Words: Aniruddha Rangnekar
MRF have been making some great road and competition tyres over the years. It is no wonder that Gaurav Gill has recently won his third Asia Pacific Rally Championship running on MRF tyres, against some tough competition. The company truly does take their philosophy of ‘the tyres we race, are the tyres you run’ seriously. Proof of this is their newly launched Perfinza series of tyres. We’re no strangers to the ability of these tyres, having already run them on two of our cars earlier. So far we’ve been very happy with their overall performance as well as comfort. Recently, MRF sent over another set to be installed on our long term Verna. The tyres we have put on are a slight upsize as the OE fitment that came with the car, which were 195/55 and the Perfinzas are 205/55. The added width has given the Verna a better stance, making it look more aggressive. Also compared to the tyres on the car previously, the Perfinzas have improved the car’s ride to a great extent, ironing out undulations on the road easily and making for a more pleasurable driving experience. You no longer feel the sharp edges on our poorly surfaced roads.
The Perfinza tyres also provide improved cornering ability, which was very evident when we were out on a shoot recently and pushed the car a bit harder on a twisty mountain road. Even when the car is close to its limit around a bend, there was no audible squeal from the tyres, giving you the confidence to push harder. This is surely proof of the technology used by MRF in racing tyres being transferred to the road tyres, a big plus point. There is also added refinement when you’re at highway cruising speeds, with low tyre noise thanks to the smart tread pattern. The MRF Perfinza tyres have already proved their ability in the wet when we tested them on our previous long term Mercedes CLA and now the same construction tyres, though in a smaller size, are proving how capable they are in the dry as well. Braking distances have reduced as well, with the tyres offering more bite, thanks to the bigger contact patch and hence better stopping abilities to the Verna. The life of these tyres should be good as well, considering the good quality rubber used by MRF to make their tyres. The tyre retails at Rs 8340 inclusive of all taxes.