Hello. I have a Tata Nexon petrol (P)XM+(S) BS6 January 2023 model. It comes with stock size of 195 60 R16 tyres. I've driven almost 54000 kms on it. A few months back, I had a puncture in one of the tyres, and unknowingly, my father drove almost 27-30 kms with a flat tyre. During that the tyre suffered multiple punctures from the side profile. I got it repaired at that time.
From February 2026, she went for alignment balancing. Considering the state of that tyre, I decided to get that repaired tyre replaced. I took out my new unused stepney, which was unused since 2023, purchased one new tyre, so that I’ll put a new one in the front and an old one at the back. All done, but from the very next day the car started making an unusual vibration from the pedal side, and noise was also there. Drove for one week straight, but the noise and vibration were still there. I went to that tyre shop, changed the position of all the tyres, and tried every possible combination. But the sound was still there, and he said, since you've changed only one tyre, that is why there is noise and vibration. Get all new tyres and the sound will go. Had a little rough talk, so i decided to go to some other tyre shop.
Now, after I went to the other one, I shared my issue, and he also said get new tyres, the noise will go. Okay, but here is the catch: on the advice of a tyre franchise owner, from where I used to stay earlier, I decided to upgrade to 215 60 R16 tyres, which come as standard in higher Nexon models. Plus, I also verified this by watching multiple videos on YouTube. Finally, I decided to upgrade. Plus, somewhere I read that driving a new tyre which has not been used for many years leads to tyre bursts.
Since the budget was a constraint, I decided to change 2 tyres currently, then later, after six to seven months will change the rest of the two. And the new tyre which I bought in the first place, ill make that as stepney. Tyres changed 195 60 R16 new tyres( one purchased, one unused stepney) in the front and the new set 215 60 R16 in the rear. But the noise still does not go away. Though the car became a lot quieter, the vibration from the pedal was still there.
I went to the mechanic and got to know that it is the front wheel bearing and the disc rotor, and got it changed. Now, after 3-4 days, a new noise came up, something kat-kat types whenever I brake. Plus, the whistling sound of the brakes whenever the brakes are applied slowly. This kat-kat noise comes after whenever I drive 7-8 kms in the city. But, I went to Bhimtal in March, there on the hills, this kat-kat sound became permanent even if I don’t brake on the incline as well as the decline. I stayed there for three days, and I drove daily, and this kat-kat sound was constantly there, from the very first kilometre.
I've got the suspension checked by the mechanic. It's totally okay as of now, had it been the suspension, the sound would ve been permanent, not after i drove 7-8 kms.
Pls help the community, is this the tyres or should I go to Tata Motors service first and get it diagnosed ??
Given your high daily use and those hill drives, this now feels less like a tyre issue and more like something disturbed during the front wheel bearing and brake disc job. I would take the car to a Tata service workshop first for a full brake and hub check.Two things are likely at play. First, you now have different tyre sizes front and rear. 195/60 R16 in front and 215/60 R16 at the back are about 3 to 4 percent different in height. That can confuse the ABS and stability systems because the wheels show different wheel speeds even at the same road speed. On hills this gets worse, which matches your “kat-kat” becoming constant there. That sound can be the ABS (the anti‑lock brake system that rapidly applies and releases the brakes to stop wheel lock) kicking in when it should not.Second, the new noises started after the front bearing and disc change. If the ABS wheel sensor or its magnetic ring was damaged, fitted the wrong way, or the gap is off, the system will misread and pulse the brakes. If the disc was not mounted on a clean hub, or only one disc was changed, or pad clips/shims were not refitted, you can also get pedal buzz, a clicking under braking after a few km when hot, and a whistle on light braking.Ask Tata to inspect both front hubs and ABS sensors, confirm the correct bearing with encoder is fitted the right way, check sensor gaps and wiring, measure if the discs are not perfectly straight, clean and refit pads with the correct hardware, and open the rear drums to check shoes and springs. Also check the metal splash shield for a small bend or stone.On tyres, do not run mixed sizes long term. Either go 195/60 R16 on all four or 215/60 R16 on all four only if Tata lists that size for your car. Until you sort this, keep the newer pair at the rear. Your unused 2023 spare is fine to use if it has no cracks and was stored away from sun and heat. To sum up; fix the brake and hub issue at Tata first, then make all four tyres the same size. That will address both the safety and the noise.
