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Dry Rot Michelin Defender

7K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  stevenva 
#1 ·
Hi Everyone, My 2010 3.6R has been running smoothly, and I now have 104K miles. It is paid for, and I'd like to keep it at least another year or two.

Went in for routine oil change and was told my tires are dry rotted and need replacement. These are Michelin Defenders and have been driven about 45K miles. I bought the car CPO and these tires were on the car.

I really don't go off-road, but I'm not shy about having to park in fields, etc. with the Outback. I mostly drive city roads and interstate. Do you have recommendations for tires? I've got to make my appointment.
 
#2 ·
I think the g'mint advice nowadays is to reject tires over 6 years of age. Actual issues with old tires probably varies quite a bit and I'm sure there are decent 6 year-old tires, but age CAN make them deteriorate.

I dunno what shop advised you about your tires, maybe they sell tires and were pressuring you to buy new ones? You could get a second opinion but, if we assume you really do need new tires, find a local Discount Tire store. try to go in in the middle of the week - mid-day - and just have a discussion about how you drive the car, what your budget is and what you were told about your tires.

DT has a good reputation in general. they have helped me and all my relatives with flats and other tire issues for decades. great company with good customer service.

Tires on almost all Subarus MUST be identical. Plan on buying 4 tires, keep them properly inflated, have then rotated and balanced on a regular schedule. This will be explained to you at Discount Tire or most other tire retailers. If you don't drive much, get tires with lower tread 'life' as they may get 'old' before you wear them out.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, I figured that with the mileage, I would need to replace them this year anyways by inspection in November. I can see the defects in the sidewall and it is on all four tires. They do not look good. If you google image dry rot on Michelin tires that is exactly what they look like. I will need to have them done next week when I have a few vacation days.

I do check pressure, have them rotated and balanced regularly with my service. Sorry I was not clear in my original post. My car is 2010 but I bought it in 2014, so I have had the car and the tires 4 years.

I know some people use the Yokohomas. I had those on my old Forester and I didn't have any issues with them.
 
#4 ·
It's a good idea to check the age of new tires before they even install them. It is easy to find the week of mfg.of a tire: https://www.tirebuyer.com/education/how-to-determine-the-age-of-your-tires

I learned this the hard way after buying a set of 4 new tires for a Camry, two years later two were dry rotted and on checking they were all of different mfg dates and 2 had been actually too old to sell as new when they were installed. Stores are not legally allowed to sell a tire as new if it is more than 2 years old, but this does not mean that they don't do it (like my local DC store). Buyer beware, I use Costco now, but still ask to check the tires prior to install. No reason that your "new" tire shouldn't be 6-8 months old or less. Of course you want the freshest new tires you can get and they should all be of the same or very close mfg date.
 
#6 ·
It's not bad advice, it's actually very common. If he had the car for 4 years and they were installed when purchased them then it's safe to say they are getting towards the end of their life. Tires continually evaporate the oils in the rubber, even when not being driven, and it is common on any tire after about 5 years or so depending on the compound. Heat cycles and ambient temperatures also play an effect on how the rubber deteriorates. The Michelin Defender also has a high UTGQ rating (over 800 on most) which means it will wear slower but is generally made from a harder compound rubber which is more susceptible to dry rotting with age than a softer compound. Rule of thumb is always replace after 5 years of the manufacturing date located on the sidewalls.
 
#7 ·
All tires (and batteries) have a datecode which can tell you EXACTLY what year/day they were manufactured.

Lets not guess, the OP can read the tires and determine the tire-age.

Also, It is well-known that the tires can crack under several conditions:
*) Driving with low pressure.
*) Sitting unused for months (rubber needs to regularly 'exercised' to remain limber)
*) Ozone (parking near area where electric sparks are generated like welding or motors)
 
#9 ·
I got a great deal on a set of General Altimax RT43 tires from my local Discount Tire store manager back in December 2016. They have performed quite well on our 2013 3.6R, easily handling several 6 to 8-inch snowfalls and never hydroplaning even during the heaviest of rainstorms. A solid, affordable all-season tire with a 70,000-mile treadwear warranty. I highly recommend them.
 
#10 ·
Jon, thanks for that recommendation on the Generals. The date code on my current tires are 5012, so they are 5 years 3 months old, so they close to the end of their lifespan anyways. When I bought the car from the Subaru dealer the tires were on, but they may have been put on by the PO vs. the dealership. ??? I will call for appointments this week. This car is my daily driver, and I should probably check the date code on my Mustang, too, since I don't drive that car as often. Those tires actually look much better than the Outback but could also be at their age limit.

I plan to keep the car at least another year or two. I'm not going to be like my sister who wound up buying a new car when hers was in for service. This one is paid!
 
#11 ·
I plan to keep the car at least another year or two. I'm not going to be like my sister who wound up buying a new car when hers was in for service. This one is paid!
and the 3.6 with the 5EAT is like the best combination ever.

nothing better to trade away for,...old or new.
 
#13 ·
wait for the 16s to come back in from off lease this fall.
(no 100,000 mile extended warranty silliness, like the single year 15s that glut the dealerships now,...some of those may have been fixed already though with a rebuilt trans that has later parts inside it).

if you get a 15, here is the process (...hope it craps out before 100,000 though),

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...warranty-extension-2010-15-a.html#post5352105
 
#14 ·
Good info to know! THANK YOU. Ugh, what a mess.

My sister just got a 2017 3.6R CPO. It was fully loaded with ES and had less than 2K miles on it. She felt she could not pass it up.

I'm really liking the Java Brown interiors, but it might be a little dark for the heat here. Right now I have the typical Ivory leather that is found on the White Satin Pearl. I've had no major problems at all and have done all my required maintenance. Prior to this car I had a 2003 Forester 5-speed I drove for 140K miles. So, I'm not one to give up something I like easily.
 
#15 ·
you can search on the brown interior, black interior vs. white interior concepts....subaru sells plenty of all in the hot south so it must not be such a big issue. (with the side tinting).

I wish subaru would have kept with the light brown / tan that they had with the older cars.

a way around it: get cloth seats, and seat covers.

_____

my own 2002 H6 was a cpo corp demo. (15,000 miles on it over 8 months, = so driven whomever works at SOA that goes from dealer to dealer to cut ribbons and bitchh about sour milk vs. crappy creamora in the waiting room,.
...rest of the 10 they had that came right from SOA in Jersey, only had 2000-4000 and were H4s).

_______

but I would just keep your 2010. maybe some tasteful/ typical mods.
( a XRT tune on the H6 and 5EAT, bigger rear stabilizer bar, skid plates).

the only thing its really missing that a newer car would have is eyesight.
 
#18 ·
Good choice on the Contis. It's no surprise for Michelins to be dry-rotting after an average of 5 years. Especially the Defender. I warranty out Michelins for dry-rot about once a month. They've never denied any warranty I've tried. 45K is half tread, I'd expect them to offer you about $30-50 credit per tire depending on date code. The catch is that credit is only good towards new Michelin, BFG or Uniroyal tires.
About 7-8 years ago I did not see Michelins having a widespread dry-rot issue.
 
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