thedofuss

i know that many buyers have exposed their tires to far worse conditions, with no problems, but there appears to be adequate evidence that there is at least a potential problem here. i for one replaced my summer oem tires at delivery with all season michelins (hmm....) so as to obviate any problem. this is to me a hugely serious issue for gm to address--along with the other many problems, e.g., faulty ignition switches, et al., and a more serious one for their clients. it transcends an issue of who is responsible to pay for what replacements.

i had only one problem with cracks in tires. i owned a boat, with a trailer, which i bought used. i did not go over the tires very carefully, and at first glance they looked fine. little did i know that they had been stored outdoors for a number of years in weather that varied significantly between winter and summer. on the way home from a vacation, i had a blow out, and very fortunately for me lived to tell about it. there was no on-coming traffic when it blew, but did that trailer ever whip back and forth. be careful guys. we all know that corporations in a capitalist economy, subject to huge profit pressures, are reluctant to jump into these types of things, and take proactive action.

thedofuss

THIS ATTACHMENT SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYONE WHO OWNS A SUBJECT VEHICLE--post #25. it is a widespread issue, as you can see it references several other vehicles, and the cost to michelin/gm would be very substantial--when neither can afford it.

note also that gm advises all dealers to deliver a copy of the notification to purchasers. i guess my dealer forgot. i presume you all got your copy.

E.T.D. Corvettes

Chevy Cust Svc

Hey Everyone,

Just a friendly reminder! Per the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Owner’s Manual; we recommend installing winter tires on your vehicle if driving temperatures are frequently below approximately 5 degrees Celsius/ 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Winter tires are also recommended on snow or ice covered roads. If anyone has any further questions, feel free to private message us! Hope this helps.

Jennie R.
Chevrolet Customer Care

E.T.D. Corvettes

Hi Jennie! Thank you for your post. I have a follow up question that I imagine others would wonder about as well. If the bulletin that went out to the dealerships says that damage may occur when driving on these tires when the temperature is below 20F, and further advises not to drive on them at all in that situation, is that what Chevrolet Customer Care is instructed to tell us as well? If not, why the discrepancy between the bulletin and what you posted for us? In other words, what is the bottom line from Chevrolet on this issue, particularly when dealing with sub 20F temperatures? Thank you!

Chevy Cust Svc

Hey Jagamajajaran,

Our team at Chevrolet Customer Care has the same advice as the bulletin and your owner’s manual. Both the bulletin and owner’s manual advise that our enthusiasts do not drive their corvettes without winter tires in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. We recommend this because high performance tires become susceptible to cracking and reduced traction at this temperature. Consequently, 20 degrees Fahrenheit is when we state not to use high performance tires at all. I hope this helps and if you have any further questions, you know where to find me!

Jennie R.
Chevrolet Customer Care

C8Jake

Hey Jennie, GM neglected to put that info in my owner's manual
GM has earned a reputation for holding back critical safety info.

Vettefan666

Then maybe GM should suspend Corvette sales in the northern states during the late fall, winter, and early spring months. (about 5 months total). My dealer thinks the tires cracked WHEN IT CAME OFF THE DELIVERY TRUCK when it was about 18 degrees out. In those conditions during a slow speed turn, the tires go CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK, that's when the tires probably cracked with 4 miles on the odometer. All I did was drive it home 12 miles at about 38 degrees. Your statement is just unacceptable.

H2LS3

It's frustrating to know not to drive the car below 20F, but GM did just that to deliver it. In many cases the cars were shipped at more than -20F this winter.

Not to mention that GM and the dealers are doing a poor job of communicating this issue. If I didnt read it here I'd have no idea and could be driving my car.

E.T.D. Corvettes

Jennie,

Thank you for the reply. Here's where GM needs to improve their communication with owners, as has been stated by several in this thread:

The owner's manual tells us the same thing you initially posted: "we recommend installing winter tires on your vehicle if driving temperatures are frequently below approximately 5 degrees Celsius/ 40 degrees Fahrenheit."

However, it appears that GM has determined that there are other considerations that should be taken due to the tires cracking when the temperature is below 20F. So the safe statement that GM appears to want to make now is the statement you made in your reply: "Both the bulletin and owner’s manual advise that our enthusiasts do not drive their corvettes without winter tires in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit." However, the owner's manual does not say that. Instead, it recommends a change of tires if frequently driving in temperatures below 40F.

