Ozone and UV damage rubber and causes cracking. There are ingredients that are added to tire rubber to reduce the effects and price is certainly a factor in the use of those products. Military tires require significantly more of such additives than most others and I saw a local tire factory buff off the labels and ship tens of thousands of 7.50x16 military tires as factory seconds due to skimping on the UV/ozone ingredients. Rumor was that the mistake was very costly.
I want to thank each and EVERYONE of you for your comments. SOmetimes the internet is a very good thing as it can bring very kind people together with helpful advice and input. I am not sure what I am going to do yet.
Here is my big issue, and I am kind of hung up on this. My Ford Service Advisor alerted me of the Dry Rot in January 2016. According to Kumho had it been reported to them at THAT time I would have gotten 4 brand new tires. And also at that time I had roughly 16K in total Mileage and virtually no wear.
Fast forward to now, well June actually when I took the Fiesta in for a Recall, my Service Advisor said it is now time for tires. I am in the danger zone. And the tread is barely 4/32", and that is attributed to the Dry Rot and even now I am just over 19K in total mileage.
So Kumho is blaming Ford and Ford is blaming Kumho.
So I am now in communications with Ford Corporate. Round and Round!
But again I am beyond grateful for everyoneās comments and suggestion. I am reading each and everyone and you guys have some awesome and interesting stories!!
Thank You All!
DA
Safety first. Take the 25%, get a set of new tires, and move on with life. If this is the biggest problem you have, count your blessings.
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Thank you Sir!
DA
Iām not so sure about that. They would have likely prorated the cost of the new tires at that time as well. Thatās typically how warranty claims work for tires and batteries.
I think you should let it go. Either take their offer or move on and buy some quality tires. Iām not religious, but I think this a case where the Serenity Prayer might be helpful, particularly this part:
God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed
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Exactly!
If (and thatās a big IF) Kumho had approved replacement of the tires, they definitely wouldnāt have been free.
Pro-rated replacements are normally done on the basis of a certain percentage deducted from the full list price of the tires or the battery, and the reality of the situation is that people can frequently find cheaper replacement goods by taking advantage of special sale prices.
If pro-rated replacements are done w/in a year, then it is possible to get a decent allowance for the replacement. With the amount of time involved in the OPās situation, any pro-rated allowance would have beenā¦paltry.
The so-called ābargain priceā for pro-rated replacements is very oftenā¦not a bargain.
Ford is to blame for choosing these tires for the Fiesta?
After you were informed in January of the weather cracks you could have driven to a Kumho tire dealer for possible warranty replacement or just let it go and buy better tires from your Ford dealer when needed, your service adviser canāt make that decision for you.
Kumho tires will replace tires free of charge during the first 2/32" of tread life, you were beyond that amount of wear at 16,000 miles.
During the first 2/32" of the original usable tread, Kumho will replace such tire with a comparable new KUMHO or Marshal tire free of charge. Applicable taxes on the new tire and costs of mounting and balancing and any other service charges are payable by the owner.
After the first 2/32" of the original usable tread, a credit percentage will be given toward the purchase price of a comparable new Kumho or Marshal tire effective at the time of adjustment. Applicable taxes on the new tire and costs of mounting and balancing service are payable by the owner.
http://www.kumhousa.com/owners/tire/replacement-and-original-equipment-warranty-policies
I think Kumho is being very generous. I would replace my tires at 4/32s. Tires and brakes are the most important things on your vehicle.
The OEM Dunlops on my 1996 Miata were great. The OEM Bridgestones on my 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse were total crap. I was happy when they wore out at 19,000 miles.
Hi All,
Again, thanks for all the replies, opinions and info. Each and every one was read and taken to heart,
O guess my biggest question is, is 16K on a set of tires really supposed to be acceptable? I am not trying to draw this out, and I am grateful for every response. But merely 16K?
Thank You Again,
DA
The OEM BF Goodrich Silvertown tires that came on my fatherās '66 Ford Galaxie had to be replaced by 16k miles, due to tread wear-out.
Was that acceptable?
Clearly, it wasnāt, but by the same token it is not totally unheard-of with the tires that come on many cars direct from the factory.
Similarly, many years later, the OEM Bridgestones on my friendās Rav-4 had a badly-worn tread by 20k miles.
Again, not good, but also not atypical for the tires provided by a vehicle manufacturer.
However, I suspect that you may be referring to the issue of dry rot occurring in only 16k miles, and if that is the case, then I think that you are not quite understanding the process.
Dry rot of tires is something that takes place over a period of time, and it has nothing to do with the number of miles driven in that time.
Instead, it has to do with the way that the tire manufacturer ācompoundsā its rubber, and it also has to do with how much direct sunlight and how much ozone the tires are subjected to over the years.
Typically, many tires will show dry rot after 6 years of useāregardless of odometer mileageābut this will vary depending on the factors that I noted above.
For example, if a car is garaged most of the time, that type of rot will take much longer to appear.
People who own travel trailers frequently cover the trailer tires with special tire covers during the long periods when their trailers go unused, and this also helps to retard the dry rot problem.
Yes, I think that 4 yearsāunder any circumstancesāis a bit too early for dry rot to set in, and the situation that you encountered would certainly keep me from buying Kumho tires, but Ford is not responsible ifāas I suspectāKumho ācheaped-outā on the compounding of the rubber for those tires.
I looked up your tires (Kumho Solus KH25) on Tire Rack. The warranty info states that there is no tread wear warranty. Users also that ice and snow traction is poor, if that means anything to you. The tires cost about $100 each at Tire Rack (plus installation), and you can find tires with a lot better performance for the same or less money. I would opt for different tires just to get better performance.
Like many things related to usage, itās not just mileage. Time is another factor because environmental exposure is also degrading the tires along with usage. Itās been 4.5 years give or take so factor that in. I have some cars that rubber parts should last forever if I just went by mileageā¦The car came with cheap(er) tires. Theyāre done. Time to replace and an opportunity to upgradeā¦
I think they come in a tie with the steering wheel and driverās seat. 
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[quote=āWhitey, post:54, topic:94377, full:trueā]
I think they come in a tie with the steering wheel and driverās seat.
[/quote]And the nut behind the wheel!
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