[s3va]

tyre noise increased drastically when i changed the N2 pressure from 30 to 28, I think 30 is apt and the grip levels also werent that bad !

[Monaro CV8]

Originally Posted by s3va

tyre noise increased drastically when i changed the N2 pressure from 30 to 28, I think 30 is apt and the grip levels also werent that bad !

I've had a similar issue with the A drives for my Octy. The first 1000km after installation, the ride was quiet.

I've purchased the rubber from Lokmanya - absolute customer service, kudos to him.

But lately my ride has become noisy. Do the A drives have this tendency?

Went in for 31 PSI instead of the recommendedd 30 PSI to see if the noise dies down, but no change; instead the ride quality got more bumpy.

Wonder if its the Nitrogen (that was filled along with the new tyres being installed) getting mixed with regular air (filled during topup checks at Diesel Fills).

Any clue, guys?

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by Monaro CV8

I've had a similar issue with the A drives for my Octy. The first 1000km after installation, the ride was quiet.

I've purchased the rubber from Lokmanya - absolute customer service, kudos to him.

But lately my ride has become noisy. Do the A drives have this tendency?

Went in for 31 PSI instead of the recommendedd 30 PSI to see if the noise dies down, but no change; instead the ride quality got more bumpy.

Wonder if its the Nitrogen (that was filled along with the new tyres being installed) getting mixed with regular air (filled during topup checks at Diesel Fills).

Any clue, guys?

How many kms have you completed since the purchase?

[Nishant B]

I have purchased 2 A drives for my Wagon R ( 165/70 R13) and they are fitted in front of the car.

I do have couple of doubts regarding the tyres which (hopefully) can be cleared here

1. I stay in Ghaziabad and drive in Noida, so bad roads are more of a rule than exception. So should I be careful with these tyres while going over rough patches, because I have read that A drive's sidewall is a bit too soft. Is it true?

2. Its my fault that I didnt do much research before buying the tyres, but now it seems that I got almost year old tyres ( date mentioned on tyre: 060409) . How much of a dampener is this? Any ideas.

3. In my 2 years of driving, all my punctures have happened to the front tyres only. I was glad that I finally got tubeless in the front (so goodbye punctures) but it seems that I should be getting the new tyres fitted in the rear (Courtsey this link sent by nikhil )
My running is mainly in the city and I rarely go over 90 km/hr. Does it makes sense (keeping in mind my running) to swap the new tyres to back.

Hope to gain some gyan

Nishant

[Berj79]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

How many kms have you completed since the purchase?

he has mentioned 1000kms..

[undead]

I have driven almost 6000 kms with A-drives in my Getz CRDi and i am happy with it. Little road noise , good comfort , good grip , light steering . These are just comfort tires and i dont expect much performance . I keep 30psi nitrogen . All i want is the tires to last upto some 50000 kms , just like for kpzen.

[Monaro CV8]

@ Nikhil
@ Berj

So far I've done around 4000 k's with the new set.
Like I said, the 1st 1000 ks were noiseless.
Problems started ever since.

[Cesc]

Originally Posted by Cesc

I got the A drives on my Octavia over the weekend (205/65/15). Was initially thinking of Michelin Primacy LCs but then a few horror stories related to the tyre's weak sidewalls emerged and I ditched the idea.

I was previously running Bridgestone Turanza ER60 (225/60/15) which had clocked 45k kms. The stock size for Octavia is 196/65/15. Post the change the steering feels lighter - which I guess is primarily because of the downsize. The bigger Bridgestones were taking a toll on steering and slightly on the pick-up as well. Hence the downsize. The wider Bridgestones were a real looker though

Overall I am pleased with the change. I can't comment on the handling etc. because I have hardly clocked 100 kms on the new tyres and also because of the fact that I went in for a downsize so can't say if it will be a valid comparison between the broader Bridgestones and the current A drives.

I thought it would be a good time to update the forum on my experience with the A drives. I have now completed close to 4k kms on these.

I chose these over BS Turanza ER 60 (on which I was previously running) and Michelin Primacy LC (after a few stories about their sidewall damage emerged). One thing I can say for sure is that these tyres are really good VFM. At least in my opinion, the approx 15% premium one pays for BS or Michelin tyres in the same choice-set is not worth it. I am no tyre expert and speak purely from my driving experiences.

