Michelin Primacy LC - Bad experiences

Buffetfan · 16th January 2010, 01:56

In dec 2008, I was travelling from Hyderabad to Gokarna in my Baleno. Started at 2 in the afternoon for the 700 KM journey and understandably was in a bit of hurry to make up time. Tires - Michelin Energy XM1 in 185/65R14 size.

Somewhere around Gadag I hit a pothole at around 100 KMPH. the impact was solid and I could hear it loud and clear in the car. I did not feel anything amiss and hence continued driving.

The next morning I got up to find two sidewall bulges on both sides of the front right greet me. The rim was also bent but microscopically so. I was a bit less surprised about this after I checked the tire to find that it also had a nail in it and was carrying just 15 Psi of air.

So my theory is, I got the nail first that reduced the pressure due to air loss down to 15 psi or so . On top of that, I hit the pothole hard-so hard that it bent the alloy wheels side flanges too.. and crushed the tire sidewall between the rim edge and road.

I used the tire for the next week as was too lazy to change and air once pumped in would take 3 days to leak out.

now it is proudly resting in my boot. Did not feel like calling Michelin as it was completely my fault. But I still recommend the XM1s to whoever asks me as the tires have given me outstanding comfort and silence..maybe at a bit of compromise with grip but guess you cant have everything in life

@MPower - In my case one of the bulges was somewhere around the sidewall center / bit off center but at a high speed and irregular potholes, you really cant apply too much of principle here..do you.

@Nikhil - I had a friend develop sidewall bulges in his Bridgestone S248s after couple of hours of high speed ripping in the sun while my Goodyears that I had at that time survived to tell the tale. See http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...tml#post115873

supercars · 20th January 2010, 09:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

My goodyear OE will last only a few hundred kilometers.

We are saying Michelin is Bad. Just read this comment.

Are you a Race Driver driving Many Laps on the Racing Track ? If not then Goodyear have to be the Worst Tyre Seller in India.

mukeshgoel · 20th January 2010, 10:43

I think he meant that the remaining life of his tyres is only few hundred kilometers more.

WasavaTyres · 20th January 2010, 11:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

How can the alloy hit the tire at the center of the sidewall if the bead is seated properly ?

The alloy hits the center of the sidewall as the sidewall is flexible to a certain extent and will gets squeezed on impact. If it did not possess that property we might as well have wooden tyres akin to bullock carts.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

Tire bulging is caused by internal cords snapping either do to manufacturing defect or due to kerb stone intrusion from the side.

Or due to a impact which causes the nylon cord inside to break. This is a very vague comparison but if you take a nasty fall,there might not be a visible injury,but you may suffer a fracture. The nylon cords and steel belts basically form the carcass of the tyre which acts like a skeletal system.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

On the early model zens the sidewall was so soft that it would collapse and bend the rim...but the tire remained fine.

With so many potholes dotting our roads and almost more than half the cars being shod with tubeless tyres,with bent rims and a fine tyre all you would have is a pile of cars on the roadsides 'coz the air would have leaked through the bent rim and left you with a flat tyre.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpower

why because they touch the roads?
Sorry, is there some research study to support this.

I don't think you need research to know effectively that tyres ARE the most abused part on a car. Ever seen shock absorbers / wiper blades / fenders / door handles rub against tarmac,concrete,kerbs, speed breakers and pot holes ?? they wouldn't be ble to take it more than a few meters, while your tyres do that for thousands of kms. Yes,tyres are built for exactly that purpose, but there is a limit / endurance capacity to every object or machine built and your tyres are no diffrent.

greenhorn · 20th January 2010, 11:33

To be honest, I've abused my car over some pretty bad roads. I've had my tie rods, ball joints, suspension kit, wheelcaps replaced and rims repaired, but not my tyres. I have a feeling that my Bridgestone S322's might outlive my car's suspension, and possibly my car

gemithomas · 20th January 2010, 11:48

I have had an incident where we had to repair two rims on our UNO when i ran through a big pothole at night. The Bridgestone Potenzas were intact.

