[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by zeddo

anyone, how is the GY eagle F1 suggested by bikerSG? i like the tyre (looks cool!) but have heard reviews that it has high rolling resistance and also makes the steering stiffer additionally has also got higher level of road noise??

That and they wear out real quick. Search for GTO's review on the GY Eagle F1. He ran a set on his C220 CDI for a while.

[zeddo]

Man this is getting confusing!!

ok, so the F1 is out!
what about Pirelli or Yokohama? any reviews?

[Nikhilb2008]

Get the Conti CPC2. you wont regret it.

[zeddo]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Get the Conti CPC2. you wont regret it.

Thanks!
How's the noise level, etc on it? are you using them?
my daily drive involves about 90% on concrete road so it shouldn't be too noisy.
the current shoes are the stock bridgestone RE050 RFT - which in all respect feel and also look like the GIII which i have on a Civic; but are much noisier than the GIII.

[Nikhilb2008]

CPC2 is not the most silent, but it is extremely comfortable and handles well. It is silent enough if oyu ask me.

ALso, ANY tyre will make a racket when you go on concrete roads. You cant help that.

[zeddo]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Get the Conti CPC2. you wont regret it.

No regrets !

well another few threads and many PMs later, the tyres on the 320 are changed!
I initially desperately wanted to go for the PS3, but they were apparently out of stock in the whole country for a long time (according to Michelin peeps!), so I settled for the CPC2.
Now when I say settled, I mean at that time I felt I was settling for 3rd best (PP2 being 2nd!).
But know what, I'm not sure how much difference it would've made!? These tyres are great (thanks Nikhil )

I just wanted to share a few experiences about changes from RFT to Tubeless. There are hundreds of threads suggesting it, but none have the exact words people like me are looking for in terms of WHAT exactly improves. So, here goes: (now, this is my personal experience and maybe some perception; gurus, please feel free to add/correct me)

1. #1 on the list- RIDE QUALITY!!, yes, we know this already, but how can we quantify it? Well, in rough terms, remember a luna and a joke of a suspension it had? Or a chetak backseat (not the springy rider seat), well go from that into a car (any car) and that’s the delta difference you will experience. In car to car terms, I’d say the ride in a stock Omni = RFT; car changed to Tubeless = ride in a Civic (or should I say BMW).
   Earlier when the car drove over cat-eyes, all passengers could feel it, it was like there were no shocks at all, but now we still know we’re driving over them, but the wheels and suspension absorb all the bounce and the passengers can only hear the thuds not feel them
2. Tramlining. ZERO tramlining on tubeless. There is this patch of road on the way to my work where the concrete road meets asphalt; it has a slight level difference or something. Anyways, with RFT I had to hold on to the steering like my life depended on it (well it did!!), it used to feel like I'm stuck in a ridge, but now with the tubeless, it’s absolutely like there’s no such patch on the way and it’s a perfectly normal road!
3. Noise: the RFT were definitely noisier – more so with the concrete roads, but even on tar/asphalt, they made quite a racket.
4. Steering: this was a surprise to me. I never expected it, but it is now lighter. As soon as I drove out of the tyre shop, it felt like I actually have power steering which the car lacked before. Classic example could be circa 1998-2000 maruti zens VS new zen with power steering.

Thanks again to all for the amazing help I've got!
cheers!
-Z-

[FlyingSpur]

@ Nikhilb2008 : I'm sorry to put you through this again, but I'm reposting my requirements below. In a fresh state of mind, under different circumstances. That bulge (mentioned in the other thread) has got me thinking again. I don't mean to cry wolf every time, please bear with me

Requirements :

- Good grip in wet & dry, but I do NOT explore the limits of adhesion. I drive very normally. High speeds, maybe, but almost no spirited cornering whatsoever. Hence, I think I do not need "sport" tyres. In this case, I'm running stock 205/55 R16 currently. Should I upsize for grip? What is the next correct upsize for 16" ??

- Comfort. Now in this case, I'm assuming that anything will be more comfortable than the RFT's. So I don't want an extra soft sidewall to meet this requirement.

- Durability. I canNOT have an extremely soft sidewall which is prone to damage such as cuts. Or an extremely hard sidewall which is prone to impact damage bulges or whatever (like the current RFT's for example). I know I sound ridiculous, but really, there has to be a balance. I don't want to replace another tyre to damage. I've never had to on any of the several other inexpensive cars we own (and those are put through hell), and don't see why it has to happen with the 3.

- I don't quite know about tyre ratings. I'm never going to do the 228 kmph top speed, but I'd like to have tyres which can handle it. What is V and W rating? Does tyre size (205/55 or 225/50) make a difference to this?

- If tyre noise can be minimized, that would be a nice bonus.

I request you guys (atleast those in the know) to give me some sort of estimate on what I might expect to pay.

@ Zeddo : I really need your feedback on the durability of those tyres. Everything else has been covered excellently in your previous post.

[zeddo]

Originally Posted by flyingspur

@ Zeddo : I really need your feedback on the durability of those tyres. Everything else has been covered excellently in your previous post.

