[magikrider]

Hello people,

I am using a 2002 Santro and so my car is now almost 7 years old. and it has covered 36,670 kms till date and I havent changed my tyres yet. I heard alot about tyre bursting cases on this site and so am concerned now. so I visited a local tyre shop and asked him to check the condition. he said the front two tyres are in bad condition as they have cracks on the sides which I saw. so he suggested they need urgent replacement but the two rear tyres are in reasonable condition and so they can be still used. the same advice was given by another dealer also. I dont mind changing all 4 tyres but the dealers suggested otherwise. I just want safety, better grip, ride and drivability.

now the tyre size is 155/70 R13 mostly. factory fitted Bridgestone Tyres. So now I have a few questions.


1) Tubeless tyres costs less in comparison to Tube ones (was surprised to hear that!) so what should I do? get tubeless or the ones with the tubes? because if I change just the front two tyres and keep the rear tyres as it is (as the dealers suggested), I will have new tubeless tyres in front and old tyres with tubes in the rear.. is it advisable to do that?

2) and can I put tubeless tyres at all on those old steel wheels (dont know if they have any rust from inside but they look in good condition from outside.) is any rust treatment is required to get inside wheels before installing the new tubeless or tubed tyres? if yes, where can that be done?

3) can I put a little wider tyres for better grip and looks without changing the factory fitted steel wheels? so which size would be best suitable on tubeless or with tubes?

4) and is there any particular type of tyre that I should go for?

5) and finally, which brand of tyres are the best?

So please help me out guys. Thank you.

[tsk13]

Magikrider, here you go :

1. Go for tubeless. Being a newbie myself, I won't be able to answer the query regarding 2 tube and 2 tubeless tyres.

2. Yes, you can put tubeless on old wheels. Any bends will be hammered and corrected by the tyre dealer. Anti-rust treatment for rims, no idea.

3. The most advised upgrade is 165/65 R13. You also have the option of 175/60 R13 tyres.

4. In India, we don't have specialized tyres like the Summer, Winter, All Weather etc. So, go for the general Tubeless, all of which from the branded stable are radial tyres.

5. I suggest Michelin, Yokohama and Bridgestone. Buy from an authorised dealer mentioned the in brand's website as nowadays many parallel import tyres have flooded the Indian market. Yokohama India does not have a website, but you can contact their customer care through phone and email.

Michelin and Bridgestone have warranty cards whereas Yokohama doesn't.
Grey market (Parallel import) tyres of Bridgestone, Michelin and Yokohama are original stuff, but they're not made for Indian conditions and moreover no warranty support is provided by the company.

Don't be lured by the cheap Silverstones and some Chinese brands like Ling Long, Durum etc. These tyres are not made for Indian conditions.

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by tsk13

Magikrider, here you go :

1. Go for tubeless. Being a newbie myself, I won't be able to answer the query regarding 2 tube and 2 tubeless tyres.

2. Yes, you can put tubeless on old wheels. Any bends will be hammered and corrected by the tyre dealer. Anti-rust treatment for rims, no idea.

3. The most advised upgrade is 165/65 R13. You also have the option of 175/60 R13 tyres.

4. In India, we don't have specialized tyres like the Summer, Winter, All Weather etc. So, go for the general Tubeless, all of which from the branded stable are radial tyres.

5. I suggest Michelin, Yokohama and Bridgestone. Buy from an authorised dealer mentioned the in brand's website as nowadays many parallel import tyres have flooded the Indian market. Yokohama India does not have a website, but you can contact their customer care through phone and email.

Michelin and Bridgestone have warranty cards whereas Yokohama doesn't.
Grey market (Parallel import) tyres of Bridgestone, Michelin and Yokohama are original stuff, but they're not made for Indian conditions and moreover no warranty support is provided by the company.

Don't be lured by the cheap Silverstones and some Chinese brands like Ling Long, Durum etc. These tyres are not made for Indian conditions.

Thanks buddy.. but some of my query still remains unanswered. is the upgrade mentioned above recommended.. I mean on old steel rims. and will the ride quality not be affected? or the stearing wheel become heavy or something..

and also I am still confused about the 2 new tubeless and 2 old tube tyres thing..

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by magikrider

Thanks buddy.. but some of my query still remains unanswered. is the upgrade mentioned above recommended.. I mean on old steel rims. and will the ride quality not be affected? or the stearing wheel become heavy or something..

and also I am still confused about the 2 new tubeless and 2 old tube tyres thing..

Regarding few queries I'm not competent enough to provide a proper answer.

The upgrade mentioned above is very well recommended. I'm not telling from my own, but if you read this whole thread you'll come across these 2 upgrades. 165/65 is a decent upgrade recommended and upgraded by the majority of Santro owners here (if they have gone for upgrades). I'm having 175/60 tyres on Xing, they are working fine. Moreover, if you're having power steering I don't think the steering will become heavy, in my case it has become lighter.

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by tsk13

Regarding few queries I'm not competent enough to provide a proper answer.

The upgrade mentioned above is very well recommended. I'm not telling from my own, but if you read this whole thread you'll come across these 2 upgrades. 165/65 is a decent upgrade recommended and upgraded by the majority of Santro owners here (if they have gone for upgrades). I'm having 175/60 tyres on Xing, they are working fine. Moreover, if you're having power steering I don't think the steering will become heavy, in my case it has become lighter.

