[ashimitt]

Hi All

I am buying a pre-owned Santa Fe 2WD. The car has done 46K, and the previous owner had swapped 3 OEM Kumho 235/60 R18 with MRF ZLO's 255/55 R18 earlier. The lone remaining Kumho is completely bald now, and all three wider MRFs are also due a change. Enquiries from a Delhi dealer pointed to the following quotes per tire:
Hankook - 12,700 (235/60)
Goodyear - 19,500
Continental - 19,700 (No Warranty)
Bridgestone Dueler - 23,900 (255/55 spec)
Michelin - 26,500

Initially my query is regarding about the 235 vs 255 tyre width. The 255 will give more grip on the road, will be better for highway runs, and will provide a comfortable ride. The only con will be less mileage (a friend claiming it will result in a difference of 10-15%). But because it is not standard size for Santa-Fe, (though it has evidently been running fine on MRFs till now), I would invite members' thoughts here.

Secondly, these tyre prices give someone used to 5000 per tyre (and 1st time SUV owner) a huge shock. On a side note, these tyres are also available in grey market (no warranties, no ISI mark) at a vastly reduced price. For eg, Bridgestone R18 available at 15,000. But I do not know whether the tyre is 'actually' manufactured in Japan or China, and hence would not like to go down that road.

So, I am veering towards Hankook 235/60s at the price above, unless a feedback here guide me otherwise.

Thanks!

[mints21]

You should not even be thinking of buying tyres from grey market irrespective of how good the deal turns out to be. Always, buy tyres from reputed dealers. We have to be extremely careful on these fronts as they may pose serious risk to our lives.

My suggestion is you should go with the 235. They will give you good handling and comfort. No point in going for 255 and compromise on mileage. You may also go for MRF, they are equally good and will give you comfortable ride and more kilometres.

My choices would be in this order: MRF, Bridgestone, Michelin. (No other options)

[Akshay1234]

I don't see any point in going for 255s on the Santa Fe unless you are really going to push it. 235 is more than enough. In 235/60 18 you can get Pirelli Scorpions for around 18k per tyre. These would be my choice, and I think they are used on Audi Q5s too.

[ashimitt]

Thanks guys for the input. As Akshay said, I am not thinking of going extreme with Santa Fe, and will use it for family trips usually. So have decided with 235 size only (also the manufacturer recommended one).

Mints, the grey market price I mentioned was from the Novelty cinema area in Delhi. Like you, another friend warned me against buying tyres from that area, as that area has a reputation of using re-treaded tyres which non-professionals cannot spot. Not sure whether this is just hearsay or not, but as you said correctly, there is a most serious risk with this.

I am not sure with tread-life of MRF in bigger size (sure they have good reviews in normal car sizes), but the MRF ZLOs seems to have worn out pretty fast here in the current car (I am assuming 25K, as total odo reading is 46K, which included both Kumho & MRF)

So, 235 size it is for me. But I have enquired from 3 Bridgestone dealers listed in the company site for Delhi, and they all say that Bridgestone does not sell R18 tyres in any size other than 255.

I will check price for Michelin & Pirelli again in this spec. I have heard about Michelin quality, but is Pirelli rubber suitable for our roads. As you say its used on Audi Q5, and at 18K, it doesnt seem too bad. And has anyone had any experience with Hankooks on bigger cars.

Also, would request BHPians to share their trusted shop(s) in Delhi for knowledgable staff & fair prices for rubber like Michelin/Pirelli/Yokohamas.

[IshaanIan]

The OEM Hankooks are pretty good tyres themselves and considering the price difference, I'd say go with them.

I know you don't want to hear this, but as for the car, are you sure about it? I mean an owner that is running a car on 2 different brands of tyres, not just different front and back but different all around except for one and on top of that different sizes? God knows how far his negligent ownership with the car has gone. Please get this checked by a trusted mechanic or pay Hyundai for an evaluation.

[ashimitt]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I know you don't want to hear this, but as for the car, are you sure about it? I mean an owner that is running a car on 2 different brands of tyres, not just different front and back but different all around except for one and on top of that different sizes? God knows how far his negligent ownership with the car has gone. Please get this checked by a trusted mechanic or pay Hyundai for an evaluation.

A very valid point. But my confidence in the car was due to the fact that I knew the previous owner personally, and also that the car was driven only by him all these years. I had also got the car tested, not by Hyundai though, but on two separate occasions by used-car dealerships, and their report was fine on suspension etc. There is a definite problem with alignment etc., but that I am hoping will go away when I get the tyres replaced.

