Help in Selecting New Tyres for Maruti 800


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hello and welcome to TAI Mr. Shenoy [:)]. it is great to hear that you are a proud owner of Maruti 800 from past 19 years, and you maintainedi it well.
All the services and replacement of parts is good but about the engine flush , MASS guys were right. engine flush is not recommended for old vehicles and your car is almost 20 years old. i wish you will not face any engine problems shortly. And now about the tyres , your tyres are 10 years old , although your usage is less and there is not much wear and tear , but still rubber of tyres may have lost it's strength and shape. but if all of them are in good shape you can get the wheel balancing done from another place and drive your car happily. you can get new tyres when your budget permits.. if tyres have cracks on sidewalls or bulges , you should replace them as soon as possible for your safety.
 
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Thank you Saroyaji. In fact I did read few articles that it is better to do Engine Flush after 50,000Km run to get rid of any sludge etc from the Engine. In fact on opening the Engine cover by the mechanic , I observed that there was no deposit whatever ever and the Mechanic ( who is honest as confirmed by my friend and from his behavior) confirmed that the Engine is in good condition. And on my insistence only he checked the Timing Belt and suggested to change it as many Mechanic recommend t change the Timing Belt after 50,000 Km. Though I asked him to change Shell 20w40, he only recommended that Shell 20w50 Engine oil has better lubricating properties. After this service I have observed that the driving is more smoother. However while starting it gives more vibration for few seconds and later becomes smoother. And later it remains not that hot as it used to be on return and practically no vibration whatsoever. I again checked up with him about this issue, he said he has done some tuning to get more mileage as my car started giving about 10 km in the city instead of 13-14 earlier. He says within few days after refilling the petrol I can check up the mileage. As regards the tyres, i do agree with you that it is 10 yrs old now but the thread are not worn out, no no cracks or bulges and in these 10 yrs believe me there is no single puncture of these Bridge stone Tyres, whereas on original MRF Tyres I did come across few punctures. That is why I was confused why those guys did only wheel alignment this time and not wheel balancing, Because of this the ride is now not that smoother compared to before giving it for wheel alignment but it is a must after about 5000 km to safeguard other components. Of Course I will change the Tyres after some time, when I have some extra cash in my old purse.
 
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I don't know whether I posted in the wrong column because expert Mr Saroya, no other experts have given their views. Shall I search for the Maruti tyres section and repost there so it catches the attention !!!!
 
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I am New Member here, senior citizen and seek help / suggestion from experts here as regards the New Tyres for my Maruti 800 car.
It is better I give a brief details of the services I got done on 29th March 2017 and confused about what to do as regards the Tyres.
Maruti 800 Dx 1998 Model (using without running AC after the Gas R12 was Banned from 2008 or so. ) - Done up to 53800 KM till March 2017 as usage of my car is limited to city use only since past 4 years or so at an average of about 1000 KM per Annum.
Changed Original MRF Tyres in March 2006 with 2 Nos Bridgestone Radial tyres
at Rs 1250 each at 32800 KM.
Changed 2 more MRF Tyres in November 2007 with 2 Nos Bridgestone Radial Tyres at Rs 1525 each at 38890 Km.

Done Wheel Alignment and Balancing regularly every 5000 KM till 48800 KM.
On 29th March, Got the Engine Oil Flush with WURTH 250 ml, Engine Oil Change from HP Engine Oil to Shell Helix HX 3 - 20W40 Mineral Oil this time, changing the Oil Filter, Fuel Filer, cleaning the Air Filter, Changing the Timing Belt ( MGP – JK ) as the Mileage crossed 50000 KM, changing Spark Plugs, Point Condenser, Fan Belt and few Boot n Bushes etc and Full wash as usual, spending about Rs 6000 on this services with a small and reliable Auto service instead of MASS MANDOVI in Mangalore, as they gave some excuses to do Engine Flush after clogging 53000 KM saying that Maruti don’t recommend Engine Flush.
When I took the car for Wheel Alignment they did only Wheel Alignment, saying that they cannot do the wheel Balancing as the Tyres have become harder and I have to change the Tyres. There is no much wear and tear on the wheel Threads and I do not know whether the owner of the Wheel care is trying to make a quick buck !!!!!
First of all, I have maintained my car nicely for all these 19 years and now a days I use the car for only city use and hence I did not take his selling point to go for new tyres immediately.
It's somewhat true that if tyres become too old and hard then no amount of balancing will give proper results.

