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Originally Posted by lionell Looking forward to the DIY resolution of that creaking sound. By the looks of the pics it seems to be coming soon |
Yes I have managed to solve the issue. I'm currently collecting pics so that the description of process becomes easy. The noise is from the "Head-unit Bezel". Try to place your hand over the bezel(top part of HU) when going through bad roads and see if the creaking sound vanishes.
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Originally Posted by dadu Well let me congratulate you on writing a very passionate and written with your "heart wrapped around it" ownership report.
On the topic of XL7's wheel, its diameter is 25.21"
Whereas XL6's stock wheel diameter is 24.47", so there is a tolerance of 0.74" in the arches as the body frame is the same for XL7
When you put a 195/65 on a XL6 R15, the diameter increases to 24.98" which is 2.09% more than stock
When you put a 195/60 on a XL6 R15, the diameter reduces to 24.21" which is -1.05% less than stock
Now if you put 205/60 on a XL6 R15, the diameter increases to 24.69" which is 0.88% more than stock, there might be a bulge (which IMO looks fuller) but an ideal fit
Since today's cars are all equipped with ABS and ESP, the closer you remain to stock, the better its stability electronics will perform. They are tuned to stock wheels, but 2% is within acceptable limit as tyres also wear out over time. |
Yes sir, I had considered all these points and
195/65R15 felt like the best bet to me.
195/60R15 was a bit smaller in dia, so it kind of defeated the whole purpose of upgrade.
205/60R15 is surely the ideal upgrade, but not so on the stock rims. For 5.5J alloys, 195 section is the maximum one should go for.
Additionally, I was not comfortable with the bulge(balloon effect) 205 gives on stock rims. Given the bad roads I travel on, and the bad name Michelin has for softer sidewall, this is a risk I was willing to avoid TBH.
195/65R15 are shade above the 2% range, plus with some extra sidewall, they feel like the best upgrade to me for XL6.
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@leoshashi, you would have also heard a thud sound from the back if you go over the bumps, this is due to the boot floor covers being loose enough to rock up/down. Not sure if you have fixed it, but two small strips of thick rubber spaced equally and stuck to the back inside walls of the storage will make them stay put.
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Please post a pic of how you have put the rubber. The tray surely bounces if I cross a hump at higher speeds. I have started driving as one should drive an empty VAN.
BTW I hope you have seen the
floor mat hook related pic on page 1. During delivery, your query was very prominent in my mind!
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Originally Posted by Hayek Even after nearly 10 years on this forum, one occasionally comes across a review which makes one stop and think, and appreciate the knowledge, attention to detail, and love for cars that forum members have. And this review is right up there with the very best of them. |
Thanks Sir. Such appreciation coming from someone like you, means a lot to me.
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I found your upgrades interesting - would love more colour on why a Michelin XM2 is materially better than a Bridgestone, and what model of Bridgestones the car came with originally (did I miss that?).
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The car originally came with Bridgestone Ecopia tyres. They can be best explained as hard compound, budget grade offering from Bridgestone. Michelin XM2 is on another level altogether. Tyre noise, ride quality, grip-there is simply no match. After my purchase, few colleagues in my office have purchased XL6, and I get to experience their cars on stock rubber often. After getting the superb buyback for Bridgestones, Michelins were a no brainer for me. I paid ~1300 extra per tyre.
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Wonder why Maruti does not offer this as an official add on - suspect they may get inspired to do that after reading this thread.
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Hope so. It's very easy to design and implement as an accessory.
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wish you many many miles of happy motoring with this car.
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Thanks a lot!
Regards,
Shashi
PS: Posting pics post DIY ceramic coating(detailed post coming soon) and letting it cure for full 7 days: