Whilst washing the car today I noticed that my two year old Nokian WR D4 winter tyres seems to be showing some worrying signs of decay.

 

Now they've done two seasons my plan was to keep them on the car into the spring / summer until they're closer to the wear bars before disposing of them.

 

Are these cracks dangerous, would it be worth contacting Nokian or could this be classed as fair wear and tear?

 

 

 

Edited 25 March, 20188 yr by silver1011

 

 

 

Edited 25 March, 20188 yr by silver1011

They been stored correctly during the summer months, with covers in a cool, dry garage on a tyre tree...

 

Edited 25 March, 20188 yr by silver1011

What's the date stamp on the tyres?

Made in Russia? ... ... that doesn't seem to me as regular wear and tear, you're not driving on that part of the tyre (usually) .. .and the cracks are far too precise on each vertical section

Hmm, is this the date code?

 

The first two digits after 'DOT' are supposed to be the week, the second two the year...

 

 

Aside from the numbers next to 'Made in Russia' pictured earlier, these are the only other numbers on the sidewall...

 

 

Confused 

4 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

Hmm, is this the date code?

 

See if this help you: http://calculla.com/tires_dot_index_decoder

Found it, weirdly, it isn't on every tyre, they're rotational so perhaps its on the inside sidewall on the first two tyres I checked!

 

3215, so week 32 of 2015, or August 3rd 2015.

 

That makes them 2 and a half years old.

Mine are 3315, Nokian WR D4, same as yours. No signs of any cracking on mine. And yes, only date stamp showing on the tyres on the passenger side.

Well, I'm no expert on Winter Tyres but I wouldn't use any tyre with those cracks.

 

Life is too short and your contributions here are far too useful to risk having you wrapped around a pole or anything similiar.  Well, a dance pole might be OK but that is a private matter and I don't need that picture in my head on a Sunday night... 

Haha, thanks! The car spends more time filthy than clean at this time of year so I don't get down close to the wheels as often as I should but letting the tyres get this bad without noticing is inexcusable.

 

Looks like I'll be swapping back to the summers quicker than hoped.

 

I've sent off a quick email to Nokian but not holding out much hope. The tyres were bought online from www.tyreleader.co.uk in March 2016 and shipped over from Germany to a local trusted tyre fitter. I've found the credit card transaction but no receipt to be found anywhere.

 

 

The bonnet is not fully closed on the first pic or is the bodywork damaged? By the way, I don't understand how you folks can drive on the wrong side of the car ...

The bonnet is popped, she was getting a pre-winter check over after I'd fitted the winter tyres.

 

The steering wheel is on the right, but the car is driven from the left side, at least when the wife is in the car with me 

3 hours ago, silver1011 said:

Found it, weirdly, it isn't on every tyre, they're rotational so perhaps its on the inside sidewall on the first two tyres I checked!

 

3215, so week 32 of 2015, or August 3rd 2015.

 

That makes them 2 and a half years old.

 

They look awful for that age. I've seen ten years old tyres on some cars that look similar, but more irregular. My guess is it's either the design of the tyres that leads to that, or perhaps a manufacturing fault but whatever it is they don't inspire confidence do they. It'll be interesting to see what the manufacturer says.

Keep us informed please!

Will do!

RE: Nokian WR D4 225/50 R17 98H - Cracking Tread

 

[email protected] <[email protected]>

Today, 14:13

 

 

Dear XXX,

Thank you for contacting us. We are sorry to hear about the problem with your tyres.

Manufacturer’s liability is five (5) years from the date of production, including raw materials and manufacturing defects. You can contact the nearest Nokian Tyres dealer in your area and they can assist you further.

Best regards,
Juho Kirjavainen
Technical customer service

Tyre Spot Darlington, here I come!

 

Result! The winter tyres on my wife’s car have similar cracks but they are Continentals so may investigate the date and warranty. 

Lets us know if they take into account any l wear calculation when changing them. 

Took the car in on my way home tonight, the guy confirmed that the tyres had failed due to them drying out. A quite common problem with winter tyres he says.

 

He's unsure of the process for logging the issue with Nokian though so will need to make some enquiries.

 

Saying that though, the fronts are about dead anyway, only a few millimetres off the wear bars, they're more worn than I'd realised. The rears have quite a bit more tread on them but are becoming excessively worn on the inner edge, my suspension alignment appears to be out and will need sorting.

 

Either way the tyres are dangerous and have to come off ASAP. Looks like the summers will be going back on earlier than hoped.

 

The guy got me to turn the wheels to full lock to get a better look at the full tyre which revealed that the inner edge is starting to deteriorate and separate 

 

I'll still pursue Nokian though, the guy confirmed that this hasn't happened overnight, it is likely the failure of the tyre began well before I noticed.

 

 

8 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

Took the car in on my way home tonight, the guy confirmed that the tyres had failed due to them drying out. A quite common problem with winter tyres he says.

 

He's unsure of the process for logging the issue with Nokian though so will need to make some enquiries.

 

Saying that though, the fronts are about dead anyway, only a few millimetres off the wear bars, they're more worn than I'd realised. The rears have quite a bit more tread on them but are becoming excessively worn on the inner edge, my suspension alignment appears to be out and will need sorting.

 

Either way the tyres are dangerous and have to come off ASAP. Looks like the summers will be going back on earlier than hoped.

 

The guy got me to turn the wheels to full lock to get a better look at the full tyre which revealed that the inner edge is starting to deteriorate and separate 

 

I'll still pursue Nokian though, the guy confirmed that this hasn't happened overnight, it is likely the failure of the tyre began well before I noticed.

 

 

At 2 and a half years old that craaaaazy bad. I would be writing stern letters to Nokian about the risk to yours, loved ones and pedestrians lives while driving on those. 

I'll make sure I follow the proper process first and see where that gets me.

 

I need to keep in mind that even without the cracking / deterioration the tyres are at the end of their life through tread wear alone.

 

Still, it isn't what I'd expect from a premium tyre manufacturer such as Nokian.

@Silver1011: Your tires look awful, surely not what you expect from tires only two years old. For comparison: This is what my Michelins Alpin A4 (produced in week 16 - 2011, so 7 years old) look like. Still look like new, no cracks at all!