[Autocop]

Zenster,

I recently replaced stock tyres on my Linea with Bridgestone TURANZA ER300 (195 65/R15). I have clocked 2K and very satisfied with the TURANZA, also Bridgestone offers very good warranty coverage for the tyre.

Both TURANZA and POTENZA are premium tyre offerings from Bridgestone. TURANZA would suit sedate driving/touring, whereas, POTENZA would suit spirited driving requiring performance tyres.

For your T-jet, in the TURANZA range Bridgestone has TURANZA GR90. Before finalizing with Premji, suggest you visit one of Mayur Tyres Outlet (Near Waghbil Flyover on GB Road or next to Vandana Bus Stop) and checkout the offer.

Originally Posted by Zenster

Hey Guys,

Spoke to Mark from Premji Tyre Plus. Got the following quote with exchange of Stock GY NCT5 (205/55 R16)

Michelin PLC - Rs.3,620
Yoko AR01 - Rs.1,340
Perelli P7 - Rs.2,180
Continental CPC2- Rs.3,525

What do you guys think of the quote? Are the prices reasonable? And go in for PLC or consider any other from the above list ?

[Zenster]

Originally Posted by Autocop

Zenster,

I recently replaced stock tyres on my Linea with Bridgestone TURANZA ER300 (195 65/R15). I have clocked 2K and very satisfied with the TURANZA, also Bridgestone offers very good warranty coverage for the tyre.

Both TURANZA and POTENZA are premium tyre offerings from Bridgestone. TURANZA would suit sedate driving/touring, whereas, POTENZA would suit spirited driving requiring performance tyres.

For your T-jet, in the TURANZA range Bridgestone has TURANZA GR90. Before finalizing with Premji, suggest you visit one of Mayur Tyres Outlet (Near Waghbil Flyover on GB Road or next to Vandana Bus Stop) and checkout the offer.

Thanks for your reply buddy. When I spoke to Mark Premji yesterday, he denied giving details on any Bridgestone ones saying "These are much better options, no need to look at Bridgestones". So I couldn't get quote of the GR90. And after reading stories about side-wall bulges on the PLC, I am a lil worried :(

Thanks for reference of Mayur Tyres. I will call them right away and see what they offer, do you have any contacts for the place? PM me if you will.

I have a feeling, that if GR90 can offer similar grip, performance and less-noise like the PLC, then I will go for them for Peace of Mind.

Let me know.

[Zenster]

Sorry mods for back to back posts.

Checked with Mayur tyres and Bombay tyres (both Borivali and Milan-Subway) and neigther have the GR90 in stock. Mayur guys were denied being able to order it whereas Bombay Tyre guys said that they can order but it will take sometime.

Both the places suggested Bridgestone Potenza MY-02. I have no clue these tyres existed (call me ignorant), can anyone throw somelight on these tyres? Are they any good? How do they compare to the GR90 in terms of performance, tread-wear, noise etc?

Got a quote of 9100 for the MY02 from Bombay Tyres.

[Zenster]

Hey Friends,

I am back. And my dilemma continues...

I enquired at most Bridgestone dealers (including some contacts given my very our TBHP friends) but most didn't know that GR90 existed. One of them enquired with the backend and said that the GR90 in 205/55 R16 is not in Stock. :(

What are my other options with GR90 out of stock and PLC having weak sidewalls (some Tyre Shops claims that they even have fairly new PLC come-in for replacements because of bulges in the rains in Mumbai) ?

Need your guidance here guys, this is confusing and exhausting, PHEW!

[nishantgandhi]

Originally Posted by Zenster

Hey Friends,

I am back. And my dilemma continues...

I enquired at most Bridgestone dealers (including some contacts given my very our TBHP friends) but most didn't know that GR90 existed. One of them enquired with the backend and said that the GR90 in 205/55 R16 is not in Stock. :(

What are my other options with GR90 out of stock and PLC having weak sidewalls (some Tyre Shops claims that they even have fairly new PLC come-in for replacements because of bulges in the rains in Mumbai) ?

Need your guidance here guys, this is confusing and exhausting, PHEW!

Frankly, I feel this entire discussion on soft sidewalls of Michelin tires is quite over rated and a good negative marketing buzz. I had XM1+ on my Getz for over 42000 kms and they still had life of about 7-8000 kms left (I sold that car). And I had taken them on pretty bad (read non-existent roads) without breaking a sweat. To summarize, I had a total of 4 punctures in the set of 4 tires through out their life! No sidewall bulge etc.

I don't think PLC has soft sidewalls. And my take on tires is simple - it depends on your driving style a lot. I have seen people burst MRF/Bridgestone/Goodyear tires as well because they refuse to slow down over potholes. So as long as you are aware of the road while driving, and take adequate care, PLC should be perfectly OK.

Honestly, I have not ever heard of GR90 myself. Someone on the forum mentioned and I tried asking around (Saifee, Premji, Bombay Tyres etc). No one had heard or recommended it to me. All three dealers had one common thing to say - if you have the budget, go for PLC. Else, Continental CPC2 (if you can source it in Mumbai), or Yokohama (forgot the series, but I guess AVS it was).

Regarding thread wear, I just completed 12k kms and had recently gone for a rotation/balancing/alignment job. I observed the wear and it seems normal. I assume with my driving, it should last me 35-40k kms easily.

I'm sorry I cannot comment on tread 'pattern' as I really don't know how people define one pattern as more beautiful/eye catching than the other. Frankly, what big difference does it make to your tire purchase decision? Unless you prefer style over functionality.

