[chats]

I live in Pune and I've got a 10 year old Fiat Siena, and I haven't been very kind to her. I don't drive around too much, about 6000kms a year, and so far she hasn't complained much about my lack of attention.
A month ago her steering began vibrating a bit while I was driving her around, but it wasn't too noticeable. However, one day I had to ferry a rather large passenger around, and the car began wobbling like a drunken walrus. I sent my car for servicing, and to have the suspension checked, and my mechanic told me I needed to get the tyres changed.
It was about that time that I re-stumbled upon team-bhp, and read up on all the tyre recommendations. I was inclined to go for Michelin XM1+'s like everyone here suggests, but I was running on 10 yr old steel rims, and I wasn't sure if it was wise to use them with tubeless tyres. I called around and realised my tube-type options were either Apollo Amazers, Goodyear GPS2's and Bridgestone S322's. These were all budget tyres, and I didn't feel like wasting my money on them, so my next option was to either get Yokohama A-drives, or Michelin XM1+'s and use them with tubes, or if the tyre dealer didn't advise that, then to buy 4 new steel rims.

The lowest quotes I had for size 175/70R13 tyres.
Tubeless:
Michelin XM1+ - Rs.3450.
Yokohama A-Drive - Rs.3200
Apollo Acelere -Rs.3200
Continental CP2 -Rs.3450
Goodyear GPS2/GT3-2900

Tube Type:
Bridgestone S322/B250 - Rs.3500
Apollo Amazer - Rs.3300-3400
Goodyear GPS2 - Rs.3050

When I set out to pick up my tyres I was initially headed towards N Mehta Tyres at Rastapeth, because of all the dealers I spoke to he seemed the most genuine. Actually, the guy at Lokmanya tyres was more genuine, but he was too far away from my place. But before I left I decided to visit Tirupati Tyres at Yerwada, the shop closest to my home. The shop was a bit rundown, and the owner didn't seem very helpful, but he was professional and efficient, and I decided not to drive into town.
He quoted Rs. 3600 for Goodyear Durapluses (tube-type), and I bargained and got it down to Rs. 3400 with alignment and balancing. But he charged 2.5% for card payments, so it worked out to Rs.3485 per tyre.
The shop was a bit rundown, and not one that a motoring fanatic would like to visit, but I got my tyres from there anyway.
My previous tyres were completely shot, the threads had gotten bent, and the inner rim of 1 my front tyres had a huge nail stuck in it. So, I was glad I changed them when I did.
There was a promotion with the tyres, and I was supposed to get a trolly suitcase free with the tyres, but the dealer didn't have it in stock, and told me to come and pick it up later. The wheel alignment wasn't done either because the dude who was supposed to do it was on holiday. There was another guy there, but he said my car was too complicated for him.
Anyway, it had taken 1hr30 mins already and my very patient girlfriend was getting a bit tired, so I had no problem going away, and coming back the next week to pick up the bag and get the alignment done.
Incidentally, I called next week, and found out the promotion wasn't for tube-type tyres in size 175/70R13. I called Goodyear to confirm and they said sorry, bad luck, no bag for you. I've yet to go back for the alignment, I'll probably go sometime this week.

After getting the tyres fitted, I drove out, and immediately heaved a sigh of relief, the wobble was gone, the car was rock solid. My initial impression wasn't too good. Acceleration seemed to have reduced a bit, but the car felt solid, really stable. My previous tyres weren't very good and were quite old, but these made my car feel like she hadn't ever felt before. The tyres weren't too grippy, but a couple of days later it was really pissing down, and the tyres did their job, really well. I didn't push them, but they made me feel safe and in control.
Tyre noise has come down as well, and even though I've only driven on tar roads at speeds of upto a 100km/hr, I feel these tyres will be quite silent.
My Bridgestones used to get quite noisy on highways, and I don't think these will. I may drive down to Goa from Pune later, so, I'll update this thread then.
There were reports online that these tyres had soft sidewalls, but I don't think they do. The ride while much improved isn't exactly what I'd call plush. I think the tyres may have been overinflated, so I'll confirm that and post back as well.
Rolling resistance has reduced as well. I think I can roll on for a km+ now, if I'm doing about 30-40 when I slide it into neutral.


