55,000+ Kms

Our Swift has already clocked 55,000+ kms on the stock JK Vectras in just over 3 years. Though bald on the side-treads, they just don't seem to give up on the tarmac. Wet roads - thats the only place where they almost close their shop - having learnt that on our return from the last Pondy trip with quite frequent lateral shifts and roll in the rain.

Safety first - comes to the mind immediately - thanks to the trigger happy driving style which almost every day pushes the loyal Swift to its limits. Internet shows various colors and creeds - talk about rubber grade, tread patterns, season choices, terrain specifics, driving styles, not to miss 'what does 185/70R14-88H means?' Narrowed the list to Bridgestone Potenza G-III, Yokohama ES100 and Michelin Energy XM1+. It's now time for some field work.

Most of the dealers in India are actually unaware of even the basics; with recommendations primarily based on the economics - which ones sell more! If the customers are young & racy, the funkier the tread pattern, the better the tyre. The deeper the customer's pockets, the latest in the foreign brands is the best one in the lot. The location of the shop also determines which tyre is better, and so does what the dealer has ready in the stock. Thank god we have internet and reviews from trust worth sources! No wonder anything sells here, all you need is 'Yes sir, this is the best; everybody is buying this only!'

Though hard to find, you also have a handful of genuine dealers who would not sell things to clear their inventory, or because something sells like hot cakes, or try to corner you to make a particular choice. Yes they are there to make a buck too, but not at your cost; they don't just do a job, they are passionate about what they do and know what they sell. They woud listen to you, understand your need, show you the range, state the pros and the cons, and assist you in making the choice - your choice and not theirs.

Call it luck or our hard search, after tumbling through dealers of the first kind, we finally reached the one stop shop for what we were looking for. All the top ones displayed, explained and compared.  It took us no time to strike the deal in line with the recommendation, and the Swift was up on the jacks. In all it took around 45 minutes to get all the work done including balancing and alignment, and we were back on the road, ready to roll again, full on life, with the shining new Michelin Energy XM1+! :)

Michelin Man Logo courtesy Michelin website.