Never seen this before

[Finklejag]

I rotated my Kumho 4X tires today. They have 10,000 miles on them. I don't remember seeing this 5,000 miles ago. All 4 tires have it. What could cause this, defect? I never see any thing like this in all the tires I have rotated. This is my first set of Kumho tires.

 

[hardcore302]

I am thinking defect, but I might be wrong. I have never seen that either and I really go through tires on my current and older Mustangs. I have had your brand tires before. Let's see the others chime in. Is there a warranty? Good luck.

 

[JHZR2]

Looks like my shoe sole when flexed too far one too many times. Do you run low pressure?

I'll bet defect (which wouldn't surprise me either), but it seems like some other circumstance would drive it..

 

[Dakota1820]

What pressures are you running?

 

[crazyoildude]

bring them back to the dealer that sold them there could be a problem...im no tire expert but that looks bad

 

[Finklejag]

I run 38 psi. That's what VW calls for. I have 225/40/18 tires. Here is the other three.

 

[Nukeman7]

It clearly looks like you ran over something sharp in the road like a piece of angle iron. I would inspect and compare the tear pattern on both tires that were originally mounted on the same side prior to the rotation. If you ran over something that cut the tires, the patterns will be nearly identical for the pairs from each side (i.e., left pair/ right pair).

 

[oldhp]

It looks like the belt is seperating under the tread.
I would not run them. Be firm with the tire dealer, that you want these replaced.
What are the odds that you ran over something that made four exact looking marks?

 

[Rand]

looks like physical damage but could also be a defect.

if it was a defect I'd expect to see alot more of this.. and this is the first time I've seen it.

 

[heynow]

As someone who has worked in the rubber injection industry, I would say it appears to be a manufacturing defect. Looks to me that they need to do a bit of tinkering with their molding process.

 

[Donald]

One tire = road debris, all 4 = defect. I would also notify the gov. agency that handles automotive recalls. (Forgot name, maybe NTSB??)

 

[Roadkingnc]

Looks like impact damage from something in the roadway

 

[fxrider]

No way, They are defective tires

 

[daves87rs]

Something busted the belts....

 

[CapriRacer]

That is an open tread splice - where the slab of tread rubber ends overlap and it is opening up. The appearance of the tread splice can be caused by many things, but ultimately it's the result of a manufacturing deficiency. It can lead to the tread coming off, but usually not.

It is an adjustable condition and a tire dealer should adjust any tire with this condition without hesitation.

 

[GMFan]

Chris142 seems to have a similar problem he posted in a thread just a few days ago... http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2894053&page=1

 

[LeakySeals]

If that were damage from road debris the line would be straight, like a slash. It is not, its a defect.

 

[LeakySeals]

Originally Posted By: GMFan
Chris142 seems to have a similar problem he posted in a thread just a few days ago... http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2894053&page=1

Not the same IMO. That one looks like he ran over something sharp.

 

[4D-56]

tire defect. seen it before, long time ago. have run tires like this with no issues.

 

[Rand]

after actually seeing all 4 photos I'd have to agree its a defect

the first time I looked only the 3rd picture loaded...

which looks much more like road damage than the other 3.