[kkunal.shah]

Hi,

I replaced the tyres on my Jetta to Michelin PS4 in August this year & have run around 5k since.
These tyres have been an absolute delight esp on highways.
Recently on a Mumbai-Kolhapur drive I discovered a cut on the front right tyre, the cut is not deep & tyre is not losing air. I made a return trip from Kolhapur to Mumbai without any issues.

Spoke to The dealer (Premji tyres, thane) & according to him this would not be covered under warranty & since there is no air leakage it’s absolutely safe to continue driving it.

Need advice of fellow members if:
1. Let it be the way it is.
2. Carry out some repair.
3. Change to new tyre.

P.S.: my spare is a Goodyear one so no sense in making this a spare.

[Sushil Pingua]

If the depth of cut is not more than 2-3 mm then you can safely continue to use this tyre.
The cut is on the tread so should not bother you unless deep.
This cut cannot be repaired.
Change to new tyre if this cut develops a bulge or the crack widens, which should not occur since the rubber is relatively new so soft and supple for the next 2 years atleast.
My Michelin P3ST also has such a cut on its tread and its running fine for the past few years without bulge or widening of crack.

[UPS_Guru]

In your case, given the area and depth of the cut, there shouldn't be any issues. However, monitor the cut before and after every long drive. You can fill it with puncture paste to prevent it from widening.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by kkunal.shah

Hi,

I replaced the tyres on my Jetta to Michelin PS4 in August this year & have run around 5k since.
These tyres have been an absolute delight esp on highways.
Recently on a Mumbai-Kolhapur drive I discovered a cut on the front right tyre, the cut is not deep & tyre is not losing air. I made a return trip from Kolhapur to Mumbai without any issues.

Spoke to The dealer (Premji tyres, thane) & according to him this would not be covered under warranty & since there is no air leakage it’s absolutely safe to continue driving it.

Need advice of fellow members if:
1. Let it be the way it is.
2. Carry out some repair.
3. Change to new tyre.

P.S.: my spare is a Goodyear one so no sense in making this a spare.

If the cut isn't deeper than the tread wear indicator, you have nothing to worry in my opinion. Please check how deep that cut is.

I had noticed a similar chip during periodic rotation of my Michelins, where a chunk of the tread had disappeared, and pinged our resident Tyre Expert, DBHPian NikhilB. He suggested there is nothing to worry about, and the tyre could be safely used. The XM2s have been flawless despite this minor incident.

[sunikkat]

From the look of it in photo, the cut is just the outer surface and not deep. You should be okay to run that as normal.

[Vitruvius]

I agree with Leoshashi on this issue. If your treads are deeper than the cut, nothing to worry about. The tread area is reinforced by cables from within as well, so a minor nick will not make the tire structurally weak.

Last I heard, Michelin had stopped it's passenger tire imports in India from January of this year due to regulatory hindrances.

Did the dealer sell you an older lot? Or are they still being imported somehow?

Also, would the passenger tires sold after Jan 2021 come under warranty program?

[hemanthbs]

Had a same issue on my tire, but the local service shop where i regularly checks done was able to get it fixed with a patch which is not visible, it been a two years now since it was done and no issues faced.

[lsjey]

I'm not an expert in this. IMHO, since the tyre is new, you can explore the option of exchanging the tyre. Depending on the exchange value of the tyre, decide if the risk is worth the net new tyre cost. We all upgrade to Michelin for a reason, performance. If in any way it will be affected, even if there is a small niggling feeling, better to change.

Regards,
lsjey

[Cyborg]

I would suggest you don’t take chances with the tyre. Whether it’s a superficial cut or not, never know how the tyre will behave when you do high speeds or heat/cold cycles which our tyres are regularly subject to.

Check with any tyre dealer what they will give you for this tyre, get a new one in exchange as soon as possible and put this behind you. Better safe than sorry.

Cheers

[chaotic]

Just like the suggestion from many others, if the cut isn't deeper than the treadwear indicator, it should be fine. However, for peace of mind, get the tyre unmounted and inspected from inside to check for any damage which may either require a simple puncture patch or worst case a tyre replacement. While at it, get balancing checked as well.

[PearlJam]

While a friendly tyre professional might be the best to gauge this firsthand (pictures never do full justice), these are my 2 cents:

1. The 4 tyres are the only things that keep your car on the ground, and good tyres are critical for your safety, and of others. If there is even an iota of doubt in your mind, it should be changed, because even if the tyres might be fine, peace of mind comes foremost. Remember that we're not talking about an audio system or a sunroof here.
2. Probably you can take a chance if you're only going to be driving in the city, at the usual low city speeds. But any higher speeds mean that you're taking a chance.

[Bhalla]

Facing same issue. Cut on sidewall. Tyre is only 6,000 kms old. Checking air pressure regularly. Sometimes, air pressure decreases and sometimes, it doesn’t. So confused what to do. Whether to get it replaced or not !

[igemini]

Originally Posted by Bhalla

Facing same issue. Cut on sidewall. Tyre is only 6,000 kms old. Whether to get it replaced or not !

Unlike the actual enquiry in this thread, it seems your tyres need a replacement at the earliest. It seems the sidewall cut is deep and these can be very dangerous in high-speed driving. Do yourself a favour and get this replaced as soon as you can.

Regarding the actual enquiry in this thread, I personally don't think it's a matter of big concern at this stage as it doesn't appear very deep to me from the photos. However, it must be inspected carefully for the next few weeks to ensure that it isn't developing any further. If not that can be let alone. But incase if that develops further, it's always better to get it replaced.

Perhaps, if you are seriously concerned at this stage, you may actually opt for an exchange and get a new tyre. Considering the tyres are pretty new, you may get some discount on the new tyres.

Another option shall be to bring this to a tyre retreading shop and find out if they can do some fixes on that area alone.

[Kickdown]

I am no tyre expert here but I too have an opinion like everyone .
I would say take a call depending on your usage. If you are planning long highway trips and doing triple digits on our notorious roads then I would suggest get the tyre changed. Why take a risk when it comes to safety of near and dear ones. But if its only a city driven car then maybe you can live with it.

Originally Posted by Bhalla

Facing same issue. Cut on sidewall. Tyre is only 6,000 kms old. Checking air pressure regularly. Sometimes, air pressure decreases and sometimes, it doesn’t. So confused what to do. Whether to get it replaced or not !

That cut looks menacing buddy. Damage on the sidewall can be dangerous. I feel you should change it.

[kkunal.shah]

Thanks Guys, going with the suggestions here I’m not getting worried but at the same time will check exchange price at a few shops if i get a decent price will get one tyre replaced.