Cracks in sidewall of tyre
Moderator: RichardW
Cracks in sidewall of tyre
Decided to check out how much friction material I had left on my brake pads earlier and when I looked at my tyres on the front, they both have these cracks in Got the tyres last Feb. That doesnt look too safe to me. What does everybody think? They are Avon ZV3's,
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I would not use them. Have you checked your tyre pressures? It looks like you have wear on the outside edge but is bad to see properly. How many miles have they done? If not many i would think about contacting Avon as it could be a manufacturing fault. I used to work for Michelin in a manufacturing plant and I know that customer services would often examine used tyres with possible defects so it might be worth contacting Avon and see what they say. It is not the usual UV light causing cracking you get on old tyres.
Incase anyone is interested as to why the sidewalls crack on old tyres I will try to explain. The rubber has waxes added that protect the tyre from the UV light in sunlight. As a tyre ages the wax migrates to the surface of the tyre to keep replacing the wax that is lost while driving around. When you see UV light cracking on tyres all the wax has migrated and been worn off allowing the sunlight to damage the surface of the tyre. Yes I know I am sad
Incase anyone is interested as to why the sidewalls crack on old tyres I will try to explain. The rubber has waxes added that protect the tyre from the UV light in sunlight. As a tyre ages the wax migrates to the surface of the tyre to keep replacing the wax that is lost while driving around. When you see UV light cracking on tyres all the wax has migrated and been worn off allowing the sunlight to damage the surface of the tyre. Yes I know I am sad
Neil
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Now Citrtoenless
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Before you can see the cord water may be able to penetrate to the steel fabric. This will cause the steel fabric to rust and swell which can 'unstick' the fabric from the rubber causing the tyre to blow out.citronut wrote:they dont fail the MOT untill you can see the cord,so thats a good rule of thumb
regards malcolm
Neil
Now Citrtoenless
Now Citrtoenless
I try and keep the pressures checked, according to the tread indicators they have worn quite evenly over the width of the tyre. Just a bit of a suprise as they are not very old (but I would say they are about a mm from the tread indicator). I did try and have a look for warranty info on Avons website but there isnt anything on there.
A blow out is a scary prospect...
A blow out is a scary prospect...
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Its not worth a possible risk to your life for the sake of driving on iffy tyres. Be safe, get them replaced
I found similar cracks on my old tyres and although they were a long way from being illegal, I replaced them all... Safety first.
I found similar cracks on my old tyres and although they were a long way from being illegal, I replaced them all... Safety first.
James. (Nr M67 East of Manchester).
Dark Blue ZX 1.9D Auto 1994 'L' 5 dr (modified) Aura. 98K miles used daily. Ave mpg 40
Wedgewood Blue 75 CTD auto Connoissaur. 2002. 144k. used daily. ave mpg 40 ish.
Dark Blue ZX 1.9D Auto 1994 'L' 5 dr (modified) Aura. 98K miles used daily. Ave mpg 40
Wedgewood Blue 75 CTD auto Connoissaur. 2002. 144k. used daily. ave mpg 40 ish.
So it's like sun cream for car tyres !BonceChops wrote:I would not use them. Have you checked your tyre pressures? It looks like you have wear on the outside edge but is bad to see properly. How many miles have they done? If not many i would think about contacting Avon as it could be a manufacturing fault. I used to work for Michelin in a manufacturing plant and I know that customer services would often examine used tyres with possible defects so it might be worth contacting Avon and see what they say. It is not the usual UV light causing cracking you get on old tyres.
Incase anyone is interested as to why the sidewalls crack on old tyres I will try to explain. The rubber has waxes added that protect the tyre from the UV light in sunlight. As a tyre ages the wax migrates to the surface of the tyre to keep replacing the wax that is lost while driving around. When you see UV light cracking on tyres all the wax has migrated and been worn off allowing the sunlight to damage the surface of the tyre. Yes I know I am sad
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UV causes surface crazing, the UV can't penetrate very deep into the rubber, it only affects the very surface. I've had tyres with surface crazing and been perfectly happy to drive with them in that state.
What you have however is most certainly not surface crazing, you've got what looks like quite deep cracking. Looking at where the cracking has happened, its in the same place on three different tread blocks, its a weak spot where the tyre is thin but also its an area of stress concentration. This looks to me like either bad design or a manufacturing fault. If you run a tyre overloaded or overinflated they overheat, this makes the surface of the rubber a sort of matt finish, I can't see that in the photo so my best guess is that you've got a duff tyre.
What you have however is most certainly not surface crazing, you've got what looks like quite deep cracking. Looking at where the cracking has happened, its in the same place on three different tread blocks, its a weak spot where the tyre is thin but also its an area of stress concentration. This looks to me like either bad design or a manufacturing fault. If you run a tyre overloaded or overinflated they overheat, this makes the surface of the rubber a sort of matt finish, I can't see that in the photo so my best guess is that you've got a duff tyre.
Ironic isnt it, I had the receipt for these about 3 weeks ago and can I heck find it now! Just checked my Citroen booklet now to confirm I havent been over inflating them.
When I find the receipt Im gonna get in touch with them, or maybe its best to go back to National tyre?
When I find the receipt Im gonna get in touch with them, or maybe its best to go back to National tyre?
99 Xsara SX HDi 105k with PSi power box- smokier but well worth the wonga!