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My alto LX(2001) has done 75K Kms. I have changed the front 2 tyres to MRF Zigma and MRF ZVTS (145/80 R12) in the past one year. Now i need to change the bridgestone stock tyres(145/80 R12) of the rear.

So my question here is, can i go in for (155/70 R12) for the rear 2 tyres ? Or should i stick with (145/80 R12) for the rear as my front tyres are of (145/80 R12) specs ? I am using stock rims.

I do 25+ Kms daily in the city and also frequent the dreaded b'lore - m'lore highway once in 2 months. I have seen on this thread, many are having good opinion on michelin XM1. So would like to know should i have to stick with ZVTS or can i go in for michelin ?

Please advise.

I would never recommend that. Keep the same size for all 4 tyres.

Michelin is in a different league. Better to buy 5 tyres and fix it and try to sell the present tyres to get a fair deal.

If you dont want to do that, then better you buy tyres which are cheaper (ZVTS, JK etc) and change all to Michelin when you have enough funds to do it because investing 2 tyres of Michelin will not give you that pleasure as running with 4 tyres of Michelins.

Abhi

Got my tyre upgraded from the Stock MRF 145/80 R 12 to 145/70 R 13. Also put in Plati Alloys.

If you are upgrading to 13", you will have to go for a lower profile tyre. The overall dia of the tyre will be the same. So how will it touch anywhere. If you put a wider tyre it may touch. But then even if you put a wider 12" tyre it may touch. So 12" or 13" is not an issue. A low profile 13" will give you better handling and not so much comfort. A 12" high profile will give you good comfort but bad handling. So choose between comfort and handling. Remember the overall dia of the tyre must remain the same in cas of either 12" or 13". I don't understand what all the confusion is about.

@pedro man you had replied to a question, which was asked almost 3 months back.

Hi everyone,

I plan to upgrade the default tyres on my Alto to tubeless 165/65/R13.
After doing some reading in this forum, I was almost convinced to go for Michelin XM1 (no XM1+ in R13) but a dear friend of mine recommended Kumho tyres. Yes, dear readers, even I hadn't heard of the brand much, specially in the home car segment.

So I digged up some information and got in touch with the main distributor in Ludhiana who recommended the latest SOLUS KH17 range.

( kumhotire.com/tire/tire_detail.jsp?category_cd=002002002000000 )

The reviews look promising actually and the tyres are available for 2.1k a piece.

Any reviews on how these will fare on Indian roads compared to Michelin/BG ER 60?

I would be driving mostly in city (Chandigarh), so am looking for driving comfort and low noise basically.

Will try to post some pics of the tread pattern if possible.

Thanks

Buddy, XM1+ are available in 13 inch. I have 175-70/13 on my Getz.

@thelord - First of all, its a bad decision preferring Kumho over an established brand like Michelin or Bridgestone. They hardly have an established after sales network in India. Besides, my friend's Elantra CRDI came with Kumhos as OEM. He's pretty unhappy regarding noise levels and wet road grip. So I think it makes much more sense to go for Bridgestone.

That size you're looking for (165/65 R13) will not come in Michelin XM1s. But its the default size for Indica V2s, so you're spoilt for choice otherwise. Why dont you try Yokohama A-Drives in 165/65R13s? I recently scrapped the OEM Goodyears on my Indica and replaced them with tubeless A-drives. Have been very happy with the noise levels and wet-weather performance of the tyre. Truly an allrounder.

Otherwise you can always go for Bridgestones in that size.

@nishantgandhi
Thanks for the info, I actually checked the Michelin India website and asked the authorized dealers here in Chandigarh. I'll have to check if XM1+ is available in the 165/65/R13 profile. Anyone here running XM1+ in this profile.

@predatorwheelz
Don't go for the upsize or Don't go for Kumho?

I've already decided on the upsize and will be doing the necessary adjustments so as not to damage the wheel archs.

I meant dont go for Kumho:)! Upsize at all costs. It will give your car improved stability and performance, at the minor cost of fuel efficiency.

@ Nishantgandhi: Michelin XM1+ is not available in two sizes in 13", namely 155/70R13 & 165/65R13. XM1 is available in these two sizes. Surprisingly, XM1+ is also available in 12" but not in these two sizes in 13".

@ thelord: Upsize looks fine but stay with a known brand/patterns like Michelin XM1/ Bridgestone Turanza/ Yokohama A-drives.

@sukiwa
You are right. No XM1+ in 165/65/R13 profile. Confirmed this with Michelin.

I visited a few dealers today and a lot of them are recommending Yokohama A-Drive. Priced around 2.4k, I guess I've finally made my choice.

Thanks for the recommendation guys! :)

i have been using 165/60/12 potenzas on my alto lxi it has done 20,000km, no issues so far.

deciding against the upsize went for michelins 155/65 R12. i am finding them very comfortable and the wet road grip and braking has improved to a large extent.

Reasons for not upsizing:
1. Tried 13" alloys. with 2 heavy people and going at 45 degrees on speed breaker the wheel scraped. tried 2-3 models still they scrapped.

2. not convinced with the spacer idea. the dynamics and handling change.

3. i believe that lowering the car handles well than increasing the height. so i dont believe the people who claim that the handling improved by increasing 1" i.e from 12" to 13" .

conclusion : Saved cost on tyres as well as alloys and got the desired performance

How much did they cost Amit?