Gave the car a good clean today and whilst applying some tyre shine I noticed what appears to be a puncture in my sidewall on the rear drivers side.

 

Whatever caused it has penetrated through the thick bit of rubber that forms the rim protector and has chipped the rim.

 

I can’t tell if this down to road debris or something more sinister (i.e. someone’s poor attempt at taking a knife to my tyre - for reasons unknown to me).

 

I do recall hitting something in the road a little while back that was unavoidable but didn’t think anything of it. I don’t remember noticeing anything obvious either when I gave the tyres a once over.

 

Could have been there a while too as it’s been a few weeks since I cleaned the car and probably the first time in a longtime I’ve put tyre shine on.

 

Being the sidewall I can imagine it will most likely be a new tyre, not what you want just before Christmas although better be safe than sorry.

 

So what are people’s thoughts on the damage and do you think it’ll need a new tyre?

 

Edited 9 December, 20187 yr by CookieMonster87

Don't fanny about it is knackered by the cut, replace it.

Looks like you have cut the rim protector only.

Are there two cuts as the photos look to be of a different place on the tyre?

Can you see cords?  The white stuff.

It is not a knife cut.

I am presuming you have not lost air?

 

Thanks AG Falco

Thanks for the replies.

 

@AGFalco the cut goes straight through at an angle from the sidewall to the rim. I haven’t lost any air nor can I see any cords.

 

@jong123 I thought It probably would be.

 

I guess any weak point in the thinnest part of the tyre is going to increase the risk of a blowout. 

 

If it were the rim protector only maybe I could get away with it but it starts about 10-20mm from the edge of the alloy to the side wall. 

 

Will try and get in to a tyre specialist on my lunch break tomorrow, see what they say.

 

In the mean time i’ll get on Blackcircles and price a pair up!

I would say a new tyre , some thing sharp has gone through the tyre wall pushed through come out by the rim , not good .

Eh? You're all seeing something different to me.

 

You've clipped a kerb or run over something. You can see the damage to the rim of the alloy as well as the thumb shaped marking on the tyre immediately next to the rim damage and right between the rim damage and the slit.

 

The tyre is still holding air, therefore it isn't punctured.

 

Stop fretting and carry on.

The cut in the second photo, looks to be just on the rim protector part of the tyre. That looks to be no safety problem. On the first photo however, the cut is in a dangerous place, but just how deep is it? Depends on the depth of the cut, just how dangerous it really is. If in doubt about the cut on the first photo that is in the middle of the sidewall, get a new tyre. Better than a blowout at speed! 

31 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

Eh? You're all seeing something different to me.

 

You've clipped a kerb or run over something. You can see the damage to the rim of the alloy as well as the thumb shaped marking on the tyre immediately next to the rim damage and right between the rim damage and the slit.

 

The tyre is still holding air, therefore it isn't punctured.

 

Stop fretting and carry on.

 

The thumb shaped marking may just have been exactly that as a result of me trying to work out the extent of it.

 

And yes puncture was the wrong word to use as I’m not losing air. Whatever has done it has pierced the sidewall and come out through the rim protector and hit the alloy or vice versa.

 

I don’t see the need for the flippant “stop fretting and carry on” remark.

 

The sidewall is the weakest part of the tyre and can not be repaired. If you think a blowout as a result of it is nothing to fret about (which I don’t think I was, I was merely asking an opinion as to the cause of damage and the likelyhood of it needing a change) then that’s your opinion. Personaly though, from a couple of the comments above, I won’t be taking that chance.

Edited 9 December, 20187 yr by CookieMonster87

@roaddetective thanks for the reply.

 

The cut in the sidewall extends through and comes out at the rim protector. It’s all one cut as if something has peirced all the way through at an angle.

 

Because of this it looks like it’s going to be a new tyre. I would have got away with it had it just been the rim protector but as it’s so deep it’s come out through the sidewall I don’t think I’ll risk it.

The split could be from the compression of the tyre against the rim. We don't know that the two slits are even joined.

 

The tyre is holding air and there isn't any obvious deformation (bulge) to support the theory that the sidewall structure is compromised.

 

Sure, the tyre might fail, but then it could fail for any number of other reasons, at any time.

 

You asked for opinions, and mine, flippant or not, was that I'd continue to drive on it as normal. Tyres are designed to, and will take a reasonable amount of wear and tear.

5 minutes ago, silver1011 said:

The split could be from the compression of the tyre against the rim. We don't know that the two slits are even joined.

