New Tyres
New tyres…..what pops in mind first. Endurance., comfort., style., grip., etc…etc….tyres are critical part of the car that links the car to the ground. While making a buying decision, we have multiple choices and tires are no different. Though factors like price and performance play an important role, look and aesthetics also impact decision making to a large extent.
Thumb rule:
- one should not exceed the original tyre’s outer diameter by 3%.
- For every 10mm increase in width of tyre, the sidewall height (or aspect ratio) should be reduced by 5 percent.
Technically, tyre up sizing can be performed in two ways:
- Wider tyres in original wheels
- Upgrading to larger wheels and wider tyres
Advantages of Tyre Up sizing
besides a cosmetic uplift, tyre up sizing brings the following benefits for owners.
- Personalization- increased side wall flex adds to plush ride
- Ground clearance- Confirmed by various members up to 5mm extra GC.
- Better braking- Wider section tends to hold the ground better
- Cornering stability- prevents under steering more than skinnier 175 section tyres.
Disadvantages of Tyre Up sizing
Despite the aforementioned benefits, tyre up sizing also has a few significant drawbacks that discourage many car owners.
- Weighted Steering: larger contact patch tends to heavy steering
- Low Fuel Efficiency: Marginally hence negligible
- Wrong Speedometer Reading: inappropriate up sizing leads to lesser speedo readings
- Reduced Acceleration: Increased weight of wheels and tyres
Now the new tyres story
All the five 10 year old Michelin XM1 tyres have become weak and one among them was badly bulged. The sales person agreed to swap it with spare tyre for time being. Quickly after I ordered the key cover, started searching in the internet for new tyres. After some search i came to know about the above mentioned facts and criterion for tyre up sizing. Stock tyres are Michelin Energy XM1 sized 175/65 R15 and after seeing many positive reviews and threads, was very much satisfied to upgrade to Michelin XM2 195/65 R15 since primacy 3 ST was a bit costlier. Initially I searched online stores for availability and price variations. Since the estimated delivery period was very long, decided to visit the tyre market. Next day after delivery took the car for a quick spin. My first ride impressions was very good. The car pulled smoothly from the parking space. Quickly turned OFF the radio to check whether any noise creep into cabin. Didn’t hear any noise or rattling sounds(except some road noise). After 15 kms of driving, initial impressions were, the floor board didn’t vibrate which was prone in swift(from my experience). The refinement level and power was more than expected from the ten year old motor. Seats were well cushioned with average contouring. Me and my dad fit well in the seats, somehow rest of my family likes the swift’s back seat cushions more than the city’s.
Reached
B.M.LAL BROS, Royapettah authentic Michelin tyre dealers with good reputation. The dealer informed that XM2s were replaced by XM2+ few months before. In our favor the dealer’s dad owned same year city smt with 195 section tyres. We compared both the cars side by side. As per the car owner, the tyres didn’t make any change when 2 or 3 onboard including driver.He also said the 195 sections along with spacers will make a lot of difference to the GC. I explained the dealer that the car was newly purchased and is it better to stick with the stock to know the original handling of the car. After some good conversation, we decided to stick with stock 175 sections, since mostly only 3 of us will be travelling. Our urban usage will be 500 kms/month maximum for some more time and there would be 1-2 highway trips to Kanniyakumari (750 kms approx) and 3-4 Bangalore trips(400 kms approx)yearly. December manufactured tyres were available at that time. Ordered 4 tyres and got it fixed. It took almost 30 mins for swapping with the new tyres. Filled the tyres with nitrogen and got the wheels aligned from them itself. Two of the old tyres were bulged on inner side walls.As it was good time, checked wheel wells for any rust formation, and the result was positive no evidence of rust.
With the new tyres the changes were evident on the tarmac. The car rolled smoothly over the bitumen and the road noise was reduced considerably. Drove gently back to our home. Though didn’t get what we expected, we were pretty much satisfied with the new buy. GC was not a big issue for our usage. Apart from the hospital entrance, the car glides over most of the speed breakers smoothly. Sometimes she does show some respect to the road with a gentle kiss but not a great deal breaker. To our surprise, on the airport run 25 kms away from my home the car served well. There were 5 people onboard and 4 trolleys and 3 shoulder bags altogether weighing 70 kgs in the dickey. The car scraped only once while exiting our street on front right mudflap(it was a right turn + speed breaker situation). After few Kms there were series of speed breakers, the car didn’t scrape even once. Though dad and me were a bit confused, few of you may know the real reason. It would be great if you all share your knowledge about the same.
Tyres: Michelin Energy XM2+ 175/65/R15
Manufactured at: December 2019
Cost: Rs 20000(including GST)
Wheel alignment: Rs 400
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