Is this a tire warranty issue, alignment issue, or just wear and tear?

[beachsurf]

Hello Audi gurus,

The undercarriage of my 2019 Audi RS5 sportback was being inspected by an Audi dealer. We noticed the rubber of both front tires was split open between the inner sidewall and tread exposing the metal belts embedded in the tire. The tire tread is currently at 5/32” (original is 9/32"). It was recommended I replace the tires and do a comprehensive alignment/electronic calibration due to safety concerns. See photos below.

I purchased the car new 3.5 years ago and currently have just under 20,000 miles on the vehicle. I've done mostly highway driving (zero racing). My Audi still has its original tires, Hankook Ventus SI EVO2 K117. I've followed the service manual (Audi care visits at 1,2, and 3 year intervals). Do you think this a tire warranty issue, original factory alignment/camber issue, or just normal wear and tear?

Thank you for you input and advice!


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[ShiftyWolf]

Is the car lowered or other suspension modifications? If the damage isn't all the way around, I wonder if you're rubbing against something during compression.

[beachsurf]

No, it isn’t lowered or modded whatsoever.

[HyperM3]

Looks like a delamination. Coulld be a tire defect. How do the rear tires look? This is assuming they were roated correctly and not in the same spot the entire lifespan.

[beachsurf]

Thanks for your inputs so far. I’ve rotated tires at my annual maintenance intervals. The only exception being my last one at the beginning of this year. The technician didn’t do it because the 5/32” tread depth even though it was requested as part of the service.

Upon cursory review, we didn’t see any delamination or separation on the rear tires. I asked the Audi dealer to hold onto the tires for a warranty inspection. I submitted an inquiry with Hankook, but they say the dealer needs to determine warranty eligibility.

[c99]

I had the same issue last 2 years ago on Hankooks, they were 3 years old, only 20000 km, but no warranty. Tech did tell me it's bad quality inspection in Hankook and
tires are dangerous need to be change immediately because they can explode in highway speed.

I am on Continental Sport contact 6 now. They are way better, more quiet, in my test curve I can run 20 km/h faster even in the rain.

[SHCKR]

I had this on Michelin with no alignment issues and regular rotation. Shit just happens sometimes

[Visceral1]

I think you run on performance rubber long enough you will run into these things. If the dealer can make a warranty claim on your behalf, do it! I've only had one issue with a set of Michelin's and honestly, I roughed them up on a track and they were all-season (no-season) rubber and so, I just bought another set and didn't bother with any warranty claim even though the guy at the shop said I could do it.

[Dan99]

I had this on Michelin with no alignment issues and regular rotation. Shit just happens sometimes

I don't see this as a tire defect. This is the symptom of an alignment issue (too much toe-in causes this wear pattern). Or, perhaps the tire is rubbing on the wheel well - are the tires stock size, or oversized? Do you have the stock wheels/stock offset, or spacers? You also have a partial puncture/cut of some type where the cords begin to appear.

[Gregory_Tolson]

Summer tires wear much faster than all season tires. I bought my 2019 A5 sportback used, with the S-line package, with those same Hankook summer EVO2 tires (on 19" wheels) last October. They seemed pretty close to the wear bars at 17,000 miles. I managed to get the dealer to knock $600 off the price of the car with them being close to bald (they claimed the tread depth was normal for a summer tire) but I knew I needed all seasons on the car to survive new england winters.

I also was looking at other A5's, with the same S-line package/wheels, in the mid 20,000 mile range and noticed they already had different tires on them. One Audi dealer in Burlington MA tried to sell me one with 3 different brand tires on it, lol i thought it was a joke.

[Dan99]

Summer tires wear much faster than all season tires. I bought my 2019 A5 sportback used, with the S-line package, with those same Hankook summer EVO2 tires (on 19" wheels) last October. They seemed pretty close to the wear bars at 17,000 miles. I managed to get the dealer to knock $600 off the price of the car with them being close to bald (they claimed the tread depth was normal for a summer tire) but I knew I needed all seasons on the car to survive new england winters.

I also was looking at other A5's, with the same S-line package/wheels, in the mid 20,000 mile range and noticed they already had different tires on them. One Audi dealer in Burlington MA tried to sell me one with 3 different brand tires on it, lol i thought it was a joke.

All summer tires are not created equal. From my own personal experience, Michelin's PS4S will get significantly longer mileage than Hankook, Dunlop, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Yokohama, and Continental. And they outperform the other brands in most categories.