Oct 27, 2007 06:15 PM
5744 Views
I have seen lot of posts regarding changing to Tubeless tires. I want to share my experiences. I have a Wagon R VXI and have been contemplating changing to Tubeless for quite some time since I had a puncture on the highway. Finally I decided to change and approached a Tire dealer in Bangalore. I had the following options - Goodyear, Bridgestone( 155/70/R 13) .
The dealer suggested Falken - A japanese imported tire of( 185/70/R 13). These are wider tires. I tried these and drove for 2 days. The imported tires are very soft for Indian Roads and are not good for pot holed roads and speed breakers. So dont go for soft tyres( Falken, Michelin, Pirelli). Go for hard tires as they are better suited for our roads. Goodyear and Bridgestone manufacture tires in India that are better suited for our roads. Also take care when you upsize. It is always better to go for same size tires. When I changed from 155 to 185 the tire used to brush against the car body when I drove over speed breakers. So please be wary of this when you upsize of change from factory fitting rim and tires. The dealer was good enough to change from Falken to Goodyear. So to summarize some factors to keep in mind when changing to tubeless are
Go for same size tires
Choose the right dealer. If you have any problems when you use new tires he should be ready to replace.
Dont use soft tyres for Indian roads
If you are using Imported tires like Michelin, Pirelli, Yokohama, Falken check if its soft or hard tires.
Cost: Go0dyear 2100 per tyre
Dont forget to do wheel balancing and alignment.
Once you change try out for 1-2 days before hitting the highway.
Wishing all a safe drive.
