Thread: Tyre sizes: India vs. USA/Europe

You may have occasionally seen a car with oversize tyres and wondered:

• Is it a fad?
• Is it good for the car?
• Does it improve the ride quality?
• What effect does it have on fuel consumption?

And a visit to many website on Cars and Bikes would tell you - the manufacturer always fits the best/optimum spec'ed equipment to the product; don't change it.

So what is the truth, especially about tyres? Here is a comparison:

Suzuki Swift: India=165/80 R14 and 185/70 R14, UK=185/60 R15
Hyundai i20: India=175/70 R14 and 175/65 R14, UK=185/60 R15

What is the deal behind larger tyres?
Larger tyres help in the following:

• better grip due to larger contact area with ground
• better traction
• improved response to steering
• better control
• reduced braking distance
• looks good (especially with chrome-steel alloyed rims)

So why this difference?
Car manufacturers reduce the size for many reasons that especially make a difference in India:

• smaller tyres = reduced cost
• reduced cost = lesser excise = lower price
• smaller tyres yield better fuel efficiency - very sensitive for the Indian buyer
• Indian road are narrow and average speeds are not great - large tyres do not necessarily make a difference

Should you upgrade?
Definitely not if the tyres are brand new. It will cost you a lot to change rims and tyres. It is pointless to do so for new car or new tyres. A full set change of 5 tyres/rims will cost anything from 30K to 70K.

If your car tyres are up for changes then it may make sense if you do a lot of highway driving. But do consult the authorized service center on the best possible size upgrades. After all, you cannot fit a Swift tyre to an M800.

Please rate and comment on this article.

nice post! real informative. repped.

Good information. rep'd and rated.

Thanks strider and Freddie.

(Freddie, welcome back after some absence )

Originally Posted by just4kix

Thanks strider and Freddie.

(Freddie, welcome back after some absence )

thanks Kix. Freddie will be my serious, mature and reasonable poster.
unlike the wacky ones