[Buffetfan]

Over the past years, I have used Bridgestones (S248, S322, B390), Michelin (MXTE, XM1 and Energy XM1), Goodyears (GA Plus and NCT 5).

While reserving my opinion on the Bridgestones and Goodyears, I have always loved the Michelins. As Nikhil rightly pointed out - Just the finish of the tires is amazing. In fact, my Michelin tires (both on my Uno and Baleno) NEVER wobbled / required balancing on their own..(I did get rotations/alignment/balancing done every 5-10 K Kms as part of normal routine). And this is abt 60K or driving on these tires, taken together.

Grip levels in the XM1/MXTE have been average but still better than the original Bridgestones I had.

So I am a big Michelin fan and naturally when I purchased an Innova this year, I wanted Michelin Primacy / MXV8 tires in my car from day 1 ~ possibly in exchange with the Bridgestone B390 that the car came with.

Unfortunately, the premium positioning by Michelin meant that I had two options :

A. Pay 18 K for a tire upgrade in exchange of the B390 (205/65R15) to Michelin Primacy LC (225/50R15).
B. Pay 9 K for a tire upgrade in exchange of the B390 (205/65R15) to Yokohama C.Drive (225/50R15).

I ended up with choice B - purchasing the Yoko C.Drives. And the tires have impressed me so much (Despite the fact that they do not have the "Michelin finish") that I am considering Yoko as the next change in the Baleno that currently runs Michelin tires.

I just wanted to narrate this incident to show that even die hard fans can leave the brand if it seems too expensive. And if these very fans try another brand - that seems to provide similar value at a lower price point..they may actually convert completely!!

[Buffetfan]

Typo...the upsize should be read at 225/60R15 and not 225/50R15 as typed below

@Mods..is it possible to edit the post below

[rr_zen]

Originally Posted by Buffetfan

I just wanted to narrate this incident to show that even die hard fans can leave the brand if it seems too expensive. And if these very fans try another brand - that seems to provide similar value at a lower price point..they may actually convert completely!!

Spot on ! Perfectly valid point there. I hope Michelin gets to read this post and does not push its luck too far, esp with Indian customers.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by black12rr

I dont understand why some of the guys are cribbing about . 100 -200 Rs per tyre increase is like one pack of imported smokes /a non veg lunch.

Look up our comments again

1. We are talking more in terms of the overall market, where a 1,000 rupee difference (per set) can make or break the deal. The Indian consumer is EXTREMELY price sensitive.

2. The (rumoured) reason behind this price increase is plain silly.

3. Of course, us enthusiasts will still go the Michelin or Yokohama way! But we do form a very minute percentage of the total tyre market.

[tyrestore]

Michelins plant which is comming up in India is only going to manufacture Crane, bus and truck radials. No car tyre plans immediatly.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by tyrestore

Michelins plant which is comming up in India is only going to manufacture Crane, bus and truck radials. No car tyre plans immediatly.

Waah wah! Look who makes an appearance!

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Design OK, but durability? Are Michelins equal to MRF etc. when it comes to durability? I doubt it.

No, they're not.

Originally Posted by Gansan

I think even the performance/grip part is over played a bit. For most conditions of normal city/highway driving, I feel any reasonably good tyre will be good enough, especially for most cars that fall in the "Hero Honda on four wheels" category. The tyre pressure can be increased/decreased slightly to take care of most situations, depending upon the conditions.

The tyres will make a huge difference only to more powerful cars, especially if driven enthusiastically.

That's bull crap. Tyres will make a difference even on the lowest powered cars especially if driven enthusiastically. Like I've said a few thousand times already, tyres are all that connect you to the road so please don't underestimate their importance.

Saying that any tyre is good enough is like saying that any petrol for a car's engine is good enough, no matter whether its pure or 50% adulterated!

And if you ever wanna see the differences between the performance of a below-par (IMO) tyre like the Goddyear GPS2 and a good tyre (again IMO) like the Michelin PP2, ping me if you ever land up in Delhi, I'll be more than happy to demonstrate the difference.

Originally Posted by GTO

2. The (rumoured) reason behind this price increase is plain silly.

Part of the reason is demand and supply Rush. With MRF's plant having been closed on account of the labour strike for around 4 months and JK's plant also closing, there is a shortage in the market for tyres, especially the regular sizes. So other manufacturers are making windfall profits since they know that in the current scenario they can get away with it.

[anupagarwal2010]

Well i replaced my Bridgestone tyres with Michelin XM1 + (175/70/R13) on my ACCENT yesterday and let me tell you the drive has become rocking. The steering response has become softer. And there is no noise from the tyre's absolutely smooth ride. I love Michelin's.
Charges for the New Shoes For My Accent

175/70/r13- RS:3200
Wheel balancing and allignment was for free
Got 5 new Rim's at RS-600 Each

[ACM]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Bridgestone, if you're listening, Increase the price of the GIII's above michelin levels. Its not like they're gonna sell anyway, and those goddamn frenchmen will price themselves out of the market, and then you can sell all the S322's you want - for XM1+ prices! *diabolical laugh*

Greenhorn I really liked the advice that you gave Bridgestone - Michelin are behaving like honda, and the pricing is actually getting to be quite absurd.

It's not that they get a premium over Goodyear or Bridgestone in the US Market, so this is quite opportunistic of them in India.

[condor]

Are these two companies getting a superiority complex ?

:-)

[Nikhilb2008]

Condor, Michelin is not getting a superiority complex. They already have one!

Their prices are ALWAYS higher than the competition's prices in the international market as well.

And since prices of almost all brands are going up, Michelin also has to increase their prices.