PatienceWins · 20th January 2010, 14:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by supercars

Are you a Race Driver driving Many Laps on the Racing Track ? If not then Goodyear have to be the Worst Tyre Seller in India.

No, I am a software professional. My car has never been to a racing track.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

I think he meant that the remaining life of his tyres is only few hundred kilometers more.

That is what I meant.

ashwinurao · 2nd February 2010, 11:32

I am using LCs for close to 5k kms now and don't have any issues. They are in mint condition. Although I did not hit any speedbreakers at 100kmph, I do travel on crappy roads or should I say roads where you hope to find some tarmac ( Mangalore-Udupi - NH17).

I am no tyre expert but I think as long as you maintain the right tyre pressure Michelins will prove to be worth the money.

diveshsingh · 2nd February 2010, 22:12

Michelin should be replacing the tires, let them not blame it on Indian roads afterall they are officially present in the Indian market. So they should build their tires to handle Indian road conditions.
I was thinking of going for Primacy HP, which is supposed to be for some 9 grands. Now I doubt I would do that, i would stick to the stock tires which comes with cruze.
I don't want to take any risk specially on Mumbai roads. The safety road studs and metal speed breakers used throughout mumbai roads are as bad as potholed roads of some remote area.

navan49 · 2nd February 2010, 23:21

Hi Guys,

Is it not a rare incident to get Michelin on fire. The JK's often pull our legs. But my JK in my Ritz did not pull me down on 13k Kms run. Hope it will go for another27k kms.

rjstyles69 · 2nd February 2010, 23:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by navan49

Hi Guys,

Is it not a rare incident to get Michelin on fire. The JK's often pull our legs. But my JK in my Ritz did not pull me down on 13k Kms run. Hope it will go for another27k kms.

navan you can be rest assured that the JK will last 27kx2 kms if your driving is sedate.Unless you want to hit MMST someday and burn some rubber. These are hard compound tires and are built to last.

Jaggu · 3rd February 2010, 11:57

Not really Riju, even with normal driving the JK in the petrol swift is coming to an end at around 40-45, so 27k is fine but 27k x 2, i doubt.

finneyp · 3rd February 2010, 12:07

It is plain simple guys, if you need rugged & long lasting tyres, please buy MRF / JK tyres.

If you need comfort, grip etc, go for Michelin / Yokohama, but you can't abuse these tyres especially on bad roads, you need to be gentle with them!
And if you take care of your tyres (like doing WB/WR/WA every 5-6K kms, maintain proper tyre pressure), tyres will definitly perform & last long.

iTNerd · 3rd February 2010, 19:06

Yesterday, I was driving back home with the driver side glass lowered to let some fresh air, and strangely, I hear this intermittent noise from the rear tyre.. I suspected that a sticker/paper stuck halfway to the tyre edge and the other part beating the road as the tyre circles.. stopped the car to check, but I could not find anything sticking on the tyre, or at least that was what I thought.. after reaching home, and letting my younger bro drive the car slowly and observing the tread of the rear tyre, I saw this reasonable size stone stuck in the small tread gap.. and strangely enough, it was able to squeeze itself into the small tread hole (goes on to show the softness of the Primacy LC).. fortunately for me, the stone was just stucked, so no wear/tear on the tyre..

atulpj · 9th February 2010, 17:29

I had another post where I posted my issue with bulge on the sidewall.. I sent a message at Michelin site as no support line was working. This is just after 2 days of Michelin engineer telling that its a pothole issue..

Michelin folks least bothered to respond to me.. I searched all the email address of Michelin folks across the globe even the CTO, VP, CFO etc and wrote to them about the Indian operations and no one is responding to me. Within couple of hrs - A Sr. Technician from Delhi Mr. Amardeep called me and told me that.. he is least give sh** to the dealer and want to inspect my tyre personally. He told me that he would come down to Pune within a week and will inspect a tyre.