Also it is not recommended to drive on tyres which have become dry and hard due to age because of safety reasons.

Regarding new tyres, I am using Goodyear Ducaro Himiler in stock size and am extremely happy with them. I had bridgestones earlier, and unluckily they weren't that good.

Regarding AC, I also faced issue as my car was also originally meant to run on R12 gas, but MGP sells retrofitment kits, which can be used for conversion to R134. I installed this kit in 2015, and have no complaints with thw cooling.
In your case, the approx cost will be
6000 for conversion kit MGP
500 labour
Gas-1500
Total-8k

Everything about my 2000 model Maruti 800 DX is documented here, right from the issues of tyres to AC

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-term-ownership-reviews/173454-love-my-life-2000-maruti-800-dx-5-speed.html
 
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I don't know whether I posted in the wrong column because expert Mr Saroya, no other experts have given their views. Shall I search for the Maruti tyres section and repost there so it catches the attention !!!!
Also please avoid using flush on the engines. It does more harm than good. If engine oil is periodically and religiously changed, then no need of flush arises.

Also unless the compression of your engine is low/ it consumes oil, please refrain from using 20w50 or any W50 oil

I'd recommend you to use 15w40 or 10w40 for best results.
 
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Thank you Swiftshashi for your reply.

I understand now that I have to change all the 4 Tyres and shall do the same once I have some extra money in my purse. However I am driving hardly 3/ 5 KM around only in the city and seldom drive out of city on high way due to my age.

As regards AC, I have no intention to use it because by the time I put on my AC and before it becomes cooler, I reach my destination in the city, normally 10-15 minutes drive only. Yes MASS Mandovi here said the conversion kit costs around Rs 5000, clean all the piping and leakage and Refilling Gas etc the Cost another Rs 2000 plus labour n TAX , might come to Rs 8000.

Though I used to get Engine Oil change for every 10,000 km, this is for the 1st time that I got the Engine Flush done and observed that there was practically no sludge, carbon whatsoever and the Auto owner/Mechanic said the car has been maintained nicely. This is for the 1st Time I got Shell 20w50 oil change as he said 20w50 has better lubrication than 20w40 oil. Also I read from many articles that one has to do Engine flush after 50000 km and also to check the Timing Belt.

One more Point, I will read the article shared by you this evening as it is 15 pages and I will have to read with interest rather than just have a glance.
 
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Though I used to get Engine Oil change for every 10,000 km, this is for the 1st time that I got the Engine Flush done and observed that there was practically no sludge, carbon whatsoever and the Auto owner/Mechanic said the car has been maintained nicely.
Reasons why I told flush is bad for engine because:
1. It never comes out completely 100%. Some trace of that liquid will remain. Now I wouldn't want a foreign stuff in my engine circulating, and breaking down the new oil too.

2. In some old cars, carbon deposits hold the compression. Flush removes it, and causes loss of compression.

3. Some flushes use acidic stuff, which is known to corrode critical oil seals.


This is for the 1st Time I got Shell 20w50 oil change as he said 20w50 has better lubrication than 20w40 oil. Also I read from many articles that one has to do Engine flush after 50000 km and also to check the Timing Belt.
20w50 is thicker oil at 100 degrees, compared to a w40 oil.

One more Point, I will read the article shared by you this evening as it is 15 pages and I will have to read with interest rather than just have a glance.
Thanks sir, please find time to go through it. [:)]

I just hope that we also have the same enthusiasm for cars which you have once we reach your age.

Regards,
Shashi
 

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