Oh my god! I just got all the four tyres upgraded today and I got Bridgestone Potenza GIII 165/60 R13. and now I even read on the Bridgestone website that the correct update for the GIII is 170/60 R13!!! I did ask the dealer also several times that the is this the right upgrade and he said yes as the 170/60 R13 will not work properly on the factory steel wheels. it will touch the sides...

so now what should I do??? as I have the steel wheels and not Alloys... will the 170/60 R13 work on them? so I can go back to the dealer tomorrow and ask him to change them..

please Help!!!

[sukiwa]

@ magikrider: Stock rims for santro are 13x4J, so mounting 165/65R13 with stock steel rims will be fine. But, mounting 175/60R13 tyre on stock rims would be tough, need 13x5J rim/alloy for tyre with such width.

Have you upgraded to 165/60R13 or 165/65R13?
Your initial post & latest post mention different tyre sizes.

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

@ magikrider: Stock rims for santro are 13x4J, so mounting 165/65R13 with stock steel rims will be fine. But, mounting 175/60R13 tyre on stock rims would be tough, need 13x5J rim/alloy for tyre with such width.

Have you upgraded to 165/60R13 or 165/65R13?
Your initial post & latest post mention different tyre sizes.

I upgraded to the 165/60 R13 Bridgestone Potenza GIII. but they are not the right update I came to know. so I will be going back to the dealer an replace it to 165/65 R13 Bridgestone Turanza ER-60 now.

hope the dealer does not make any fuss about replacing them as he was the one who had suggested the wrong size.

[tsk13]

Buddy, get Turanzas or Yokohama A Drive or Michelin XM1. Your upgrade is wrong and moreover Potenza is a noisy tyre.

Better show the dealer the tyre upgrade on the website to prove your point. The best for you is 165/65 R13.

Yes, I have upgraded to Alloys and am using 175/60 R13.

[Samurai]

This is called a full circle. I opened this thread 4 years back for upgrading my tyres and now I am ready replace the tyres again. Just sent a quote request for Michelin XM1 165/65R13.

[sukiwa]

Just sent a quote request for Michelin XM1 165/65R13

So, you will be opting for comfortable ride rather than tough as nail kind of tyres :-)

This is called a full circle

Off Topic: So, is it time to lock this thread? And also state that all discussions about tyre/wheel upgrade of santro has been done with. (This is similar to 'All that needs to be invented has been invented').

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

So, you will be opting for comfortable ride rather than tough as nail kind of tyres :-)

The Indian tyres give very harsh ride, wife won't like it.

Originally Posted by sukiwa

Off Topic: So, is it time to lock this thread? And also state that all discussions about tyre/wheel upgrade of santro has been done with. (This is similar to 'All that needs to be invented has been invented').

This is a timeless topic, no reason to close as of now.

[Red Circle]

I am currently running Bridgestone potenza 175/60 on my 2009 santro which has done about 2500kms, If i want to exchange them to Yoko A539 how much would i end up paying here in bangalore and also will the change be any better compared to bridgestone? Any other choice other thaat yoko please suggest.

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by Samurai

This is called a full circle. I opened this thread 4 years back for upgrading my tyres and now I am ready replace the tyres again. Just sent a quote request for Michelin XM1 165/65R13.

Thanks for starting a wonderful thread and congrats for the new footwear. Hope this thread is alive and kicking by the time you go for another tyre change.

Originally Posted by Red Circle

I am currently running Bridgestone potenza 175/60 on my 2009 santro which has done about 2500kms, If i want to exchange them to Yoko A539 how much would i end up paying here in bangalore and also will the change be any better compared to bridgestone? Any other choice other thaat yoko please suggest.

I'm using A539's and they're good. Not at all noisy and they amazingly handle high speed turns.

Buddy, one member aZa has used both Potenza and A539 in 175/60 R13 and his verdict says Yokohama has been better than Potenza.

For Bangalore, we have a fellow BHPian Nikhilb2008, he's into tyre and alloy business, check with him. He helped me in my purchase although we stay miles away. Good person for getting FREE advices.

Originally Posted by Samurai

This is a timeless topic, no reason to close as of now.

Good decision.

[magikrider]

Originally Posted by tsk13

Buddy, get Turanzas or Yokohama A Drive or Michelin XM1. Your upgrade is wrong and moreover Potenza is a noisy tyre.

Better show the dealer the tyre upgrade on the website to prove your point. The best for you is 165/65 R13.

Yes, I have upgraded to Alloys and am using 175/60 R13.

I can't get Michelin or yokohama now as I have already paid to this dealer and he is a Bridgestone Authorised dealer who keeps only bridgestone stuff. but still suggested me wrong size.. now I went to his place today but he was closed today because of water logging in some suburban areas.. hope to catch him tomorrow and also hope he agrees to replace with Turanzas without any fuss... as I had asked him several times and even suggested to check the website but he said that he is sure that the 165/60 R13 Potenza GIII are right size for santro... and Potenzas are best

I am not even using the car till I get the replacement so that the tyres remains in the same condition as it was in his showroom.

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by magikrider

I can't get Michelin or yokohama now as I have already paid to this dealer and he is a Bridgestone Authorised dealer who keeps only bridgestone stuff. but still suggested me wrong size.. now I went to his place today but he was closed today because of water logging in some suburban areas.. hope to catch him tomorrow and also hope he agrees to replace with Turanzas without any fuss... as I had asked him several times and even suggested to check the website but he said that he is sure that the 165/60 R13 Potenza GIII are right size for santro... and Potenzas are best

I am not even using the car till I get the replacement so that the tyres remains in the same condition as it was in his showroom.

Good decision on your part not to drive the car. Get Turanzas from the dealer and moreover they should cost less in my opinion.