Within another 2 hrs. Mr. Rahul Chaddha - head of sales?? called me and said that.. he is really apologize for the service provided to me and also said his person is coming to Pune to inspect the tyres.

Mr. Amardeep came to Pune and asked me to drop the tyre at one of the dealer's shop. I dont know what Mr. Amardeep has inspected. I had never got a call from them about the result.

Next day I called Darshan Tyres and they provide me the name of technicial Mr. Shekhar. I checked with him and he said that..they were trying to reach me (Surprisingly I never got a call

) .

I asked Mr. Amardeep number since he has left for Delhi. I talked to him and he said he will mail the result. Its more than a week the report has not arrived.

Today again I called Mr. Amardeep and he said that. the report has been sent for validation. Asked for Mr. Rahul's contact number, he is unable to provide the same. Still struggling.. As someone said in this forum that.. its a waste of time and money.. but I would like to break the nexus between these tyre dealers and engineers and bad customer support..

16th January 2010, 01:56	#61
Buffetfan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,128 Thanked: 195 Times	In dec 2008, I was travelling from Hyderabad to Gokarna in my Baleno. Started at 2 in the afternoon for the 700 KM journey and understandably was in a bit of hurry to make up time. Tires - Michelin Energy XM1 in 185/65R14 size. Somewhere around Gadag I hit a pothole at around 100 KMPH. the impact was solid and I could hear it loud and clear in the car. I did not feel anything amiss and hence continued driving. The next morning I got up to find two sidewall bulges on both sides of the front right greet me. The rim was also bent but microscopically so. I was a bit less surprised about this after I checked the tire to find that it also had a nail in it and was carrying just 15 Psi of air. So my theory is, I got the nail first that reduced the pressure due to air loss down to 15 psi or so . On top of that, I hit the pothole hard-so hard that it bent the alloy wheels side flanges too.. and crushed the tire sidewall between the rim edge and road. I used the tire for the next week as was too lazy to change and air once pumped in would take 3 days to leak out. now it is proudly resting in my boot. Did not feel like calling Michelin as it was completely my fault. But I still recommend the XM1s to whoever asks me as the tires have given me outstanding comfort and silence..maybe at a bit of compromise with grip but guess you cant have everything in life @MPower - In my case one of the bulges was somewhere around the sidewall center / bit off center but at a high speed and irregular potholes, you really cant apply too much of principle here..do you. @Nikhil - I had a friend develop sidewall bulges in his Bridgestone S248s after couple of hours of high speed ripping in the sun while my Goodyears that I had at that time survived to tell the tale. See http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...tml#post115873 Last edited by Buffetfan : 16th January 2010 at 02:15.
	() Thanks

20th January 2010, 10:43	#63
mukeshgoel Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 1,234 Thanked: 2,142 Times View My Garage	I think he meant that the remaining life of his tyres is only few hundred kilometers more.
	() Thanks

20th January 2010, 11:33	#65
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,745 Thanked: 4,402 Times View My Garage	To be honest, I've abused my car over some pretty bad roads. I've had my tie rods, ball joints, suspension kit, wheelcaps replaced and rims repaired, but not my tyres. I have a feeling that my Bridgestone S322's might outlive my car's suspension, and possibly my car
	() Thanks

20th January 2010, 11:48	#66
gemithomas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,366 Thanked: 143 Times View My Garage	I have had an incident where we had to repair two rims on our UNO when i ran through a big pothole at night. The Bridgestone Potenzas were intact.
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 11:32	#68
ashwinurao BHPian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 34 Thanked: 0 Times	I am using LCs for close to 5k kms now and don't have any issues. They are in mint condition. Although I did not hit any speedbreakers at 100kmph, I do travel on crappy roads or should I say roads where you hope to find some tarmac ( Mangalore-Udupi - NH17). I am no tyre expert but I think as long as you maintain the right tyre pressure Michelins will prove to be worth the money.
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 22:12	#69
diveshsingh BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 99 Thanked: 31 Times	Michelin should be replacing the tires, let them not blame it on Indian roads afterall they are officially present in the Indian market. So they should build their tires to handle Indian road conditions. I was thinking of going for Primacy HP, which is supposed to be for some 9 grands. Now I doubt I would do that, i would stick to the stock tires which comes with cruze. I don't want to take any risk specially on Mumbai roads. The safety road studs and metal speed breakers used throughout mumbai roads are as bad as potholed roads of some remote area.
	() Thanks