P.S. Did I just reply to you on TFI as well?

[h14]

Time and again I've been coming across the "soft sidewall" comment on the Michelin and all I can say is that it is all just a myth.

Ask yourself a question on whether you would take to the positive reviews provided by real customers like nishantgandi and myself or stay away from them because of some random claims made by tire wallas?

End of the day, its all your decision.

[amit_mechengg]

Soft Michelins are no myth. It was an old fact. XM1 were softer, XM1+ are not so soft and new XM2+ are on harder side.

Earlier XM1 users faced tyre wear issues due to soft rubber. I am using XM1+ since 3 years and they are blend of soft + hard, i.e combi of good tyre life and good grip.

I heard that XM2 are more better tyres engineered for indian conditions.

[h14]

I agree Amit. Infact I had posted the very same in here.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...ml#post2935645

[nishantgandhi]

Brother, why don't you check out this website - http://www.changemytyre.com

All available brands are listed and prices seem to be in line with major shops in Mumbai. In fact this is the only place where I got to see ALL Yoko tires! However I still could not see GR90 in the list!

[Zenster]

Thanks a lot for your help friends.

Like most of you have correctly said, PLC have "softer" side-walls (not "weaker" necessarily). I felt the flex in the sidewalls myself and was not ready to take the risk of using them on half-broken post-monsoon roads in Mumbai (this is my daily driver now). Hence after much deliberation, I decided to go in for Yokohama AVS DB V550 in stock size. It has stiffer sidewalls, good grip, low noise. I will reserve my opinion on how good these are till I use them for longer. Here are some pics.

Ready to go on...


Wheels all set to go on...


The end product...


Tread pattern... Yup its Unidirectional, but still silent...


Specs on the sides...



Thanks again for all your suggestions...

[nishantgandhi]

How does one determine soft(er) sidewalls? Is visual/physical observation the correct metric? Or is it scientific approach looking at the rubber used?

[WasavaTyres]

Originally Posted by nishantgandhi

Brother, why don't you check out this website - http://www.changemytyre.com

All available brands are listed and prices seem to be in line with major shops in Mumbai. In fact this is the only place where I got to see ALL Yoko tires! However I still could not see GR90 in the list!

The website mentioned is not a authorized reseller of Yokohama tyres.

1. They will not be able to provide a warranty card - Which in turn might hinder a claim process if the need arises.

2. You'd be deprived of the promo schemes offered by the companies ( have been ticked off by the mods on an earlier occasion so will desist from posting the current one here, you can find out from your local dealer)

3. Having images displayed / sizes mentioned doesn't automatically mean they have the entire range, in fact even the company is yet to import their full range post the BIS marking being made mandatory.

OT : 2 tyre manufacturers have already sent a legal notice to the website for wrongfully using their logo / brand name. But due to loopholes in the Indian legal system life goes on !

[amit_mechengg]

Originally Posted by Zenster

Thanks a lot for your help friends.

I decided to go in for Yokohama AVS DB V550 in stock size. It has stiffer sidewalls, good grip, low noise. I will reserve my opinion on how good these are till I use them for longer. Here are some pics.

How are these tyres treating you. I hope you have driven them throughly by now

[KarthikK]

I recently changed my T-Jet's tyres to Michelin Primacy LC 205/55R16 91W. I've done close to 400 km on these since changing to them 10 days back, and I must say I'm extremely satisfied with their supreme comfort and quietness, plus the gripping has improved too. I got them for 9600 a piece. The soft sidewall fear is largely hyped, and not all primacy LC buyers are running around with ruptured sidewalls. Nishantgandhi I believe has lapped up quite a few miles on primacys?

I found the Bridgestone Turanza GR90 way overpriced for what it really is. 10,500 per 'normal' tyre, no significant gain in any department - neither are they as quiet or comfortable as primacy LCs, nor are they outright sport tyres. Where is the extra money going? I beg to know. Brand name?

Yokohama was off my list since the very beginning. I didn't have a very good experience with them on my old Swift with premature tyre failure in 2000km. Not every set of tyres is bad, but since they refused to honour warranty on something as new as a 2000km old tyre, I personally harbour a very deep hatred against yokos and their tigerskin striped tyres . This would be the last brand I would go to. Moreover, they don't have the looks and brand image of the other 2 tyre giants . Not that it matters.

Jokes apart, I have heard that the AVS DB550 is close to the Primacys in terms of noise. I am yet to drive a car shod with these. For buyers not interested in taking the 'risk' of Primacys, I guess this is the only other good option in this size for silence and comfort.

[Zenster]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

How are these tyres treating you. I hope you have driven them throughly by now

Hey Amit, yes the tyres are serving me very well thank you. I have driven around 4300kms and have had no punchers, bulged etc. I have driven on pot-holes and horrible designed drain covers at reasonable speeds and that has caused no issues too. I monitor the tyre pressure and ensure top-up on every refill (bought a ciodo tyre guage too) since over-inflated tyres are better than under

I have not lost grip on the multiple city and highway runs. The ABS kicked in once on a very hard braking situation on the WE Highway (Mumbai) neat Malad. That includes taking highway and city curves at night at various speeds. So the grip is good too.

Noise is low. I drive with my windows up most of the time and have found the tyres loud only on the stupid Broken-Tiled roads in my city.

They look almost new with no weird wearing. So, I have no reason to complain.

Hope this helps.