350ed Posted September 25, 2017 Share Posted September 25, 2017 Hi, When washing the zed over the weekend, I noticed that all four tyres are showing some mild cracks around the edge of the tread blocks. They're all MPSS. All the tyres were fitted at the same time, just under three years ago. The DOT marks are 1514 on the fronts and 4014 on the rears. So the rears are less than three years since manufacture and the fronts nearly three and a half. I've done less than 20K miles on them and they still have a fair amount of tread left so this is a little annoying. I'll change them now to be safe. I'm interested to hear thoughts on this. Is this normal or have I been unlucky? Is it worth contacting Michelin? I know I do fairly low mileage (around 7K a year) and lack of use can mean the tyres crack prematurely, but this seems a bit soon? I was probably going to replace them with MPS4 but now I'm reconsidering! Any thoughts much appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay84 Posted September 25, 2017 Share Posted September 25, 2017 Most tyres have a shelf life of about 5yrs if left outside. Climate can have an affect too, moisture getting in and expanding in the cold etc. They tend to start feathering after about 3-4 yrs. Judging your dot code they were new at fitment so you haven't been ripped off there. Tyres are covered by a 2yr manufacturer guarantee, but with kerbs and pot holes, they have no trouble over coming that slight obstacle. Your cracks aren't disastrous, wouldn't fail an mot, may even not get mentioned due to tester discretion. But they aren't deep enough to expose cords or ply. If it was my money I'd get another year from them, unless doing a lot of track time. @Ekona knows a lot more than me about these things though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350ed Posted September 25, 2017 Author Share Posted September 25, 2017 Thanks, good to get your thoughts. I agree, I suspect getting in touch with Michelin will be an annoying and fruitless experience! I know they're not major cracks but I was just a bit surprised for them to happen on tyres that aren't even three years old. I don't do any track days. I'll probably still get them replaced soon though, just to be safe, rather than it niggling in my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted September 25, 2017 Share Posted September 25, 2017 4 hours ago, 350ed said: Thanks, good to get your thoughts. I agree, I suspect getting in touch with Michelin will be an annoying and fruitless experience! I know they're not major cracks but I was just a bit surprised for them to happen on tyres that aren't even three years old. I don't do any track days. I'll probably still get them replaced soon though, just to be safe, rather than it niggling in my mind. You may be surprised I read a post on a gtr forum the other day about Somebody who found them very helpful His had delaminated around the rim tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted September 25, 2017 Share Posted September 25, 2017 Nothing to lose with contacting seller/manufacturer as you have every right to. However, your tyres are quite safe and the "cracking" is cosmetic, but you may find Michelin quite sympathetic. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350ed Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 Thanks for the tips. I shall give contacting Michelin a go. I'll report back on the success! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 I'd be amazed if my own tyres didn't have similar cracks forming in tbh. Unless they're very pronounced and large enough you can get a coin in them, it's nothing to be worried about at all However, I would be interested to hear Michelin's response on this, they're normally pretty good so no harm in giving them a shout. Also, 20k miles from a set of rears is very impressive, this is why I keep banging on about MPSS being the overall cheapest option when picking tyres. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350ed Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 I agree, I'm really pleased with both the tread wear and the grip. They've been an awesome tyre. It doesn't make sense to save a bit of cash on a tyre that'll only do 1/2 to 2/3 of the mileage. I think I'm fairly lucky getting nearly 20,000 miles so far. Sadly I don't get much opportunity for really spirited driving though! In a way I should be pleased that I've got such good mileage out of them, but I still thought the cracking was a bit premature for the age. Sounds like I’ve been a bit over-worried though. Just anything tyres/brakes/suspension/steering I'm fairly cautious with. Thanks, I really appreciate all the advice. Michelin contacted anyway. I shall report back... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted September 27, 2017 Share Posted September 27, 2017 UV causes all sorts of issues to rubber, keeping up on tyre dressing (if not already doing so) is highly recommended improving both looks and the longevity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybrain1234 Posted September 29, 2017 Share Posted September 29, 2017 Will be interesting to hear Michelins response. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Any word from Michelin? This is one of my rears with dot code and no signs of cracking, not much help but..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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