Crack down center of tread

[SHOZ]

I was working on the car today and noticed this crack on the front tires running down the center. It's on both front tires. They have about 28000 miles on them. Will they blow up soon????????

Hankook Ventus S1 noble2 225/50/18 put on 3 years ago and still have 5/32" of tread.

 

[walterjay]

It appears that the cord is showing. Time for a replacement.

 

[SHOZ]

No that is not the cord. It's what appears to be the tread separating.

They have a 50k mile/5 year replacement down to 2/32" warranty. I sent an email to the Tire Rack whee I got them.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 is rated fairly low in the ultra high performance all-season by consumers. I would replace these tires with better rated tires, Cooper CS5 Ultra Touring, Kumho 4X and others are better than Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2.

 

[Colt45ws]

I thought it looked like a mold line.

 

[BrocLuno]

Put them on the power axle and smoke 'em

 

[Billy_D]

They look bad for 3yr tires. It's time to replace them.

 

[SHOZ]

I did just put on new rears this spring. I was planning on replacing these next year. I'll wait to see what the warranty is on them.

I really like the tires.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

They look like Firestones

But yeah, you can see the metal, time to replace them. Get a new set during the Labor Day sales. That said, 28k isn't bad at all for high performance tires, especially since you still have 5/32 tread.

Do you run them with high air pressure?

Still, 3 years is really early for this kind of [censored] to develop. You usually only see this cracking/visible metal in old tires (more than 5 years old), or when they're completely bald.

What car is this?

 

[SHOZ]

This is on my Gen Coupe, running factory air settings. 35 lbs front and rear.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

There is no cord or metal in the tread blocks of a passenger car tire. Whatever it is, it's cosmetic and not structural.

Some of you guys are way to eager to sound the alarm bells.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
This is on my Gen Coupe, running factory air settings. 35 lbs front and rear.


cool

Maybe you can try the Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric AS, Yokohama Advan Sport AS, or the General G-Max

 

[CapriRacer]

Have you guys heard about some tires generate static electricity? That stripe down the center is to prevent that static buildup. It is very likely base compound which runs cooler (as opposed to cap compound which runs hotter but wears better) AND base compound doesn't have the antioxidants that the cap compound does, so it is more prone to cracks.

It is nothing to worry about.

 

[eljefino]

I like this answer.

 

[zzyzzx]

You bought a cheap Korean /Chinese / Indonesian tire, and after 3 years it has a defect. Why are you surprised?

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Have you guys heard about some tires generate static electricity? That stripe down the center is to prevent that static buildup. It is very likely base compound which runs cooler (as opposed to cap compound which runs hotter but wears better) AND base compound doesn't have the antioxidants that the cap compound does, so it is more prone to cracks.

It is nothing to worry about.
I have never seen wear like this. I usually go to below the wear bars with smooth rubber all across.

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Have you guys heard about some tires generate static electricity? That stripe down the center is to prevent that static buildup. It is very likely base compound which runs cooler (as opposed to cap compound which runs hotter but wears better) AND base compound doesn't have the antioxidants that the cap compound does, so it is more prone to cracks.

It is nothing to worry about.
I have never seen wear like this. I usually go to below the wear bars with smooth rubber all across.


Confession: I cheated. I looked at what Tire Rack had to say about this tire BEFORE I wrote what appears below - but it is nevertheless accurate.

The problem with static electrical buildup in tires surfaced when tire manufacturers started using silica to reduce rolling resistance. Normal carbon black filled tires do not have this problem.

Some tire manufacturers found that by having a small strip of base compound - which doesn't have silica - peek through cap compound - which does - the problem could be eliminated. There are several tire manufacturers doing this - and apparently Hankook is one of them. Note: They say this tire uses silica!

 

[SHOZ]

I sent an email to the Tire Rack with pictures. Will be interesting to see what they have to say. The treadwear warranty should kick in with at least some sort of pro rated warranty. 5y/50k miles down to 2/32" (treadbars)

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

Why would they warranty them? There's nothing wrong with the tires and there is plenty of tread left.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Why would they warranty them? There's nothing wrong with the tires and there is plenty of tread left.


Tires are usually warranted for cracking for 6 years.