[imp!]

Hi All,

I was driving along at around 45 kph on a regular road in Bangalore, when the next thing I know, I hear a loud bang and the car starts pulling to one side. I stop the car, get out, and, wouldn't you know it, I have a puncture in my car !

This is in a new Laura 1.8 TSI, I have heard of a few issues with the car tire, mainly bubbles being formed, but this was on their previous generation tires (Bridgestone I think)

It is with some trepidation that I open my dickie to take out the spare. The skies are ominously overcast, with some rumbling to be heard. I have to be at my Doctors in the next 15 minutes, or else risk waiting for several hours at his clinic, his clinic is still a good six odd kilometers away !

I go to work quickly, taking out the spare tire and starting to loosen up the punctured tire. As I am doing this, some one comes running up to me. In a form of broken Kannada and Hindi (I don't speak Kannada) he explains that the "tire punchure" shop that is 25 meters away is closed but it belongs to him and he can fix my tire. Knowing that this person can change the tires a lot quicker than me, I agree quickly and let him get on with the job.

Once he has taken the rim off, I ask to see the old tire, to my abject horror, the side wall of the tire has burst ! He wants to fix it with a patch, but I don't let him. I tell him that I need to talk with the company and try to get it changed under warranty.

I call up Vinayak Skoda and apprise them of the situation. They immediately put in a complaint for me, I send my Laura to them once I get my Innova back from servicing and they put on a loaner tire while we are trying to sort out the issue with Good Year.

As it transpires, Good Year refuses to acknowledge that there is a defect in the tire and I need to buy a new one. I can try to fight it out with them, but I am not certain that it is worth the effort even if I do win !

The 4 NCT-5's that are left me all appear to be in good condition, but I have no way of knowing. My car has run 9000 kms, One tire has about 1000 odd kms on it, the other three have 9000 kms. The tire size is 205/55 R16

I am now in a dilemma. Do I upgrade all my tires and take a loss on the value of my current tires (I doubt NCT5's are worth much after 9K kms of driving); or buy another NCT5 and risk the same issue all over again.

What are your suggestions? If I should replace all the tires, should I consider an upgrade to 215/55 R16?

Thanks !

imp!

[speedsatya]

225/50 R 16 will be the best fit though you can opt for the 215/55 with a slight change in speedo/odo readings.

The side wall must have damaged because of some foreign object .More than the tires ,I have a doubt on this tire guy who came running to help you.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by imp!

I was driving along at around 45 kph on a regular road in Bangalore, when the next thing I know, I hear a loud bang and the car starts pulling to one side. I stop the car, get out, and, wouldn't you know it, I have a puncture in my car !

Once he has taken the rim off, I ask to see the old tire, to my abject horror, the side wall of the tire has burst !

Mostly it's a result of sidewall bubble coupled with low tyre pressure. Either tyre went over pot hole that it couldn't handle or sharp object touched tyre sidewall.

As it transpires, Good Year refuses to acknowledge that there is a defect in the tire and I need to buy a new one. I can try to fight it out with them, but I am not certain that it is worth the effort even if I do win !

Try your luck, but most tyre companies in India don't honour sidewall cuts/punctures.

Do I upgrade all my tires and take a loss on the value of my current tires (I doubt NCT5's are worth much after 9K kms of driving); or buy another NCT5 and risk the same issue all over again.

If it's suits your budget, change all 5 tyres. Else just buy another NCT5. 9k run tyres are not going to fetch good value anyways.

Wait till someone like 'nikhilb2008' or 'iraghava' comments.

[maglev]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

The side wall must have damaged because of some foreign object .More than the tires ,I have a doubt on this tire guy who came running to help you.

+1

I second your opinion, there's a very strong chance of this tire repair guy to be responsible for the unwanted events.

[Nikhilb2008]

Well, maybe there was a bulge earlier which escaped your notice? And then this bulge finally gave way?

Or a big stone hit the sidewall causing it rupture.

Anyway, in my opinion, this is a great excuse for you to junk these unsuitable tyres on a 160 bhp car and go in for some really good tyres.

No need of upsizing. Stick to the OEM size. Lots of options available for oyu.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

225/50 R 16 will be the best fit though you can opt for the 215/55 with a slight change in speedo/odo readings.

The side wall must have damaged because of some foreign object .More than the tires ,I have a doubt on this tire guy who came running to help you.

How much of a change can I expect? won't lowering the profile make the ride quality much stiffer?

I drive on this road several times a month. If there was an MO to damage tires, I ought to have noticed it, however, it doesn't matter, I highly doubt the tire guy sabotaged the road in the hopes that some one will develop a puncture.

