[Honest Review] Yokohama Earth 1 Tyres: Really Designed For India


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bhvm

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[Honest Review] Yokahama Earth 1 Tyres- Really designed for India


Hello Friends,
Last week I upgraded my Hyundai i10 to Yokohama Earth 1, In the size 175/70 R13. As we know, Stock i10 tyres come in 155/80 Size which is seriously undersized even for a small car and does not provide enough grip on sandy/dusty inclines.

I went ahed to the tyre Shop and Inspected various tyres from Applo, Bridgestone, Michellin, Ceat, MRF and likes.

Buying Experience-
The Dealer was quick to suggest Michellins which I straight away Rejected. I've already burnt my fingers with Michellins. While they may be silent and last longer, The Michs are very Puncture prone and their grip in bad roads is not that great. They're 100% City/Good road tyres. My Requirements where a bit Indian Hearted tyres which were tough, Puncture and wear resistant and a little aggressive thread for broken roads and minor off-roads.

Next came the Brigestones. Even the dealership was adamant of Bridgestones saying that any other tyres will spoil the handling and comfort of car. I already had bridestones shod the vehicle, and while they were'nt bad, the grip wasnt great either. The tyres spun out when taking an incline in Sandy/dusty road. The tyres also have a tendancy to develops micro cracks over the years.

Everyone straight away steered me away from Ceats and Apollos as they're hard and noisy. In come the Yokos! I am impressed a Japanese company launching specially launching "Designed for India" Tyres for us!

I took a good look and they where'nt lying. The tread pattern is aggressive. There are 5 grip bands compared to 3 or 4 on competition. There is a also a constant contact ring around for better silence and High speed driving. I was instantly sold.

The Dealer said 175/70 is a natural company upgrade size as cars in Europe are shod with this size only. Sure enough, they did fit well on the factory rims, Although they now baloon out from the rims compared to 155/80.

Driving Experience-
1>What stunned me first was the Noise, Or lack of it. Stock Bridgestones used to Generate a loud hum in the 60~80 KMPH range and Unbearable sound after 100 Kmph (Had to Raise stereo volume for this). The Noise with the Yokos is simply ABSENT in 60~80 range.

2>The New tyres are more comfortable on Potholes and Broken roads. Going over speed breakers is More muted.

3>There is No fouling with the fenders even on Full turns with 2 people and moderate luggage on board. I will update further with 5 people and full luggage.

4> Other Good news is that the steering Feel is the same. I had imagined that steering will get harder due to wider rubber but fortunately It did'nt

5> Taking mild corners at 60 KMPH has become a breeze and car feel stable than ever. Body roll is well controlled and steering feel is very planted and weighted on highways.

6> The new tyres Nicely fill up the wheel arches and lend a more Complete, Butch look the car. Really liked it. Also the tread pattern is interesting and looks visually pleasing to the eye.

7> I shall update the thread accordingly, regarding Monsoon drives and High speed drives.

Pricing-
The Yokos are priced at 4350 a piece. Alignment was free but I had to shell out for Balancing which was charged 540 for 4 wheels.


Ownership thread-
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...ue-boy-hyundai-i10-magna-detailed-review.html

Service Experiance-
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...-boy-hyundai-i10-magna-detailed-review-8.html

Pics-








NOTE-
My Upgrade experience is based in Going from Bridgestone 155/80 R13 to Yokohama Earth 1 175/70 R13. So the Brand as well as size of tyres have changed. You may have a different experience when Upgrading the Brand or Size alone and respectively. Thanks.
 
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bhvm

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Yesteday, The Blue boy Carried us to Gujrat on a 250 Km Trip.

I have nothing but Praises for Yokohama Earth 1s. Here is an update after 250KM Highway (2 lane and 4 lane driving)

Tyre noise at 110~130 Kmph- NIL! It has me stunned!
Tyre noise at 140+ Kmph- Negligible ( Hidden by loud buzz of engine)
Mild turns at 120 Kmph- Easy
Vehicle stability at 90~110 Kmph- Pretty good
Can be CRUISED at 110~130? - Yes!
Going over speed breakers - Good.
Wheel spin while accelerating in 1st or 2nd- None, Unless you're crazy.
Hitting small Pothole at Highway speeds- Reasonable. Vehicle kept calm and held line.

Vehicle stability at 140+ -Can be Improved. Yokos provide a floaty feeling on undulations and road joints which was absent on my earlier Bridgestones.

Braking at 90~120- Pretty good. Vehicle stops in a straight line without drama.

Braking at 140+- Not very good. Maybe the larger rolling Mass puts more stress on brakes and dulls the results. Brakes Felt linear but Stopping distances are Huge.

Steering Feel- Has stayed the same even with Tyre upgrade, be it highway or City drives. However I feel hyundai better had added a bit weight at 120+ for better highway stability.

Further drive report here-
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...i-i10-magna-detailed-review-8.html#post479055
 
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bhvm

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Had a run in slight rain.
The Brakes felt jumpy (I think i10 brakes get jumpy when wet). Otherwise the tyres were fine. This was a city outskirts run so true highway speeds are pending to see. Max speed was 70 KMPH and tyres performed well.
 
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Which bridgestone & michelin you compared the Earth1 tyres?

Is there any difference in fuel economy since you are on Earth1?

How much are the Earth1 are run now?


Nice info! It is rather surprising to see Japs designing India only tyres!
It's not new for Japs to manufacture something specific to India.
Examples:2014 Honda city, Diesel MSIL Cars etc.
 
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bhvm

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1> The bridgestones were stock B250. I never had Michellins on this car. I had them on Other cars
2> Haven't had a long enough trip to measure the FE.
3> The ODO is at 35k Kms and tyres are still looking new. They haven't seen much use though.
 
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bhvm

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Earth 1s are pretty great for hard cornering. However i10 is not the kind of car to corner with!
I've attained a max of 153 Kmph on i10 with these and things were good.

Michs use a soft rubber compound which is prone to punctures & Cuts. I've had over 5 punctures in each tyre in about 20~25 Kms age. I simply threw out the michs at 35K Kms due to uneven wear, lack of reliability and poor confidence taking them around. Went with Yoko Geos and much happy now.
 
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Hello Mate,
I have to upgrade the tyres of my honda city 2009 but confused between XM2 and earth 1, currently running on XM1 and they completed 50k km without any issue.
My drive is limited to 700-800 km per month with 80% city and 20% highways. Please suggest which tyre I should go for.
Quote I got from local dealer:
Earth 1- 4450 (with free alignment)
XM2- 5100 (With free alignment & balancing)

Regards
Piyush
 
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I am looking for 185/65 R15, mostly my ride is limited to weekends as i avoid the pathetic traffic of bangalore on weekdays.
 
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