[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by skjlives

Will get delivery of my TSI over the next week or so. On upgrading tyres, can someone from Bangalore share their experience on how much the marginally decreased GC with 205/60/15 affects them over the Godawful bumps here? Laura's GC is just about adequate and am still in a fix on whether I should upgrade tyres to 205/60 or to 205/65 (in which case the profile may become too tall affecting cornering). Am not looking to upgrade rims and if there's a GC problem, may ditch the tyre upgrade too.

If you are not looking to change your rims, I would advise you to stick to the OE tyre size, but change to better tyres form Michelin or Yokohama. The Goodyear NCTs are dated and very noisy. With 205/60 your diameter will be 1.20% less than OE and with 205/65 your dia will be abut 2% more. When we spoke on the phone, I got the feeling that you want to upgrade to a wider tyre for better grip but without sacrificing ride quality. Of the two options I feel 205/65 is a better bet, since you would not be risking lowering the GC and if you are in the mood for some serious cornering just increase the air pressure by about 3 or 4 psi more than normal.

Here's a link to a US site which has a tyre size calculator and some useful tips. Tire Size Calculator - tire & wheel plus sizing

As far as GC is concerned, the Laura's GC is adequate and Bangalore bumps should not be any concern in your new Laura. I recently did a long trip with a fully loaded boot and four pax on board. Very few tall and unscientific breakers scraped its belly.

[skjlives]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

If you are not looking to change your rims, I would advise you to stick to the OE tyre size, but change to better tyres form Michelin or Yokohama. The Goodyear NCTs are dated and very noisy. With 205/60 your diameter will be 1.20% less than OE and with 205/65 your dia will be abut 2% more. When we spoke on the phone, I got the feeling that you want to upgrade to a wider tyre for better grip but without sacrificing ride quality. Of the two options I feel 205/65 is a better bet, since you would not be risking lowering the GC and if you are in the mood for some serious cornering just increase the air pressure by about 3 or 4 psi more than normal.

Here's a link to a US site which has a tyre size calculator and some useful tips. Tire Size Calculator - tire & wheel plus sizing

As far as GC is concerned, the Laura's GC is adequate and Bangalore bumps should not be any concern in your new Laura. I recently did a long trip with a fully loaded boot and four pax on board. Very few tall and unscientific breakers scraped its belly.

Thanks Santosh. That was v useful. I spoke to Sai Iyengar and they told me that Michelin PMC has been reported to have tyrewall cut issues in the 205/65 profile given the "softer" nature of the tyre compound due to higher silica content. While he had both in stock, he advised me to go with XM1+, which he said does not have the cut issues and is also reported to last longer by 25% odd.

While the speed rating on XM1+ is H as opposed to PMC's V, XM1+ is kind of making sense to me, although based on only one feedback, which too could be potentially biased for commercial reasons. What is your take?

Also spoke to Millivision just now, and his take is also that XM1+ is the "safer choice" given bad roads can hurt PMCs. He also told that due to reasons of tread construction etc, XM1+ also looks wider than Primacy LC.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by skjlives

Thanks Santosh. That was v useful. I spoke to Sai Iyengar and they told me that Michelin PMC has been reported to have tyrewall cut issues in the 205/65 profile given the "softer" nature of the tyre compound due to higher silica content. While he had both in stock, he advised me to go with XM1+, which he said does not have the cut issues and is also reported to last longer by 25% odd.

While the speed rating on XM1+ is H as opposed to PMC's V, XM1+ is kind of making sense to me, although based on only one feedback, which too could be potentially biased for commercial reasons. What is your take?

Also spoke to Millivision just now, and his take is also that XM1+ is the "safer choice" given bad roads can hurt PMCs. He also told that due to reasons of tread construction etc, XM1+ also looks wider than Primacy LC.

Quite shocked really that Sai Iyengar is saying this to you, given that the same shop told me that the Michelin Primacy LC is the best tyre in the market when I went to them . I have these tyres on my Corolla also, and have run them for about 10,000 odd kms without any issues. I liked them so much that I went for these on my Laura also.

