Wheels
Alloy vs steel wheels: weight, repair, cost and tyre fitment
How alloy and steel wheels compare on weight, damage and repair, price and looks, and what changes for your tyres when you swap one for the other.
Tyre guides
Plain explanations of buying, fitting, maintaining and replacing tyres.
Latest
Brands
Best tyre brands in India: the makers and what each suits
The tyre brands sold in India, grouped by who makes them and where, with the kind of car, road and driver each one's ranges are aimed at.
Buying
Best tyres for your car: how to choose by the way you drive
There is no single best tyre. How to pick the right one for city, highway, monsoon or high-mileage driving, and the specifications that must match.
Two-wheelers
Bike tyre pressure: solo, with a pillion, and tubeless notes
Typical tyre pressures for popular Indian bikes and scooters, how much to add for a pillion or luggage, and how to check them properly.
Brand comparison
Bridgestone vs Michelin: how the two compare in India
Bridgestone and Michelin side by side for Indian car owners: where the tyres are made, the ranges, the warranty terms, and which to choose when.
Maintenance
Car tyre life: how many km and years a tyre really lasts
How long car tyres last in kilometres and in years on Indian roads, what wears them out early, and how to read the wear on your own set.
Electric cars
EV tyres: what is different, and do Indian EVs need them?
Why tyres for electric cars are built differently, which EV-specific ranges are sold in India, what drives their wear, and how to choose replacements.
Tyre pressure
How to check tyre pressure: gauges, cold readings, placard
A step-by-step way to check car tyre pressure at home or at a fuel station: where the right figure is printed, why cold readings matter, and how often.
Tyre basics
How to read tyre size: every marking on the sidewall
What 205/55 R16 91V means, part by part, plus the load and speed codes, XL, ZR, the date code, the ISI mark and the other markings on a car tyre.
Brands
MRF vs CEAT tyres: ranges, warranty and price compared
MRF and CEAT car tyres set side by side, range by range, with their warranty terms, and which one to choose for each kind of car and driving.
Tyre pressure
Nitrogen vs air in tyres: what it changes and what it does not
Air is already about four-fifths nitrogen. What filling tyres with nitrogen really changes, what the research found, and when it is worth paying for.
Buying
Retreaded tyres: how retreading works and when it makes sense
How a worn tyre casing gets a new tread, why retreading is routine for trucks and buses, and why it rarely suits a passenger car in India.
Tyre types
Run flat tyres: how they work, how far they go, and the catch
How run flat tyres hold a car up with no air inside, the 80 km at 80 km/h standard, which cars in India use them, and what to check before replacing them.
Maintenance
Spare tyre guide: full-size, space-saver or repair kit
The three kinds of spare an Indian car may carry, the pressure to keep each at, and how far and how fast you can drive on a space-saver.
Car technology
TPMS explained: how tyre pressure monitoring systems work
Direct and indirect TPMS compared, when the warning light comes on, what Indian rules say, which cars have it, and what to know about add-on kits.
Punctures
Tubeless puncture kit: what is inside and how to use it
What a tubeless puncture repair kit contains, how a rubber string plug seals a nail hole, and the damage no roadside kit can fix.
Buying
Tubeless vs tube tyres: punctures, repairs, cost and converting
How tubeless and tube-type tyres hold air, what happens when each picks up a nail, whether a wheel can be converted, and how the costs compare.
Tyre damage
Tyre bulge: why it happens and why it cannot be repaired
A bulge on a tyre sidewall means the cords inside have broken. What causes it, why no repair is safe, what the warranties say, and what to do next.
Tyre age
Tyre expiry date: how to read it and when old tyres must go
Tyres carry a manufacture date, not an expiry date. How to read the four-digit code, the five and ten year guidance, and how old a new tyre can be.
Tyre basics
Tyre load index explained: what the number means in kg
How to read the load index on a car tyre, the chart for common car sizes, what XL and HL change, and how to check loads for a full SUV or MPV.
Punctures
Tyre puncture repair: plug, patch or mushroom, and the cost
How Indian tyre shops fix punctures, which method lasts, what you can expect to pay, and the damage a good shop will refuse to repair.
Maintenance
Tyre rotation: patterns for every drive type and how often
Which way to move the tyres on a front-, rear- or four-wheel-drive car, how often to rotate them, and the rules for directional tyres.
Punctures
Tyre sealant: preventive vs emergency, and the catches
How tyre sealant plugs a puncture, the difference between pre-fill and emergency sealant, and what it means for TPMS sensors and later repairs.
Tyre damage
Tyre sidewall cracks: ageing, damage, and when it is unsafe
Fine surface cracks, deep splits and cuts on a tyre sidewall mean different things. How to tell them apart, what causes them, and when to replace.
Tyre basics
Tyre speed rating explained: what H, V and other letters mean
The letter after the load index is a tyre's speed rating. The chart from L to Y, ZR and (Y), what the rating certifies, and when it matters in India.
Maintenance
Tyre tread depth: the legal minimum in India and how to check
India's legal minimum tread depth is 1.6 mm for cars. Where the rule comes from, how to measure tread, and why wet braking suffers well before that point.
Buying
Tyre warranty in India: what brands cover and how to claim
What a car tyre warranty in India covers, how pro-rata settlement works with a worked example, the usual exclusions, and how to make a claim.
Maintenance
Wheel alignment cost in India, and what the printout means
What wheel alignment costs at Indian workshops, when your car needs it, and how to read the toe, camber and caster figures on the printout.
Maintenance
Wheel balancing: what it fixes, the signs, cost and how often
Why a wheel needs small weights to spin smoothly, the vibrations that point to imbalance, what balancing costs in India, and when to have it done.
Maintenance
When to change car tyres: tread, age, damage and the coin test
The tread depth, age and damage signs that mean a car tyre is due, why the coin test does not work with Indian coins, and how to check your own.