[Prabhu]

Originally Posted by MindSpeeDs

Sounds like a good price. I am presuming u got the aceleres and not jk.

Yes, the stock tyres are aceleres.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by prabhu

Yes, the stock tyres are aceleres.

Are you sure that they are Yokos 205/55 R15 ? As far as I know they do not have that size in Yokos .
5800 seems fine for S drives , the C drives cost me 4800 each but that was in last nov-Dec 2011 - prices have moved up since then and S drives are costlier

[MindSpeeDs]

Originally Posted by souravc

Are you sure that they are Yokos 205/55 R15 ? As far as I know they do not have that size in Yokos .
5800 seems fine for S drives , the C drives cost me 4800 each but that was in last nov-Dec 2011 - prices have moved up since then and S drives are costlier

They do have that size in Yoko S Drive. However, I've read here that it has been discontinued. Been less than a month that I got them though.
Steering feedback improved quite a bit, ride is harsh but the grip and braking more than make up for it.

[ambivalent_98]

I just upgraded from my stock JKs to Michelin Primacy 195/65R15s. I don't know what others experiences are but then I feel the steering has become a bit lighter and feels different. Haven't sped more than 100 kph but I think that would be different too. Anyway got Primacys on their Vento ?

[souravc]

A quick update from my end - the 3rd C drive out of the 4 failed . Thus now out of the 4, one got shot through and through, and 2 failed through bulges ( side wall failure) which is 14-15K blow over less than 15,000 kms . Having driven C drives and seen them fail , I knew precisely when the latest one failed. Was driving day before night on the IMAX Wadala road when the car went over a gap on the road - the gap was narrow but deep and neatly made on the concrete road so its not even visible in broad daylight leave alone during dark nights when the road is unlit . There was a loud thud and from the noise I knew that the C drive is going to see a bulge. I checked when I reached home i.e. 5 kms and sure enough the bulge greeted me . The tyre has predictable behaviour

Originally Posted by Alisiddiqui

IMO BS is most suited for Indian conditions. Have stuck to them for replacement on my City and Santro earlier. Turanza range is good. I stay away from Potenzas, due to road noise issues. Have had Accelers on my Polo and Vectras on Vento. Out of the 2, find Vectras softer and better than Apollo. Also noticed uneven wear on front left tire of Polo at 19k kms. Got them rotated and asked driver to watch out on them. Plan to go for a change in an year. Will go for BS most likely. Dont understand why VW cant give Turanzas when Etios which is low cost can.

I can't help but agree with you , have more or less decided on Bridgestones

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by souravc

A quick update from my end - the 3rd C drive out of the 4 failed . Thus now out of the 4, one got shot through and through, and 2 failed through bulges ( side wall failure) which is 14-15K blow over less than 15,000 kms . Having driven C drives and seen them fail , I knew precisely when the latest one failed.

Grrr. Thats a big shame. When did you switch your tires from the stock ones I mean after how many kms? I am never going to look at Yokos any more at all when I change. I am more or less happy with the stock Apollos given the ride quality and the beating it takes on Kolkata roads.

Originally Posted by souravc

I can't help but agree with you , have more or less decided on Bridgestones

I agree. These are better. I have had them for many years on my old Zen. I don't know for whatever reason VW gave 15 inchers instead of 16. Is it pure cost cutting? Giving 16 inchers would have given so many options for wider profile tires .

[souravc]

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

Grrr. Thats a big shame. When did you switch your tires from the stock ones I mean after how many kms? I am never going to look at Yokos any more at all when I change. I am more or less happy with the stock Apollos given the ride quality and the beating it takes on Kolkata roads.

I agree. These are better. I have had them for many years on my old Zen. I don't know for whatever reason VW gave 15 inchers instead of 16. Is it pure cost cutting? Giving 16 inchers would have given so many options for wider profile tires .

I switched tyres at around the 14-15k KMs mark. Its better to wear out the Apollos but there's no denyng the fact that ride quality wise , grip wise Apollos are no match for the better ones .
I am not too sure about whether the cost cutting dictated the wheel size , the wheel well sure can accomodate 16 inchers . Maybe VW got scared by the road conditions in India and wanted to leave bigger clearances - that logic cannot be ruled out.
Btw, I am in Kolkata on Sunday - we can meet up in the noon time if you are free. Let me know

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by souravc

3. I believe that C drives have not so tough side walls - if I am wrong then my car possibly had one in a million kind of puncture / rupture due to some foreign object which conspired to screw my tyre . Will let the pictures do the talking, please note that the 2 gashes are laterally along the side wall and the one near the rim is so near the alloys that I wonder why that foreign object was never found or my rim was not scratched/ damaged. The incident was certainly not one of the heaviest thuds, the Apollos had survived much worse in the 7-8 months that I had them. Yokos refused warranty which also reinforces my belief that tyre warranties are crap . I replaced the left front with Michelin primacy , part because i did not want to spend a single dime more on Yokos ( smoking out 5K in 3 weeks hurts ) and part because I wanted to do Michelin - Yokos comparo..

Sourav,

Thats one expensive tire affair you are going through.

