Unpleasant sound from JK tyres of SX4 Zxi

Hi Himanshu,

I guess none of the tyres would have avoided getting burst in this case. Last month my Bridgestone Turanza (OEM from maruti for my SX4) gor cut by an piece of metal protuding from divider.

The car is almost 3 years old and has covered about 36000 KM. I got the tyre fitted with a tube as the cut wasnt that big and more over, the tyres dont have much thread left in, just good for next 5-6K KM's and a new tyre wud have lead to 1 full threaded tyre and 3 tyres with more than 35000 KM leading to a bad drive.

Well, JK Vectra on Maruti is quite an infamous topic. I wanted to ask about the replacement tyres for SX4 Zxi model.

I am looking for tyres that are safe, long life (My Bridgestone lasted 62k kms in Maruti Zen), less noisy and not too costly. I am not a spirited driver so would not drive more than 80kmph (even on a highway).

Hi Ankur,

I have now completed almost 40Ks in my SX4 with the JK Vectra. I have recently mentioned in one another post that the tyres are pretty good. I would put my driving style as one that would be pretty suitable for a long tyre life. If you do not plan to push your tyres to the limit, JK vectra are pretty good. Looking at threads on my tyres, I am quite confident they will last for another 15K at least. Which would mean a life of more than 55Ks. That is the max one can ask for. If I continue to drive well, they may even strech a bit further.

Just ensure that when on highways (long drives) you are not driving for more than 4-5 hours at a stretch. If you have driven around 4 hours at a stretch, take a break of atleast 30 minutes. That gives the tyres time to get cold and increases their life. wear and tear is higher in hot tyres. If you take care of this and drive normally (i.e. no exessive braking and hard acceleration) tyres would last for over 50Ks.

I have completed 55000 on my stock JK vectra for sx4 VXI. I am looking to change the tyres as the time is ripe now. I have to do a lot of driving on bad rural roads. Plus i am not a sporty driver, generally i would drive with average to medium speed even on highawt. What kind of tyres would people suggest for this kind of drive.

55k kms? Thats nice, as mine I think will last at most 50k kms, but I have a slightly bent camber. If you drive a lot on rough roads, stick to desi brands. From what I have heard from a tyre dealer friend of mine, its better to stick with Apollo, MRF or even Bridgestone. I had michellin Xm1(old version) on my swift. Comfort level was good, but as the car ran on rural roads, the tyre developed a sort of bulge and was then swapped with BS. The OEM of SX4 now is either JK, MRF or Apollo. So I think you can seek more reviews about Apollo accelere and then decide about it. 

Thanks for input sanshrinand.

Yes, Foreign barnds will provide better grip and comfort. So if you plan to drive at high speeds etc. it is better to have those tyres. However if you are drviving in really bad roads stick to Desi Brands only. As Stated I have had no issues with JK vectra even after more than 40Ks.