Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread

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Sat 5 Sep 2020 18:57
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - K21000

I have been advised by a local garage to replace these rear tyres due to cracking. I have only had them on 18 months. The tread depth is good. Are they pulling a fast one?

[![IMG-20200905-184710.jpg](i.postimg.cc/RV8tfwP2/IMG-20200905-184710.jpg)](postimg.cc/2VQ3NLNx)

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i.postimg.cc/RV8tfwP2/IMG-20200905-184710.jpg

[![IMG-20200905-184710.jpg](i.postimg.cc/RV8tfwP2/IMG-20200905-184710.jpg)](postimg.cc/2VQ3NLNx)

Edited by K21000 on 05/09/2020 at 19:09

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Sat 5 Sep 2020 19:42
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - bathtub tom

How old are they?

www.blackcircles.com/helpcentre/tyres/age-of-a-tyre

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Sat 5 Sep 2020 22:23
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - Halmerend
My wife’s A1 failed its first mot with similar deterioration with very low mileage on the original Hankook tyres.
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Sun 6 Sep 2020 03:23
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - edlithgow

Can't see anything wrong with them from your pictures, apart from a bit of surface crazing, which I'd class as cosmetic. Certainly don't look like MOT fails, which (according to the last standard I saw) have to be very bad, as in cracked to the belting.

Dunno about "fast one" though, Some people are very conservative/cautious about tyres, and, even in the trade, this may be an honestly held opinion.

EDIT Had another look under higher magnification. Cracking around the sipes is a bit more than surface crazing, but still probably not an MOT fail, and I'd still run them.

I had a couple of tyre surface failures recently and replaced them and the rest of the set with part-used. They had much worse cracking than those tyres but should have still passed an MOT, though perhaps with an advisory.

I understand there is currently no legal or MOT standard for tyre age on private cars, but there is one in the pipeline for PSV and HGV 's.

Tyre manufacturers suggest 10 years, car makers generally go lower.

Edited by edlithgow on 06/09/2020 at 03:40

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Sun 6 Sep 2020 09:51
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - Andrew-T

I understand there is currently no legal or MOT standard for tyre age on private cars, but there is one in the pipeline for PSV and HGV 's. Tyre manufacturers suggest 10 years, car makers generally go lower.

There have been several threads on here discussing this question. Like when to change engine oil, it will depend a lot on what sort of life an old tyre has led. If it has been in the dark and hardly used (e.g.spare), a 20-year-old tyre may look almost as good as new. On a lightly-used rear wheel always parked in the sun, it could well be ready for scrapping.

So an arbitrary 'junk it after 6 years' rule has to be interpreted with care.

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Sun 6 Sep 2020 10:10
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - paul 1963

For peace of mind if nothing else replace them, really not worth risking it if there at all suspect (Not in my mind at least).

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Sun 6 Sep 2020 10:21
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - gordonbennet

I suspect they were old stock when fitted.

I wouldn't want them on my car.

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Sun 6 Sep 2020 10:54
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - edlithgow

So an arbitrary 'junk it after 6 years' rule has to be interpreted with care.

An arbitrary 'junk it after 6 years' rule doesn't get interpreted at all, and if/when it goes into legislation (IIRC they are proposing 10 years for HGV/PSV), you can bet there will be (and could be) no scope for interpretation.

Similarly the ""if there is any doubt at all" line doesn't leave any scope for interpretation.

There is ALWAYS doubt, so you either insist on perfect blemish-free tyres and scrap a lot with superficial cosmetic damage, or you make a judgement as to what level of doubt you find acceptable.

From the picture I'd find those tyres (and the associated doubt) acceptable. Apparently the OP does too, as he is entitled to, but this does not imply that a garage advising otherwise is ""pulling a fast one""

.

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Sun 6 Sep 2020 12:32
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - K21000

Thanks for all the comments. The car is used daily. These are Pirelli P7 Cinturato. I have always had this brand for years, but very recently decided to change and I now have Good Year Efficient Grip Performance 2 on the front. They are quieter and just feel better. I don't think I want to risk it now, so replacing these rears with another pair of the Good Year's tomorrow.

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Sun 6 Sep 2020 14:07
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - Andrew-T

Another possible cause for sidewall cracking is slow loss of pressure (maybe due to leaks round the tyre bead) which has often been corrected too late - i.e. the driver didn't check pressures until he noticed the tyres were flat(tish).

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Sun 6 Sep 2020 17:57
Tyre wall and tread cracking but good tread - John F

It is a moot point as to when over-cautious advice becomes 'pulling a fast one'. Just remember that a garage business, like any other business, is in the business of as much business as possible. Surface cracking is of no consequence and should not fail an MoT test, no matter how old.

A car tyre runs at quite a low pressure. Even if you pumped up an ancient tyre beyond its usually 40psi max to a low bicycle tyre pressure of 60psi - twice a car tyre operating pressure - it would still be unlikely to burst. The only thing to watch out for is gradually less grip as the rubber hardens with age. I noticed this some years ago with the twenty year old tyres on my low mileage TR7.

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