Looking at the pic of bulge, i can see some damage on the rim. Impact seems to be a big one, may be due to the car's insulation and suspension you didn't feel much inside.

The cut is really weird, it shouldn't happen in a tire. May be a defect or your bad luck.

Originally Posted by souravc

4. I drove around 300 km on my spare ( Apollos) . Some observations about Apollo vis-a-vis C drives were that my nitrogen filled C drives were at least a good 10 degrees cooler than my air filled Apollo

Sorry for nitpicking.
how did you measure this ?

Originally Posted by bala80

Interesting. The steering has definitely become lighter and the steering play has increased too. Can't really understand why, but could feel the difference.

This feature comes free with C drives.
Been there, Done that.

Originally Posted by souravc

I also got the following done :-
1. Brake pads were replaced . My car has done apprx 25,000 km and the old brake pads were pretty worn out . Thankfully the SA gave me a warning when he was doing the general check up and replaced it . Next time onwards , I would keep an eye out from 22,000 kms itself - I should not have run it till 25,000 kms
It cost me Rs 2925 out of which brake pads were for Rs 1800 , around 400 was labour and rest was skimming charges

Thats CHEAP for such a brilliant brake setup.

Originally Posted by souravc

2. Diesel Fuel filter was replaced under warranty

Warranty on fuel filter,
Can i have more details on this ?

Originally Posted by souravc

Today in the morning I noticed a small bulge on the side wall of my front right C drive - which means the inner fibre has been weakened or broken . It maybe a manufacturing defect or can happen if the car goes through a pot hole impact. Now if one is driving in Mumbai , I guess its one chance in a billion that the car would not go through a pot hole !
Frankly the C drives disappoint me on the build quality due to this latest episode - they give super grip , handling and braking but it becomes trying if they cannot withstand pot holed roads .
Will try for a replacement , else its time to blow 5 grand again on a new tyre

Again ! Bad luck.
Get 2 tires and put C drives at the back. Would save you some $$$

[samarjitdhar]

Originally Posted by souravc

I switched tyres at around the 14-15k KMs mark. Its better to wear out the Apollos but there's no denyng the fact that ride quality wise , grip wise Apollos are no match for the better ones .
I am not too sure about whether the cost cutting dictated the wheel size , the wheel well sure can accomodate 16 inchers . Maybe VW got scared by the road conditions in India and wanted to leave bigger clearances - that logic cannot be ruled out.
Btw, I am in Kolkata on Sunday - we can meet up in the noon time if you are free. Let me know

Yeah I am planning to wear the Apollos out and keeping fingers crossed we get some more options in India for wider profile tires for 15 inchers by the time I am ready to change at 30K. I am not sure about the bigger clearance, isn't the suspension anyway stiffer than most cars? The wheel well I think could have easily accommodated 16 inch rims I feel with enough play for the wheels. This is the only thing which looks sore to me from the side profile.

Is this another trip you are making or your previous trip got postponed? Let's meet up at least this time . I will PM you my no. and we can talk once you land here. I am assuming you are not driving .

[souravc]

Originally Posted by kpzen

Sourav,

Thats one expensive tire affair you are going through.

Looking at the pic of bulge, i can see some damage on the rim. Impact seems to be a big one, may be due to the car's insulation and suspension you didn't feel much inside.

The cut is really weird, it shouldn't happen in a tire. May be a defect or your bad luck.


Sorry for nitpicking.
how did you measure this ?


Thats CHEAP for such a brilliant brake setup.



Warranty on fuel filter,
Can i have more details on this ?




Again ! Bad luck.
Get 2 tires and put C drives at the back. Would save you some $$$

Yeah unfortunately for me its turned out very expensive . I am in love with the C drives , the way they drive, but I certainly underestimated the decimated condition of the Indian roads especially Mumbai roads.

The first cut was a bit weird - it can be either of the two , a manufacturing defect or a gash caused by the sharp object . The "thud" when it happened was not that loud too so it was perplexing - the impact was not great at all. The alloys are not damaged , got it checked thoroughly .

The 10 degrees diff is approximation , I wasn't carrying a thermometer

The brake pads costs are pretty cheap actually , given that its a VW I had expected a higher figure . Our collective experience is that the parts of Vento are not so expensive ( apart from the alloys ! ) , the labour is on the higher side though.

VW is replacing diesel fuel filter under warranty wherever required , mention this to your workshop they would know about it.

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

I am not sure about the bigger clearance, isn't the suspension anyway stiffer than most cars?

The suspension is not as stiff as fiats and fords and given the "upgraded" sinze of the craters in Mumbai I think big clearances are pretty welcome

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

Is this another trip you are making or your previous trip got postponed? Let's meet up at least this time . I will PM you my no. and we can talk once you land here. I am assuming you are not driving .

This is my previous trip which got postponed , visiting after a year and a half This is actually an official trip which I have extended to include a visit home . I am certainly not driving

[ninjatalli]

Aww shucks! You seriously are having a bad tire day/month/year, aren't you!
Hope the BS serve you better than the Yokos.

