[rks]

Originally Posted by thingzzzz

Hi Guys,

Even i am looking out for the same type of modifications, kindly pour down ur suggestions

Add me to the list. I am sure that there are people in this forum who have actually changed to alloys and tubeless for Santro, so we should wait for their response. From browsing this site, I could gather the following info (experts, please correct me if I am wrong on any of the points below):

(1) Tubeless should be fitted only on to alloy rims, because metal rims can bend when you hit big potholes/stones, with the catastrophic possibility of tubeless tyres coming of the rims. But I have seen people (inlcuding my local mechanic) insist that tubeless is OK for metal rims. Personally, I wouldn't be inclined to take the risk, because I do a lot of highway driving with very bad roads in the monsoon season. Might be OK if one is doing only city driving on reasonable roads.

(2) Advantages of tubeless: Will not (normally) burst or suddenly deflate in case of punctures, so safer. Better grip, better handling, can take corners faster. These are BIG advantages for highway driving. Also tubeless tyres are lighter ???? (Not sure of this)

(3) Disadvantages of tubeless: These tyres are softer than the stock all-season tyres (which results in the better road grip), so they can tear upon hard impact with stones/kerbs/pot-holes -- this is a real danger if one has upgraded to tyres with lower profile than stock ones. I suspect that tyre life will be lower for tubeless precisely because they are softer. Not many local tyre shop guys are equipped to handle tubeless punctures, so one needs to carry a puncture kit and be prepared to use it.

(4) Advantages of alloys: Apart from better looks (not too interested in this personally), alloy wheels will not bend and so provide good reliable sealing for tubeless tyres. Alloys are lighter, so one consider upsizing the tyres for better grip/handling without loss of top speed/fuel economy.

(5) Disadvantages of alloys: Costly. Alloys can break upon high-speed impact with big stones/kerbs/pot-holes -- this is a very real danger especially if one has upgraded to lower-profile tyres than the stock ones. Also when replacing company-fitted stock rims, one must consider the fact that fitting of alloys has to be done by experts-- otherwise one may get issues of vibrations, poor handling, misalignments, etc.. As far as I could gather from this site, not too many tyre shops are aware of all the issues that may arise from replacing stock rims with alloys. So moving to alloys may carry a risk that one may not be prepared to take, especially in case of upsizing the rims from the stock size.

My Santro (2000 model) has done about 30000 kms. so far and the tyres are approaching the recommended limit of 6 years. So will have to make a decision soon. I have tentatively decided to upsize to 165/65-R13 tubeless tyres with 5J alloys. But stock rims are 4J (from what I could gather), so the issues mentioned above in replacing the stock rims continue to haunt me. I definitely don't want to experiment with some alloy-dealer who does a poor job of it and then find that out to my cost in the middle of a Mumbai-Pune run at 130 kph.
Regards, rks

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by rks

. So will have to make a decision soon. I have tentatively decided to upsize to 165/65-R13 tubeless tyres with 5J alloys. But stock rims are 4J (from what I could gather), so the issues mentioned above in replacing the stock rims continue to haunt me. I definitely don't want to experiment with some alloy-dealer who does a poor job of it and then find that out to my cost in the middle of a Mumbai-Pune run at 130 kph.
Regards, rks

Try getting Aura alloys with warranty....

KP

[rks]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Try getting Aura alloys with warranty....

KP

Thanks for the suggestion. Also, I wonder if anybody has tried 165/60-R14 as suggested by Shan2nu earlier in this thread. It seems a bit risky to me as compared to 165/65-R13. The increased rim diameter might have an adverse effect on the steering/fuel economy because of increased weight. Also, the lower profile means harsher ride and greater risk of damage when one runs into pot-holes/stones. Although handling might improve.
Regards, rks

[Buffetfan]

Just bought a Santro today and have changed over to 165/65 R 13 Goodyear Eagle GA Plus tubeless..the eitire conversion for the 5 tyers cost me close to Rs 1950 for 5 tyres in exchange for the original ones. This includes tyre balancing / valves etc..
Road noise seems lower compared to the original bridgestones...ride seems similar or better.(did not ride the original tyres on rough roads...drove straight to the tyre shop from the Showroom and the roads in hyd are relatively smooth).. more to come as I chug in kms on this and give my Baleno a much needed rest

[jkdas]

would a lancer's alloy, 13inch, PCD 100 suit a Xing?

