[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by twinoctober

Shankar, the wheels arch extenders looking good (y)..How much did it cost you ?

sanjeev

Approx 18.5K all inclusive- pick up, drop, fitment etc.

[DessertOnWheels]

So well, the driver called me to inform about the deformed front tyre (driver side). Falken 215/65/16. The wheel alignment chap affirmed all my tyres are gone & can go bust anytime. I've hardly done 35K on these tyres on my Yeti 4x4.
- Do these tyres last just this long?
- One Wheelie chap says my tyres are oversized & this could affect the suspension, steering etc.
- Wise men in the forum also warn of clutch damage from larger tyres.
- Should I stick to 215/65/16?
- Should I stick to Falken?
- How good are Goodyear tyres?
- I do around 2.5K kms a month.
- Braking has been awe inspiring with the Falkens.
- Steering has been behaving strange of late, with the tyres greatly influencing it's movements.

While I love the Yeti, it has not been an easy car to understand, with the learning curve a wee bit long. Maybe senior Yetians could run me through a crash course on keeping her smiling.

Please do enlighten on the tyres soon though, as I'd like them changed today. Can't run the risk of a blowout, or even worse, rubbing the other parts wrong. As you know, Yeti spares cost as much as a used small car.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by DessertOnWheels

So well, the driver called me to inform about the deformed front tyre (driver side). Falken 215/65/16. The wheel alignment chap affirmed all my tyres are gone & can go bust anytime. I've hardly done 35K on these tyres on my Yeti 4x4.
- Do these tyres last just this long?
- One Wheelie chap says my tyres are oversized & this could affect the suspension, steering etc.
- Wise men in the forum also warn of clutch damage from larger tyres.
- Should I stick to 215/65/16?
- Should I stick to Falken?
- How good are Goodyear tyres?
- I do around 2.5K kms a month.
- Braking has been awe inspiring with the Falkens.
- Steering has been behaving strange of late, with the tyres greatly influencing it's movements.

While I love the Yeti, it has not been an easy car to understand, with the learning curve a wee bit long. Maybe senior Yetians could run me through a crash course on keeping her smiling.

Please do enlighten on the tyres soon though, as I'd like them changed today. Can't run the risk of a blowout, or even worse, rubbing the other parts wrong. As you know, Yeti spares cost as much as a used small car.

In my opinion its better to stick to this size, with the extra comfort. Its variation isn't enough to cause issues with any components. Now on a performance sedan I would've said its too much variation, but the Yeti will not be pushed to such extremes.

35k is more than enough for these tyres. I had Michelins before and changed them in just about 30k which I think is the norm.

Either get these again or Michelin Latitude Tour HP which is also very good but may be quite a bit more expensive.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by DessertOnWheels

So well, the driver called me to inform about the deformed front tyre (driver side). Falken 215/65/16. The wheel alignment chap affirmed all my tyres are gone & can go bust anytime. I've hardly done 35K on these tyres on my Yeti 4x4.
- Do these tyres last just this long?
- One Wheelie chap says my tyres are oversized & this could affect the suspension, steering etc.
- Wise men in the forum also warn of clutch damage from larger tyres.
- Should I stick to 215/65/16?
- Should I stick to Falken?
- How good are Goodyear tyres?
- I do around 2.5K kms a month.
- Braking has been awe inspiring with the Falkens.
- Steering has been behaving strange of late, with the tyres greatly influencing it's movements.

While I love the Yeti, it has not been an easy car to understand, with the learning curve a wee bit long. Maybe senior Yetians could run me through a crash course on keeping her smiling.

Please do enlighten on the tyres soon though, as I'd like them changed today. Can't run the risk of a blowout, or even worse, rubbing the other parts wrong. As you know, Yeti spares cost as much as a used small car.

I changed my OEM Yeti 4x4's GoodYear Excellence Tyres (size 215/60/16) at about 34K Kms in March. The vehicle is almost 5 years old. They were beginning to wear out and I have been experiencing punctures over the last 9 months or so.

So I bought 215/65/16 Sized Falken Wildpeak tyres from Paytm at a really good price.
Now the vehicle has done about 36K Kms until now (I don't drive much these days which is why the mileage on my Yeti is very low - I must be doing perhaps around 500-600kms per month max- one full tank of Diesel more or less) and these tyres are just about perfect. The low driving is because of lots of travel, nothing else.

