[R2D2]

saket77, I'll be very honest with you and tell you that I expect my low mileage Primacy 3 STs to develop cracks some day in the future. But I'll replace them as and when necessary. At the end of the day tyres are consumable items and one should treat them as such.

What you should be thankful for is the fact you noticed these defects in the tyre (seriously!). Most car owners wouldn't even glance at their tyres, forget examining them. No matter which make of tyre you choose please take pains to regularly evaluate their condition.

Look at it this way mate - you possibly saved your self, your passengers & your car from a potential mishap which may have turned out to be far more expensive. This is what I am truly happy about.

[coolvenk]

From what I gather, the majority opinion here seems to be that the cracks are due to low use.

However, that still doesn't answer why the cracks are predominantly on one side of the tyre? Any clue on that?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by coolvenk

From what I gather, the majority opinion here seems to be that the cracks are due to low use.

However, that still doesn't answer why the cracks are predominantly on one side of the tyre? Any clue on that?

Low tyre pressure combined with being stationary for long periods of time means the sidewalls and tread flex and remain in one position. This deformation may have caused cracks in the tread. Only Michelin can say with any certainty what caused the failure

If storing a car best to jack it up and put wooden blocks under it which raise the tyres off the ground. The other bit is to over inflate the tyres by about 10%. I always fill about 10% more nitrogen. The tyres lose about 4-5 PSI over 3 months i.e. about 1-1.5 PSI/month. So, suggested pressure is 30 PSI, I fill 33. So after 3 months it is down to about 28 PSI which is less than 10% lower than the suggested pressure. This has helped maintain the tyres in good shape.

So far these tyres (and the previous sets) have remained healthy. They complete 3 years in Sept 2016. So, I'll take em for a check up before warranty expires. Oh yeah, one more thing - I avoid using tyre shine to the max extent possible. Possibly just once or twice a year.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by R2D2

I avoid using tyre shine to the max extent possible. Possibly just once or twice a year.

How does this help R2D2 ? Never heard them to be harmful to tyres until now.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by prithm

How does this help R2D2 ? Never heard them to be harmful to tyres until now.

Chemicals. Specially the ones they use at these washing centres I'd prefer to avoid them as much as possible. Instead I'd rather use a known brand like Meguiars, Armorall etc and that too very occasionally.

[hondaford]

Hi Saket,

I ran Michelin XM1s on my Honda for almost 4 years. Clocked over 30k kms. Recently replaced with Yokohama BlueEarth.

No noticeable damage on the XM1s. They still had decent tread on them and no cracks on the sidewall or laterally. Not just the big cracks - my XM1s did not have the smaller cracks seen in your pic.

Seeing how diligent you are in maintaining tyre pressure and such, it is possible that it could have been due to other factors such as improper storage and handling by the dealer.

I changed the XM1s solely due to age. Once tyres are more than 3 years old, feel it is advisable to change regardless of mileage or external outlook.


Regards
Hondaford

[nitrous]

1. 5 years is legal age limit for tyres. In another country, these tyres wouldn't be on a car right now.
2. You haven't driven much. But, you got 5 years out of them. Time is a major factor to a tyre's life.
3. I wouldn't drive on those tyres.

[saket77]

Thank you gentlemen for your opinions. I totally understand that 5-6 years is when replacement should be the norm however still not convinced about the kind of damage.

For the time being, I am not using the car until the replacement of the tires.
In this period, I am exploring my options that will hold better for about 5 years as the usage will remain more or less the same. This car will rarely see the highways hence this time I might go for a regular brand.

Regards.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by nitrous

1. 5 years is legal age limit for tyres. In another country, these tyres wouldn't be on a car right now.
2. You haven't driven much. But, you got 5 years out of them. Time is a major factor to a tyre's life.
3. I wouldn't drive on those tyres.

