michelin tyre cracking on greenline, not good

[bluecar1]

my greenline has done 21k just put it in the drive to wash it and notice something did not look right with the front n/s tyre

 

on closer inspection there is a crack in the rubber all the way round in the grove between the tread blocks, this is in both grooves that run the entire circumference

 

now the fronts are about 3mm tread, so expect a few issues, looked all round and the same defect is visible on all 4 tyres

 

I estimate the cracks are 0.3-0.4 mm wide and look quite deep, but I can't see the canvas in them. not to concerned as not losing any pressure but will look to change them all asap, fronts this payday rears probably the next payday

 

so not really the dealers issue, not sure if I can contact Michelin as I would say a manufacturing defect as affecting all 4 tyres

 

is anyone else seeing this defect?

 

next question

 

what to replace them with, they need to be low rolling resistance due to being a GL II and I don't want to mess the economy, I know carp road holding, but I am not a boy racer, just drive steady and don't push the limits of the tyres or car

 

options seem to be according to black circles

 

continental Premium Contact 5 about £90 / corner (rolling resist = c, wet braking =a)

 

or

 

bridgestone Turanza T001 about £85 / corner (rolling resist = c, wet braking =

 

or

 

yokohama BluEarth AE01 about £75 / corner (rolling resist = c, wet braking =

 

anyone used any of these?, the yokohama gets a few good reviews and is cheapest, the other two have no reviews

 

thanks in advance

 

 

 

[nbramwel]

I would stay clear of the Bridgestones.  Had these on a Fiesta a few years back.  Very noisy on the motorway.  Current tyres are Continental Premium Contact 2.  Happy with these.

[fordfan]

I saw the same on a Jaguar XF that I MOTd the other week, I gave it an advisory.

[greenstripe]

I've just put BluResponse 185/60 R15 H (84) 

 

Fuel Efficiency B Wet Grip A Exterior Noise  67dB

 

 

On the front wheels of my Greenline -seem a very nice tyre indeed, only driven 500 miles on them so far, but won't be able to report back long term as the car's going on Tuesday.

 

My Greenline came with Dunlop Sport SP01 tyres -had to replace one early on due to a puncture but the other front made it to nearly 40,000 miles -rears still good and no cracks

[jankph]

For my GL I'm using Nokian Hakka Green, with excellent fuel economy and tyre wear. Had them on my MkI Fabia, too. Great road handling and especially good on wet and rainy roads. Not sure it's available in the UK, though

[rover220]

Goodyear efficient grip performance.

Got them on the volvo and so far im very impressed. They are very quiet and smooth and are excellent in the wet.

[bluecar1]

I've just put BluResponse 185/60 R15 H (84) 

 

Fuel Efficiency B Wet Grip A Exterior Noise  67dB

 

 

On the front wheels of my Greenline -seem a very nice tyre indeed, only driven 500 miles on them so far, but won't be able to report back long term as the car's going on Tuesday.

have the bluresponse altered your economy, just that my dealer warned me some tyres they have seen on greenlines have badly affected mpg

[seboni121]

Sounds like Ozone cracking, how deep are the cracks? if it's just surface crazing then don't panic but you need to think about getting them replaced as they have started to deteriorate.

Does the car stay stationary for long periods? When the compound (rubber) for your tyres was mixed, an ingredient called an "anti-ozonent" was added, usually in the form of waxes.

When your tyres are in use, the flexing and warmth generated brings these waxes to the surface where they form a barrier and protect the compound from ozone in the atmosphere. If your car stands unused for long periods then this does not occur and the compound comes under attack from ozone.

Ozone is NOT what you smell at the seaside (that's rotting seaweed) Ozone is a poisonous gas which is formed by the action of UV light on Oxygen and is very harmful to rubber compounds (and humans if you breathe enough of it ) fortunately it only forms in very small concentraions naturally, not strong enough to harm you, but strong enough to harm your tyres.

The solution? get out in your car more but if that's not practical, protect your tyres from sunlight (UV) by either covering them or regularly applying wax - boot polish for instance. I'm afraid that the process is irreversible though once they've started cracking they won't "come back".

If on the other hand, you use your tyres regularly and you are getting ozone cracking then there is something wrong with the compound, contact the makers and explain the problem to them. This is assuming that the tyres are from a reputable manufacturer - unfortunately some of the bargain basement companies do not go in for expensive product testing and cut corners wherever possible to keep prices down, you are unlikely to get any joy from them.

[hertsnminds]

My wife had a similar issue with tyres cracking on one of her cars. From what I could find out it seems to be a degradation due to exposure to sunlight. The car was always left on the drive with the 2 tyres with cracks facing the sun. I expect with the recent sunny spell the tyres have had a lot more exposure than usual and this has added to the rubber compound degrading.

