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Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - peanutstew

Hi

My wife recently inherited a Corsa and I noticed some cracking on the tyres this morning. It's in the long in between threads section. It runs around the whole tyre and is the same as in the photo for two of them. A third has it but not so bad. And the fourth is ok.

Do they need replacing asap? Are they dangerous?

Many thanks

Link to photos:

drive.google.com/file/d/1suev3qyoaz0iIlMWlJObaO2Kl...g

drive.google.com/file/d/19GxzE_gITBcXaqfOHHxGzF5ZD...g

Edited by peanutstew on 21/06/2022 at 10:55

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - catsdad

These are very severe cracks, not just crazing. Personally I wouldn’t even drive to a tyre outlet and would get them changed on the drive.

I suspect they are low mileage but have suffered from lack of use and gone stiff. Tyres need to be used to stay flexible. The cracks will only get worse. Possibly very quickly.

They might well be old. Tyres do age. You can check the date of manufacturer on the sidewall. There is a four digit code with the first two numbers being the week from 1-52 and the second pair the year. If any tyre looks OK but is more than a few years old then change that too. I seem to recall 7-10 years as being the working life but mine never reach that age.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Bolt

These are very severe cracks, not just crazing. Personally I wouldn’t even drive to a tyre outlet and would get them changed on the drive.

agree, they are bad and I wouldn`t trust driving on those tyres they could blow out anytime, cannot even see how deep the crack is from photo but would replace all to be safe, not seen cracks like that for a long time!

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - edlithgow

I'm not picky on tyres (bald tyres, for example, don't bother me much) but those would give me pause.

Mine (Bridgestones) were like the less bad example pictured for a year or so, but eventually one of them developed a bulge centred on one of the cracks and I decided to stop defying reality and replace the set with part-worn Maxxis.

They were over 10 years, the Japanese tyre manufacturers association advisory age limit. Tyres probably age faster here in Taiwan due to higher temperatures, UV, and ozone levels.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Xileno

Always difficult to assess over the internet but those tyres would not be on any car of mine.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - John F

Personally, they would cause me very little concern. Have a look at how tyres are made..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kk1MwVYVAc&ab_channel...9

There is very little possibility of them bursting as they run at less than half the pressure of my ancient cracked bicycle tyres. But if the rubber has become hard with age they will not grip so well, especially in the wet.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Bolt

But if the rubber has become hard with age they will not grip so well

I would be more worried about the rubber breaking up with our roads as they are, a few potholes damages new tyres, so what would happen to old hard tyres, however they are made doesn`t stop hard rubber from breaking up in use....

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Xileno

If you are in any doubt particularly about a safety aspect of your car then you should get them professionally inspected. We can give our opinions but no-one can accurately diagnose from a photo.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - edlithgow

If you are in any doubt particularly about a safety aspect of your car then you should get them professionally inspected. We can give our opinions but no-one can accurately diagnose from a photo.

I wonder how much point there is in saying this.

Any tyre professional he takes it to is going to sell him tyres, both for commercial and for liability reasons, so a decision has to be made in advance. The OP has to use their judgement.

The exception MIGHT be an MOT tester at a test centre that doesn't do repairs. I used to use London Borough of Enfield.

IIRC the MOT is quite liberal on tyres (apart from the tread depth rule) and if the belting isn't visible its possible those could get a pass.

I think crack depth also features in the rules but I dunno how they measure it.

Edited by edlithgow on 22/06/2022 at 13:35

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - edlithgow

Personally, they would cause me very little concern. Have a look at how tyres are made..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kk1MwVYVAc&ab_channel...9

There is very little possibility of them bursting as they run at less than half the pressure of my ancient cracked bicycle tyres. But if the rubber has become hard with age they will not grip so well, especially in the wet.

Dunno. If a tyre starts to bulge (as two of mine did, centred on cracks quite like those in the pictures) then I'm unclear what is going to stop it.

I'd have thought that was prima facie evidence it was structurally compromised.

When the first of my Bridgestones went lumpy, I put the spare, (a younger Chen shin light truck tyre with more plies and no cracks) on to replace it. A few days later I had to cross some overgrown waste ground which turned out to have the fallen remains of a chain link fence hidden in the undergrowth, which took a bit of crossing. Couldn't see any tyre damage but it was pretty dark.

Unwisely taking the expressway home, en route that tyre shed its tread, making an awful racket wire brushing my rear wheel well. Maybe the extra plies kept it together long enough to get to the tyre fitter the next day, after trimming some of the wires off.

I initially only got two replacements but when another Bridgestone got lumpy about a month later I got another three.

Tyres do fail, after all, and Bridgestones in particular famously have.

OTOH, full disclosure requires me to admit that 2-3 years previously I "experimented" with sunflower oil as a tyre treatment, and this could have softened the compound.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Deryck

My previous car failed its MoT due to something similar on possibly much newer tyres (Less than 3 years old). The cord was visible in places. I was completely unaware as the tread depth was good.

Are these Avon tyres by chance?

If the car is due an MoT then that would be the best way to find out, but I would not risk it for the sake of new tyres

Edited by Deryck on 22/06/2022 at 12:21

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - edlithgow

My previous car failed its MoT due to something similar on possibly much newer tyres (Less than 3 years old). The cord was visible in places. I was completely unaware as the tread depth was good.

Are these Avon tyres by chance?

If the car is due an MoT then that would be the best way to find out, but I would not risk it for the sake of new tyres

I wouldn't risk it for the sake of new tyres either. I'd get used ones.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - sammy1

A car obtained for nothing and quibbling about its tyres!! They look pretty iffy to me so best spend a few bob and forget about the risk

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Andrew-T

Are these Avon tyres by chance?

Interesting you should ask that. I have Avons at the moment which are starting to show cracks along the sipes after 5 years. They are made in Serbia, while the previous set were IIRC British made and didn't suffer the same problem.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - peanutstew

Firstly, my apologies! I've come back to the forum to ask about something else (different car, different problem) and didn't realise i had any responses. I thought I was set up for email notifications, but obviously not!!! So a very belated thank you for the replies and help.

We did indeed get the tyres changed.

And no, they weren't Avon. But the last set I got on the other car are Avons. They were recommended by the fitter as a good mid-ground tyre. They've been fine so far but I guess time will tell.

Cheers

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Andrew-T

Firstly, my apologies! I've come back to the forum to ask about something else (different car, different problem) and didn't realise i had any responses. I thought I was set up for email notifications, but obviously not!!!

I've never had emials after responses on this site, so it's fair to assume that doesn't happen. You have to look in proactively !

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Xileno

"I've never had emials after responses on this site.........,"

The functionality was implemented back in 2003 but it was quickly removed as it caused some security problems.

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Andrew-T

The functionality was implemented back in 2003 but it was quickly removed as it caused some security problems.

That must be about the time I signed up .... :-)

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Bolt

Firstly, my apologies! I've come back to the forum to ask about something else (different car, different problem) and didn't realise i had any responses. I thought I was set up for email notifications, but obviously not!!!

I've never had emials after responses on this site, so it's fair to assume that doesn't happen. You have to look in proactively !

Going back years ago you did get e `mails to let you know there was a reply, but it was stopped at some point, though it was never mentioned why?

Vauxhall Corsa - Cracking in between the treads (long ways) - is it - Xileno

"though it was never mentioned why?"

No idea, except I remember there being some comment about it revealed a security flaw. Different software in those days (khoosys)