Michelin tyre cut on my Volkswagen Jetta: Fix it or change it

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.

BHPian kkunal.shah recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

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:

• Let it be the way it is.
• Carry out some repair.
• Change to new tyre.

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

Here's what BHPian Sushil_Pingua had to say on the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian Leoshashi had to say on the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian Isjey had to say on the matter:

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

Here's what BHPian PearlJam had to say on the matter:

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

• 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.
• 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.

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