 

 

I guess I didn’t make it very clear but yes the two slits are joined.

 

This is why I’m curious as to what may have caused it and if that it poses an increaced risk to blowout as it does extend to the sidewall.

I'd get a new tyre sooner than later ... far sooner.  If the slits are aligned then it's started to compromise the sidewall to a degree one way or another.

 

Chances are you have clipped something like a piece of metal lying in the road.

CookieMonster, Please let the community know what a professional says and what the outcome was.

Thanks.

1 hour ago, jong123 said:

CookieMonster, Please let the community know what a professional says and what the outcome was.

Thanks.

Sadly you don't always get a "professional" working at a tyre depot. 

I'm not a professional tyre fitter (seems like you need to be one to have an opinion on this thread) but as a fellow motorist who likes to keep himself and his passengers (that included his 2 & 4 year old daughters) safe, not to mention other road users, I would be seriously inclined to replace the tyre.

 

Yes, it's likely that whatever's caused the visible damage hasn't changed the structural integrity of the sidewall BUT there's a chance it could have and you're only going to find that out when the tyre fails.

 

 

Where do you draw the line?

 

Tyres get pounded every day, down potholes, over debris, up kerbs, being run over or under inflated etc. a lot of the damage being invisible.

 

We'd be replacing our tyres, and our wheels for that matter, every week.

 

For the sake of doubt, then sure replace the tyre. But as safety is of a primary concern then you should replace in pairs, having tyres on the same axle with varying tread depths could also be an issue. Again, where do you draw the line?

 

I've had my fair share of punctures, some of those involving a sudden deflation, the ramifications of such are often exaggerated, unless of course you're on hot lap 

 

Edited 10 December, 20187 yr by silver1011

If the cut goes from the rim up then it is from a brush sideways impact on the rim. ( kerb )

As there are no cords showing and no bulges at this point then it is still structurally sound.

If you want some reassurance then get an inspection done on the inside of the tyre as well.

 

If you imagine your tyre as like this, a balloon ( the rubber part ) being blown up inside a pillow case ( the cords ).

Except the rubber part encases the pillow case on both sides.

The pillow case is the part that provides the strength of the tyre.  The side wall is made up of cords and rubber.

The balloon is the pneumatic part of the tyre. It is also extra thick at the rim as a rim protector.

There are no cords in the rim protector part of the tyre.

 

You can have a pin ***** through the tyre that will let air our but the tyre is structurally sound. No cords cut.

You can pinch a tyre ( in a pothole ) and break/cut the cords ( you can see a bulge ) but the tyre might not leak air.

 

So always look for cords and or bulges for any structural damage.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks AG Falco

If you prise it open a bit and shine a light in, can you see any white bits like string (cords).  If you can and they are cut then it's U/S.  If they aren't cut and it isn't bulging then i'd risk it (in fact I do - one on my car and one on my daughters).

Still interested as to the outcome.

Just a quick update.

 

Took the car to a local STS Tyre Pros and the chap who looked it over seemed fairly certain that it had just gone through the thick part of the tyre that makes up the rim protector and that it was up to me if I wanted to change it for piece of mind.

 

He did however, point out some large cracks running along the tread (something else i’d noticed whilst looking over the damage I was more concerned about but in all honesty didn’t think too much of) and that both rears are 4 years old (Goodyear Asym 2).

 

With that and the fact they aren’t too far off the wear limit I thought I may as well get them changed anyway before the weather gets any worse so I have 2 Goodyear Asym 3’s on order!

 

I’ll be able to get a better idea of the damage and some better photos once they are off.

Edited 11 December, 20187 yr by CookieMonster87

Keep us updated with pics 

Edited 11 December, 20187 yr by ScoutCJB

Tyres are guaranteed for 6 years from date of manufacture against a manufacture defect.

Try fitting your new tyres to the rear and the older tyres to the front.

 

If you continually bend rubber it goes hard and can start to crack.

Try keeping you tyres pressures up to reduce the tyre bending and then  the cracking.

HTH.

 

Thanks AG Falco

Agree with Mr falco.

New on rear, oldest to front.  It avoids having old tyres on rear that aren't wearing out.

A pair of new shoes on the rear!

 

Here is the damage to the tyre now that it’s off. No cords showing although the cut just reaches the thinnest part of the sidewall (about 1/3 out from the rim) after the thickest part that forms the rim protector. The chunk is a few mm thick too.

Jeez - Definitley needed swapping IMO