[Garipagol]

I drive a Mercedes E 250 BE fitted with stock tires Continental 245.45.R17 95W. - Tubeless, Run flat. I reside in kolkata where the monsoon plays havoc on the road surface. The top layer of the surface disintegrates and the stone chips are exposed. In the last month itself I have had three punctures from stone chips. The tires seem to be made from soft compound and stone chips adhere to the surface and as the car is driven they get inside the surface and cause a puncture. Even though the tires are brand new (5000 Km) I am planning to change them as they seem to be inadequate for Kolkata roads.

What options do I have? Price Indications? No upsize please.

I found these having the same dimensions as the OEM

Bridgestone Turanza GR-80
Michelin Primary HP
Yokohama S-Drive
any other ?

Ride comfort & puncture resistance are important parameters. Any views from the users of these models?



Regards

[VCheng]

Look at the UTQG ratings and go for the hardest compound in that size (i.e the highest number for the first parameter).

[GTO]

IIRC, early Passats (previous gen) also had a problem with the imported Continentals that were OEM fitment.

From your list, I'd go with the Primacy HP.

Have you been able to source them though? That ISI-mark regulation has stopped a lot of tyres from coming in, unless of course you are looking at the grey market.

[VCheng]

Some suggestions for your size, but I do not know their availability in India:

Yokohama AVID ENVigor (560 A A)
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus (500 AA A), Primacy MXM4 (500 AA A) and MXM4 (500 A A)

I am using the Michelin Pilot Sports on my IS. Great tire.

[Ricky_63]

Somehow not hearing very good things about Continental. This one adds to that. Are they not good enough for our potholes or what ??

[khoj]

From the list in the OP the S drives are extremely hard and sports oriented tires, not known for comfort. Turanza GR -80 is a comfort oriented tire but should be picked up only if it is made in Japan. That brings us to the Michelin Primacy HP which would be the obvious choice if the Bridgestone is not made in Japan.

[nirmaljusdoit]

Did you mention run flat fitted on your E - class ? Its surprising that Mercedes is fitting such tires as OE !!

I would suggest either Michelin or B'stone as they are the best quality. No other manufacturer makes tires which meet the requirements & are tested adequately.

But from where are you getting these tires, i am still searching desperately for Primacy HP, as the ban on non - ISI marked tires is still in effect.

It would be really helpful if you can give me the source details !

[Garipagol]

Originally Posted by GTO

From your list, I'd go with the Primacy HP.

Have you been able to source them though? That ISI-mark regulation has stopped a lot of tyres from coming in, unless of course you are looking at the grey market.

The Primary HP is shown in their India website. I have not actively started looking for options yet. Driving the car has become stressful. Everytime I hit a rough patch - and there are plenty I keep looking at the dash for the tyre pressure warning. The holes from the chips are large and the run flat feature is no good as the tyre deflates in a flash. I damaged the tyre wall on one tyre just looking for a place to park and change the wheel !!

I will ask the merc guys as well as to what choices I have.

[Nikhilb2008]

I would just like to post here to clarify some things abut continental.

The passats came with ContiSportContacts which are super soft. They had major issues and finally VW replaced all of them with CPC2s.

The CPC2s and CECs are much more durable and are able to handle our roads quite well.

Continental is as good as Michelin or bridgestone in quality. It's the 4th largest tyre company in the world. It is standard fitment on most European cars.

[UB_007]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I would just like to post here to clarify some things abut continental.

The passats came with ContiSportContacts which are super soft. They had major issues and finally VW replaced all of them with CPC2s.

The CPC2s and CECs are much more durable and are able to handle our roads quite well.

Continental is as good as Michelin or bridgestone in quality. It's the 4th largest tyre company in the world. It is standard fitment on most European cars.

Rightly said Nikhilb2008...
Adding over to it,
Continental is one of the oldest tyre manufacturers in the world. They are into rubber business from 1871 and not to forget their quality rubber products used during the world wars. Over a century old business, continental has owned multiple brands all over the world and is one of the favorites of major car manufacturers.

Most European cars have specific tyres designed for specific applications and weather conditions. I would say Mercedes has chosen a wrong tyre for Indian conditions. Conti has one of the best quality trends in tyre industry and Conti R&D is one of the best in tyre business. Indian companies too have collaboration with conti from ages. If you closely observe the JK tires on OEs you would see an imprint on the tyres which reads “In collaboration with Continental”. Continental has been giving its technology to major tyre manufacturers and minting huge profits out of it (Behind screen).

Michelin and Bridgestone are equally good but continental also is in-line with them. Continental over last 140years in market globally, has loads of experience packed in their technology.

Quick info about tyres, from Continental …
http://www.conti-online.com/generato...yretips_en.pdf

-UB

[Maanspeedo]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I would just like to post here to clarify some things abut continental.