For someone looking to buy tube-type tyres, it's a toss up between the Bridgestone Turanza, and these Goodyear Durapluses. The Turanzas are more expensive though.

Would I buy them again? Maybe not...I'm not unhappy with them, but I think the next time round, I'll buy new rims with my tyres and get a good comfort tube-less tyre. The USP of these tyres is that they'll last a 100,000 kms, and with my average of 6000kms/yr, it'll be 16years and 8 months before I reach that figure, and the rubber would probably have cracked with age from them. But if I was driving a 100kms/day like some people I know, then they'd definitely be reconsidered.

Also, I'd like to add, that while all other tyres in size 175/70R13 were rated either S or T, these were H rated. And while my car may not be able to hit 210kms/hr, it's nice to get that extra bit for free.

So, here's my take on these tyres, they're decent. They aren't sporty, and they aren't comfort, but somewhere in between. They're quiet, and I think (or rather hope!) they'll be quiet for most of their life. They seem safe and durable. Let's hope they are.

[Ikonik]

Hi, I went in for the Duraplus tubless tyres recently for my Ikon 1.3. I was using Michelin tyres of the same size 175/70 R13. It is surprising to note that the Michelin wore out within 37000kms, and towards the last 5k kms the tyre noise was very high. Annoyed by the early wearing out of the existing tyres, I decided to go in for the most (claimed) durable ones around. I got the Duraplus tyres at 3400 each, and a hand blender free. After the balancing and alignment, I felt 'safe' Maybe not because of this particular tyre but I guess just because the feeling of driving worn out tyres was wearing out .
I've driven it just about a 100kms, but here's what I think of it:
sidewalls - are soft but isn't that a good thing?
grip - good, maybe because it is new
noise - low
stability - well I feel that the Michelin would stick to the road a little more than these. These have lower surface area holding the road, so that gives longer life, but may reduce the grip or cornering. I think it is a great design since I did not feel such side effects.
Will I go in for this again - that depends on how it performs in the test of time. The start has been good, lets see after 50K kms!

[predatorwheelz]

@Chats - Sorry to sound a bit critical, but you're missing the point here. The sole USP of Goodyear Duraplus is Longevity. Not grip, not silence, not wet weather performance. With a yearly running of only 6K kms, a user like you didn't need these tyres at all. At the price you paid (3485) you should have chosen the XM1+/A-Drives/CPC2s. They'd have given you a more silent ride and much much better dry and wet performance.

The target user for Duraplus is a taxi/fleet car operator, who's car does at least 50K kms a year and he cares only about cost, not about grip or silence. My office rents cabs from an agency called "Green Cabs". Their entire fleet of Indica/Indigo/Swift Dzires has switched over to GDs.

@Ikonik - At 100 kms, even the protective oils in the tyres have not run off completely . The tyre is nowhere behaving close to its normal self. I suggest you run it for a couple of thousand kms and then update this thread.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

@Chats - Sorry to sound a bit critical, but you're missing the point here. The sole USP of Goodyear Duraplus is Longevity. Not grip, not silence, not wet weather performance. With a yearly running of only 6K kms, a user like you didn't need these tyres at all. At the price you paid (3485) you should have chosen the XM1+/A-Drives/CPC2s. They'd have given you a more silent ride and much much better dry and wet performance.

The target user for Duraplus is a taxi/fleet car operator, who's car does at least 50K kms a year and he cares only about cost, not about grip or silence. My office rents cabs from an agency called "Green Cabs". Their entire fleet of Indica/Indigo/Swift Dzires has switched over to GDs.

@Ikonik - At 100 kms, even the protective oils in the tyres have not run off completely . The tyre is nowhere behaving close to its normal self. I suggest you run it for a couple of thousand kms and then update this thread.

