Welcome to the Jungle!

Deep within the bowels of this amazing city of ours, there exists a green lung that is one of the most abused public spots. Officially it is known as the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. More commonly known as the Borivli National Park. An entrance gate that is dwarfed by a flyover, the park is a mere blur in the windows of the people zipping on that flyover.

For a select few, this park is one of the last remaining oasis in this concrete jungle of ours. The worst time to come visiting this place is on a Sunday, when the hordes amass upon this green lung and choke it to gasping point with their abusive ways.

The best season to come visit this place is from June to September. These few months, this place transforms into a magical world. A modern day, city version of wonderland. The sheer variety of colours on display make it a dream come true for every photographer/painter worth their salt.

During the rest of the year, it would be advisable to visit it during weekdays. If a weekend visit is unavoidable due to the rat-race, then its best to enter before 7 am so that you get 3-4 hours of peace before the rowdy picnickers invade the place.

Like a jewel with multiple sides, the park begins to reveal its secrets to those observant enough. Go take a walk in the park or pedal away to glory. Hit the toy-train to take a step back into time, when life was slower and simpler. If you feel its too kiddish for you, then get off it and follow the track as the train chugs away from you.

If the railroad is not up your lane, then get off the track and follow the path of the river that snakes its way through the park. Another alternative would be to walk down to the tourist information center and take off on a safari into the wildlife enclosure. Here you can get up close and personal with the lions, tigers and leopards that reside there. A note of caution here, although the animals here are well cared for, do not attempt to tempt fate unless you have nine lives to your credit.

By now you must be running a little low on energy and the first of the crowd invasion coming in. So, hop across to the restaurant across the entrance and refuel yourself for life in the concrete jungle.

A puncture-proof drive - The Holy Grail for Auto-Manufacturers.

Ever since the pneumatic tire was invented, tire manufacturers have been chasing the holy grail - a tire that never punctures!

So why then do companies chase such a mirage.

The answer is cost and performance gains. Confused...read on.

If a vehicle were to have tires that would never deflate, it would make the spare tire excess baggage. And the best way to performance gains and reducing fuel consumption would be to pare off excess weight. And it may not appear so, but the weight of a spare tire, the Jack and the associated mounting-unmounting paraphernalia do add up to the weight of a young child.

To the car designers, they could very well use all this space to provide a larger fuel-tank, a better suspension or just more boot-space. For the car user, he/she would be rescued from the chore of having to attend to a flat-tire forever. And to top it off, he/she could in theory get a more fuel efficient car/ a better performing one or just one with a larger boot to take in all the adventure equipment or shopping bags.

So why then are these tires not as popular as their regular tube-less counterparts!

The answer lies in the fact that tires are a huge factor in deciding how a particular vehicle rides or handles while out on the road and off it.

So far with pneumatic tires, by virtue of the time spent understanding them, the rubber-wizards have gotten pretty good in the dark art of churning out tires that are competent enough to handle the rough and tumble of the tarmac world.

For example, a stiffer side-wall reduces flex and thereby enabling it to grip the road and corner better. However, the same stiff side-wall ensures a jaw-breaking and harsh ride. On the other hand, while a soft sidewall will flex more, thereby ensuring a cushioned ride, it will reduce available grip. Similarly, a harder compound tire will wear slower and be less prone to punctures than a softer compound tire that would wear faster and be more prone to punctures.

The tire tech guys have become well accustomed to playing one parameter against the others to get the desired performance out of pneumatic tires as per the ride/handling brief. With Run-Flats however, it is still very early in the learning curve for them. This is reflected in the ride/handling performance of the vehicles shod with run-flats and the opinion of customers the world over.

In India, the situation becomes even more peculiar. Run-Flats traditionally have a stiff side-wall and flex much less in comparison to pneumatic tires. In addition, their construction affects their ride quality in a negative manner. Besides, with the still 'under-development' nature of the road infrastructure, vehicle manufacturers are traditionally expected for setting their vehicles up in comfort-mode. To add to this, RFT's in their current stage of development cost a bomb to replace, which becomes a necessity if they deflate and are driven on.

