Yesterday, 1st May 2021 I replaced the four tyres of my Duster with Goodyear AT Silentrac. The odo showed 50,0266 Kms. The cost came to Rs 30,200 plus Rs 940 or so for balancing and alignment. I bought them from Minku Agarwal's Indo Radial near Ganja Park.
The OE set of Apollos were not rotated properly in the last several thousand kilometers resulting in the front tyres losing all tread. One of them - the front right hand side one - developed a crack. In fact it sort of collapsed one evening as we were coming home from office - luckily right in front of the gate of our house - and it was found to be beyond repair. The rear tyres were relatively better but were not worth keeping for more than a thousand kilometers or so.
I went for Goodyear because the reviews said they were silent, gave more miles and were made 70:30 for highway and off roads. That suits me fine.
My other option was Yokohama Geolander which is an entirely All Terrain tyre. I had used Yokos before in my Esteem. Wasn't very happy relative to my Michelins. Also, my use is almost entirely paved city or highway roads. There is hardly any chance of going off roading. The Yokos looked more macho though and I had almost bitten the bait. But a few Youtube videos convinced me to go for Goodyear.
My first impression after a short drive to Mezda's and back is that the tyres are smooth, though not quite as smooth as the first Michelins were. The car rolls much faster and better on these compared to what I had. They also bring the car to a standstill much quicker. I have to rotate them every 5K and maintain them properly by checking the air pressure once every month. Regrettably this is not something that I did with my Apollos.
After the front right tyre broke, the tyre repair guy at Deshapriya Park offered to sell me a second hand tyre with good tread depth. It was an MRF tyre he was offering for Rs 3K. I am sure it would have come down to half of that. I could use it to replace the other front tyre (which could give way in a similar way any day), make the older one my spare tyre and continue to use the original spare on the other side. I decided not to do this. First of all I do not know what I buy when I buy a used something. I do not want to go on long tours with something unknown. They are also often stolen tyres. It is very odd that he should have just one tyre for sale. Also, the rear tyres (image on the left) weren't in any great shape either. If I have to go to Delhi and travel some 3,000 kilometers then that might not be very dependable. So I opted for the entirely new set.
I am reasonably happy to have these tyres. I should have perhaps changed the tyres much earlier. Unless I keep the vehicle for another 50,000 kilometers, it is a loss. The vehicle is now seven years old. We intend to sell it in another couple of years or so, before it completes 10 years. I do not see myself driving this vehicle for 50,000 kilometers in the next two years. Even if we go to Delhi a couple of times and go to Ladakh that number will not be achieved. Anyway, a good set of tyres will add to the resale value of the vehicle.
May 24, 2021
In these 23 days I have been able to drive the car for only 300 Kms or so. It rolls beautifully. Very smooth. Much less rolling resistance than my Apollo. Stopping distance and grip on wet road is also excellent. I think I am quite happy to have bought these tyres. What remains to be seen is how the tyres wear out.