XM1+ would be a big no no for the Laura IMO. Since these are H rated, the max speed allowable on them would be only 210 Kph. Your TSI is capable of crossing this speed. Whether you will attempt driving at such high speed is a different question, but even driving at close to these speeds can be risky with lower speed rated tyres. I touched 185 kph on NH 4 recently and that was on a full load!

FYI, the OE Goodyears are V rated, which means they are rated for speeds upto 240kph. In fact the 16" PLCs on my Laura are W rated i.e Max speed of 270 kph. Going lower than OE rated speed rating is not advisable at all. XM1 tyres are entry level tyres from Michelin. I had them on my Palio. They're more oriented towards fuel economy rather than performance and grip.

[v.anand]

^^Completely agree with Santoshbhat there, XM1's and +'s are not meant for high speed capable cars like Laura TSI. I run mine on Michelin Primacy LC in 205/55 R16 and am happy with it in terms of performance. Looks like dealers trying to sell overload of XM1+ stock, suggest also contact Madhus Enterprises for your purchase.

[Berj79]

are they any pirellis in 205/55/16 size?

Thanks..

[Nikhilb2008]

There is the P7 which should be around 7200 or so per tyre.

skjlives --- I won't recommend the XM1+ for the Laura. Primacy LCs are a little soft. They are amazing tires but the one big drawback is that they are soft and it is easier to damage them than the XM!+s. In spite of that, I will not recommend the XM1+s on a Laura TSI to anyone!

[Berj79]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

There is the P7 which should be around 7200 or so per tyre.

no tyre dealer happens to have them in mumbai

[Cesc]

Bumping up this thread as I need to get a new set of tyres for my 1.8 TSI. Was looking for Yoko V550 AVS Db but getting little joy in sourcing them. Have been offered Yoko Earth1 instead which I am not too keen to pick up. The V550 is 5700 a pop whereas the Earth1 is 5200. Can anyone please suggest how the two stack up and what other options can I look for in 205/65/15 size? Primary considerations are road noise, grip, comfort and longevity (in that order). My driving pattern is 80% sedate driving and 20% spirited driving. Quick answers will be greatly appreciated as I intend to change tyres in the next 2-3 days (my current set of stock NCTs is really shot).

[lalittalwar]

Originally Posted by Cesc

Can anyone please suggest how the two stack up and what other options can I look for in 205/65/15 size? Primary considerations are road noise, grip, comfort and longevity (in that order). My driving pattern is 80% sedate driving and 20% spirited driving. Quick answers will be greatly appreciated as I intend to change tyres in the next 2-3 days (my current set of stock NCTs is really shot).

If you are not firm on 205/65/15 size and are willing to consider 205/60/15, the Vredestein sportrac5 could be a good one. Other than that try checking on Michelin P3ST. They are also pretty good with great comfort and least road noise. Then there are people who swear by Yoko s drives for spirited driving, though feedback is that they tend to be slightly noisy.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by Cesc

Bumping up this thread as I need to get a new set of tyres for my 1.8 TSI. Was looking for Yoko V550 AVS Db but getting little joy in sourcing them. Have been offered Yoko Earth1 instead which I am not too keen to pick up. The V550 is 5700 a pop whereas the Earth1 is 5200. Can anyone please suggest how the two stack up and what other options can I look for in 205/65/15 size? Primary considerations are road noise, grip, comfort and longevity (in that order). My driving pattern is 80% sedate driving and 20% spirited driving. Quick answers will be greatly appreciated as I intend to change tyres in the next 2-3 days (my current set of stock NCTs is really shot).

Been using the V550 on my Laura since the last 25,000 kms. No issues at all. They were brought with the same considerations as yours. Car is driven in NCR with 2-3 outstation trips a year. And i drive sedately 99% of the time. Go right ahead with the decibels. You can't go wrong with them. And surprisingly even after 25,000km they have worn out less than the original NCTs did. Just remember that they are unidirectional and i rotate them religiously every 5000km. If you want, i can share a few pics later in the day.

Rohan

[Cesc]

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

Been using the V550 on my Laura since the last 25,000 kms. No issues at all. They were brought with the same considerations as yours. Car is driven in NCR with 2-3 outstation trips a year. And i drive sedately 99% of the time. Go right ahead with the decibels. You can't go wrong with them. And surprisingly even after 25,000km they have worn out less than the original NCTs did. Just remember that they are unidirectional and i rotate them religiously every 5000km. If you want, i can share a few pics later in the day.

