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Tyres in Focus - Upsize but don't oversize
   
Source June 2002
   Introduction
  Down the Road
  Not just Black and Round
  The Need for speed
  Upsize but don't oversize
  Down the tube
  When to change a tyre?
  How to choose a tyre
  Tyre tips
  Choosing the right tyre
Low profile and wide tyres certainly enhance the looks of a car and this is the main reason why motorists go in for them. However, switching to different sized tyres can have serious dynamic implications which need to be understood.

Lower profile tyres improve the steering response and overall handling but dramatically reduce ride comfort. For our road conditions with speedbreakers and broken patches, low profile tyres are not advisable and it's best to stick to the original size, or something close.

What you could do if you are looking for better performance is to go in for a tyre with a higher speed rating. As a general rule, tyres with a higher speed rating also perform better.

However, if you do want to go in for a low-profile tyre you need to ensure that the overall circumference of the tyre doesn't change dramatically as this could affect the ground clearance, speedometer readings and gearing of the car. This might mean changing over to a larger rim size to compensate for the shorter sidewall height of the low-pro tyre.

This is where the 'Plus One/Plus Two concept comes in (see table alongside). The whole objective of the 'Plus' concept is to arrive at the right wheel/tyre size combination that maintains the vehicle's original tyre diameter. If the diameter is too small, the ground clearance could become too low and the car could ground. If the diameter is too big, the gearing could become taller and affect the car's performance and there is a danger of the tyre fouling with the wheel arch.

Another myth is that fitting fatter tyres gives a better road contact. Car manufacturers do keep in mind that with replacement tyres owners may go in for an 'upsize' and therefore most manufacturers advise upgrading of a size or two (upto 20mm).

