I had the front passenger side wheel off when I replaced the radiator last week and as I was putting it back on , I noticed a crack in the tyre :-


It is the only place on the tyre that has a crack. I have swapped it with the one on the back so that it has less stress.The back tyre has no cracks.
My question is what would you do with it? Does it need repairing in some way ? Do I need to replace it ? (really don't want to do this as it has plenty of tread on it and I am unsure if I can get the same tyre - if not would have to change all 4 !! )
Just looking for opinions

 

Looks pretty old, possible cord separation.....any tire more than 5 or 6 years is suspect, IMO.

 

That tire needs to be replaced it is not safe. I'd also check the rest of your tires for the same or similiar thing. As Big G said it looks like cord separation or dry rot cracks. How old are these tires?

 

I have no idea how old the tyres are , I have only had the car since sep 06. They are GRAND AM RADIAL G/T tyres (not sure if you can tell how old from that) As you can see from the pic the crack is only about the length of a single tread block and I have been over the rest of the tyre and there are no other cracks anywhere else. I also went over the rear passenger side tyre when I swapped them over and there are no cracks on that tyre either. I have not checked the drivers side tyres yet.
Can anyone suggest where I might be able to take the tyre to and get it looked at more closely to see exactly what the cause is? (someone who wont just see a quick sale and tell me to change it)
If it is not safe then I will obviously want to change them (all 4 I guess)
What is that going to cost me for similar tyres ?
thanks for your input

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/Compar...=9&RunFlat=All

 

That is just like my tires, look brand-new until you get up-close. This spring I will be replacing all four
This same thing happend to me before on my last Dodge, the tire had small cracks, well I spun out and the tread came right off, glad I was not on the high-way

 

I Would Change Tire . Just For Safety And I F You Have A Blow Out You Could Lose Control And Wreck Your Vette . Is It Worth It? And Besides ,who Wants To Change A Tire On The Highway?

 

I had to replace all 4 on my 82 when I bought it. It had set for several years. The tires that were on it had lots of tread(looked almost new), but when I took it from my shop down the highway about 12 miles to where I live they went womp, womp, womp all the way. Flat spots from setting. Then when I started checking them out the tread was starting to seperate on all 4. I have seen what the tread does to steel quarter panels and fenders when it seperates from a tire and would sure hate to see what it does to fiberglass. You just have to ask yourself which is cheaper. Quarter panels or front fenders or a set of tires.


greg

 

I'm by no means a tire expert, but it looks like "dry rot" to me. Please do yourself a favor and change them, no reason to wreck your car and possible injury over a set of tires. Good luck...

 

Get a new one. You'll be kicking yourself forever if it blows while you're out driving. Even if you just clip a guard rail or something and no one's hurt, the repair bill is going to be greater than the cost of even four new tyres now...


IMHO

 

Thanks very much to all who replied - You all just confirmed what I was already thinking but other opinions is always good
New set ordered and will be fitted tomorrow - OUCH!!!
Thanks again

 

There is a DOT # (date code) on the tire...post it and I can tell you how to tell the age of the tire. Well within a ten year block.
Example if it ends in a 6 its an 76 or 86 or 96 etc.
I have found some very old tires on vettes in the past...that did not look half bad....I use them to roll project cars around...

 

If I have the correct number it is 0294296 and I would guess 1996 as the year?
I am going to change them anyway - don't want to risk it
If anyone can use the old ones for any reason - Obviously not on the road - but to wheel around a project car or for some other use - you are welcome to them . You would need to collect so would need to be in central Indiana area - if not they will go tomorrow

 

To bad you weren't closer I need two Grand Am tires. What size did you go with? I see recommended on the site posted above is 255's I have 245's.

Jim

 

I have 255's - remember that although there are no cracks on the other tires they are the same age and so in thoery they will have deteriorated to the same degree , I heard back from the guy I bought the car from and they were on the car when he bought it so they are at least 6 years old. I wouldn't want them to end up back on the road.

 

learn how control burn outs then buy new ones
ntq

 

I had a tire do something similar this past fall. Took them to a tire place and they said that the tire had a blown belt. I figured that I'd should go ahead and replace all 4 tires than deal with the issues of a tire blowing on the highway...

 

Don't be so quick to jump on the bandwagon. There's no safety issue with that tire. If the belts were separated, you would know it as the entire thing would be egg-shaped. The structural integrity of a tire comes from its sidewall and its steel belts. That's a simple crack in the tread. Drive on it.

 

Burn em off

 

Had a new set of tires fitted this morning - took them in the back of the kiddy carrier as the kids are off school an you can't fit five in the vette!!!

Makes me really nervous having all 4 wheels off the ground at the same time propped up on stands , I am much happier now that it is back on all four nice shiny shoes.

The look on the face of the guy who replaced the tires ( not the owner of the place , the guy doing the work - so he didn't have a vested interest) was enough to tell me that I was doing the right thing in changing them - he said any crack in the surface of the tyre was a big sign that you should replace them , he also said that any tire should be replaced after 4-5 years regardless of how much wear on it . All tires have a dot code (date code) on them giving the date of manufacture - mine was 0100 - the 1st week of 2000 so they were if fact just 7 years old - overdue for a change!!!

It still hurt to see them throw away what looked like perfectly good tires that had done less than 7000 miles , especially when I had to get my card out to pay for the new ones but I guess it is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Anyway thought I would let you know the guys opinion - I guess there are a good few of you out there who like me have tires over 5 years old on - is it worth the risk - food for thought