Some, if not all of these reasons have led to two of the big three Luxury Manufacturers in India - Audi and Mercedes Benz, from offering Run-Flat Tires as OEM on their cars.

Which brings us to the remaining luxury manufacturer - BMW Motors, makers of fine driving machines that traditionally have good handling at the cost of ride quality.

BMW so far have been zealous in their promotion of RFT's on their cars. The reasons behind such a move baffle this humble tarmac worshipers mind and leave him wondering behind the premature decision to force such an ill-suitable and yet-to-be-developed technology down the pockets of the help-less Indian Luxury Car Buyer.

Under Pressure and how: A sneak peek into TPMS technology

Almost a decade ago, two automotive giants clashed with each other in an epic-battle over their competency that had endangered the lives of some unsuspecting SUV owners.

While the verdict was out and the dust of the blame-game settled down, there emerged an important regulation on passive safety systems for automobiles.

That's correct, we are indeed talking about the Ford Motor Co VS Firestone Tire Co battle of Y2K.

Coming to the Indian scenario, isn't it amazing that we often overlook the presence of something as commonly available as air. We only realize its importance once we have been rendered immobile due to a total lack of pressure in our tires or when we are presented with a huge bill for our overworked suspension components.

However, one can suffer just as much, maybe even more with a loss of 4-5 psi of pressure. The symptoms are immediately evident. The steering controls become heavy, braking gets dodgy, punctures, side-wall cuts; etc become more frequent, fuel bills shoot up, tire wear increases and suspension systems go for a toss.

Despite such expensive consequences, most of us fail to check the tire pressure in our vehicles on a weekly basis. And among the few that do so, many don't do it the right way.

To counter this, Mahindra & Mahindra introduced Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS)under the 'Tyre-tronics' moniker in 2008 when it launched the 'mHawk' engine nomenclature.

This system allows the vehicle owner to monitor the pressure in the vehicles tires in real-time. M&M should be applauded to be the only manufacturer to introduce such a system in that price-bracket.

Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) gained popularity in the aftermath of the Ford Explorer-Firestone fiasco, mentioned earlier. These later branched out into active and passive systems. A simple variation of the latter is what is being used in the M&M Scorpio. A slightly more advanced version of a passive system piggybacks on the existing ABS system in the vehicle. However, such systems do come with their own limitations and are are effective when the pressure loss is >25%. Given today's driving conditions such a huge percentage may actually make the vehicle unpractical to drive.

For eg. 30Psi is the average tire pressure for cars in the Indian market in the A, B and C segments. Taking the 25% reduction number, the ABS reliant passive TPMS will become functional when the pressure drops to around 22Psi. Driving a vehicle with such a huge variation in tire pressure could either destroy the tire, endangering the lives of the vehicle occupants.

To get over such limitations, we shall take a look at the solutions being offered by the Luxury car manufacturers and the effectiveness of such systems from the Indian as well as International perspective.

In our next discussion we shall dissect the available options and examine another crucial development that promises to change the way we drive.

Tubes in Tires - First You saw them, Now You Don't!

So we were reminiscing about the wonderful times spent by the road side in the old days each time we'd have a flat tire. Nyah!! It was wonderful only for the kids who'd anyways be enjoying much more when in-motion and maybe for the tire repair guy who'd welcome the business.

For the rest of those involved, from the driver/person responsible for the tire change to the elders who had to step out of their comfort zone into the heat; it was more of a torturous task than anything. Not to mention, the ignominy of having the rest of the world pass by leaving you red-faced in your misfortune.

Speaking of tire-repair guys - some unscrupulous chaps have even been known to have nails or sharp metal shavings around popular parking spots along the nations highways.

This deflating scenario began to subside when a new development began sweeping across the country. As the first wave of Tube-less tires began appearing on various vehicles across the country, tongues began to wag.

Those brave souls who went on to adopt this new-for-Indian roads development were often ridiculed for having invested in a 'useless' technology.

Things like, for Indian roads, we need tubes, the regular tires are harder so more durable, the suspension of Indian cars won't work with these 'fancy' tubeless tires and so on.