I agree completely.

The Duraplus isnt that good a performance tyre. It is more of a cheap no-nonsense tyre. In that respect, it should hold you in good stead.

Just to make a small correction to the above post, the CPC2s are not available in this size. You will be looking at the Continental CEC3s in the 13" and 14" category.

[chats]

@predatorwheelz and Nikhilb2008, I would have preferred to go for the XM1+ or the Yokohama A drives, but I didn't want to change my rims. I was looking for tube-type tyres and the Duraplus was possibly the best one available.

I've been using them for about 2 months now and the ride quality has improved tremendously. I haven't filled air in them again, so I think they were over inflated when they were installed.

The grip seems pretty adequate. I've had to brake suddenly twice, once when a biker cut across me at 90 degrees, and another time when a rickshaw did a little lane cutting. I was doing about 80-90 both times when I had to step on the brakes, and I was surprised as to how quickly the car responded.

I accelerated to about 130 kms/hr a couple of times in the city, and had no issues with control or braking.

The rolling resistance is quite low. The car seems to coast forever if I slide it into neutral.

These aren't the best tyres available, and they aren't the cheapest either. But the options for tube-type tyres are pretty limited, and that's the only reason I bought them.
However, they aren't bad tyres. They may not be the best at anything, but they seem to be pretty decent all rounders.

[WasavaTyres]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I agree completely.
It is more of a cheap no-nonsense tyre.

It's by no means a 'cheap' tyre !! The GPS 2 perhaps can be called a cheap tyre. Duraplus prices surpass b'stone in many sizes. That said, at the price it retails, it's a good high mileage tyre.
You generalize all Goodyear tyres as being cheap and bad, but over time they have introduced many new tyres with different rubber compounds,designs and performance levels.

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by WasavaTyres

It's by no means a 'cheap' tyre !! The GPS 2 perhaps can be called a cheap tyre. Duraplus prices surpass b'stone in many sizes. That said, at the price it retails, it's a good high mileage tyre.
You generalize all Goodyear tyres as being cheap and bad, but over time they have introduced many new tyres with different rubber compounds,designs and performance levels.

Indraji, I didnt mean cheap in a bad way. And I'm sorry but I was mistaken about the prices. Been a bit out of touch with regard to that. Didnt know they surpass the Bridgestones!

I know they have introduced many newer, better tyres. I did not mean to belittle GY here. I think you assumed too much in my post!

Anyway, good to have an argument with you after so long!

[arjyamaj]

A brief background first:

I drive an alto and have been running on stock tyres. Well, until last Tuesday anyway. Around the 60K kms mark, the original tyres started giving way. It wasnt until two punctures in three days that I realized that I needed to change my tyres- and fast!

Took off from work on Tuesday and drove down to Noida Sector 16 where I found this shop called Ashok Motors. (for more info on my experience with them, see my post http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/delhi-...els-tyres.html)

I was given a choice of A Bridgestone Turanza, Apollo Acelere and Goodyear Duraplus- all in 155/65 R13, since i was upsizing to 13" rims. I guess because Ashok Motors is a primarily a dealer for Apollo tyres, the proprietor Mr Ashok Kumar was pushing for the Acelere, saying that it has the most comfortable ride and the softest rubber.

Now, not that I dont care about riding comfort, but its not up there on top of my list. I'd rather have a stiffer ride and better handling. The Goodyear Duraplus had the hardest rubber of the three. It had an added benefit- the manufacturers claim that the tyre will last upto 100,000 kms (which must be taken with a pinch of salt, of course). Plus, the way I look at it is- tyres are bought once every few years. Therefore, they are an investment. At the end of their lives, they have no value whatsoever to me. Therefore, I must try to ensure that the tyres last as long as possible, to stretch out the max benefit that I can get.

