[Nikhilb2008]

The deadline is put off yet again.

[Weathered]

Nikhil,

I am looking specifically for Yokohama - C drive tyre (185-65-R14) for my Fiesta & currently there is no stock in Bangalore. The reason given is ISI mark. Also many replies are like - Initially i got reply as Feb 2011 last week & now the stock may get added somewhere around March 2011 last week. Do u have any updates on this. ?
I have been waiting with my alloys for last 45 days

Cheers,
AJ!

[WasavaTyres]

185/65/R14 C-Drive Yoko's out of stock almost everywhere. Not expected before end of march.

[heavy_foot]

hmm, whats the status guys? Are S Drives available with the ISI mark? I have been holding on to my purchace for the size 195/55/15r and dont want the apollo aceleres.

[Nikhilb2008]

Nope no luck yet. I need tyres for my car and I am putting off changing it because I'm not getting performance oriented tyres!

[WasavaTyres]

Originally Posted by heavy_foot

hmm, whats the status guys? Are S Drives available with the ISI mark? I have been holding on to my purchace for the size 195/55/15r and dont want the apollo aceleres.

S Drives are available in Yoko. Got 4 tyres just this morning.
Since you're in Navi Mumbai I guess you should go to Sanghi Tyres in sector 17.

[PJSPEED]

Hi,

Any updates on this ISI marks???

[Nikhilb2008]

All new tyres imported into India HAVE to have the ISI mark. This is valid from May 13th 2011. However, tyres imported into India without ISI mark before May 13th can be sold through the dealers.

The problem is, there was a lot of confusion earlier. Indications were that tyres without ISI mark would not be allowed to be sold AT ALL. So, all tyre companies stopped bringing in non-ISI tyres.

Today, there is a huge shortage of 17"and above sizes and premium patterns in 13", 14", 15", and 16".

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Today, there is a huge shortage of 17"and above sizes and premium patterns in 13", 14", 15", and 16".

Yes I am stuck with my requirement of 245/45R17 thanks for this ! The rains are here and I have had to tame my driving style to wait for favorable set of tyres to come back in stock.

[PJSPEED]

This is going to be a very big problem.Here my customer got a 305 35 19 for Rs 40,000/tyre .I was told some tyre size can be imported if you guys have any info pls do let us know.

[straight6]

Is it alright to import tyres on your own?

[tsk1979]

With the continentals nearly devoid of their tread, and not safe to drive, I decided to change 4 tires on the Safari.
Based on my experience, it had to be continentals Cross contact A/T.

I had gotten a tire few months back for 6500, and was expecting a price close to 7000.

So I decided to call up dealers, but unfortunately, none of them had this tire.
I was asked to use the Yoko Geolander A/T (7800) or Michelin LTX(8000+!)

So I decided to call up Nehru place head office of Continental India.
Its the corporate office. they do not handle sales, but they were very helpful, and gave the phone number of their Sales manager, Mr. Mrinal.

I called him up, and explained to him that I wanted Continental Cross Contact A/T. and how all their dealers were out of stock.

He got back to me within a few hours, and informed me about a dealer who had this tire(Tyre Shoppee Naraina). Price was 7500/tire!!

I decided to take the plunge, and landed up at the dealer. To my surprise, Mr. Mrinal had also come there, to oversee that everything went smoothly.

So we started talking about this tire shortage.
He explained to me, that to import tires, they need to be ISI certified.

Continentals are manufactured all over the world. BIS certification takes time, so companies are following the "volume" approach.

So tires which are sold in huge numbers get ISI certification first. A/T tires, and specialty tires will get certification last.

This is the reason, there is such a shortage.
He told me, that the continental is from few months old stock.

They are expecting certification to come by May End, and then new stock can be imported.

He also informed that Yokohama Geolander A/T was a very popular tire, so Yokohama got certification done quickly. Ditto for Michelin LTX.

All other foreign makes are first scurrying to get bread and butter tires certified.

He was positive that by July, A/T tires from Maxxis, Continental etc., will be certified. BFG All Terrain is gone forever, and Michelin will only get the long Trail TA/Tour certified.

Now what is the result of this
1. Due to initial shortage, prices of tires, esp A/T tires shot up by 10-20%. Prices may come down by year end(but he does not see it happening. Decrease may be marginal)
2. Sales of Apollo and MRF have skyrocketed. This was a golden period for Indian companies.

According to him, international plants in Malaysia, Germany, Thailand, Japan meet all ISO certifications, which are much more stringent than BIS certifications. However, due to strong domestic tire maker lobby, this move got pushed through.

Domestic companies were feeling the heat as Michelin/Continental/Yokohama were bringing in better tires at comparable prices. For example, in the sports high speed segment, MRF and Apollo have a limited portfolio.

Due to the nature of BIS certification, every plant which produces a tire has to be certified. So if you have plants in Germany, Malaysia, Thailand and India, all those plants have to be certified.

This involves paperwork and headache.
Foreign tire makes are not happy, and feel this is more of a "lobby move" than a "safety move".

He game me the example of Automotive components. I can go to a shop in local markets, and get critical engine and Brake components from inferior non name manufacturers. This actually puts my life at risk. However, there is no ban on selling such components in the market.

Moreover, all reputed tire manufactures have plants rated with ISO standards which are much more stringent than ISI standards. Its just a rubber stamping process, promoted by lobbying.

So all in all, its an example of "institutionalized corruption". It fully legal, and also has a fancy name for it. "Lobbying"
So who loses? Michelin, continental, etc.,??? Nope. Its just a hiccup.
The loser is the consumer.

For example, a MRF Wanderer AT 235/70R16 costs 6500-6800 now. It used to be 5500.

Apollo Hawkz A/T in the same size is not 6500.

Even small tires have taken a 10%-15% price jump.

If you forget the "price part" for a bit, there are other implications.
Want a M/T tire for your 4x4? Sorry, not available. Only when "popular" tires are certified, will MFRs look at niche segment. MRF and Apollo do not have niche segment market here, and they do not even want to get in this.

So as things now stand, forget buying a M/T tire in India. Import from Thailand of your own accord. This ruling does not apply to personal imports, however you will have to pay
Shipping + customs duty + VAT + cess.

Shipping is a killer if you are getting less than 20 tires.

Maxxis M/T? 8000/tire was the price a few months back. Now its like gold. 14000/tire.

Who loses? The consumer. Welcome to the world of lobbying.;

[Nikhilb2008]

To add to this, you know something funny? Some tyre sizes which arent manufactured by Indian companies can be imported without ISI marking.

Some people say this is the only reason MRF is making th ZLO in 255/55-18 which is a BMW X5 size.

[indianrunner]

Hi,

Is there any update on this matter? I am not getting AT tyres in 265x70x15 size.

TIA

[PJSPEED]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Some tyre sizes which arent manufactured by Indian companies

Do you have any tyres list which are Manufactured in India??

This tyre can be imported.
http://www.dipp.nic.in/English/acts_...tember2011.pdf

But lot of tyre size are missing Eg:295/35 22 ,305/30 19 ,235/35 19 etc So this tyre are manufactured in India??

Will update as soon as I clear my shipment.

Regards,
PJ