Rohan

Thanks Rohan. That definitely helps. Have placed the order for V550. Dealer says will take 3 days to get them. Waiting is better than settling for something not as good as these tyres.

[bharatsomany]

Originally Posted by lalittalwar

If you are not firm on 205/65/15 size and are willing to consider 205/60/15, the Vredestein sportrac5 could be a good one. Other than that try checking on Michelin P3ST. They are also pretty good with great comfort and least road noise. Then there are people who swear by Yoko s drives for spirited driving, though feedback is that they tend to be slightly noisy.

lalittalwar,
205/60R15 would be pointless as it REDUCES the size of the tyre!
Beisdes, I read some recommendations for Vredestein elsewhere on the forum and though I'd give it a try. I can't say I was impressed. Quite the contrary, they are mediocre quality tyres at best.
The way I see it, its just the 4 tyres that actually touch the ground and cheaping out on tyres is just plain foolish in my opinion.

Originally Posted by RohanDheman

Been using the V550 on my Laura since the last 25,000 kms. No issues at all. They were brought with the same considerations as yours. Car is driven in NCR with 2-3 outstation trips a year. And i drive sedately 99% of the time. Go right ahead with the decibels. You can't go wrong with them. And surprisingly even after 25,000km they have worn out less than the original NCTs did. Just remember that they are unidirectional and i rotate them religiously every 5000km. If you want, i can share a few pics later in the day.

Rohan

Rohan,
Sedate Driving with no issues does not really say much about a tyre. Personally, I've used a set of Yoko DBs on a Cruze and found them to be below par on performance.
I do agree it makes a smaller difference if you're a VERY cautious and sedate driver but Performance = Safety. You never know when you need to brake hard and compared to other options such as the P3ST or the PS2 or even the Yokohama Adavan Sport, the DB is quite disappointing. It is certainly very quiet, but I'd rather trade it for the very noisiest if it meant better performance and safety.

Originally Posted by Cesc

Thanks Rohan. That definitely helps. Have placed the order for V550. Dealer says will take 3 days to get them. Waiting is better than settling for something not as good as these tyres.

Cesc,
Now that the tyres are ordered, I hope you are satisfied with them.

[RohanDheman]

Originally Posted by bharatsomany

lalittalwar,

Rohan,
Sedate Driving with no issues does not really say much about a tyre. Personally, I've used a set of Yoko DBs on a Cruze and found them to be below par on performance.
I do agree it makes a smaller difference if you're a VERY cautious and sedate driver but Performance = Safety. You never know when you need to brake hard and compared to other options such as the P3ST or the PS2 or even the Yokohama Adavan Sport, the DB is quite disappointing. It is certainly very quiet, but I'd rather trade it for the very noisiest if it meant better performance and safety.

I rate my experience based on more than a few scary incidents. These tyres have never disappointed me in the case of hard and emergency braking (and being in Delhi, you know the need for this arises more often than not). Even though they may not be the grippiest or the most performance oriented tyres around, they are not far behind. And in the wet, they have no comparison. The P3ST werent around when i changed my tyres so i cant really comment on those.

Would i go for another set at 80,000 (i change tyres at 40,000)? If i find new manufactured set, without a doubt i would. Just my two cents!

Rohan

[sans33]

I'm driving my Laura tsi with yoko 550 db for last 10000 kms.These tyres make so much less noise than stock Goodyear ones.Performance and ride comfort is good.Tyre wear is negligible.But I agree,they are not best when braking really hard.If you drive sedately,they are more than enough.But if you drive hard,buy advan sport.

[Cesc]

I am quite frustrated to be honest. I put my money down yesterday at Premium Tyre Solutions (A Yoko dealer in DLF Phase 2) and specifically asked for a set with a manufacturing date of within past 6 months. Was assured I will get a recently manufactured tyre and they have ordered it from the company's warehouse. Guess what - today they try to palm off an Apr'13 manufactured set . Of course I am having none of that. Back to square one. The V550s sure are proving too hard to find.