[greenstripe]

have the bluresponse altered your economy, just that my dealer warned me some tyres they have seen on greenlines have badly affected mpg

 

No, I think if anything it has improved the economy (very slightly): Bluresponse have a rolling resistance rating of B whereas the factory fitted SP01 tyres are a E -I haven't had a long enough time to test them thoroughly, but certainly I don't think it has made a negative impact. They're also slightly quieter 

[bluecar1]

I have done 21k in 13 months, so I don't think the car standing is the issue

 

the cracks only seem to have happened in the 4-6 weeks as car was serviced 8 weeks ago and I had a good look round the car about 4 weeks ago when I was polishing it

 

I will be keeping a close eye on them, as I said, fronts will get changed at end of month when I get paid, rears will have to wait a month possibly longer if the cracks don't get any worse as they still have about 5mm of tread left so only half worn

[greenstripe]

Just a thought -is it worth the possibility of perusing a warranty claim? It's not like it's wear related or road damage. No harm in trying.

[gadgetman]

Michelin are usually known to be pretty good at honouring claims for manufacturing faults.

[bluecar1]

just double checked my car, and found it had Dunlop sp sport 01's

 

was sure they were Michelins, never mind,

 

other thing is black circles brings up wrong tyre size for my car,

 

it say 195/55 r15, when I have 185/60 r15 so looking at that size it alters my options for tyres

 

best I can see are Dunlop Sport BluResponse at £70 / corner fitted

 

as greenstripe says Fuel Efficiency B Wet Grip A Exterior Noise  67dB, that's first B rated tyre I have seen on fuel efficiency

[bluecar1]

Just a thought -is it worth the possibility of perusing a warranty claim? It's not like it's wear related or road damage. No harm in trying.

would that be via dealer or direct with Dunlop?

 

the fronts I am not to worried about I recon max about another 5k left in them so had the best of them, the rears only half worn max so would possibly be interested in something from warranty on them

[whitey]

cracks are bad - especially in main recess. Replace defo don't take the risk. W

Edited 21 July, 2013 by whitey

[greenstripe]

I'd try the dealer in the first instance. I'd tell them the tyres are 'not fit for purpose' it's up to them to take it up with their supplier.

[whitey]

get an independent view from your local tyre center then go to dealer. Contis' are renowned for this. I'd kick off with dealer if they did not replace them - it should not happen as previously described its not 'fit for purpose' W

[bluecar1]

my dealer is very good, being very helpful over daughter monte, and wifes new citigo, as well as tickets to goodwood the other week, so would not want to damage a good relationship over cost couple of half worn tyres

 

going to see if I contact Dunlop first I think

[Ootohere]

The post was on cracked tyres at 21,000 miles,  last post you say a couple of half worn tyres.

(have they never been changed back to fronts to increase their wear life?)

 

What pressures do you run your tyres at and do you check and adjust regularly & change the pressures if required according to the weather,

ie summer and winter.

 

george

[bluecar1]

car done 21k

 

fronts have about 3mm tread and were the place I spotted the cracking, the rears have about 4-5mm left so about half worn, showing same sort of cracking as fronts

 

tyres have not been swapped (not had wheels off yet and not looking forward to that fun)

 

pressures as per book (or inside of filler cap) checked reasonably regular at least once a month

Edited 22 July, 2013 by bluecar1

[Ootohere]

Sorry, 13,000 miles only, i missed seeing that.

 

I would think the Manufacturer will be interested to see and have the tyres inspected and tested.

 

Why do you use Kilometers,?  is it a UK car in the UK, or an import or something.

How old a car,

meaning how old are the tyres?

 

george

[bluecar1]

sorry George, confusion over  mileage

 

21000 miles, car is 13 months old, picked it up 26 june last year, so not old, not been left standing

 

wear is about what I would expect I would expect to, fronts I normally see 25-30 thousand mile, rears 40-45 thousand

 

so wear is normal, but the cracking is not

Edited 22 July, 2013 by bluecar1

[Ootohere]

Normally tyres showing cracking have been run under inflated, which is easy enough to do when winter temperatures are low and the tyre pressures are lower.

 

But if you have a good Dealer, they will be quick enough to have them checked by Michelin if they think the tyres have been or are faulty.

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/safety/tyre-life-and-age.html

http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/care-guide/cold-weather-tips

 

george

[mikey vrs]

It wont do any harm to pop to your dealer,show him the tyres & see if there is anything they can do,yours may not be the only one with this fault.