Is the tyre quality of Indian brands improving?

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Over the years, tyres manufactured by Indian companies have been good for commuting at best. Anyone who was an enthusiastic driver would opt for imported rubber. One glance at Team-BHP’s tyre section will reveal that most talks revolve around brands like Yokohama, Pirelli, Michelin and other foreign companies. Names like MRF, Apollo, JK Tyres and Ceat have been brought up only if one’s budget is low.

Some of the older cars in my extended family had been fitted with tyres from various Indian manufacturers. All of them were fine for regular commuting, but not hard driving. Take a curve at higher speeds and you’d hear the tyres screeching and squealing!! Grip levels were quite mediocre. While driving in a straight line too, there was a lot of noise these tyres made (especially on concrete roads). Indian manufacturers used a harder compound in the construction of their tyres & only focused on durability. This made the ride quality firmer too. Ask any tyre shop owner what the mass market customer is primarily concerned with and he will tell you = “kitna deti hai” (tyre life in km) and price.

With time, Indian cars have gotten faster and more capable. As a result, the demand for superior tyres has grown too….not just from customers, but even car manufacturers. The advent of international players made a dent in the clientele of Indian manufacturers. They just had to respond. Of late, we have been reading some positive reviews of Indian tyres – especially MRF and Apollo.

Sure, the super-hard tyres are still available for the majority of the market that is focused only on durability, but the fact is, Indian brands are now offering more premium options too. Here are a few reviews for reference. Search within our tyre forum and you’ll see loads more.

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