fhturner

Hi Folks--

I've purchased some Goodyear slicks (scuffs), and I'm concerned about some sidewall cracking that is causing some of them to lose air pressure at a noticeable rate. The seller informs me that he was told they were still safe to drive on, and that he ran some events on some of them without trouble.

My primary concern is, of course, safety. I don't want to have a tire failure while running hard on the track. My secondary concern is keeping the air in the tires while at the track. The rate of air escaping is enough to cause foaming on some of the sidewalls when wet. From one day to the next (at the same time of day, and in a cool garage), they might lose 3-5 lbs or so.

I'm trying to give the seller the benefit of the doubt, so please keep that in mind with your opinions. If the tires are safe to run on and will hold air well enough during a weekend event (as long as I'm not refilling after every session), I'll keep 'em and use 'em. If not, I want to make sure that I'm not doing something unsafe.

So, your thoughts (pretty please)???

Thank you!
Fred

Here are pics of the cracks/foaming:

John Shiels

running them like that for the last three years at least and still here They look worrisome. Some inspectors have said but I tell them they have all been like that. Yes some do loose air also in a week.

fhturner

Thanks, John, for your comments! Could anyone else add their opinions/comments/experiences, too? Thanks!

fatbillybob

I have run them like this out of laziness too but not anymore. My personal feeling is once they loose air from the sidewall the sidewall is compromised and of questionable safety. I do not know why this happens. Some GY slicks are like this some are not. I have a guess that rubber cracks more during shipping on cold weather months or cold storage. This is an issue for some tires such that the pro's like Bob Woodman will not ship tires in some parts of winter. I got about a dozen scrubs from one supplier who has an inordinate number of cracked tires. I will not be using him again unless I can get ones without cracks. Some of my tires developed leaks in cracks after they were on the car. I have only had this problem with GY scrubs from one guy whoose name escapes me now. As I have gotten a little faster I get more scared. Loss of a tire at speed can have bad effects. I am even considering not using scrubs at all and swallowing the huge relative costs of new rubber only. It is a tough decision when scrubs are less than 1/4th the cost but my tombstone would look pretty stupid with "died racing an $80 tire". So I think we need to look at scrubs much more carefully for defects versus a new tire. I also wonder if the performance of a scrub is worse than what that tire should produce. After all the tire tread is worn funny by the previous car, questionable heat cycle, questionable care, acceptable flat spots, out of round? Rubber may still be sticky but prehaps there is more to it than sticky rubber and tire balance.

sgsvette

It is hard to post comments on this board because there are so many different opinions that sometimes people get offended, but here is my personal opinion: if the tire leaks (not the rim) you are at risk no matter how you look at it. You already know you have to air the tire after every session if you loose 3-5 lbs in a day. Is your life worth the savings from those tires? What kind of damage can you do to your car if it blows or goes down in a fast sweaper? Best be safe and use good tires. I use Goodyear slicks all the time, but not if they are loosing air. Just my 2 cents worth of 20 years experience on the track.

John Shiels

Goodyear is fairly responsive so I may make a call this week if I get a chance. or ask LG. If they are leaking bad I'd skip them. Tires are a huge expense if you run them hard. Scrubs never last me that long anyway so I really don't know how cheap they really are. Mount balance and two days they are gone. Some I have look fine at wear indicators then in one session they are corded badly. I have to try foaming some this week.

fhturner

Certainly not! I'm not so much worried about the savings as I am about figuring out whether I need to ask for my money back on the ones that are cracked and not holding air. If they are okay to use, then I won't. If the general consensus here is that it is unsafe, I'll pursue getting my $$$ back.

Thanks for the opinions/comments!
Fred

ZR1 MK

I would call Goodyear first and see their opinion. They know their product very well. My personal instinct is to return the tires for good replacements at no charge. Shipping cost will need to be negotiated. Even if they are used tires, they should be sold as inspected and assumed to be in good working condition.
I have used Goodyear slick for years. The only issue Ive had until two weeks ago is the seam splice problem. I have gotten a small line to actual bits removed in that area. Goodyear states they can be run and used regardless and I have in all cases without problems. The tires are very durable.
While getting ready for my last track event, I noticed my right rear tire was flat. After inspection I inflated it and checked psi next day. No reduction, so I used it for that track event. This was a few weeks ago. After this post, I will look at that tire again. In all my years, I never had my tires loose more than a few psi.
Let me know what Goodyear says and what you do.

fhturner

Just to update everybody...

I finally called Goodyear and talked to Bob Schaeffer in the Racing division. He said that sidewall cracking is pretty common and normally only cosmetic. It occurs where the edge of the tread portion of the tire rolls over and is bonded to the sidewall.

However, once I mentioned that the cracks were seeping air and bubbling when wet, his attitude about them changed. At this point, he said that since they were seeping air, the cracks were more than just cosmetic and indicated a breach all the way through. His comment was that if it were leaking air "that's never good," and his recommendation was to not run the tires. He emphasized by saying, "If it were me, I wouldn't run 'em."

Coming from the "horse's mouth", that's good enough for me. I will not be running these tires. Anyway, thought everyone might like to know... Appreciate your comments and opinions!

Thanks,
Fred

John Shiels

I ran some pretty grim looking ones but they were not seeping air and they were OK.