Yokohama Earth 1 tyre

17,282 (set of four) yokohamaindia.com

My Honda V-TEC had run more than 3,000 kilometres since I bought it and it was time to upgrade to a fresh set of rubber. I had heard a lot of good things about Yokohama tyres from our motorsport guys. So I decided to check out the tyres. I browsed through the Yokohama India website and their product portfolio. The Earth 1 tyres seemed to be right for my Honda. I decided to get the same size of tyres the car was running on earlier, as the ride and handling balance was perfect with the profile and aspect ratio. Shod with the new set of tyres, the difference it made to my Honda was noticeable even as I drove out of the Yokohama showroom. The thicker construction of the tyres certainly made a difference to the way the car rides. It became even more apparent when I drove to Amby valley. The monsoons had left the roads in a deplorable state but the tyres performed well even in those conditions. The heavy downpour was making things even more difficult and the wet roads were quite slippery. But the Yokohamas offered more than adequate the grip even on the twisty sections. I was therefore able to push the car much more than I would have without the reassuring grip. Another marked improvement is that road noise has reduced significantly compared to the earlier tyres and this is very welcome. The Earth 1 tyres have been specially designed for India and with fuel efficiency in mind. Running the car for over a period of time I’m happy to say that there is a slight improvement on that front as well.