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by jkdas

would a lancer's alloy, 13inch, PCD 100 suit a Xing?

ok, it worked well. Got myself League 13inch alloys, 6 spoke one for my Xing. The tyres are teh OE ones.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/vbpicg...?do=big&p=1593

[s0uljah]

What upsize can one go for the Santro while retaining the OE steel rims ?

[aZa]

S0uljah: i had 175/60/13 on my Stock rims for bout an year till i got the alloys... no issues wot so ever.

[s0uljah]

Aza, thanks for that... also were you runnign tubeless tyres on the stock rims ?

[kpzen]

Not a good idea to run a low profile(60) tubeless tyre on a steel rim.....
Also the Hyundai rims are very prone to bending....

[rks]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Not a good idea to run a low profile(60) tubeless tyre on a steel rim.....
Also the Hyundai rims are very prone to bending....

I agree. I had my front left rim straightened out just recently. The mechanic told me that a tubless tyre would have let the air out. Given the terrible state of the roads in Pune/Mumbai during the monsoon season, very sturdy alloys would be needed if one plans to go for tubeless. And the people who do the fitting have to do an expert job to avoid vibrations and other problems at high speeds. If these criteria are not satisfied, my advice would be to stick to stock rims and tubed tyres -- stock rims are well-researched and a perfect fit for the car.

[aZa]

s0ujah : yes i had tubeless rubber on oe steel rims, i'm running potenza gIII. Infact i did a run to Yamuna Nagar with this setup and the roads were pathetic for 100kms but i had no problems. But then the other thing is i stay in Noida and the roads here are very good so no potholes and other problems maybe thats why my rims never got bent.

[sumitsingh]

Guys and Gals,

I just checked with the dealer here in Noida regarding changing the OE steel rims to alloys. He said i would not lose the warranty by moving to alloys provided by Hyundai.

Does that mean if I move to alloy wheels not provided by the company i.e. like Aura, I lose the warranty? Any expert takes or inputs from people who have undertaken this exercise.

Thanks,
Sumit

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by sumitsingh

Guys and Gals,

I just checked with the dealer here in Noida regarding changing the OE steel rims to alloys. He said i would not lose the warranty by moving to alloys provided by Hyundai.

Does that mean if I move to alloy wheels not provided by the company i.e. like Aura, I lose the warranty? Any expert takes or inputs from people who have undertaken this exercise.

Thanks,
Sumit

Sumit - as long as you put sensible sized tyres on your car the warranty will not be void because you put on Alloys. It doesn't matter whether you use Aura/Neo/League/Prestige etc.

Hpwever if you do stupid stuff like putting 14" or ridiculously low side wall tyres then the warranty could be refused by the dealer.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by sumitsingh

Guys and Gals,

I just checked with the dealer here in Noida regarding changing the OE steel rims to alloys. He said i would not lose the warranty by moving to alloys provided by Hyundai.

Does that mean if I move to alloy wheels not provided by the company i.e. like Aura, I lose the warranty? Any expert takes or inputs from people who have undertaken this exercise.

Thanks,
Sumit

naturally, the dealer wants to have his commission on the alloys. please choose an indian made alloy that comes with warranty & write to hyundai directly & find out from them after giving them your tyre & wheel specs. then go back to your dealer & show him the response from hyundai. that will teach him not to be so greedy.

aura is a good brand, if you like one of their designs. i think aura is OE for hyundai as well. so check that out.