Community Forums

Devil Dog · 12-18-2008, 06:04 PM

I have a Georgetown 370TS, 2006 model. It has some small cracks around the lettering in the Michelin tires. Something to be concerned about?

Devil Dog · 12-18-2008, 06:04 PM

I have a Georgetown 370TS, 2006 model. It has some small cracks around the lettering in the Michelin tires. Something to be concerned about?

RV Wizard · 12-19-2008, 12:15 AM

What is the date of manufacture of the tires? There is a DOT box with four numbers in it. The first two are the week of the year (3rd & 4th digit) the tire was produced. Are you the original owner? have you keep a close watch on tire pressure? Are you overloaded? Have the tires been setting in water when parked? All of these and more factors need to be considered as to the condition of the tires now.

paz · 12-19-2008, 03:27 AM

Small cracks are possibly weather checking. All tires have UV inhibitors to prevent premature aging, but it sometimes still happens, especially on RV tires which are driven less than cars.

Even though the cracks are not considered dangerous until they get about 1/32" deep, Michelin will cover premature aging under warranty for 5 years from the date of manufacture of the tires. They will prorate the price of the new tires based on the amount of tread remaining on the old ones.

Check the date code as RV Wizard suggests. I see your coach is a 2006 model so there is a good chance your tires are less than 5 years old. Call Michelin and they will give you the name of an authorized dealer near you to take your coach to have the tires inspected. Even if the tires are out of warranty, you may still want to have them inspected for peace of mind.

I noticed some cracking on our 2 front tires (date code 4904 - 49th week of 2004) this past spring. I called Michelin in the summer, told them where we were, and they gave us the name and phone number of a nearby truck tire dealer. They had to order the XRV tires, but I got 2 new ones for 70% off the regular price.

AFChap · 12-19-2008, 05:28 AM

Some weather checking is supposedly "normal" and doesn't indicate the tire is bad, but it is a good idea to have someone who knows what to look for check it out.

As for preventing weather checking, it does help to keep the tires covered and parked on a vapor barrier. I just replaced four original Michelins on the rear of my rig. They have been covered whenever parked, and on vapor barriers when parked on concrete. They had no weather checking at all, and looked like new inside. They were 2 months short of being 7 years old. They may have run well for several more years, but I decided it was time for replacement. (I replaced the other two about 2 yrs ago due to one that developed a defect.)

paz · 12-19-2008, 12:28 PM

As AFChap said, a small amount of weather checking is not necessarily unsafe. Below is a picture of one of the 2 tires I had replaced under warranty. The cracking shown went pretty much all the way around both tires.

The Michelin rep who inspected the tires said this amount of cracking is not unsafe. If the tires were not under warranty, I could have continued to drive on them. However, since they were under warranty, I did replace them. If you have any questions about your tires, call Michelin and have them inspected by someone who knows about tires, specifically heavy duty tires.

Devil Dog · 12-19-2008, 03:35 PM

See, that's what I really like about this forum. I had no idea I could contact Michelin. And I had no idea that Paz came over and took pictures of my tires..........

Tom N · 12-19-2008, 03:59 PM

Michelin also replaced my fronts on October 22, 2007. I took delivery of the motorhome in January 2005.

My tires sere not as bad as Paz's.

-Tom

Devil Dog · 12-19-2008, 04:14 PM

Thanks for all the help everyone. I have emailed Michelin to find out where to take them. I used their website to find a dealer in Yuma and it said they only have one in Blythe and El Centro. I find that pretty hard to believe. But thanks to all of you. Merry Christmas!

paz · 12-20-2008, 02:52 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Devil Dog:
Thanks for all the help everyone. I have emailed Michelin to find out where to take them. I used their website to find a dealer in Yuma and it said they only have one in Blythe and El Centro. I find that pretty hard to believe. But thanks to all of you. Merry Christmas! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Michelin has more dealers than the couple they list, but most just handle car tires. You need to go someplace like a truck tire dealer who has the equipment to handle big tires and high pressures. They will also want you to take the tires to a dealer that they have authorized to make warranty adjustments.