Planning to change my Tyres for my 1.5 Exi Honda City. Any suggestions ?

Hi 

I drive a 2002 1.5 Exi Honda City. I am running my car currently on Alloy Wheels sporting "Michelin 185 / 65 R14 86H" Tubeless tyres.

They are begining to wear out. I am confused to stick with Michelin's only or try Bridgestone or any other brands? Any Suggestions?

Regards,

Kunaal Saigal

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How long did your Michelins last? I am asking because there was a feedback that XM1 had soft rubber compound, and therefore a low tread life.

I would still recommend Michelin XM1+ or Bridgestone Potenza G3 or Touranza ER60. These tyres are good for FE and last long.

Hi krishna,

Thanks for the response. I think you are right, these XM1's do seen to have worn out a little faster than they should have. I think they lasted for approx 25000 Kms. They still have some life left in them but I guess it will be time to change them in the next few months.

My spare tyre (same as above)is brand new, always used sparingly (could not resist the pun ), but is about 3 years old now. I am planning to go for the Bridgestone Potenza, should I change the spare also or save a few bucks and keep it - after all its hardly used.

Regards,

Kunaal

Save the sparingly used spare . If you keep it inflated, it could last you this change of tyres. Then next cycle, change the spare also, as it would have completed ~6 years (mfrs recommend to change tyres regardless of condition in 5 years time). Mostly you will change your car by then

Keeping tyres properly inflated will help tyres last longer. My set of XM1 is wearing pretty well, at ~30k now, and I expect at least 10-15k kms more out of them. Secret - baby your tyres, but inflate mercilessly!

While you change tyres, try and wring out some money from the old tyres - the dealer seem to buy them back for a token amount to sweeten the deal. Let us know if it succeeds.

Correct inflation pressure is certainly one important factor for tyre life. If overinflation is excessive, then there will be uneven wear on the tyres with the centre portion of the tread wearing out first. Underinflation will cause excessive sidewall flex (reducing tyre life)  and also cause uneven wear, with the shoulders of the tread pattern wearing out first. Correct wheel alignment and proper tyre rotation are crucial for getting long tyre life.

I check my tryre pressures every week in my Santro and tyre pressures are always close to 35 psi. There is no unevern wear, bit still I do not get much more than 30000 kms tyre life (max I can expect is about 35000 kms). Reason: High-sped driving. If speeds exceed 120 kmph, tyre life drops rapidly, as per what I have heard. Secondly, I have also heard that Expressway concrete eats up the tyres and I frequently drive on the Expressway.

Centerline wear due to overinflation was a factor in case of cross-ply tyres. For modern radials, uneven tread wear is not a factor. They hold their shape well. Even inflating to maximum sidewall pressure will not result in centerline wearing more with respect to the edges, and the eventual failure mode of tyres will still be edge damage due to wear (String of leaks along the edge).

Try the website http://www.tyrestore.in and search for the appropriate tyres for your vehicle in their tyre selector. They do a pretty good job and the advice seem useful. The prices are nto on the website. You can call them for price. They have a tyre upsizing calculator also that i use often.