Is minor weather cracking on the sidewall more of a cosmetic issue,safety issue, or both? Tire is about 4 yrs old and has 5/32 tread remaining. The Continental ContiproContact in question is holding air just fine and I plan to change the tire soon anyway.
Weather cracking
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First, it should be expected that the rubber in tires should crack over time. It's a matter of degree. It's also an indication of the state of the tire - the more cracking the worse shape it is in.
So in time, weather cracking migrates from a cosmetic issue to a safety issue - and it's hard to be precise where the line between the 2 is.
If you are planning to replace the tires soon, and the cracking is minor as you've indicated, then you probably aren't at a danger point.
BTW, "Holding air" doesn't mean the tire is good. That part of the tire that is most responsible for "holding air", is largely resistant to cracking (for good reason!). The part of the tire that should be of most concern is the edges of the belts - which are inside several layers of rubber - and one indicator of the state of this area is cracking in the upper sidewall area.
But, please, please, do NOT think that lack of cracking means everything is fine. In rubber, cracking is the result of both flexing and the properties of the material. It is quite possible to have rubber that is unsafe to use, but doesn't show any cracking (because not enough flexing cycles have taken place to develop the cracks).
So in time, weather cracking migrates from a cosmetic issue to a safety issue - and it's hard to be precise where the line between the 2 is.
If you are planning to replace the tires soon, and the cracking is minor as you've indicated, then you probably aren't at a danger point.
BTW, "Holding air" doesn't mean the tire is good. That part of the tire that is most responsible for "holding air", is largely resistant to cracking (for good reason!). The part of the tire that should be of most concern is the edges of the belts - which are inside several layers of rubber - and one indicator of the state of this area is cracking in the upper sidewall area.
But, please, please, do NOT think that lack of cracking means everything is fine. In rubber, cracking is the result of both flexing and the properties of the material. It is quite possible to have rubber that is unsafe to use, but doesn't show any cracking (because not enough flexing cycles have taken place to develop the cracks).
Thanks for contributing to this forum. Bad part is that 2 tires are newer and 2 are older one having the weather cracking issue. Just need to decide if I want to bite the bullet and get all new Michelin MXV4s or just replace the older 2 Continentals with the same to keep the cost low. I always seem to have irrepairable damage to 1 tire and replace two to be even only to repeat the cycle a year later. Think I have bought about 6 or 8 of the same kind of tire in the last 4 years or so.
cracking in the rubber is actually due to UV degradation--- where the UV rays actually break the bonds in the rubber material, so its structure changes, which results in the cracking
In our experience storing tires Ozone also plays a role. Keep tires away from appliances and other electrical devices as ozone build up kills any rubber in short order.
Tires can develop cracks even in the dark!
Tires can develop cracks even in the dark!
This is just my recent experience 2 months ago and I thought I'd share it with you folks.
As many here at Bob's know, I buy my tires online and have Walmart* install the tires. I was recently at W*M to have my wifes RX-300 tires(G/Y ACT's) balanced/rotated under their LIFETIME plan and to my surprise, the W*M service tech refused to balance my tires stating that the tires had cracks in them and W*M doesn't want to be responsible.
My G/Y tires are just 3 yrs old and have 7&8/32's of tread life remaining. A person would have to look closely at the tires to see these cracks so, I asked for the Store Mgr.
The Store Mgr. agreed that the cracks weren't severe and told me about their[W*M] new policy about cracks in tires. We both agreed that I would sign a waver, freeing W*M from any liabilities!
There was no arguing in the store and I did in fact, thank & shook hands with the service tech for bringing this to my attention. No, I did not offer a tip(money) to this service tech as there are overhead cameras everywhere and I didn't want it to look as if something elese was going on! Although, I have tipped these techs in the past(in the parking lot) for doing a nice job with my aluminum wheels on certain cars.
I like this particular Walmart* for tire installation as they torque the wheel lugs to spec, balance the tires quite well(1st time) and even(some tech's) sand the inside edge(bead)of the wheel and apply a sealant, as to achieve a good seal. All for(todays new prices of $16.50/tire) a very reasonable price.
On my way home from W*M, I drove over to the G/Y Tire & Service Center where I have(in the past) purchaced tires but, also have my state inspections, allignments & few other services done. The G/Y Mgr. came out to my car to see the tires and smiled(no LOL). And went on to say...
"We see this all the time on tires but, the cracks would have to be severe for us to fail a state inspection or warrant tire replacement on customers tires"(under the Pro-Rating).
As many here at Bob's know, I buy my tires online and have Walmart* install the tires. I was recently at W*M to have my wifes RX-300 tires(G/Y ACT's) balanced/rotated under their LIFETIME plan and to my surprise, the W*M service tech refused to balance my tires stating that the tires had cracks in them and W*M doesn't want to be responsible.
My G/Y tires are just 3 yrs old and have 7&8/32's of tread life remaining. A person would have to look closely at the tires to see these cracks so, I asked for the Store Mgr.
The Store Mgr. agreed that the cracks weren't severe and told me about their[W*M] new policy about cracks in tires. We both agreed that I would sign a waver, freeing W*M from any liabilities!
There was no arguing in the store and I did in fact, thank & shook hands with the service tech for bringing this to my attention. No, I did not offer a tip(money) to this service tech as there are overhead cameras everywhere and I didn't want it to look as if something elese was going on! Although, I have tipped these techs in the past(in the parking lot) for doing a nice job with my aluminum wheels on certain cars.
I like this particular Walmart* for tire installation as they torque the wheel lugs to spec, balance the tires quite well(1st time) and even(some tech's) sand the inside edge(bead)of the wheel and apply a sealant, as to achieve a good seal. All for(todays new prices of $16.50/tire) a very reasonable price.
On my way home from W*M, I drove over to the G/Y Tire & Service Center where I have(in the past) purchaced tires but, also have my state inspections, allignments & few other services done. The G/Y Mgr. came out to my car to see the tires and smiled(no LOL). And went on to say...
"We see this all the time on tires but, the cracks would have to be severe for us to fail a state inspection or warrant tire replacement on customers tires"(under the Pro-Rating).
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I actually had some Goodyear Assurance Comfortreads(old design) that started cracking at about 2-3 years and around 20,000 miles or so. The Tire dealer had a Higher Up come look at them when he was in town and pro-rated them. Said they had not seen that before on that tire. I thought the tire wore pretty quick for its 80,000 rating.
Here is a link to Goodyear Aviation tire info that says:
Ozone or Weather Checking/Cracking
Random pattern of shallow sidewall cracks usually
caused by age deterioration, prolonged exposure to
weather, or improper storage. Remove from aircraft if
fabric is visible.
http://www.goodyearaviation.com/resources/pdf/inspection.pdf
Ozone or Weather Checking/Cracking
Random pattern of shallow sidewall cracks usually
caused by age deterioration, prolonged exposure to
weather, or improper storage. Remove from aircraft if
fabric is visible.
http://www.goodyearaviation.com/resources/pdf/inspection.pdf
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