Road damage with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+

[Starflyer]

I replaced all 4 Continentals on my '18 G80 Sport after damaging one beyond repair. Now 6,000 miles later I hit a city "induced" pothole (a repair that wasn't filled in) with maybe a 1-2" sharp drop on the far side of the hole. In checking the tire this morning, it looked like there was a very slight bulge in the right front tire.

To be safe, I drove into my Costco center where I bought the Michelins where the tech agreed that it should be replaced. I figured there goes another $235 down the hole, but was nicely surprised when the tech said it was covered by the Road Hazard at NO cost to me! First time that's ever happened to me.

While I was there, I asked the tech about having the tires rotated and was told it was a waste of time since the tires are staggered. It's my understanding that staggered tires should be rotated, but because the tires are directional, the tires should be removed from the wheels and then placed on the opposite wheel, maintaining the directional rotation. In other words, the tire on the left side (facing out) will now be on the inside when moved to the right side.
He also informed me that the 45,000 mile warranty is cut in half (22,500) because of this.

Re the photo, the hole is about 4 feet long. A couple of days ago I drove over it with no problem whe all the gravel on the side was in the hole. I wasn't paying attention so was very surprise when I hit it with the gravel missing.

SHORT VERSION, I'm buying ALL my tires at Costco from now on. And I'm NEVER again going to buy a vehicle with staggered tires.

I

 

[Bourbonncigars]

Sounds like you got a great deal and an informed tech. Rare combo.

One thing I'm not sure of is just how many times a tire can safely be mounted/unmounted.

 

[Mcc]

SHORT VERSION, I'm buying ALL my tires at Costco from now on. And I'm NEVER again going to buy a vehicle with staggered tires.

Not so fast. First of all I don’t think the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ are in fact directional. Check your tires, they are marked "outside" but have no directional rotation marking. They are asymmetric but don’t have to be dismounted to be rotated side to side.

Sounds like you got a great deal and an informed tech. Rare combo.

Or maybe not on the tech.

 

[Starflyer]

Not so fast. First of all I don’t think the Pilot Sport A/S 3 are in fact directional. Check your tires, they are marked "outside" but have no directional rotation marking. They are asymmetric but don’t have to be dismounted to be rotated side to side.

I'll check with another tire shop. Maybe the Costco guy is loony. I thought it was strange to tell me the road warrenty was cut in half because the tires couln't be rotated.

 

[glennk]

I rotate left to right every 5,000 miles. Have yet to develop a failure causing a tire replacement. (Knocking on wood)

To everyone else reading this post, LABOR DAY SALES are coming up. If you need or are close to needing replacements, now's the time.

 

[Speeder]

Not so fast. First of all I don’t think the Pilot Sport A/S 3 are in fact directional. Check your tires, they are marked "outside" but have no directional rotation marking. They are asymmetric but don’t have to be dismounted to be rotated side to side.

When it became time for new shoes on my Vee I replaced the OEM Pilot Sport Summer Only (~42k miles) with non-directional Pilot Sport A/S 3+. With the different Front- Rear combination I rotate the tires left-right every 7500-10000 miles. That worked great for the stock tires and is the recommendation in the Manuals of both Cadillac and Genesis for staggered tire size.

 

[bubbaG80Sport]

I have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires currently on my 2018 G80 Sport. These tires are NOT directional. They can be rotated side to side without dismounting the tire. Just move tire and rim to the opposite side (left <-> right).

Directional tires will typically have the word "Rotation" and an arrow indicating direction tire must rotate. Directional tires are commonly found on winter/snow tires, but directional UHP All-Seasons tires are available. tirerack.com is a useful resources for information about tires.