Originally Posted by souravc

I switched tyres at around the 14-15k KMs mark. Its better to wear out the Apollos but there's no denyng the fact that ride quality wise , grip wise Apollos are no match for the better ones .

Honestly, I haven't tried out any of the other tires but the Apollos seem to be made for Indian roads. I have taken the Vento on roads one would not dare to take a sedan, especially on the recent trip - and the Apollos have held on extremely well. I think you and a lot on this forum are under-estimating the Apollos on that matter. (Or maybe I'm just really lucky on that matter)

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

What, you should have driven . Would have been quite an adventure on NH6. Lets catch up when you are here.

Ah, you should have

[el lobo 6061]

Originally Posted by souravc

A quick update from my end - the 3rd C drive out of the 4 failed .

Never ever expected this. This is even worst than your JK Vectra experience. I too was keen on upgrading to Yoko S-Drives 205/55/R15, but now I won't be looking at Yoko or even Michelin for upgrade. Bridgestone Turanzas or JK Vectra would be best bet for Indian road conditions.

Originally Posted by samarjitdhar

What, you should have driven . Would have been quite an adventure on NH6. Lets catch up when you are here.

Absolutely. After my recent visit to Ganpatipule via NH17 covering 900 kms, wishing to visit more of India through four wheels with me on driver seat.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Honestly, I haven't tried out any of the other tires but the Apollos seem to be made for Indian roads. I have taken the Vento on roads one would not dare to take a sedan, especially on the recent trip - and the Apollos have held on extremely well. I think you and a lot on this forum are under-estimating the Apollos on that matter. (Or maybe I'm just really lucky on that matter)

I for matter have been suggesting, for Vento TDi JK Vectra if not then Apollo Acelere are the best suited. JK suits the best, they are hard, can take every bashing and stay stable even at speeds above 160.

On my recent trip, I too took my car on roads where if I did have Michelin or Yoko, all of them would have gone bust. Ghats section with craters, interior roads with nothing but Konkani mud and gravel and especially Maharashtra State Highway looked like roads in someone backyard.

Got so much to update about.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Honestly, I haven't tried out any of the other tires but the Apollos seem to be made for Indian roads. I have taken the Vento on roads one would not dare to take a sedan, especially on the recent trip - and the Apollos have held on extremely well. I think you and a lot on this forum are under-estimating the Apollos on that matter. (Or maybe I'm just really lucky on that matter)

My main gripe against the Apollo Acceleres was the noise that apart they were pretty nice but having driven C drives I can assure you that grip is not of the same league . I think I overestimated the tyre wall strength of C drives and under estimated the number of craters that Maharashtra roads have

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

but now I won't be looking at Yoko or even Michelin for upgrade. Bridgestone Turanzas or JK Vectra would be best bet for Indian road conditions.

I have been running one Michelin (ever since the first C drive failure) and over the last 15,000 kms they are running absolutely trouble free, puncture free. In fact when I had gone to buy the C drives Mark of Premji's Tyre Plus was mildly pushing me towards the Michelins, with the caveat that he has been a Michelin dealer for more than 20 years. Post my experience with the C drives , I am ultra cautious so would be looking at Bridgestone but just wanted to clarify that the Michelin has not given me any reason to complain - they are quiet , have grip and side wall strength is upto the mark . Rohaan, given my experience with JK Vectras its definitely ruled out . The problems start with age of the tyres and after one has done 70-75% of the life of the tyre , the Vectra complaints are related to quality issues in manufacturing , quality of rubber . Two of my Vectras failed on a flat plain road (One of them at BKC in front of NSE) while travelling at 40-50 kmph - it didn't have to hit a pothole at 70-80 kmph and the rubber just pealed off which is scary.


Driving down to Kolkata is parked for some other day , would surely do it but this time I have only 5 days for a to and from journey with stopovers at Durgapur and Patna - would have been too hectic with a Vento

[bala80]

Yep, I was convinced that I wasnt imagining things only after I read your post to my original query on the other thread. I couldnt beleive the steering characteristic could change so dramatically because of a tyre!

Originally Posted by kpzen

Sourav,

This feature comes free with C drives.
Been there, Done that.

My friend Souravc, Listen to me. Dump those C-drives and go for BS Turanza ER-60 in the same profile. You will not regret your decision at all, and your steering will become much better than what it feels with C-Drives.

Originally Posted by souravc

I think I overestimated the tyre wall strength of C drives and under estimated the number of craters that Maharashtra roads have

[souravc]

Originally Posted by bala80

My friend Souravc, Listen to me. Dump those C-drives and go for BS Turanza ER-60 in the same profile. You will not regret your decision at all, and your steering will become much better than what it feels with C-Drives.

Yes , you are my Bridgestone guru - I guess you are the only guy who would have spent more on tyres of Vento than me so thats sheer experience that I cannot ignore By any chance would you remember the price that each of the turanzas come for ?
Good to have you back Bala even though you have defected to the Japs family! Thats a cool crossover that you have now and as usual a review is expected - maybe just to complicate matters , how about a comparo between Rogue and Vento ? 175 bhp / 240 Nm Vs 105 bhp/250 Nm