I agree that as an owner, he might not have been too careful about the car though, as your inference is hard to ignore. I will now take care to get the suspension & related stuff checked thoroughly besides others, when I give the car to Hyundai for service shortly.

[IshaanIan]

Well then I'm glad that you are already aware Hankook and Kumho are both VFM brands (kinda like hyundai itself since they're Korean too ) and the quality of their products is up there too so no need to worry. If you are inclined towards the Pirellis, let me tell you that these tyres work well in our country too. So do Yokohama AVID Ascends. Oh and if you are feeling a little adventurous, you could check out Apollos newly launched Vredestein range of tyres in India. Read about them recently on the forum and they do look premium (designed by the Giugiaro design house and all). Haven't had a chance to test them out though.

Cheers!

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by ashimitt

I will check price for Michelin & Pirelli again in this spec. I have heard about Michelin quality, but is Pirelli rubber suitable for our roads. As you say its used on Audi Q5, and at 18K, it doesnt seem too bad. And has anyone had any experience with Hankooks on bigger cars.

See the Michelins and Pirellis are SUV tyres, so they will be stronger than the passenger car tyres and hence should be able to take our roads pretty well. I think both of these would be a better choice than Hankooks, especially if the price difference is within about 2k per tyre.

[ashimitt]

Thanks all for helping out a noob. I finally got the Hankooks 235/60R 18 - 107 V tyres for the car. At 12,600/- apiece. I was getting the other quotes too high. Even Pirelli at 19,800/-. The VFM factor was too big in this case.

Coming back to the tyre, the speed rating of the Hankooks is 'V' (240 kmph). Doubt that I will like to reach even 2/3rds of this speed on a highway with a SUV. The tyre stamp shows made in Korea, and manufacturing date of Sep-2013. The Tread looks quite deep to me. Atleast appears to be deeper than the 255 spec Bridgestone Duelers. Will drop an update in the coming months if there is any particular thing to note about these tyres. As of now, I am happy with the set, and will now be able to enjoy my vehicle fully.

On another note, why is there such huge difference (2.5x-3x) between prices of these imported tyres. From sub 10,000 (for a Nexen), to 24K (Bridgestone), and 28K (Michelin), to probably more for a Vredestein. Don't think this difference will be there in overseas market. Is it only the greediness on part of distributors for these premium brands as our roads are seeing more premium SUVs increasingly, or does it actually reflects the premium tyre-brand positioning. I say this as I do not find this difference very pronounced in the smaller tyre sizes.

[rana_kirti]

Originally Posted by ashimitt

Thanks all for helping out a noob. I finally got the Hankooks 235/60R 18 - 107 V tyres for the car. At 12,600/- apiece. I was getting the other quotes too high. Even Pirelli at 19,800/-. The VFM factor was too big in this case.

Coming back to the tyre, the speed rating of the Hankooks is 'V' (240 kmph). Doubt that I will like to reach even 2/3rds of this speed on a highway with a SUV. The tyre stamp shows made in Korea, and manufacturing date of Sep-2013. The Tread looks quite deep to me. Atleast appears to be deeper than the 255 spec Bridgestone Duelers. Will drop an update in the coming months if there is any particular thing to note about these tyres. As of now, I am happy with the set, and will now be able to enjoy my vehicle fully.

On another note, why is there such huge difference (2.5x-3x) between prices of these imported tyres. From sub 10,000 (for a Nexen), to 24K (Bridgestone), and 28K (Michelin), to probably more for a Vredestein. Don't think this difference will be there in overseas market. Is it only the greediness on part of distributors for these premium brands as our roads are seeing more premium SUVs increasingly, or does it actually reflects the premium tyre-brand positioning. I say this as I do not find this difference very pronounced in the smaller tyre sizes.

hi ashim,

so you have been running the hankooks for a few months now. could you give some feedback on tyre noise, ride comfort and grip. i'm considering the v8 rs 205 55 15.

thanks.

[Piyush46]

Bumping up an old thread again.

My santa fe will be due for tyre change in few months time, and I want to do proper research and be prepared beforehand as to what I want in it, thats why posting my query here.

The car won't see much of off road, though it encounters a lots of rough road and broken patches. I want a comfortable ride with peace of mind that the tyres won't give up in poor sections of road. Also, I want the tyres to be silent and provide good grip to put all the power into use both in dry as well as wet conditions. My usage is 60:40 for city and highway respectively. I am flexible with the price.

Requesting for suggestions please. Also, long term reviews would be very helpful, too.

Thanks in advance.

[vivekrvcse]

Bumping up again

Looking for tyre replacement for Santa Fe in 235 60 18, which ie OE

Currently running 255 55 18