I chose the Duraplus primarily for this reason- that it would (hopefully) last longer. And since it was made of harder rubber, the handling would improve. And boy did it improve! I've spent the better part of my drives (I drive from Mayur Vihar to Gurgaon everyday to work) throwing the car into and out of curves at speeds I would not have dreamed of in the old Amazer XLs. The alto is a light car and its now awesome fun to corner hard. I dont know whether this has more to do with the fact that the tyres are now bigger (155/65 R13) or the tyre itself.

The ride comfort has improved immensely as well. The potholed surfaces that pass for roads in Gurgaon are now dismissed with ease. Road noise has gone down considerably- no more curious noises from the undercarriage. I'm concerned about fuel economy, of course, but time will tell whether there are any added benefits in that respect.

I'd recommend Duraplus to people who want a value for money proposition and a slice of fun to go with it!

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by arjyamaj

I'd rather have a stiffer ride and better handling. The Goodyear Duraplus had the hardest rubber of the three. It had an added benefit- the manufacturers claim that the tyre will last upto 100,000 kms (which must be taken with a pinch of salt, of course). Plus, the way I look at it is- tyres are bought once every few years. Therefore, they are an investment. At the end of their lives, they have no value whatsoever to me. Therefore, I must try to ensure that the tyres last as long as possible, to stretch out the max benefit that I can get.

I chose the Duraplus primarily for this reason- that it would (hopefully) last longer. And since it was made of harder rubber, the handling would improve. And boy did it improve! I've spent the better part of my drives (I drive from Mayur Vihar to Gurgaon everyday to work) throwing the car into and out of curves at speeds I would not have dreamed of in the old Amazer XLs. The alto is a light car and its now awesome fun to corner hard. I dont know whether this has more to do with the fact that the tyres are now bigger (155/65 R13) or the tyre itself.

The ride comfort has improved immensely as well. The potholed surfaces that pass for roads in Gurgaon are now dismissed with ease. Road noise has gone down considerably- no more curious noises from the undercarriage. I'm concerned about fuel economy, of course, but time will tell whether there are any added benefits in that respect.

I'd recommend Duraplus to people who want a value for money proposition and a slice of fun to go with it!

Sorry to hurt your sentiments. All that "handling" and "ride comfort" you're enjoying are only a factor of replacing 60K old tyres with new tyres. Trust me, hard rubber does nothing to improve handling. In fact, the softer the rubber the better the traction to handle. Run your car for 15-20K kms, and you'll see your new found assets no longer exist.

I stress again that the sole USP of Goodyear Duraplus is longevity. You could have chosen a more mainstream tyre like Yoko A-Drive or Michelin XM1+ if you really wanted comfort and handling to improve.

[arjyamaj]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

All that "handling" and "ride comfort" you're enjoying are only a factor of replacing 60K

But I compared the ride and handling to the first few days after the car came out of the showroom.

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Trust me, hard rubber does nothing to improve handling. In fact, the softer the rubber the better the traction to handle

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldnt hard rubber= stiffer sidewalls? Ergo less sidewall flex? I agree that softer rubber does get you better traction (you could sleep on the rubber used in F1 cars- its THAT soft), but reducing sidewall flex does increase handling.

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

Run your car for 15-20K kms, and you'll see your new found assets no longer exist.

I'll pm you in a couple of months

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

You could have chosen a more mainstream tyre like Yoko A-Drive or Michelin XM1+ if you really wanted comfort and handling to improve.

Unfortunately, neither Yoko, nor XMI+ have tires this size (or so their respective websites say) and while I'm a HUGE fan of the XM1, I'm afraid that would have been a lil out of my budget.

[hyper-VTEC]

I am using DuraPlus 195/60/R15 in my Swift and in my opinion they are very good tyres at the price it comes. I had 205/60/R15 Yoko AVS ES100 before this and they were BAD tyres. They didn't last me even 26000 kms. One "well known" Bangalore tyre dealer misled me to believe that it was the correct upsize (was not aware of tbhp). It used to scrape and also touch the side walls during turns. I never used to get more than 10kmpl in city.

