Michelin Issues Statement After Corvette Owners Complain of Cracked Tires Read more:
 

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2015/03/...cracked-tires/

Michelin Issues Statement After Corvette Owners Complain of Cracked Tires
5
BY SAM MCEACHERN — MAR 10, 2015
Photo via Corvette Forum member sdtoothdocPhoto via Corvette Forum member sdtoothdoc
SHARE
3
23
0

When you pay nearly $80,000 for a car, you expect everything to be in full working order upon taking delivery, but as some Corvette Forum members have learned recently, that isn’t always the case.

More than one Corvette Forum member has reported their C7 Corvette Z06 arrived with cracks in its tires. Most recently, member ‘sdtoothdoc’ posted photos of his 2015 Z06 after taking delivery of it in San Diego showing large horizontal cracks in the sports car’s rather expensive Michelin tires.

He posted the following message along with the photos:

“Hey guys … my A8 Z06 finally got here in San Diego and I took her home a few miles away. As suspected, all four tires have cracks like Dennis’s from Las Vegas. When at the dealer, they said that four other Stingrays all have the same cracks in the tires.”

A Michelin rep has now addressed the cracked tire complaints, advising Corvette owners to not drive or move their cars in cold weather if they’d like to prevent cracks from appearing in their tires.

“This winter has been extremely harsh in much of the country and some recently shipped Corvette tires may exhibit cracking. In general, summer tires should never be driven on or moved in temperatures under 20°F because they may crack. Tires should be carefully inspected at the dealership before taking delivery of a vehicle. Never use a tire with freeze cracks, breaks, or damage to the sidewall or tread. For those residing in colder climates, Corvette owners should have a plan for vehicle storage during cold winter months. If your garage drops below 20°F regularly, consider removing tires and storing them inside. If you live in colder climates and want to drive your vehicle in temperatures below 40°F we strongly recommend investing in a set of winter or all-season tires.”

The C7 Z06 owner in this case is from San Diego, so his car likely wasn’t subjected to sub 20°F temperatures while at the dealership. Another forum poster who complained of cracked tires was from Las Vegas, again ruling out the possibility of sub 20°F temps. This makes us think the tire cracking is likely happening at the plant in Bowling Green, or on vehicle transporters. Owners should take the issue up with General Motors rather than Michelin, as it seems to be a delivery issue rather than a manufacturing flaw.



Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2015/03/...#ixzz3U2KZhXj2

Wow.....here comes the finger pointing........too bad.......puts consumer in the middle, really poor customer service on Michelins part...

Yeah this wasn't much fun when it happened (I'm the Dennis from Vegas) but fortunate the dealership resolved quickly. Not everyone will get swift solution so hopefully GM is on the ball with Michelin on this asap!

You got that right. As of now, GM is telling us to take it up with a tire store? Now what?

GM knows this, why the hell do they continue to leave the cars outside for month in the damn middle of winter!!! The plant manager is a damn idiot!!!!!

what a joke !! Now owners in colder climates need to remove and store tires ?? hahaha - get real !

Maybe GM and Michelin should get together and ship the car unassembled in large cargo container. This way we can built our own cars like we did with those model cars we got when we were kids! Lol

This is well known now and these tires are about performance. This is not a GM issue this is a tire issue. Buy a different tire if you want to drive in the winter. I for one don't think the Corvette is a winter car but each to their own buy some appropriate tires if you want to attempt.

Michelin says to use a winter or all season tire. I have no problem with this but there are no run flat winter or all season tires available in the Z06 sizes.

Michelin when are you going to offer all season or winter run flats to fit the 2015 Z06?

May i ask how this is Michelin's customer service problem? They clearly state the design parameters of the tire. And what the tire will and won't tolerate as far as temps....


With that said, this is on GM....sort of like the Orange Peel paint......

Just saw my buddies new Z06 again with much better lighting, it has 11 miles on it and the paint leaves much to be desired.....no joke....i have Japanese cars with better paint.

Its not $80,000 either....Try $107K.....

I have an issue understanding on why GM wants to sale a car with 'summer tires only'?

I will be driving my Z all year long as for any other car. I can understand that for the Z07 since for track usage but for road usage this does not make sense.

Do they think that people going to receive their new car in November are going to store it for several Months?

Please GM, let your customer with the possibilty to enjoy their new expensive car whenever they want.

Many thanks

Phil

Ship the cars with an all-season-radial tire installed from the factory and let the customer worry about track tires.

THIS IS GMs fault for storing these cars OUTSIDE in freezing temps for weeks and letting this happen. They know dam well that these tires are NOT to be near sub zero temps yet did fuk all to stop it. Just a stupid move by GM period.

Any supplier be it GM or Michelin that points the consumer to the other supplier is providing poor customer service. They put the consumer in the middle of no where....terrible position to be. The right answer is a joint statement from both of them on how it will be handled.

Obviously you have never worked in a management position for a company that believes in customer satisfaction, you would understand about not putting the customer in the middle.

Thanks GM, so either offer a tire choice on the Z07 package, OR buy me a winter retreat down south so my tires don't crack, either way works for me. ;)

So how did your other issues work out misaligned panels, orange peel, damaged splitter. ??

A fine mess GM and Michelin have created. We didn't really have this issue with the previous generations but then again GM has never gone all in with a generation supplied only with max performance "don't move me in the winter" tires. :eek: Stay tuned for the solution folks.

I agree with you. BUT then they can't brag about track times. Those tires are worth easily two seconds a lap, and between Nurburgring bragging rights and magazine's annual track times, that is a big deal. This forum is living proof. Everyone got all in a tizzy when it looked like the Viper might be a smidge faster in a drag race.

I certainly agree that people shouldn't be complaining about cup tires in cold weather - it goes against what they were designed for.

BUT - GM shouldn't be letting those tires sit in the freezing cold, then moving them to ship. If a customers tires are cracked before they take delivery - THATS THE PROBLEM BRO! Heck, who knows if cracking could occur weeks or months later if the tires WERE exposed to extreme cold after being built!

I'm picking up at NCM on 3/27. Car been sitting there for a while as TPW was 1/27 I'm hoping I can drive it back and this isn't an issue its my only way home!