The 4k kms that I have covered on these tyres, were covered in a variety of road conditions and I never had any complaints. A few weeks ago I was going from Bhatinda to Hisar and was a bit hard pressed for time. The distance was 160 kms between the two places and the road is pretty good. I was skeptical about speeding up because I did not know how these tyres will react to high speeds, heavy braking etc. But then I thought I will give it a shot. I covered that distance of 160 kms in under 2 hours, went upto speeds of 180 on a number of ocassions and ABS was deployed thrice in that journey. I have to say that the tyres reacted very well to all of that. The car felt stable at all times and the braking performance was good as well.

A few members have mentioned noise problems - I haven't had any such issues. I drive with a filling of Nitrogen and at a PSI of 30 (the car is Skoda Octy - tyre size 205/65/15). Overall I would rate these tyres more than sufficient for an average user like me and definitely very good VFM.

[Nikhilb2008]

I have a feeling there is a problem with the pressure. Have the tyres been inflated at the SAME place with the SAME gauge ever since they were fitted?

If so, please buy a gauge yourself and play around with the pressures.

Another problem could be the suspension. If the suspension alignment is wrong, you could have higher noise.

[Cesc]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I have a feeling there is a problem with the pressure. Have the tyres been inflated at the SAME place with the SAME gauge ever since they were fitted?

If so, please buy a gauge yourself and play around with the pressures.

Another problem could be the suspension. If the suspension alignment is wrong, you could have higher noise.

I would add tyre bearings to that as well. If some of you got a wheel upgrade (as in aftermarket upsized alloys) with the tyres as well then it might have damaged the wheel bearing leading to the noise. A friend had a similar problem (which was diagnosed as above) with his Laura. In his case the noise was really irritating post 60kmph.

[binz]

Nikhil, do A-drive R1s come in 196-55 -15?

[Nikhilb2008]

Binz, they dont.

You could look at Conti CPC2s if you dont want the S drives and AD07s.

[s3va]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I have a feeling there is a problem with the pressure. Have the tyres been inflated at the SAME place with the SAME gauge ever since they were fitted?

If so, please buy a gauge yourself and play around with the pressures.

Another problem could be the suspension. If the suspension alignment is wrong, you could have higher noise.

Nikhil, How do you get the suspension alignment corrected ? Or how does it misalign in first place ? also can you please elaborate misalign ? too many questions uh. The reason I am asking is because i have started to suspect, and to conclude if my suspicion is right or wrong, your explanation on misaligned suspension would be really helpful...Thanks

[Nikhilb2008]

It happens due to our lovely roads.

That is why for optimum tyre life, I say get wheel Alignment and Wheel balancing done every 5000 kms.

Due to constant impacts on the suspension, the alignment gets screwed over a period of time. Sometimes it could get screwed within 100 kms and sometimes it wont get screwed even for 10,000 kms. It depends on your luck. However, prevention is better than cure.

[Monaro CV8]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I have a feeling there is a problem with the pressure. Have the tyres been inflated at the SAME place with the SAME gauge ever since they were fitted?

If so, please buy a gauge yourself and play around with the pressures.

Another problem could be the suspension. If the suspension alignment is wrong, you could have higher noise.

Originally Posted by Cesc

I would add tyre bearings to that as well. If some of you got a wheel upgrade (as in aftermarket upsized alloys) with the tyres as well then it might have damaged the wheel bearing leading to the noise. A friend had a similar problem (which was diagnosed as above) with his Laura. In his case the noise was really irritating post 60kmph.

@ Nikhil
@ Cesc

Here's how we progressed into isolating the fault (Supposedly):
Got the wheel alignment & balancing done from one shop, rechecked it from another shop. All good.

My Garage guy had a look at the car - suspensions, steering system, tyre rod ends, bearings & axles.
Everything turned out to be fine, except the front left axle.
The head mechanic suspects the front left axle bearing has a play, hence the cause of all my issues (wheel noise, left pulling & high speed wobbling).

Chief Mechanic: The only way out is to change the Front Left Axle. The axle bearing cannot be repaired/ replaced.
Me: That things a staggering Rs.35+K !

Now my argument is - why the axle? Axles are supposed to be the most hardened, toughened & strongest part of a car (since it deals with transmission of power). How come it has fouled at 90K running of my car?

Got my head scratching
Cant there be any other part that needs to be looked at for fault?

Guys any suggestions?

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