In-fact, I still remember someone in the family being told by one of the so-called tire 'experts' of those times to keep a spare tube in the car just so that it could be inserted in the tubeless tire and the car could be brought to the garage for repairs.

And what is the state-of-affairs today?

almost all cars, from the humble Tata Nano to the mighty S-Class all come with tubeless tires as standard.

So now, you, the reader must be wondering.

Did the tire-companies or the tire manufacturers cast a spell on the Indian population? For, the road network may have improved but the road surfaces leave a lot to be desired.

Just a short drive around the major arterial roads of our wonderful city will probably have a few nodding in agreement that the lunar-scape must be similarly paved.

So what then really changed ???

The answers lie in the terms 'Perception' and 'Pricing'.

The Roads improved just a bit. But the single most thing that made a huge impact on the perceptions of tubeless tires was the narrowing down of the price-difference between the tubed and the tubeless type variants to a negligible amount.

This move coincided with a push from the tire manufacturers in educating the people, both customers as well as the tire repair guys, in the benefits over the old technology.

Once the price-conscious Indian market realized that the newer tubeless tires were now available at a more wallet-friendly price, they began to warm up to them. The Auto Manufacturers matched these efforts with their own and began offering tubeless tires as OEM options.

So, what began as a slow attempt, gradually picked up pace. Today it is only the hard-to-convince customers in the B-towns who would insist on using tube-type tires.

While all this was happening on our side of the planet, some rather unfortunate series of incidents led to some expensive lawsuits that led to a rash of developments which would change the tire-world again.

In the next post, we shall have a look at some of these developments and see how they could impact our part of the world.

Power is nothing without control!

                            Image Source (http://www.ewanpaterson.net/)

It’s the year 1995 and a Red Stiletto clad Carl Lewis has made the feminists very happy. Nyah, just joking folks! Carl had just been convinced by Pirelli to pose in a series of adverts for them. This evocative ad campaign had once again shone the spotlight on what is literally a dark-art of sorts.

Yup, that’s correct; it’s none other than the humble tire that I’m talking about.

It’s so easy to overlook those black colored patches that make the difference between you being on the road or landing in a ditch (as is likely to happen in a blow-out).

                                                                                                                                 

Not too long ago, it was such a frequent sight to see an entire family standing by the road-side with the boot emptied out, all just to change a flat. These days, such scenes have reduced but the instances of those in the commercial sector still continue unabated.

Through the course of this blog I shall attempt to trace the journey of the humble tire through the vehicles in our country. We shall examine our fascination with the tube-type tire, the challenges faced by radial tires and the growth of tubeless tires in the recent years. We shall also gaze into the crystal ball, take a look at some key innovations and attempt to gauge the implications of these developments from the Indian perspective.

So keep watching this space!

RX Fever

Flash-back to a decade and a half ago. One lazy evening, a teen barely out of his shorts and slippers had met someone who went on to change his life forever.

Right from the word go, she seemed different from the others around her. It was the norm to glance upon her kind before they could even hear them whisper. She was different. He could hear her from far, even before he could lay eyes on her.

He was curious now and strained his neck in an attempt to follow her voice wafting down the street. And then she came into view. She wasn’t in her best threads but he wouldn’t care less. 


He was hooked. She was the prettiest out there looking gorgeous in green.Immediately he knew that he had to do something. Plucking up courage, he asked her out for a spin. To his surprise she agreed. With a prayer on his lips, he held her tight and took off. 

He could hardly breathe. Her voice filled up inside his head. And he knew that from that day on, he was hooked. A gentleman that he was, he promptly realized that she was someone else’s girl and that he was too young for her. But as they parted ways, he’d vowed to keep looking for someone close enough to her.

There were no indicators to the long search that his vow would torment him with. Life happened and the years were spent chasing academics and professional targets. 

One fine day, his world changed again. He got a call on his phone that shook the ground beneath his feet. The caller uttered the three magic words: “I Found Her”.

