Upgrade to Tubeless Tyres for less budget

Recently bought second hand Ford Ikon (2004 year). It never occurred to me to check the life of the tyres before buying (my mistake). It seems that the agent exchanged the original tyres (should be of 2004 yr) with much older ones (2000 year).

I visited few Tyre Dealers to inquire for upgrade from Tube tyres to Tubeless. But its costing me around Rs 10000 for the upgrade. The dealers are giving me max. 500 / tyre.

I dont want to spend a lot of money on upgrade, as I would be using car only for another 1 yr or so and also use it during weekends. However, I also dont want to run into risk of repairing tyres in middle of nowhere because of worn out tyres.

As of now, I have either of the following options:

A) Complete upgrade to New Tubeless tyres (costing Rs. 10000)

B) Upgrade to Made in China Tubeless tyres (one of my friend suggested it.. Very cost effective but quality wise- very dicey as its from China)

C) Buy used Tubeless tyres (if available.. not sure of price & quality)

D) Do not repair at all.. Let it run as is

I am open for any suggestion and advise.. Pls do share.. Thanks in advance.

Hi Sushil,

I am not an expert but would suggest to never compromise on tyres. Particularly if your car has covered a lot of distance (kms), you can (and may be you should) go in for new tyres.

Would also suggest complete upgrade to new tubeless tyres. China made tyres as well as used ones may be dicey. Why would one sell (used) tubeless tyres unless he/she has a reason to be unhappy with it ?

For evaluating option D), would suggest you to get a qualified opinion from an expert by actually showing him the tyres.

If you decide to go ahead with Option A), you may want to go through the tyre safety guide: http://www.carwale.com/Forums/ViewThread-16675.html

As Jay has outlined, new set of tyres would be the right way to go forward.

Your investment in the car as well as the safety of its occupants rests entirely on the four contact patches your tyres provide. Dont compromise on the same-get a good upgrade in size also while you are at it.

The exchange price of 500/- per tyre is also good as the same for even brand new tyres is about 1000/-

Thank you for your inputs Joy and Binoy. I appreciate.

My Suggestion would also be a new tire. Go for JK, MRF, Bridgestone or Apollo as they might a little on a cheaper side than when you compare them with Michelin, Pirelli or continental

I have found this a very useful website for tyre upsizing and related tyre information. They have the best tyre search! They have a tyre upsize calculator and the link is on the top of the page:

http://www.tyrestore.in