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Brand new Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 ZPs going on factory wheels. 3 of 4 go on fine, then this. Tire Rack claims excessive force by installer and my trusted dealer tech who does these all the time says bs. Sounds like Michelin will cover and reimburse after 4-6 week process. Who should I believe?
Hard to say unless the machine had a sharp edge on it that caused the breakage in the rubber. My dealer tells me they will match tire rack's prices so I let them worry about any tire warranty issues.
In the future, keep in mind that dealers do offer tire price matching. That way when something like this happens they can't play the blame game and it leaves them 100% responsible to get it sorted out on the back end.
How cold was the shop where the work was being done? I could envision this happening on a cold day. Many of the tire change bays are wide open or the tires sit outside and they roll them in for the work. The Cups are very cold sensitive.
Those look like the slicks that were shipped to me in the extreme cold (-15 F). All six (4 fronts 2 rears) were cracked before they were even mounted. You could push down on the sidewalls and the cracks would open up all the way around.
Tires were shipped from Tire Rack depot in NV and installed in SoCal so temps not an isssue at time of mounting. I’ve heard and seen all the cold weather issues with PSC2s so that was my first thought but without vehicle loading I just don’t know. The Pirelli pics though make me wonder.
Dealer would not price match Tire Rack since they are not within 50 miles of their location. That said, next time I’m going a different route. Replacement tire mounted up fine and headed to Fontana tomorrow. Kudos to Michelin for stepping up and saying they will cover it.
I too have vowed to never spend another penny on a Cup 2 tire. I've had two that won't road force balance and another delaminate. Every time Michelin just shrugged and said 'not our fault'. Honestly they're a piece of **** tire.
Last edited by spearfish25; Feb 10, 2018 at 06:25 AM.
Just to be clear, the TireRack warehouse is in McCarren, NV. The average low in Jan/Feb is 23*. So not what we think of as warm.
Originally Posted by TG's Z
Tires were shipped from Tire Rack depot in NV and installed in SoCal so temps not an isssue at time of mounting. I’ve heard and seen all the cold weather issues with PSC2s so that was my first thought but without vehicle loading I just don’t know. The Pirelli pics though make me wonder.
Dealer would not price match Tire Rack since they are not within 50 miles of their location. That said, next time I’m going a different route. Replacement tire mounted up fine and headed to Fontana tomorrow. Kudos to Michelin for stepping up and saying they will cover it.
Tires were shipped from Tire Rack depot in NV and installed in SoCal so temps not an isssue at time of mounting. I’ve heard and seen all the cold weather issues with PSC2s so that was my first thought but without vehicle loading I just don’t know. The Pirelli pics though make me wonder.
Dealer would not price match Tire Rack since they are not within 50 miles of their location. That said, next time I’m going a different route. Replacement tire mounted up fine and headed to Fontana tomorrow. Kudos to Michelin for stepping up and saying they will cover it.
My new set was also sent from Tire Rack's McCarren warehouse, and installed two weeks ago here in The OC at America's Tire in Orange. Installation took about 3 hours on aftermarket wheels, but Rudy the manager who did the install took his time and the equipment used was 100 times better and newer. They do a ton of Z06 tire work for Selman Chevrolet across the street.
Oh, and America's Tire will match Tire Rack (which I only found out when I brought the tires and wheels in for mounting)
It looks like they applied too much force to the transition point between the extremely stiff run-flat side wall, and the more pliable tread. These tires can take a tremendous amount of effort and energy to mount (and get the bead to set), and they WON'T be forced. They'll just fight you harder.
Last edited by MacRoadie; Feb 12, 2018 at 12:59 PM.
FWIW, the stiff sidewall of these ZP tires is the inner wall, not the outer wall.
Right. So if you applied too much pressure close to the transition (too far up on the sidewall), you're, in essence, "stretching" the outer wall over the inner wall, basically using the inner wall as a fulcrum. That would explain the tearing. The outer wall is bonded (anchored) to the bead, so stretching it over the rigid inner wall could possibly rip the rubber if the tension load exceeds the elasticity of the rubber. Bending any material will place tension load in the outside surface and compression load on the inside surface.
Last edited by MacRoadie; Feb 12, 2018 at 02:15 PM.
PSC2 Mounting wows
100%