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Well, maybe there was a bulge earlier which escaped your notice? And then this bulge finally gave way?

Or a big stone hit the sidewall causing it rupture.

Anyway, in my opinion, this is a great excuse for you to junk these unsuitable tyres on a 160 bhp car and go in for some really good tyres.

No need of upsizing. Stick to the OEM size. Lots of options available for oyu.

Hi Nikhil,

There is no ways I would have seen a bulge/bubble. The tear is on the inner wall of the tire. The road was in a surprisingly decent condition for Bangalore, especially considering it was an interior road in Sarjapur, and there weren't any large stones on the road. I have a feeling it was a bulge that caused the sidewall rupture.

When we bought the car, it was about all I could do to get my Dad to upgrade the alloys from 15" to 16" I tried to get him to change the tires as well, but he wasn't interested. I hope he may be now! I agree, these tires are really not fit to be put on any car.

If I am changing the tyres, why not go with something that has a larger sectional width like a 215 or even a 225 as Satya has suggested ?

Would you be able to suggest something that is a balance of comfort and handling?

Thanks!

imp!

[pramodkumar]

Goodyear NCT are know for sidewall punture, i have a single good year tyre as this was the only option available in the size i wanted and it already is running with a tube in it due to a sidewall punture, there is no point speaking to the company as they will not accecpt it as a manufacturing defect, best idea would be to upsize and have all of them replaced. 9k run tyres will fetch you good value atleast 2.5-3k per tyre, you can get better ones like michlins or dunlup SPF sport.

Pramod

[iceman7]

Didn't Sam's Superb also blow up a NCT on the way to Goa (check Sam's review of the Superb)?

Just making a mention of this here because i remember reading this in Sam's review of the Superb. Are these 2 isolated incidents or is there a trend here?

[Nikhilb2008]

imp!, I would recommend the Continental CPC2 in either 205/55 R16 or 225/50 R16.

You could also consider the yoko C Drives in 205/55 R16.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by pramodkumar

Goodyear NCT are know for sidewall punture. 9k run tyres will fetch you good value atleast 2.5-3k per tyre, you can get better ones like michlins or dunlup SPF sport.

Are you sure about the value? I just can't imagine any tyre dealer shelling out that kind of moolah for used NCT 5's

Pramod

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

imp!, I would recommend the Continental CPC2 in either 205/55 R16 or 225/50 R16.

You could also consider the yoko C Drives in 205/55 R16.

Approximately how much would these cost? How are they in terms of handling, comfort and noise?

Thanks!
Imp!

P.S This is not a one off case. My Laura, an uncle's and Sam's Superb all had the same problem ( Not sure about Sam's but I think this is the case with his as well ); I have a feeling that Sahil would have been up against the same issue eventually if he hadn't changed his tyres!

[GTO]

Goodyear NCT5's are amongst the worst tyres on sale in India. What makes matters worse is that they are a popular choice for OEM fitment. Reason? Yup, the cheapest rubber manufacturers can buy.

Sidewall failure is a frequent complaint with the NCTs. Plus, they wear out really (I mean, really) fast. As others have suggested, use this as an opportunity to change to some high quality tyres. Your car deserves it

[Rudra Sen]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

imp!, I would recommend the Continental CPC2 in either 205/55 R16 or 225/50 R16.

Agree with Nikhil totally here. I have this and find them really good.

[Nikhilb2008]

205/55 R16 Yoko C drive would csot around 6800 per tyre.

CPC2 would cost around 8000 and 225/50 R16 would cost closer to 9.5k or so.

These are approx prices.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by imp!

How much of a change can I expect? won't lowering the profile make the ride quality much stiffer?

I drive on this road several times a month. If there was an MO to damage tires, I ought to have noticed it, however, it doesn't matter, I highly doubt the tire guy sabotaged the road in the hopes that some one will develop a puncture.

Your speedo reading wouldnt change at all and there wouldnt be much difference in the sidewall also.
The OE tires have (215 x .055) mm whereas the new tires would have (225 x .05)mm as the sidewall.

About tire guys playing a part in punctures,I have heard of nails being strewn on the road near puncture shops ,though I havent seen it personally.

As everyone says,this is the perfect opportunity to go for better footwear.

[sukiwa]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Your speedo reading wouldnt change at all and there wouldnt be much difference in the sidewall also. The OE tires have (215 x .055) mm whereas the new tires would have (225 x .05)mm as the sidewall.

Don't we need to consider overall diameter (OD) of tyre rather than sidewall to know speedo error.
205/55R16 has OD as 631.9mm whereas 225/50R16 would be 631.4mm, just an insignificant difference of 0.08%.