Well, I've driven for about 3000 km already which included a trip from Pune to Hyderabad and also to Mumbai just yesterday. They still feel excellent and very stable. Touch wood, no punctures as yet, and now that i'm posting this, I just realized I haven't even had to fill air (i filledup on N2 when i bought them about 2 months ago)



P.S. I just hit 210 (for about 30 seconds) yesterday on my way back from Mumbai and the whole package car+tyres is just great. it gives you immense confidence at those speeds as well. I'm on 225/50R16 FYI.

Maybe the yoko DB low noise tyre might work for you since you dont want so much of a performance tyre? i guess nikhil may be a better judge of that...

Hope my answers covered what you were looking for, let me know if you need any more help. I know what it's like, just been thru all this myself!!

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by zeddo

I'm on 225/50R16 FYI.

Oh, so you've upsized. Does the steering get harder with the upsize? And have you noticed any effect on FE ?

Maybe the yoko DB low noise tyre might work for you since you dont want so much of a performance tyre? i guess nikhil may be a better judge of that...

Hmm. I'm somehow quite sold on the CPC2's already. They seem to be exactly what I want.

Hope my answers covered what you were looking for, let me know if you need any more help. I know what it's like, just been thru all this myself!!

Thanks man, this is much appreciated !

[Nikhilb2008]

baaaah. flyingspur, you bug me too much!

Anyway, the thing is, CPC2s will meet your requirements in every way.

However, I am concerned about your sidewall bulges. If you managed to damage an RFT I cannot give any sort of assurance regarding the CPC2s! They are reasonably hard but not harder than the RFTs.

Ride on the CPC2s will be better than the RFTs.

Grip would be more or less equal but I think the Bridgestones that come as OEM are better at cornering and handling according to various reviews I've read on the net.

I think they should be on par even for silence but I cant say for sure as I've never compared them.

[zeddo]

Originally Posted by flyingspur

Oh, so you've upsized. Does the steering get harder with the upsize? And have you noticed any effect on FE ?

actually my car, though a 320i, had stock 225/50R16 RFT on them. mine was one of the few initial CBU imports that BMW had brought in.

The FE doesnt seem to have changed much, but then again, i was always on a 225/50 profile.

the steering, if anything will get lighter! The model I have, it had a really hard steering, harder than the diesel (or so i was told, by many sources, and also verified by TDs), well on this also i would say the change from RFT was like 50% better steering response. If you have driven the civic and the older (2005 ish) city, the difference between the steering response is about the same as what you would experience. - but then again this is just the RFT switch for the same profile, im not sure if the larger profile would negate that. even if it did, ur back to where you are now, not worse!

in my experience - i had upsized my esteem from 175/70R13 to 195/60R13 (g3) and didnt feel the steering getting noticeably heavier

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Anyway, the thing is, CPC2s will meet your requirements in every way.

Get it!! I think this is generally a good all round tyre, i had a chance to even drive it on the E-way in the heavy khandala rains few days ago, and it felt pretty well planted on the road.

Ride on the CPC2s will be better than the RFTs.

Waaaay better! i'm telling you, it's like moving from a sumo/van or something to a luxury car.

I think they should be on par even for silence but I cant say for sure as I've never compared them.

the CPC2 are definitely much more silent than the BS stock RFT

[ackyash]

Put CPC2's on my Corp Ed in a slightly taller profile. (205-60-16)
Dreamy ride compared to the ER300's.

[FlyingSpur]

Alrighty, so I'm switching to normal tubeless.

From all that's happened on this thread, I was all set to get a set of Continental CPC2's based on various recommendations. However, the tyre dealer I spoke with today advised against CPC2's citing a soft sidewall (=prone to pothole damage etc) as the reason. Really?

He had Continental SportContact something in stock. Never heard of these. As good as the CPC2's? Or softer/harder?

Also floated were suggestions of MXV8 and Primacy LC. Sahil mentions that the LC's sidewall is too soft, so those are out.

MXV8's are 30% more expensive, and I don't now anything about them.

Wondering what to go with. I'm still inclined towards the CPC2. Well, atleast the runflats are out !!

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

However, I am concerned about your sidewall bulges. If you managed to damage an RFT I cannot give any sort of assurance regarding the CPC2s! They are reasonably hard but not harder than the RFTs.

RFT's are MOST prone to sidewall damage, even the softest of tyres will hold an impact better. Reason being the RFT's are so hard that they crack on the inner wall when impacted hard, only advantage is that your alloys never get the hit as the tyre absorbs all of the impact. In a soft tyre sidewall the tyre is more flexible hence takes some hit and passes the rest to the rim.

@flyingspur- Seems to be a unanimous vote of CPC2 here, I haven't personally tried them but they have been spoken highly of on the forum. Don't go by what the dealer says, he could have his own motive (margins) in pushing you away or for another brand.

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by Sahil

RFT's are MOST prone to sidewall damage, even the softest of tyres will hold an impact better. Reason being the RFT's are so hard that they crack on the inner wall when impacted hard...

This is exactly what happened, except it happened without hard impact ( --> is the only hard impact right now)

Only advantage is that your alloys never get the hit as the tyre absorbs all of the impact. In a soft tyre sidewall the tyre is more flexible hence takes some hit and passes the rest to the rim.

Sahil, in several forums there are widespread reports of not only tyre damage as you've described above, but also the rims crack especially on 40 and lower profile tyres on 19"+ rims. Fact is, either the RFT's take it all or pass on too much to the rims. Normal tubeless tyres would strike the balance better.