Michelin LTX M/S Tire Sidewall Tire Consumer Complaint. After 18 months and 10,000 miles the sidewalls began to crack. I have michelin tires on all four of my vehicles and have never had one crack even on 6 year old tires. I called michelin, but they say that is normal weathering. Now they are cracking to the point that the tread could.
- Michelin Sidewall Cracking Chart Pdf
- Michelin Tire Sidewall Cracking Warranty
- Michelin Sidewall Cracking Chart Free
Many people don’t often think about their Michelin tires when it comes to car maintenance. However, proper tire care and proper inflation can greatly improve your car’s performance. Michelin is a tire brand known for its good performance and longevity, but by appropriately caring for and inflating your Michelin tires, they, as well as your car, will last much longer and perform much better.
Check Air Pressure Once a Month
A typical passenger car tire, properly inflated to 35 psi (pounds per square inch), can lose up to 1 psi per month under normal driving conditions, according to Michelinman.com. Therefore, you should check your tire’s pressure cold, or before you’ve driven for the day, at least once every month. According to Edmunds.com, when a tire is under-inflated, it affects both performance and safety, in addition to worsening the handling of the vehicle. Also make sure your spare tire is properly inflated.
Know the Proper PSI
Each vehicle has a recommended psi for tire pressure. Therefore, you won’t find the recommended psi on your tire. You have to look in either your car’s manual, on the door jamb, inside the fuel hatch flap, or the glove compartment door to find your vehicle’s recommended tire psi.
Use an Accurate Gauge
Make sure you have an adequate air pressure gauge. Many of the gauges you find in gas stations are not very reliable. Your local Michelin store will have pressure gauges suitable for their products and can check them for accuracy.
Have Good Valve Caps
Good valve caps are important to containing the tire’s pressure. Over time, the rubber can degrade and air can slowly leak out. Each time you replace your tires, make sure you replace the tire cap as well.
Rotate Regularly
Michelin Sidewall Cracking Chart Pdf
According to Michelinman.com, Michelin tires should be rotated by a Michelin shop or local mechanic once every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. This involves switching the wheels on which the tires are placed so that the tires wear evenly over time. Regular rotation extends the life of your tires, saving you money and time.
Check Alignment
Michelin Tire Sidewall Cracking Warranty
If you notice that your car veers to the left or right when you let your hands off the wheel for a second while on a flat road, you need to take your vehicle in to a Michelin shop or mechanic to check your alignment. Alignment checks involve adjusting the front and rear suspension parts. If your car is not properly aligned, it can cause abnormal wearing of the tires.
Check Tire Balance
When one area of the tire is heavier than the other after being mounted to the wheel assembly, the tire is out of balance. Balancing the tire compensates for this irregularity and helps protect your tire from abnormal tread wear. Tire balancing can be done by your local Michelin shop or mechanic.
Michelin Sidewall Cracking Chart Free
- line of tires image by ashotoflife from Fotolia.com
More Articles
Stuart Tyson
My father is notoriously frugal, and I tell him he should replace his old dry-rotted tires even though they still have plenty of tread. Can you please explain why I'm right?
I think our dads might be brothers. Tire replacement is pretty straightforward to the cost-conscious: when the tread wears down or a hole can't be patched. The reality is more nuanced than that. Tires are complex components that undergo amazing stresses during even the most mundane of drives. It took the better part of 50 years and a world war before motorists could depend on reaching a far-away destination without fixing one or two flats. As rubber technology and steel-belting techniques improved, tires became a very reliable part of the carwe just don't expect blowouts and punctures.
Tires do degrade over time, though, and that process is called dry rot. Oils and chemicals in the rubber compound start to evaporate or break down because of UV exposure. The rubber loses its flexibility and begins to crack at the surface, and the structure becomes more and more brittle (think of a really old rubber band), leading to sidewall damage and eventual failure. And we're not talking 'Oh, I'll just fill it up and drive on it'; this is a complete loss of function. You might even see tread start to separate. It's good practice to replace tires as soon as you see signs of dry rot, to prevent blowouts and the subsequent loss of vehicle control. Even if there are no signs of rot, the industry standard is to swap out tires before they hit 10 years old, and some tire companies recommend replacement as early as six years after manufacture.