Opinions on tire conditions - Cracked PS3's

[chicky]

Advance Holiday Greetings Gentlemen

I wanted to ask the "tire experts" for their opinion/s as to what caused the cracks shown on the pictures of my used Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tires (fitted on or about 2012 0r 2013 ... oops "senior moment ) ... these were removed from my wheels yesterday and replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport 5s' (manufacture dates 2024).

Please allow me to give a brief background:

a. my R129066 is a "garage queen" used only on weekends, taken for a 24 kilometer (15 miles), sometimes 48 kilometers (30 miles) run consisting of expressway and city​

roads.​

​

b. I have the tires inflated on 36psi fronts and 39psi rears using nitrogen air.​

Thank you in advance

 

[gsxr]

Ouch. Those cracks are worse than I'd like to see for barely over 10 years old. Especially with low km's... appears age got the best of them despite plenty of tread depth.

Your pressures are a bit on the high side for non-autobahn use, but that only affects ride quality, not lifespan / cracking.

 

[duuder]

dry weather will affect these too

 

[chicky]

Ouch. Those cracks are worse than I'd like to see for barely over 10 years old. Especially with low km's... appears age got the best of them despite plenty of tread depth.

Your pressures are a bit on the high side for non-autobahn use, but that only affects ride quality, not lifespan / cracking.

Hello Dave

Happy Holidays

That was also the comment of the tire installer ... ... so much for wanting (IMHO) the best tire possible (European brand) for my car, having to bite the bullet as far as cost is concerned. Over here in the Philippines there is no tire distributor that carries those sizes, and also in Singapore. The local Michelin distributor had to order them for me, then shipped air freight $$$$

Fast forward to the future ... I am concerned that these tire sizes might not be produced by Michelin or othe manufacturers ... leading me to the question ... should I buy and stock for future replacements?

Best regards

 

[gsxr]

Chicky, what tires sizes are you using, front & rear?

 

[chicky]

Chicky, what tires sizes are you using, front & rear?

Hi Dave

For the front, I am using 245/40x18 on 8.5x18 AMG wheels. For the rear, I am using 275/35x18 on 9.5x18 AMG wheels.

Best regards

 

[R129 UK]

Hi Dave

For the front, I am using 245/40x18 on 8.5x18 AMG wheels. For the rear, I am using 275/35x18 on 9.5x18 AMG wheels.

Best regards

What makes you think these sizes will be difficult to source in the short to medium term? In the UK there are a number of options from all the main names:



^ These are for the rears.

If you are very careful with your storage conditions you could keep some for a few years but I’m not sure this is necessary.

 

[nocfn]

I once had Pilot sports on my E500. They were hard, and ultimately the odd wear got them tossed much earlier than they should have been. I switched back to Continental as a result and the wear issue was removed. I have more time and miles on them than the Pilot...Either bad batch or bad luck. All suspension units were replaced and aligned prior to the process of new Pilots being installed. YMMV

 

[gsxr]

What makes you think these sizes will be difficult to source in the short to medium term? In the UK there are a number of options from all the main names:

I agree... those 18" sizes should be available for many years to come. It's the smaller-diameter (many 16", some 17") sizes which have been slowly vanishing.

If you are very careful with your storage conditions you could keep some for a few years but I’m not sure this is necessary.

If you do buy a new set for storage, first make sure you are getting fresh tires (ideally, less than 1 year old). Then wrap them in sealed, thick, black plastic bags and store them indoors in a cool, dark environment.

 

[TerryA]

@chicky,
Those tires are toast. They are about 12 years old and are starting to dry rot. I have the same problem at the moment with the exact same size Michelin tires. My date codes are 2011. My tires just show cracking on the edges. The car has been garage kept in SoCal but it sat for 6 years from 2016 until 2022 due to health issues. During that time it was basically backed out of the garage and driven around the neighborhood about once a month just to keep the juices flowing.

I plan on getting a new set this coming spring but it’s 3rd in line for tires. I just spent $762.00 for a set of Michelin 205/60-16 AS for my beater KIA Optima w/ 103K on the clock. The last set went 61K miles. Next is my wife’s 2005 Caddy DeVille then my 500E.

IMOP, I would never buy tires and store them. If you wrap them up for 10 to 12 years they’re still OLD starting out.

Just put a new set on your SL and run them until their worn or rotted out and move on to the next set.

Take Care

 

[chicky]

What makes you think these sizes will be difficult to source in the short to medium term? In the UK there are a number of options from all the main names:

View attachment 204001

^ These are for the rears.

If you are very careful with your storage conditions you could keep some for a few years but I’m not sure this is necessary.

Hello R129 UK

May I request you for further information with regards to you writing "If you are very careful with your storage conditions you could keep some for a few years" ... please elaborate.