He leapt out of his chair and bolted out the door in a flash. Running down the stairs, he could hardly contain his excitement. Ten long minutes of eternity later, his world slowed down around him. Tunnel vision set in and his eyes zeroed onto a single spot.

All those years of waiting had finally paid off. His old flame in his sights, he knew he couldn’t afford to let her go this time. Life barely offers another chance and he intended to grab this one with both hands. Two hours later, he had made arrangements to finally make her his own. Thus began an affair that only a select few have known. 

It’s been two years since they’ve been together now. In these two years, they have been on a mission of sorts to make up for lost time. Both of them have begun to show their age. Promises have been made to get her in for an extended session of some much needed TLC. 

Till then, the rider and his steed are content enough to teach ignorant youngsters some very important lessons. For all those foolish enough to think that they can out-gun this old couple in their shiny Pulsars, Karizma’s and Unicorn’s are left shell-shocked in the blue haze escaping from her exhaust!!!

Three Star Service for the 'Average Joe'

                                           (Image Source: NDTV.com)         


Some of my fondest childhood memories begin with some journey or the other. Of these, I vividly remember waiting for a Sunday where my Dad used to take me on a special joyride. We used to head out to the ‘Mahim’ Bus-Depot and wait for the 'Double-Decker' to arrive. The empty bus used to be standing there in the parking bay and i used to run up to the upper deck and plonk myself down on the first seat in the front.

Then would begin a special ride into town and back; where Dad used to fondly point out the various landmarks. Unfortunately for him, his 5-year old was keener on enjoying the wind rushing into his face.

The reality of growing-up soon hit home and the joy-rides were eventually replaced by commutes in a aluminum can on wheels. Many a commute like this was associated with a steam bath, as the over-packed bus trundled its way through the overcrowded streets of the 'City that never sleeps'. 

The memories of the wind-rush were soon replaced by grime and sweat with not an inch to move. While the common man was subjected to such a ride, another memory was making an indelible mark on me.

The corporate czar/czarina would waft past our trundling bus, in their cocooned luxury. Just the mere sight of this would send me into world of wishful thinking. Even more saddening for us commuters would be the look on the faces of the Bus-Driver and Conductor. While us commuters could aspire to someday own/be driven down in these magnificent luxury chariots; for the Driver/Conductor; it seemed like just another dream. 

Then, in the earlier part of the decade, some one up there must have finally heard the prayers of the millions commuting daily through the traffic-clogged streets of the city. The common-man finally cheered the introduction of Air-conditioned buses on the streets.

Finally for some lucky commuters who had climbed up the economic ladder could now ride on well cushioned seats and a cool draft of air cocooning them from the noise and grime of the dusty streets. 

And this city never looked back. Slowly but surely, the patronage increased and BEST soon out-grew these buses. The influx of funds from International lenders for upgrading the road infrastructure saw the introduction of 'Kinglong' buses of Chinese origin. However, there have been regular instances of break-downs and a few of them even reported to have caught fire. 

Fresh developments have brought a cheer to the people of this city. It has been reported that Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. has graciously agreed to put their luxury buses at the service of the common-man. 

Yippeeeee!!!! 

This is one of the most exciting things to happen on the streets of our city. Imagine, the ‘Average Joe’ getting an opportunity to experience some German goodness. The day is not too far when we hear of the 'Average Joe' having a conversation with his Manager similar to the one below:

Joe: "Good morning Sir." How was the drive to work today?"
Manager: "Good morning 'Joe'. I went through a tough time driving in the traffic today. You on the other hand seem extremely happy these days."

Joe: "Yes Sir. I take a Mercedes to work these days.
Manager (Impressed): "Really! The company gave you a raise that I'm unaware of or did you win a lottery or something."

Joe (Beaming with pride): "No sir! It is all thanks to Mercedes and the B.E.S.T. that we can come to work as luxuriously as the higher ups.
Manager: "Wow! Here me and the rest of the management team struggle through traffic in our driving machines while you guys now waft past us. 
Joe: "Alright Sir, I shall take your leave now. Good day."

(The Manager is heard muttering 'Mercedes, eh' as the lift doors close)