Tires/rims on the 2018 G80 Sport ARE staggered (different size tire on front vs. rear). Tires/rim canNOT be rotated back to front. The staggered versus squared tire arrangement was/is a negative to me, but not a deal breaker when I decided to purchase. For this type of car and my driving style (not regularly overly aggressive) I don't need a staggered setup. The staggered downside is the front tires may wear differently than rear tires (mostly like rears will wear faster being the drive wheels) requiring replacement of front and rear tires separately. I've got 5K miles on my current set of A/S 3+ and fortunately all 4 tires are wearing evenly so far. A staggered setup can also look better aesthetically, but that's not important to me.

When the aspect ratio of the tire decreases below 50, the risk of road hazard damage increases exponentially. It's only going to get worse with our decaying/crumbling road infrastructure. My solution is to avoid potholes/ruts as much as possible and keep tires inflated +2PSI (36F/40R) over factory specifications (34F/38R). Alternatively, drive a truck/jeep with off-road "mudder" tires .

Most tire warranty benefits (wear life and $ reimbursement) are reduced 50% for a a staggered setup. The reason is uneven wear (e.g. front left wearing faster then rear left) cannot be compensated for by swapping tires front to back in a staggered setup. IMO tire mfg. warranties are about as useful as tits on bull. After pro-rating, requiring you get their "comparable tire" and the hassle factor to file a claim it's not worth the trouble. If you want to "insure" your tires get a road hazard plan from tire dealer/installer or through your car insurance. I don't purchase such a plans and been fortunate with only a single potential claim in my lifetime.

 

[bubbaG80Sport]

Question:
What/is there a reason to always always rotate every 5K miles as long as all 4 tires are wearing evenly and at same tread depth?

I typically check tread depth every 5K miles. If depths are within +/- 1mm/ 1/32" and all are wearing evenly across each tire I do NOT rotate.
My belief is sole reason to rotate tires is to have them all wear out at the same time.

 

[Bourbonncigars]

Not so fast. First of all I don’t think the Pilot Sport A/S 3 are in fact directional. Check your tires, they are marked "outside" but have no directional rotation marking. They are asymmetric but don’t have to be dismounted to be rotated side to side.



Or maybe not on the tech.

Correct. I wasn't paying attention. Good catch. Bad part is that these are the same tires I just bought my wife for her 5.0. Third set actually...

 

[Mr. Incredible]

Question:
What/is there a reason to always always rotate every 5K miles as long as all 4 tires are wearing evenly and at same tread depth?

I typically check tread depth every 5K miles. If depths are within +/- 1mm/ 1/32" and all are wearing evenly across each tire I do NOT rotate.
My belief is sole reason to rotate tires is to have them all wear out at the same time.

The purpose? To keep the tire manufacturer from having to pay a warranty claim on the tires, pure and simple.

The small print in the warranty from every tire manufacturer states that you must rotate the tires on XX schedule and failure to do so (and prove it) will void the warranty.

Tire manufacturers know the majority of people do not rotate their tires, so it is there out of having to pay for a warranty replacement.

I rotate my G80 sport tires side to side at every oil change and I make sure that the dealer notes it on the invoice especially with all the bubble and blowout issues that the conti’s appear to have. The last time the SA even dismounted and flipped them for me.


And yes the warranty is cut in half on staggered setups. Stupid and just another way to screw the customer out of a warranty claim.

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[EdP]

Question:
What/is there a reason to always always rotate every 5K miles as long as all 4 tires are wearing evenly and at same tread depth?

I typically check tread depth every 5K miles. If depths are within +/- 1mm/ 1/32" and all are wearing evenly across each tire I do NOT rotate.
My belief is sole reason to rotate tires is to have them all wear out at the same time.

You forgot the other reason: We always did it that way and we can charge you for it too!

A note on wearing though. I had a couple of FWD cars and did not rotate. The rear tires had over 60,000 miles on them, however, they started to cup and were noisy as hell. I changed them only for that reason. After that, I did rotate once in a while. At least take a good look at them.

 

[glennk]

I rotate them every 5,000 because I paid Discount Tire for the unlimited rotate/balance contract. Plus if their are any warranty claims, I've got the proof of diligence on my part.