Thank you in advance

Happy Holidays

 

[gsxr]

May I request you for further information with regards to you writing "If you are very careful with your storage conditions you could keep some for a few years" ... please elaborate.

See post #9 above. If kept in a cool, dark location AND also sealed from the atmosphere, this should extend the lifespan significantly while in storage. Extreme temperatures and UV exposure kills rubber.

 

[R129 UK]

Hello R129 UK

May I request you for further information with regards to you writing "If you are very careful with your storage conditions you could keep some for a few years" ... please elaborate.

Thank you in advance

Happy Holidays

As per the above post plus here is some guidance from Michelin:

Tyre Storage - How to store your tyres | Michelin

Need to store your tyres? The experts at Michelin are here to provide a few tips to keep your tyres safe and ready to go while stored away during the off-season.

www.michelin.co.uk

 

[chicky]

I once had Pilot sports on my E500. They were hard, and ultimately the odd wear got them tossed much earlier than they should have been. I switched back to Continental as a result and the wear issue was removed. I have more time and miles on them than the Pilot...Either bad batch or bad luck. All suspension units were replaced and aligned prior to the process of new Pilots being installed. YMMV

Hello nocfn

Thank you for sharing your experience

Allow me to share my experience with Continental tires. When I still had my W201 2.6 in the late 90's, I bought their high performance tires and fitted them on my BBS 18inch wheels at that time. About 2 days after, while running at about 100kph on an expressway ... I hit a small pothole and the sidewall blew ... fast forward had the car towed and brought to the local dealer where I bought them and asked for a free full replacement ... they denied stating that there was no warranty ... I replaced the continentals with Michelins and never looked back ... still happy with the brand to this day

Happy Holidays

 

[chicky]

I agree... those 18" sizes should be available for many years to come. It's the smaller-diameter (many 16", some 17") sizes which have been slowly vanishing.




If you do buy a new set for storage, first make sure you are getting fresh tires (ideally, less than 1 year old). Then wrap them in sealed, thick, black plastic bags and store them indoors in a cool, dark environment.

Hi Dave

I will consider buying the tires after the New Year celebrations after reviewing my "disposable income" budget for 2025 ... but seriously your suggestions of how to keep them in storage is highly appreciated

Merry Christmas

 

[chicky]

@chicky,
Those tires are toast. They are about 12 years old and are starting to dry rot. I have the same problem at the moment with the exact same size Michelin tires. My date codes are 2011. My tires just show cracking on the edges. The car has been garage kept in SoCal but it sat for 6 years from 2016 until 2022 due to health issues. During that time it was basically backed out of the garage and driven around the neighborhood about once a month just to keep the juices flowing.

I plan on getting a new set this coming spring but it’s 3rd in line for tires. I just spent $762.00 for a set of Michelin 205/60-16 AS for my beater KIA Optima w/ 103K on the clock. The last set went 61K miles. Next is my wife’s 2005 Caddy DeVille then my 500E.

IMOP, I would never buy tires and store them. If you wrap them up for 10 to 12 years they’re still OLD starting out.

Just put a new set on your SL and run them until their worn or rotted out and move on to the next set.

Take Care

Hi TerryA

WOW we had about the same experience with the Michelins ... in my case, it was the covid lockdown of 2020 (till 2022 here in Manila) over here that my car was just used going around the gated community that I live in ... just to get the "juices flowing" which really did it to the tires and a slew of other things for my car (so many problems)

I will seriously consider your suggestion of "IMOP, I would never buy tires and store them. If you wrap them up for 10 to 12 years they’re still OLD starting out." ... you do have a point on this.

Merry Christmas

 

[chicky]

As per the above post plus here is some guidance from Michelin:

Tyre Storage - How to store your tyres | Michelin

Need to store your tyres? The experts at Michelin are here to provide a few tips to keep your tyres safe and ready to go while stored away during the off-season.

www.michelin.co.uk

Thank you R129 UK for the link ... very informative for me

Merry Christmas

 

[TerryA]

Hi TerryA

WOW we had about the same experience with the Michelins ... in my case, it was the covid lockdown of 2020 (till 2022 here in Manila) over here that my car was just used going around the gated community that I live in ... just to get the "juices flowing" which really did it to the tires and a slew of other things for my car (so many problems)

I will seriously consider your suggestion of "IMOP, I would never buy tires and store them. If you wrap them up for 10 to 12 years they’re still OLD starting out." ... you do have a point on this.

Merry Christmas

My point is that regardless of the tire thread or that they appear to have no dry rot. You are starting with a 10 to 12 year old tire. I would prefer to have new tires with current date codes.

It’s just a matter of preference.

Merry Christmas