I am not sure which country you are referring to. No manufacturer or major nation has ever put a time limit on tyres. All limits are only on tread. Many people keep tyres beyond 5 years all over the world as long as they are not damaged. Of course it might be better to change them when they are very old but 5 years is not too old at all.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by saket77

This car will rarely see the highways hence this time I might go for a regular brand.

I forgot to upload the attachments in my earlier post. Have a look for yourself and I can see similarities in the damage in your car tyres and my Karizma's.

Front Tyres (MRF Zapper):


Rear Tyres (Michelin M45):


Though covered, it used be idle for long time (Like 6 days a week) with minimal running on Sundays to keep it healthy. It used to be on double stand always with 2-3 psi more than recommended so that the tyres do not go bad BUT this is the condition.

I then went and bought a pair of Michelin Sirac Street but recently sold it off due to lack of usage (A different point altogether).

[Turbanator]

I totally understand that 5-6 years is when replacement should be the norm however still not convinced about the kind of damage.

Was there any company official when you visited dealership? if not then take some mail Id or phone and try to get in touch someone senior even if they don't pass you claim least they can do is to give some goodwill discount on the replacement. If I was in place of Dealer would have surely fought for my customer. Why do these guys forgot that they are in business because of customers and not companies whom they represent.

[fighterace]

I have been using Ceat Milaze in my Zen since Jan 2013. Have run ~25k kms. No issues so far. The compound is soft, so the tyre grips well and the ride is good. I am surprised to see the state the Michelins are in.

[littlebrother]

My experience with no so premium brands just in case if its of any help to you.


Nexen tyres- not sure if its easily available, had used it on my Innova. Got 55k kms through 4 yrs+ and still looked like new(to the second hand buyer).
very comfortable tyres at least in my perspective

Falken- Like I mentioned before, I doubt I will consider going for Michelins if Falken of the correspondng size is available. But on the life/durations aspect, yet to be seen.

Appolo Acelere and alnac- Tyre noise tyre noise and tyre noise ! Gave up on playing music through my highway drives when used in swift.

Nankang - Hard and nothing great in terms of comfort, but cheap

[Aroy]

I bought XM1 the day I bought my Alto K10 - August, 2010. Till date I have run 13,500 km, and my tyres are perfect. No sign of cracks and the tread depth is commensurate with the distance.

In my opinion the tyre compound has degraded The reasons are many
. Age related UV degradation. If your car has been in the sun for all the time.
. Under inflated. In such case the tread may not fully expand and cause cracks.
. Lastly manufacturing defect.

I feel that it is a manufacturing defect, but I doubt that you will get any respite from the company as the tyres are near the end of their service life. Still I would do the following
. Take detailed images of all the tyres
. Build up a case for claim
. Contact the Michelin commercial or better still technical team and present your case with the images
. Contact the local Michelin distributor and have a chat with him. Take the line that you are not that interested in replacement as in figuring out why the tyres failed, so that the next time it does not happen. That will ensure that they are not in a hostile frame of mind right in the beginning.

[saket77]

Thanks Aroy. So that means that you have similar tire (XM1), similar vintage(in fact a little older) done almost the same kms on a similar car!

UV damage can be ruled out as my car has a covered garage. I rule out Air pressure as a factor too as I myself check that without relying on tire shops.
The pattern of damage (crack running around the entire tire between the water channels on all 4 tires) looks like manufacturing defect to me. I am not convinced that age or less running has caused it. If that was the case, sidewall would have been affected too, but they are perfect. Cracks like those on my tires have an identical pattern.

And to add to it, the attitude of the dealer has put me off entirely. When the authorised dealer has no interest in even personally looking at the damage, there is hardly anything left to discuss about the cause of failure. Yes, that's true that the dealer did not even came to see the tires even when the car was parked hardly 10 Metres from the chair he was sitting on despite my repeated requests. Do you expect such people to analyse the cause of failure?

Michelin has definitely lost a customer this way. My other car, civic; which is the highway choice now, runs on Pirelli. When the time for tire replacement comes, I would better go for Pirelli again or other good tires but not Michelin, if customers get support like this.

Regards.