But from the time i upgraded to DuraPlus (almost 15000kms +) i am very happy. I fill nitogen at 30 on all 4 tyres. The ride is comfortable, better than ES100, less noisy and even after 15000 kms, there is no sign of wear. I am pretty sure they will last 50-60K Kms if taken care of, if not 1lac kms as advertised by mannufactuer. I get 12 kmpl+ consistently in city after I changed to DP.

The only problem with these tyre is aquaplaning. Mind it is not wet performance i am talking about. When i drive at 100kms in rains on highways, at places there will be sheet of water standing on the level surface after or during rains, not a puddle. This will happen where the road is straight and there is no camber for the water to drain. When i drive over this sheet of water at speeds of 100kmph+ the car will move to the left (sometimes right) and this movement is directly felt by the steering. I am not sure whether this is called aquaplaning, but it happens to me almost all times. But on wet roads (where there is no sheets of water), there is no problem with grip.

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by hyper-VTEC

When i drive over this sheet of water at speeds of 100kmph+ the car will move to the left (sometimes right) and this movement is directly felt by the steering. I am not sure whether this is called aquaplaning, but it happens to me almost all times.

No, it is not. Aquaplaning is a gradual loss of traction, mostly on the rear wheels (less weight) and the car tends to fish tail.

When we drive over puddles at high speed, the water splashes and hits with a force greater than that of a water cannon at point blank range. Believe it or not, it can dent metal and throw the car off-track. I have experianced this on the Corolla driving at 120 kph through a large puddle. The car suffered damage to the front side of the wheel well and the fender ripped off at one end.

[hyper-VTEC]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

No, it is not. Aquaplaning is a gradual loss of traction, mostly on the rear wheels (less weight) and the car tends to fish tail.

When we drive over puddles at high speed, the water splashes and hits with a force greater than that of a water cannon at point blank range. Believe it or not, it can dent metal and throw the car off-track. I have experianced this on the Corolla driving at 120 kph through a large puddle. The car suffered damage to the front side of the wheel well and the fender ripped off at one end.

Thanks for explaining aquaplaning.

But one thing, in my case I cannot call it a puddle. Because it is in the Toll Expressway and they were 1/4th of an inch thick. I think from your experience, I should be reducing speed during rains, because driving in the night while raining, it is very tough to see these in advance and reduce speed. This can also lead to a bad accident, since when the car is thrown off and you are not holding the steering tight, chances of hitting vehicles on your sides are high.

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by hyper-VTEC

Thanks for explaining aquaplaning.

But one thing, in my case I cannot call it a puddle. Because it is in the Toll Expressway and they were 1/4th of an inch thick.

Well, in that case we can call it 50% aquaplaning. Suzuki cars like most other Japanese origin cars are comparatively lightweight; combine that with wider / underinflated tyres and the chances of aquaplaning increases.

This is going OT but if others can learn from my bad experiance then it's worth it. In my case, it happened between Satara and Karad on NE4. There was large patch of water , maybe 2 inch thick and I drove right through it

[anachronix]

Sure?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquaplaning

The grip from the tires is from the contact between the tire and the road surface. In case of hitting a puddle of water at higher speed, there is more water than what the tire can disperse and there is a film of water that gets in between the tire and road surface. So the car is literally running on a film of water at that moment when you aquaplan with absolulety no grip and feel, depending on the tire that has aquaplanned you will endup spinning in the opposite direction. The spin will be more inevitable if you happen to hit the brakes at that moment.

The 3 main factors that can cause aquaplanning:

1. Speed of the vehicle
2. Depth of the puddle of water
3. Effeciency of the tire in dispersing the water (The central grooves on the tires are there to handle aquaplanning by dispersing the water)

This video should explain it better!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQXe5dZxcw

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

No, it is not. Aquaplaning is a gradual loss of traction, mostly on the rear wheels (less weight) and the car tends to fish tail.