I would say in the Yeti 4x4 35K kms is about the life of any tyre.

I like the Falkens - they are nice and tough and will give you decent usage on these lousy roads that we drive on.

[DessertOnWheels]

Thanks Shankarji & Akshayji. Since one of the wheeler dealers (pun intended) was a Goodyear guy, he spoke ill of Falken. Somehow, he didnHapp't inspire confidence when I asked a few technical questions too.

Due to the prolific usage, the frequency of issues is obviously higher in my car. Maybe I should get the Crysta after all.

I shall meet Sign Tyres (Sion) tomorrow & get the rubbers changed.

Thanks again & happy motoring.

[DessertOnWheels]

New shoes for the Yeti. Michelin Primacy 3 ST 215/60/R16 99V. Rs. 9200 each.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by DessertOnWheels

New shoes for the Yeti. Michelin Primacy 3 ST 215/60/R16 99V. Rs. 9200 each.

You went back to the stock size? I'm sure the ride must be as good with these Primacys, as it was with the larger size. Do be a bit careful with these tyres, are they are car tyres built for comfort and not SUV/Crossover tyres. So on rough roads and bad bumps you will need to watch out a bit.

[DessertOnWheels]

Akshayji, thanks for the advice. I shall be wary. For sure I'm never trying off roasting with my Yeti. As for bad roads, I'm guessing I have to take it really easy on the speed. The dealer highlighted about a coating on the side walls (specific to Michelin) that helps the tyres outlast other brands. The condition on my Falkens were deplorable indeed & it on its way to destruction. I'm hoping the Michelins shall last longer & wont tear off like Falken.

After changing tyres, I drove hardly for 4 kms. I couldn't feel anything extraordinary on the ride, but the steering felt lighter for sure.

Let's see how they behave on the highways. Shall take her to Pune next week.

[breakneck]

my car has done 50k on the falken wildpeak 215/65 r16 with regular alignment,balancing and rotation with a fair bit of tread still left,was planing to get goodyear excellence in 225/60 r 60 98w available on industrialbuying.com for 34k,as i wanted a softer tyre to improve ride quality and it seems to be of slightly better (98W)specification than the stock excellence tyres(95H),but i am confused between the two falken vs Goodyear excellence

[sumzup]

Originally Posted by DessertOnWheels

So well, the driver called me to inform about the deformed front tyre (driver side). Falken 215/65/16. The wheel alignment chap affirmed all my tyres are gone & can go bust anytime. I've hardly done 35K on these tyres on my Yeti 4x4.
- Do these tyres last just this long?
- Should I stick to 215/65/16?
- Should I stick to Falken?
- How good are Goodyear tyres?
- Braking has been awe inspiring with the Falkens.
- Steering has been behaving strange of late, with the tyres greatly influencing it's movements.

Hi DOwheels, my Yeti has completed 79000 km and this is my second set of tyres after the O.E fitment. The O.E lasted 32000 km and was really marred with lots of punctures. The First set were Vredestein 225/55/16 and they were like "wow". I found not only braking was to be awesome but gave me more straight-line speed (I do not overspeed and don't advocate it either), and the body-roll reduced to a minimum(could be due to the 55 profiles). Cornering becoming more profound not to forget the aquaplaning (more than what Yetis' are renowned for), and these lasted me 43000. Now, I've put on Falken Wildpeak 215/65/16 and the below are my observations.
1. The GC has definitely improved. The Tyre is more pronounced in the well and full with the 65 profile
2. The thud which I would feel with the earlier tyres on a pothole has reduced considerably.
3. The thread on Falken is not inspiring at all. Lot of Gravel/smallish-medium and medium stones get easily stuck and you kind of get worried all the time about them piercing the rubber; though the sidewall is much stronger than the O.E tyres. This could be more due to them being manufactured in India.
4. The braking is bad when there is gravel which tests your confidence.
5. The roll is more than before
6. My overall speed has reduced and this either means that the grip on the tarmac has increased or the thread is an hindrance
7. I guess finally this also seems to have an affect on my mileage

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

In my opinion its better to stick to this size, with the extra comfort. Its variation isn't enough to cause issues with any components. Now on a performance sedan I would've said its too much variation, but the Yeti will not be pushed to such extremes.

35k is more than enough for these tyres. I had Michelins before and changed them in just about 30k which I think is the norm.

