are the one thing that connect the car to the road. A poor set can create a lot of issues & accidents, esp during poor weather/road conditions/poor driving, etc.
An example - the JK Vectras on our S-Cross are pathetic during the rainy seasons, and any quick manoeuvre (braking, steering, etc.) can see the car skidding/losing control easily.

[Racer911]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

80Kkm is really pushing it though - I am assuming more of relaxed cruising on the highways has helped increase tyre life.

Yeah.. most of our driving is on the highway. Out of the daily 110 Kms quota, 90 is on the highway. And we make it a point to cruise at around 80 to 90 for the best fuel efficiency.. We normally got 20.5 to 21.5 in our corolla, 21.5 to 22.5 in our Honda City, 21.5 to 23 in our Ciaz and about 19.5 in the Verna 1.6 with I shouldn't say sedate, but driving with a little bit of advance judgment, ie. try to coast the car rather than having to use brakes at the end moment.

Frankly, for me, saying 80K is pushing came as a little surprise, as never in the past 10 years have we ever changed tires before 80K, like this used to be the minimum. 90K was the standard for us. Although, we always used to use the stock tires only, never did much research on them. Go to trusted old bridgestone shop, slap the bridgestones on. That was always the norm for us. The Corolla I remember had the Bridgestone Turanzas, I dont know if they're good tires or not, but they did have the road noise issue & I know for sure that on roads with sand & kuchcha roads, my Honda City brakes better than the Corolla.

[Racer911]

How would someone specifically compare Michelin & Bridgestone similarly priced alternatives?? Lower road noise is very important to me.

[Shivank Sidhu]

I have a 2012 AT and I've done about 65K on the stock Michelins. My biggest grouse has been braking. The AT brakes are really bad. The other problem is ground clearance.


I've read through the entire thread here and the recommendations for upgrade options are 185/65s or 195/60s.


But the 195/60s only provide a 0.65 cms higher clearance than stock 175s. By that logic I prefer 185/65s that improve GC by 1.5cms but I really want to go 195 for the sake of better braking.


Can I do 195/65s 😛. That way I could get the best of both GC as well as grip/ braking. I think Yokohoma has that size. I run the R15 OEM Alloys. Will they support?

[outdoorlover]

Originally Posted by JayKavadi

First impressions (purely on an optical basis), the tire does not look premium to me somehow. The XM2s looked the part. The Earth1 has a nice tread pattern but the sidewall will not win any beauty competition. Anyway, Hopefully they ride well. Will update the thread.

Hi JayKavadi, any feedback on how your Yokohama Earth 1 is performing vs the XM2 that you had earlier? Is the ride quality comparable?

[outdoorlover]

Originally Posted by asitkde

I got myself the full set of Continental MC5 195/60/R15 tyres to replace my 4 year old Michelin XM1 stock (175/65/R15) tyres.

Hi Asitde,now that you've driven on your Continental MC5 for a few months now, how would you rate the experience compared to XM2 that you had before? I have stock XM2 on my 3.1/2 year old Honda City that I plan to replace soon with 195x60x15 tyres while retaining the spare tyre which hasn't been put to use yet.

[JayKavadi]

Hi Outdoorlover,

I have completed almost 2000 kms on the earth 1's. Its been fairly uneventful so far but Off late i have started noticing tyre noise. Thats surprising for a tyre thats just run for 2000 odd kms.

As far as i recall, i never had these problems on the Michelins. Atleast not that early on.

[outdoorlover]

Checked prices of 195/60/R15 today at Tyre Empire Bangalore and was offered prices as below:
Michelin XM2 : 6300 each
Yokohama Earth1: 5300 ea
Continental MC5 : 5900 ea

While there's a considerable difference between Michelin and Yokohama, the gap between Continental and Michelin isn't that wide.