You people have been very helpful in allaying my fears. Towne Fair Tire, where I bought them, agreed to call Michelin while I was there. By the way the tread is good and they did not dispute that and they were manufactured the year before I bought them and were never outside on display. Michelin replied that they will split 35%, me/65% them. But the tires must be sent back to them and the % may change. That means I have to purchase another set of Michelins. The ones I have are no longer made. Also, the cracks are on both outside treads and not on the walls. I think I will drive on them until the tread wears and monitor the tires. Thank you.
Good tires are important, evidently town fair supplied you with aged tires that are a risk to your general safety health and welfare. It is not only your life you may loose but also the lives other others on the highway. Get a year of manufacture and post it please. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11
+1 @Barkydog - cracked tires = time to replace, especially when they’ll probably chip in 65%. Tires can fail catastrophically, not something you want to experience.
The cracks are on the outside treads and not on the sidewalls? Can you post a photo? Something sounds amiss here.
Please note: Michelin tires tend to use hard rubber in both the tread and the lower sidewall. These tend to crack more readily, but they also aren’t critical to the operation of the tire.
Cracks in tires is a matter of degree. You should expect a certain amount of cracking in older tires. Acceptable cracking will be superficial and small (more like crazing.) If the cracks are deep and concentrated to one particular area, that would be a concern. It’s best to have someone knowledgeable look at the cracks - BUT - many tire shops are interested in selling tires, so beware.
I think @CapriRacer has it on this one. I suspect OP’s “cracking” looks like what’s on my similarly-aged Michelins. The dealership tried to scare me into giving them a grand for tires, but it’s just not necessary. They’re perfectly safe and have enough tread to go another year before I have to worry about it.