Either get these again or Michelin Latitude Tour HP which is also very good but may be quite a bit more expensive.

Akshay, I'm slightly off from your opinion. Body-roll is a letdown and negates the comfort got due to the 65 profile. Also, IMHO, better the rubber/threads better the mileage and miles on the rubber not discounting the compound itself. (I may be wrong here)

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by sumzup

Akshay, I'm slightly off from your opinion. Body-roll is a letdown and negates the comfort got due to the 65 profile. Also, IMHO, better the rubber/threads better the mileage and miles on the rubber not discounting the compound itself. (I may be wrong here)

You are probably right. But my opinion was formed comparing them to the stock Goodyears and then the 215/65 Michelins. Since you used 225s previous which would have a wider contact patch, the handling and braking would be superior. Not to mention the Vredsteins in that size would have probably been car tyres, and not HT tyres like the Falkens or Michelins which are made more towards being tough than outright grip or comfort.

In my case, after going a size up from the stock 215/60 to 215/65 there was no change in body roll, and the braking improved due to the better tyres, and so did the comfort due to more sidewall.

For someone like me whose Yeti is used a fair bit on bad and broken roads, 215/65 and these tyres are far better and give me much more peace of mind than getting passenger tyres in 225, which would be better for more on road driving.

[sumzup]

Originally Posted by Akshay1234

For someone like me whose Yeti is used a fair bit on bad and broken roads, 215/65 and these tyres are far better and give me much more peace of mind than getting passenger tyres in 225, which would be better for more on road driving.

Hi Akshay, yup Bro, you are right on the 225 tyres from vredestein being more for the highway but they did not disappoint on the bad stretches; of course, they were not made for the bad roads and I did not do anything beyond level-1 off-roading during the time I had them. They did not screech or yell for attention when driven on the bad roads till about 30000 kms. Whereas, in the case of Falkens, I have not even driven 5000 km it acts like "touch-me-nots" and loses grip. Also, I have noticed that the depth of the thread is not very inspiring compare to the previous tyres. So my observation above has been more on those mentioned, and certainly I'm not discounting the build of sidewall which is definitely far more superior.

Lets hope what you are saying comes true with me as I am planning a drive to Leh from Bangalore next week and I bought the 65 profiles specifically for my drives and fortunately this one sure is going to be a real testser. Cheers

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by sumzup

Hi Akshay, yup Bro, you are right on the 225 tyres from vredestein being more for the highway but they did not disappoint on the bad stretches; of course, they were not made for the bad roads and I did not do anything beyond level-1 off-roading during the time I had them. They did not screech or yell for attention when driven on the bad roads till about 30000 kms. Whereas, in the case of Falkens, I have not even driven 5000 km it acts like "touch-me-nots" and loses grip. Also, I have noticed that the depth of the thread is not very inspiring compare to the previous tyres. So my observation above has been more on those mentioned, and certainly I'm not discounting the build of sidewall which is definitely far more superior.

Lets hope what you are saying comes true with me as I am planning a drive to Leh from Bangalore next week and I bought the 65 profiles specifically for my drives and fortunately this one sure is going to be a real testser. Cheers

The Falkens will definitely lose grip as compared to the Vredsteins. Also moving from passenger tyres (sporty ones too) to these HT tyres requires a change in driving style. You cannpt expect the same levels of grip or cornering.

Don't worry about the tyres in Leh, they can take the abuse. These Falkens really are pretty tough. That said don't go out and try and push it hard over bad roads, even the most tough of tyres can get cut sometimes

[shankar.balan]

These Falken Tyres are nice. But it is correct that the tread pattern is quite wide and yes, little pebbles and stones tend to get stuck between the treads.
But the tyres themselves are tough and can take the normal levels of abuse that we subject them to, on the lousy road surfaces of Bangalore and other parts of the Great Urban Indian Off Roading experience. Certainly better than the Goodyear Excellence OEM Tyres for sure.

[Spectator]

At 83.5K kms, I got the second change of tyres for my Yeti. Geolander AT/S 215/65/16 @ Rs 8250/-. Obviously freely available in Chennai 'cos my dealer got them in 45 minutes. He also said a new pattern called Geolander SUV too is available - less noisy apparently.
My first set of OEMs gave me 30K. The next set of Yoko C gave me about 53K.