The passats came with ContiSportContacts which are super soft. They had major issues and finally VW replaced all of them with CPC2s.

The CPC2s and CECs are much more durable and are able to handle our roads quite well.

Continental is as good as Michelin or bridgestone in quality. It's the 4th largest tyre company in the world. It is standard fitment on most European cars.

Hi Nikhil,

Apologies for using this thread to contact you , I am a newbie ( couple of months ) and I could not figure out a way to PM you.( sorry , moderators , please)

I have a very specific query :

I bought a Honda city VMT on 22nd july .

This came with 15*5.5J alloys and Goodyear GT3 175 tyres, ride was really not that great from the stockyard at Panvel to Andheri in Mumbai and I decided to go for 195 as I drive fast and log ( upto Delhi sometime)and love to have a balanced , stable ride at speed.

Went to Milan subway next day and while the car was getting a makeover wih sun film/seat cover /parking sensor etc. , I went and checked the tyre shops around.

Most of them sugegsted michelin primacy LC, YOKO ES100 OR BRIDGESTONE MY01.

Now I have always dreamt of getting nice alloys for my habanero red city so though it was not planned but ended up looking at various alloy options too, lenso, ssw, aura, neo, plati etc.

Had heard of some pinch cut issues about michelins and that they are too soft for Indian roads , so did not know what to choose next, yoko es100 looked good in that case,dealer suggested not to go for MY01 as they were new and he was not too sure about the performance.

Got good price on stock alloys and tyres and opted for 195/60/15 ES100 and SSW Ruzz , chrome n black for alloys.

Now the ride is more planted, fun ,steering little more heavy ( which I like ) , but low speeds are bumpy , noise from the outside is high. ( i was driving a ciivc on stock alloys n tyres before and a 1.6 petrollogan on stock tyres before that )

My questions are , did I choose the right tyres, how long the ES100 usually last , what are the usual complaints , as I have not driven more than 150 km yet , should I request the dealer ( BOMBAY tyres) and ask for a change to Micheline or any other brand paying some more , I need high speed stability , highway, no way , long distance driving confidence with manageable noise and comfort in city ... should I look for a change or be hapy with ES100 .please suggest. very confused .

Secondly ,Most of the 15 inch alloys I saw were 15*6.5 and not 5.5 as stocks, I checked the honda city manual and it sugegsts 15*5.5 or 16*6 in various models ( manuals are global and general in nature and not India specific)

My SSW alloys are also 15*6.5, will that cause any damage to suspension ( considering that I have voided the warranty( what does suspension warranty cover anyway ? ) with these modifications ), mileage is already dropped by 1-2 , but I am okay with that, I am worried about the suspension though .

Is SSW a good option, seen their website , they seem to be big and good but not many SSW here on Team-BHP :(

I checked lenso's and other brands too , but did not like any designs .

Please help with your suggestions , I have been reading your posts and I think you can help me with this.

Apologies again( to you and MODS ) for hijacking this thread for my query.

Thanks in advance

[Nikhilb2008]

You chose well. The Es100s are nice tires. Will get a little noisy after 25k kms and will last for about 35k kms.

Don't worry about the difference between 6.5j and 5.5j. It won't make any difference. Those alloys won't cause damage to the suspension. SSW is a good brand but now they have also closed down their operations in India.

[Maanspeedo]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

You chose well. The Es100s are nice tires. Will get a little noisy after 25k kms and will last for about 35k kms.

Don't worry about the difference between 6.5j and 5.5j. It won't make any difference. Those alloys won't cause damage to the suspension. SSW is a good brand but now they have also closed down their operations in India.

Thanks a lot Tyre Guru

Thats such a relief, i was getting worried about this.

Oh , did not know SSW has shut shop in India , would ahve gone for any other brand then , in any case dealer said they import all these brands and 1 year warranty on these alloys is jsut notional in that case ,completely dependent on dealer's jurisdiction

Thanks again

[Maanspeedo]

Thats my new machine and object of affection

More pictures soon.

[Garipagol]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

I would just like to post here to clarify some things abut continental.

The passats came with ContiSportContacts which are super soft. They had major issues and finally VW replaced all of them with CPC2s.

The CPC2s and CECs are much more durable and are able to handle our roads quite well.

Continental is as good as Michelin or bridgestone in quality. It's the 4th largest tyre company in the world. It is standard fitment on most European cars.

I know that Continental does not make bad tires. On my car also I have ContiSports contacts 2. They are certainly not for Kolkata roads. BTW I discovered that they are not MOE run flats but MO tubeless.

Coming to availability no tires with the required specs are available locally in India !!!!
The Michelin dealer agreed to source me a set of 5 for Rs.17,000 each. from somewhere

Bridgestone threw up their hands. I guess my next stop will be the Merc dealer in which case I am stuck with Conti. But at least I can buy them piecemeal and replace the damaged one only.

Rgds