One option is to stick to the tyre your car originally came with. But remember that the original rubber isn’t necessarily the best. But before you begin shopping around, you need to do your homework well or risk ending up in gumboots for a ballroom dance. It’s important that car owners take time off to choose tyres themselves. Begin by answering a few questions to put you on the right track. What is the year, make and model of your vehicle? This information gives the tyre dealer an idea of what type of tyre will suit your car best. What is the brand, model, size, and type of your current tyres? Just look at the sidewall of your tyres. Always consult your owner’s manual and your retailer before purchasing new tyres. If your current tyres did not come with the car when it was new, be sure to check all four tyres and ensure they are the same. Do you like your current tyres? Do you like the way your tyres make your car handle? Do they give a good ride or are they noisy? How do they look? Feel and sound? Or how they make your car look? Make a list of the things you like or dislike about your current tyres. This will help guide your dealer to the tyre that best meets your needs. What do you want from your tyres when you are driving? Do you want a soft, comfortable ride, or a tyre that provides sharp handling and superb stability. You may want both, but that is difficult to achieve. A tyre designed for ride comfort will not handle as crisply as a performance tyre and vice- versa. What are your driving conditions? Do you drive mostly around town or on highways? Smooth or rough roads? Are the roads mainly dry or do you live in an area where the monsoon is strong. How much do you want to spend? Your dealer will be able to show you various price options for tyres that meet your driving needs. Know what you’re getting for the price. Be sure the price of the tyre, tax, mounting and balancing are all included in your estimate before agreeing to purchase the tyresMore often than not, you are likely to be bombarded by a barrage of technical jargon from tyre dealers retailers. My advice is to visit a multi-brand tyre counter - this way you can get to see various tyres from different companies - unless you have a specific brand in mind. There is speculation in the tyre market that imported tyres are not meant for Indian road conditions and one should keep away from Chinese-made or South East Asian-made tyres. This is not correct as a proper proven tyre with the correct speed rating will perform equally as well as any of the top brands. The problem generally lies with who is importing the tyres and what are they importing? In the grey market, there are tyres which look good but don’t meet the necessary safety standards nor have a service representation in the country. Thus it is best to stick to known brands which are present in India. In terms of warranty claims, all tyre companies have a fixed five-year warranty against any manufacturing defects. Most claims which do come up however are generally commercial in nature and the claim policies differ from manufacturers.Apollo reigns supreme with a clear-cut three-year unconditional written warranty. Among other commercial warranty on claims, JK and Goodyear are quite lenient while Bridgestone and MRF are strict. Foreign manufacturers like Pirelli and Michelin won’t even look at a cut tyre! To sum up, overall for general city driving and performance, I would rate the Bridgestones as the tyres to buy. If longer life or comfort are what you are looking for, then MRF or Goodyear would be my choice. An overall value-for-money buy would be the very customer-friendly Apollo tyres. For auto freaks who drive hard and have the money to spend, brands like the Michelin MXF Sports or the Michelin Certis, the Pirelli range, the high performance range of the Bridgestone Potenzas and Turanzas or the Goodyear Eagles are the ones to go for. Once you have zeroed in on the tyre best suited for you, make sure they are mounted on an automatic fitment machine and the wheel rims are free from any dust particles, which could be damaging. Once the tyres are fitted onto the rims, they should be balanced and preferably aligned for optimum mileage. It is not a bad idea to keep a note of the tyre numbers and the mileage reading at the time of fitment of your new tyres for future reference. Tyre Care Check the air pressure of every tyre at least every fortnight. Incorrect tyre pressure can lead to the inside of the tyre being damaged, resulting in tyre problems or even a blowout. Tyres must be inflated to specified pressures, which refers to cold tyres. The pressure inside warm tyres - driving causes heat build up - is naturally higher and must never be reduced as on cooling, their pressure could fall below the minimum tyre pressure. Incorrect tyre pressure causes premature and uneven tyre wear. Underinflated tyres have a higher rolling resistance which means higher fuel consumption. If a tyre is visibly damaged (i.e. has a fracture or a cut that exposes the carcass) or has an unusual wear pattern, the tyre must be taken off and examined as quickly as possible by a tyre expert. Driving over kerbstones or over a potholed road may cause internal damage to tyres, leading to a failure at high speeds. Check tyres regularly for damage from stones, nails, etc. that have penetrated the tyre tread. Also check if there are any bulges or cuts on the sidewall. Rotate the tyres at regular intervals (every 3000km - 5000km), to prolong tyre life. For virtually all vehicles, rotating the tyres from one axle to the other is permitted. In certain cases changing them crosswise/diagonally can also be advantageous, so as to reverse their sense of rotation. This does not apply to directional tyres. It is advisable to get the balance also checked at a 10,000km interval. Harsh acceleration, braking with locked wheels and fast steering movements shorten the service life of tyres. Sudden vibration of the steering wheel could point to tyre damage, such as severe scuffling along the kerb, or off-road driving over rough surfaces. Tread damage or cuts that extend to the breaker, belt or beyond must be repaired by the hot vulcanisation process. Repairs using cold or temporary repairs are used as emergency means to take you home and should be rectified immediately without any delay.