Tyres for TATA Indica DLS V2 (2006 Model)

I have done 34200 KM in my Indica DLS and I am planning to change the tyres. I would like to have the following questions answered:

1) Should I change 4 tyres or all 5 tyres ?

2) Tube or Tubeless Tyres ? The car came with tube tyres and some people say that tubeless are not suited for Indica. Whicih is best ?

3) Which brand to choose ?

If u want to change the tyres than prefer 14" this time for better ride quality. Go for the Tubeless of Michelin/Bridgestone. Prefer Michelin XM1+ 175/65 R14.

I consulted MRF TRAX guy this morning and he says tubeless tyres for indica won't go well and it would create constant problem because of the poor quality of rim. Is this true ? He suggested me to go for tube tyre.

I suggested you 14" means you have to upgrade rim size too. If you will upgrade to 14" you will find the performance is better. And no problem at all with Tubeless tyres. Infact Tubeless tyres are better.

Thanks Rajiv. Can you suggest some rim brands for upgrading ? What would be the cost of the rims ? Do you have any idea ? MRF guy quoted Rs.2600 for tubeless tyre and Rs.2500 for tube tyre...Would the price of Michelin be in the same level ?

if you are getting a different size, then you will have to get 5, otherwise , 4 should do fine

stock size is 165/65 R13. I suggest you stick to 13". 14" will cause reduction in pickup, and make the steering heavier. the benefit will be better stability at higher speeds and bad road handling.

Unless you have already had problems with rim bends, you can go ahead and switch to tubeless - it is the better tyre - truth is , MRF makes better tubed tyres than tubeless, maybe thats why the guy said so. There are other manufacturers who make better tubeless tyres, why not try them

you can try 165/65, 175/65 or 185/60, in the order of reducing comfort and FE, and increasing grip.

Michelin XM1 is a premium tyre. Apollo Acelere are a good VFM tubeless tyre , and cheaper than the michelin, and almost as good.

I dont think there is any problem if one is upgrading to 14" for Indica. Car is heavy and 14" is better. If I am not wrong tyre size of DLG was 165/65 R 14.

Michelin XM1+ is better than XM1 (Better life) and cost is around 2900/- per tyre. Its a good tyre with better braking too. Spend a little more and buy XM1+ (better tyres). If possible upgrade to 14" better road grip & handling. Good for bad roads too.

the DLG can live with the 14" wheels because it has more torque and power and different gear ratios. but still feels a bit slow with the initial pickup, compared to the DLS. If you can live with less pickup ( any less pickup in an NA diesel indica, and you will have to get out and push :p)

Rajiv, have you/anyone you know upgraded to 14"ers on an indica DLS?

I think we are confusing a little here.  The difference in the wheel size, power/torque & gear ratios between DLS & DLG persit in Turbo model - not in non-turbo under discussion (DLS V2).

Upgrading to 14 isn't required (even otherwise).  There will be marginal loss of pick-up & mileage.

Guys, Thank you so much for your suggestions. I visited a Michelin/Bridgestone/MRF dealer. The dealer suggested me to go with 13" rim along with Bridgestone tube tyres. He advised me not to go for Michelin XM1 as the rims of Indica (atleast 2006 model) is not good enough for tubeless tyres. He quoted Rs.2500 for Bridgestone S322 tube tyre and 2850 from Michelin XM1.

Based on dealers recommendation and the threads from various auto sites, I can see that Michelin is the best and Bridgestone is the second best in the list. Hence, I have decided to settle down with Bridgestone S322 (165/65 R13) itself.