2nd February 2010, 23:21	#70
navan49 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CHENNAI Posts: 1,000 Thanked: 73 Times View My Garage	Hi Guys, Is it not a rare incident to get Michelin on fire. The JK's often pull our legs. But my JK in my Ritz did not pull me down on 13k Kms run. Hope it will go for another27k kms.
	() Thanks

3rd February 2010, 11:57	#72
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,907 Times	Not really Riju, even with normal driving the JK in the petrol swift is coming to an end at around 40-45, so 27k is fine but 27k x 2, i doubt.
	() Thanks

3rd February 2010, 12:07	#73
finneyp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,716 Thanked: 319 Times View My Garage	It is plain simple guys, if you need rugged & long lasting tyres, please buy MRF / JK tyres. If you need comfort, grip etc, go for Michelin / Yokohama, but you can't abuse these tyres especially on bad roads, you need to be gentle with them! And if you take care of your tyres (like doing WB/WR/WA every 5-6K kms, maintain proper tyre pressure), tyres will definitly perform & last long. Last edited by finneyp : 3rd February 2010 at 12:09.
	() Thanks

3rd February 2010, 19:06	#74
iTNerd Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Imphal/Noida Posts: 1,241 Thanked: 1,214 Times View My Garage	Yesterday, I was driving back home with the driver side glass lowered to let some fresh air, and strangely, I hear this intermittent noise from the rear tyre.. I suspected that a sticker/paper stuck halfway to the tyre edge and the other part beating the road as the tyre circles.. stopped the car to check, but I could not find anything sticking on the tyre, or at least that was what I thought.. after reaching home, and letting my younger bro drive the car slowly and observing the tread of the rear tyre, I saw this reasonable size stone stuck in the small tread gap.. and strangely enough, it was able to squeeze itself into the small tread hole (goes on to show the softness of the Primacy LC).. fortunately for me, the stone was just stucked, so no wear/tear on the tyre..
	() Thanks

9th February 2010, 17:29	#75
atulpj Newbie Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 10 Thanked: 6 Times	Michelin Tyre Issue I had another post where I posted my issue with bulge on the sidewall.. I sent a message at Michelin site as no support line was working. This is just after 2 days of Michelin engineer telling that its a pothole issue.. Michelin folks least bothered to respond to me.. I searched all the email address of Michelin folks across the globe even the CTO, VP, CFO etc and wrote to them about the Indian operations and no one is responding to me. Within couple of hrs - A Sr. Technician from Delhi Mr. Amardeep called me and told me that.. he is least give sh** to the dealer and want to inspect my tyre personally. He told me that he would come down to Pune within a week and will inspect a tyre. Within another 2 hrs. Mr. Rahul Chaddha - head of sales?? called me and said that.. he is really apologize for the service provided to me and also said his person is coming to Pune to inspect the tyres. Mr. Amardeep came to Pune and asked me to drop the tyre at one of the dealer's shop. I dont know what Mr. Amardeep has inspected. I had never got a call from them about the result. Next day I called Darshan Tyres and they provide me the name of technicial Mr. Shekhar. I checked with him and he said that..they were trying to reach me (Surprisingly I never got a call) . I asked Mr. Amardeep number since he has left for Delhi. I talked to him and he said he will mail the result. Its more than a week the report has not arrived. Today again I called Mr. Amardeep and he said that. the report has been sent for validation. Asked for Mr. Rahul's contact number, he is unable to provide the same. Still struggling.. As someone said in this forum that.. its a waste of time and money.. but I would like to break the nexus between these tyre dealers and engineers and bad customer support..
	() Thanks