Michelins & Premature dryrot

CookieRoe

CookieRoe

Senior Member
hello all,

Got some disheartening news on Michelin tires. A mechanic friend tells me that they have a tendency to dry rot after a short period of time. He agrees that the treads last forever. I've had LTXs on my surfs and loved them but never had them longer than 3 years. Anyone hear of this dry rot problem they apparently suffer from?

thanks!
 
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Define short period... I've had Michelins on past cars for 6+ years. No signs of rotting on my current OEM Michelins either.
 
Short period being 2-4 years old. Seeing all the glowing reviews of the LTX M/S2 tire, I ordered them anyway. They should be installed by tomorrow so I'm excited. As far as dry rotting, I'm sure some tire manufactures suffer this to SOME EXTENT, but I going to take it with a grain of salt. I detail my rig often and "dressing" the tires is something I do regularly. My theory is that my tires are "conditioned" and moistened often, so that should ward off the dry rot issue (......I know it sounds dumb). :hiding:

I just wanted to know if anyone on this forum heard anything or has had problems with theirs. (A search yielded people with them having nothing but positive things to say about them). Maybe I'm worried about nothing.

Consumer complaints about Michelin Tires
Michelin tires dry rotted! - Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums

Googleing michelin dry rot will yield quite a few threads on this supposed issue.
 
I've been told by more than a few tire industry people that applying tire shine products will draw out the preservative chemicals mixed in when the tires are made, and instead of preserving the tire, can actually lead to premature aging.

I've not studied that issue at all, but anyone concerned with dry rot might look into the issue further.
 
02SE said:
I've been told by more than a few tire industry people that applying tire shine products will draw out the preservative chemicals mixed in when the tires are made, and instead of preserving the tire, can actually lead to premature aging.

I've not studied that issue at all, but anyone concerned with dry rot might look into the issue further.
Click to expand...

Did some reading in detailing forums, seems that Silicon based "protectants" are no good. This would include most tire shine products and STP/Armor All. Anyway, I accidentally applied some Meguiar's Ultimate Dash & Trim restorer on my tires. Believe me, its absolutely the best stuff I've ever applied to black/plastic trim (for my dash and interior parts, I use Meguiars Natural Shine Protectant). Applied some on my tires and the "clean look" (not glossy), rich black color was awesome and it lasted for like a month. I realized afterwards that it wasn't meant for tires. Anyway, it's a cream color liquid, consistent with liquid car wax. I'm thinking this stuff CAN'T be bad for the rubber compound of a tire.

Anyway, I get my LTXs installed tomorrow! :drummer:
 
Every Michelin tire I've owned wore out before it ever dry-rotted. There's a set of Michelin's that are 6 years old on an older relative's car - not a problem.
 
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Got em!!

Well, ordered and got them installed. I had Primewell PA100 tires. They had to be the most miserable tires I've ever had. Handling was sort of mushy and that tire drone, my gawd was deafening!! I hated them! The LTX M/S2 are a night/day difference! Handling is VERY sharp, my truck takes the bumps much better and they ride so quiet! Totally worth the price of admission. As far as dry rot fears, if I have anything to report, I'll report that on this thread.

Tires I've had in the past (on my SUVs):
Michelin LTX AT (awesome tires, little noisy on the road)
Goodyear Wrangler (garbage)
Michelin CrossTerrain (ok)
Firestone Destination AT (pretty good)
 
CookieRoe said:
Well, ordered and got them installed. I had Primewell PA100 tires. They had to be the most miserable tires I've ever had. Handling was sort of mushy and that tire drone, my gawd was deafening!! I hated them! The LTX M/S2 are a night/day difference! Handling is VERY sharp, my truck takes the bumps much better and they ride so quiet! Totally worth the price of admission. As far as dry rot fears, if I have anything to report, I'll report that on this thread.

Tires I've had in the past (on my SUVs):
Michelin LTX AT (awesome tires, little noisy on the road)
Goodyear Wrangler (garbage)
Michelin CrossTerrain (ok)
Firestone Destination AT (pretty good)
Click to expand...

Primewell is a tire pushed by Firestone. It's made in China - ENOUGH SAID!
 
cknsls@adelphia said:
Primewell is a tire pushed by Firestone. It's made in China - ENOUGH SAID!
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I was told, so I thought they would be "good enough" but they were not. When I bought my 4R in April, that's what they came with and they were brand new. I'm willing to bet the last owner (or Toyota b/c I this is pre-certified) just threw them on to sell it. Anyway, glad to be rid of them.
 
All brands are dry rotting & cracking.

Dead thread here so Im going to ramble on & on...lol :director:
First off theres a few things that cause dry rot/cracking.

1st: The real rubber/latex from trees that we've always used is much harder to get since Veitnam War. So they have been experimenting with synthetic compounds at our expense for decades. Seems alot of synthetic blends whipped up that seem promising in labs ends up as crap for us?
2nd: Anyone who parks their vehicle on blacktop parking lots/driveways on hot summer days for long periods will experience cracking first. The heat from blacktop just cooks the rubber. 10-12hr days every day burns up tires fast?
3rd: Age vs miles factor can play a large part in them and its why tire companies were forced into puting date codes on all tires now. Some sat on shelves a few yrs before purchased and this was a big problem for us all.

4th: Ok' hold on here, Im on a limb: :evil: :crazy:
The large evil Corps could very well be taking turns making good/bad tires so they each stay in business forever. Why run each other out when theres enough tire buyers to keep them all in business? Basicly, unionize & share the wealth? It does seem very odd to see reviews of top tire companies Mich,Firestone,Goodyear at the very bottom every few yrs at tire rack.com then switch up again? Watch you'll see that happens....Corps in bed together is nothing new as we all know.

Mich tires I bought for wifes Infiniti were 3yrs old when several sidewall cracks developed. After the 4th yr they got bad enough for me to ***** about and Michelin stepped up and replaced all 4 with my total cost being mount/balance only.
While reading about tires dry rotting every tire manufacture I googled had rot/cracking problems at some point. Just pick any brand and put "dry rot" or "cracked" behind it, you'll see.

After talking to several tire shops about 4runner tires a short time later I finally got to the reason #4 as possibly true?. Now, if true, its why almost every tire shop carries or can get every brand for you now unlike yrs back they sold a few brands.
Only a few stand alone but they can get most other brands themselves, Cooper comes to mind. They dry rotted too btw, they were my go too brand for decades until then.
Our reason imho is from #2...Blacktop parking lot all day they fry!
 
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