This is not intended to put you on the spot at all. I appreciate what you do for us and the fact that you monitor the site and provide assistance when you see someone needs assistance. This is, instead, intended to put GM on the spot for two things: 1) Communicating better with their customers regarding the issues with our tires and recommendations for preventing damage due to sub-40F temperatures. 2) Providing support and assistance for those with issues who were unaware that this could be a problem when the manual provides for driving in temperatures below 40F as long as it is infrequent (with no mention of the issue that develops when the temperatures are below 20F).

Thank you for being our advocate!

dakotahoss

I am on my second season of Michelin PS 2 run flats. I have yet see to see a crack in any of them, but I am sure going to look a little closer, now that a problem has been pointed out.
My car is store inside with a "flat stopper" under each tire, but our cold ND winters still reach -10 or lower, even in the garage!

mjw930

PS2's are a different compound and construction than the PSS tires on the C7.

Dan12

The owner’s manual information regarding tires and the TSB information are not the same. There is a simple reason for that; when the car and tires were developed GM and Michelin had no idea the tires would crack under certain conditions.

This is verified by the service manual, it doesn’t say a thing about cracks but warns about using summer tires in the snow. Not because they will crack but because you will slip, this is common sense.

A TSB is issued only because a problem was found that IS NOT NORMAL. It happens after the fact and it’s not covered in the owner’s manual. Why issue a TSB for a problem that’s normal???

GM has done the math, they are willing to gamble on the tire issue and not recall. They will deal with customers on a case by case basis. Overall they are being very successful convincing most owners the cracking is normal. Its not. TSB says replace tires. Some cases may be mild but I've seen some I wouldn't drive on.

Why would anyone on this board think this is normal??? Certainly not helping the cause. Z51=Track Day=180MPH, you don't want to add cracked tires to that equation!

Vettefan666

To start with, I took a picture of the small cracks and will show it to
an authorized Michelin dealership and get his opinion. GM's TSB
seems to say discard and replace if ANY cracks are found.

thedofuss

1) re: tossing them, if they have no damage to them that by you can see, i would keep them and pass at resale. however, with much mounting evidence, in the form of gm autos, i would never drive the summer only tires-even if the worked great. 2) re: liability, youll have to get you dealer t0 advise you what he will do. he of course, being a dealer, would try to wriggle his way out of any thing he could, bottom line is its hes responsibility, since he sold you the car--albeit with equipment from many subcontractors. very surprising ( what am i saying) that gm would not have orchestrated a program for those who chose to take advantage of it: they could, e.g., include a different pair of tires for your cars, that were only safe on alternate weeks, or something like that.

Sailfun

Jennie, you need to put this information out to your company since they are driving the cars in temps below 20 for transportation reasons. In addition you should restrict all sales to South Florida only.
There are lots of very high performance tires. Most don't give great traction below 40 degrees however they can be driven on without damage. GM needs to step up and get these tires recalled and new tires installed without a major engineering error and design flaw installed.

rotherd31

I agree with your game plan and my experience doing the same thing was successful. Although I wasn't at the dealership on the day of delivery, my car was stored in their heated pre-delivery area, which was a 70 degree temp. Two weeks later, when I got back from FL and took delivery at 10:00AM, the outside temp was 3 degrees. No tire cracks when I left and I drove it 55 miles and took the long way home into my heated garage. No tire cracks after getting home.

FlyinLow

The Goodyear F1 supercar tires that came on my Camaro 1LE are just as bad, but at least there was a thing hanging from the shift **** telling you that you should not drive below 40 and not move the car under 20 degrees. If the tires are exposed to below 20 degrees you are supposed to let them warm up gradually over a 24 hour period.

Any summer performance tire is going to have issues at very cold temps, because their compounds are soft, thats what makes them sticky.

dakotahoss

Well, that is a relief! Thank you for telling me.

quick04Z06

I would be livid if I picked up my new car in 30 degree weather, my dealer let me drive off the lot, the tires cracked, and then I did not get new tires mounted for free at the dealer of best tire shop in town if the dealer's shop stinks. Many non-car nuts buy Corvettes, and how is a brand-new owner going to know about the tires?

Tesla just announced they are going to retrofit all Model S cars with a new skid plate to protect the battery pack from underside impacts--no charge. Now I do not think Tesla qualifies for sainthood, but this is related I am sure to the fire issue and they are not stonewalling here or trying to blame the consumer.

Chevy should replace these tires. Pronto. If they are going to let people drive their new Z51s from the dealerships in 30 degree weather, then dealers should mount winter tires before you drive out and remount your summer tires for free when the weather warms up. After that, your nickel, but that is just how it should be....

If dealers don't play ball with Chevy on this, then Chevy should cut their Corvette allocation....