Fitting wider than what is recommended not only leads to instability and poor performance but may also prove to be dangerous. It has often been seen that too wide a tyre not only leads to aquaplaning but also cannot produce the required traction needed for the car. This is because the wider tyre results in a different camber and in effect reduces the actual contact patch or footprint of the tyre.
MANUFACTURER VEHICLE
MAKE		 MODEL WHEEL-BASE
(in mm) 		TYRE SIZE
O.E.		 STD
RIM
SIZE		 UPSIZE RIM SIZE
DAEWOO CIELO STANDARD, CNG 2520 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5.5
NEXIA   2520 185/60-R-14 5.5    
MATIZ SD, SS, SG, SA 2340 145/70-R-13 4.5 155/70-R-13, 165/65-R-13 5, 5.5
FIAT UNO 1.2 EL, EL AC, ELX, TREND, TREND AC 2362 145/80-R-13 4 155/70-R-13, 165/65-R-13, 185/60-R-13 5, 5.5
DIESEL 1.2 TREND, AC, EL, ELX, EL AC 2362 145/80-R-13 4 155/70-R-13, 165/65-R-13, 185/60-R-13 5, 5.5
SIENA ED, ELPS, ELX XP 2360 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5.5
SIENA 1.6 ELXPS, ELX PS SP 2360 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5.5
DIESEL ELPS, EXLXP, EXLSP 2360 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13  
WEEKEND ELXPS. ELX SP PS 2423 175/65-R-14 5 195/60-R-14  
WEEKEND D ELX, ELX SP 2423 175/65-R-14 5 195/60-R-14  
PALIO 1.2 ELX   165/80-R-13 4.5 185/70-R-13, 195/65-R-13  
PALIO 1.6 GTX (ALLOY O.E)   175/65-R-14 5 185/60-R-14, 205/55-R-15  
FORD IKON 1.3 CLXi, CLXi PAS, EXi 2486 155/80-R-13 4.5 175/70-R-13, 185/65-R-13, 5, 5.5, 6
IKON 1.6 ZXi, SXi   195/60-R-13      
IKON 1.8 DIESEL ZXi 2486 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5, 5.5, 6
H.M. AMBASSADOR NOVA DIESEL DELUXE 2464 5-90-15 4.5 165/80-R-15, 185/70-R-15, 4.5, 5, 6
  2000 DSL (BE/TG/RDL)       205/65-R-15, 215/60-R-15  
AMBASSADOR 1800 MPFI, CNG BIO FUEL 2464 165-R-15 4.5 165/80-R-15, 185/70-R-15,  
          205/65-R-15, 215/60-R-15  
CONTESSA 1.8 GLX AC, 2.0 DL 2667 6-40-13 4.5 175/80-R-13, 185/70-R-13  
HONDA CITY 1.3 LXi, EXi, 1.5 EXi, EXi (S) 2500 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5.5, 6
    2500 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5.5, 6
CITY 1.5 EXi AT 2500 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13  
CITY 1.5 VTEC {ALLOY O.E.} 2500 175/65-R-14 5 185/60-R-14  
HYUNDAI SANTRO LE, LS, GS 2380 155/70-R-13 4.5 165/65-R-13, 185/60-R-13 5.5/6
ACCENT GLE 1, GLE 2,GLS, GLX 2440 155/80-R-13 4.5 175/70-R-13, 185/65-R-13,  
  DLS   175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13  
MAHINDRA BOLERO GLX, 2WD, 4WD 2680 215/75-R-15   225/70-R-15, 245/60-R-15  
MARUTI 800 EURO II, EX EURO II, AC/TG 2175 145/70-R-12 4 155/70-R-12, 165/65-R-13 5, 5.5 (13)
OMNI EURO II, XL, XL MPFI 1840 4-50-12 4 145/80-R-12  
GYPSY KING ST, HT 2375 F-78-15 4.5 195/80-R-15, 205/70-R-15  
ZEN LX EURO II, VX EURO II, 2335 145/70-R-13, 4 155/70-R-13, 165/65-R-13,  
  VXi PS, AT   145/80-R-12   185/60-R-13  
WAGON R LXi, VXi, AX 2360 145/70-R-13 4 155/70-R-13, 165/65-R-13,  
          185/60-R-13  
ALTO LX, VX, EURO II 2360 145/80-R-12 4 155/70-R-12, 165/65-R-13  
C180         215/55-R-16, 205/55-R-16  
E240, E220 V6/V6-AT, CDI/CDI-AT 2833 215/55-R-16 7 225/50-R-16, 235/45-R-17  
MERCEDES C200 CDI CLASSIC, ELEGANCE   195/65-R-15 6 205/60-R-15, 225/50-R-16, 6.5 (16")
C180         215/55-R-16, 205/55-R-16  
E240, E220 V6/V6-AT, CDI/CDI-AT 2833 215/55-R-16 7 225/50-R-16, 235/45-R-17 8 (17)
S320L   3085 225/60-R-16 6.5 235/60-R-16, 7
          245/45-R-18 8.5
MB100, 140D 12-SEATER, 15-SEATER 2455 195/75-R-16 5.5    
MITSUBISHI LANCER GLXi(P)/GLXi (D) 2500 175/80-R-13 5 185/75-R-13, 195/70-R-13, 5.5, 6
  SLX(I), SLX(D), SFX(I)       195/65-R-14 6
OPEL ASTRA ADVANTAGE, CLUB (P) / 2517 165/80-R-14 4.5 185/70-R-14. 195/60-R-14 5.5, 6
  1.6 GLi          
  ADVANTAGE DIESEL, 2517 165/80-R-14 4.5 185/70-R-14, 195/60-R-14 5.5, 6
  1.7TD, CLUB          
CORSA 1.4 GL,GLS, 1.6 GSi 2443 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5.5, 6
  1.6 ROYALE, SWING 2443 175/70-R-13 5 185/65-R-13, 195/60-R-13 5.5, 6
TATA SUMO SE, STANDARD, DELUXE 2400 195/80-R-15 5.5 205/75-R-15, 215/70-R-15, 6 7.5
SUMO TURBO 2400 215/75-R-15 5.5 205/75-R-15, 215/70-R-15, 6 7.5
          30 X 9.5-R-15  
SAFARI 4 X 2 / 4 X 4 2650 235/70-R-15 6 31 X 10.5-R-15 8.5
INDICA Li, LSi, LXi, DL, DLE, DLX 2400 165/65-R-13 4.5 165/65-R-13, 185/60-R-13 5.5
INDICA DL, DLE, DLX, DLS 2400 165/65-R-13 4.5 165/65-R-13, 185/60-R-13 5.5
TOYOTA QUALIS FSB4 / GSC5 (10-SEATER) 2500 175-R-14 C 5 195/70-R-14 C, 205/70-R-14 C 5.5, 6
QUALIS GST B6 (8-SEATER) 2500 175-R-14 C 5 195/70-R-14 C, 205/70-R-14 C 5.5, 6
 

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Tubeless Tyres - A Sleepy Hollow
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The Need for Speed
What makes a Tubeless Tyre?
Source June 2002
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