Dry rot on tires....

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Zack1978

Zack1978

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Hi everyone,
Quick question on tires......Is any amount of dry rot on a tire acceptable? I was looking at the tires on my car and truck and they both have some dry rot/cracking. Is that a problem? It is not a major amount of cracking, but it is noticeable. The tires are also not that old.


Thanks,
Zack
 
Hairs lines ok cracks you can stick stuff in no .... But once they start just keep a eye on em
 
Also note that it's not possible to fully inspect a mounted tire...the inside can be in quite a different condition.
 
My previous set of tires (Maxxis Bighorns) had a considerable amount of ozone cracking throughout the tread. They started to do this within about a year of running them. The tires were manufatured in 07 which made them relatively new. I just ran the tires as usual and had no problems, I would not be too concerned about them as long as you know that they aren't too old. I would be more concerned if there was a considerable amount of sidewall cracking over cracking in the tread.
 
Hairline spider cracks on the sidewall are usually not an issue, often caused by using crap like ArmorAll that actually dries out the rubber over time. Get concerned if you begin to see cracks that run along the bead just above the lip of the rim. Also, get concerned about cracks in the tread area that are bigger than simple hairline. Both of these situations can lead to ply separation and ultimately tire failure. Depending on your climate and how you've cared for your tires, most manufacturers only recommend 4-6 years time span for tires. After that, even if the tread is good, the flexibility of the rubber diminishes and pothole impacts, centrifugal force and all the other things that happen to your tire will take a toll and can cause dramatic failure.
 
A well constructed off-road tire, I wouldn't be too worried about a little dry rot between the tread blocks or on the sidewall. The tires on my pickup are about 4-5 years old with very few miles and are starting to show a little bit of cracking. The tires on the cruiser are ancient and have a lot of cracks and not very much tread left, but I used them most of last summer and put them through some pretty good trails and never had a problem. My Kumho street tires on my infiniti, on the other hand, just randomly exploded on the highway when they were less than a year old.
 
on my fj62 that sat for a few years in a barn in florida had some pretty dry rotted tires that lasted for a trip from orlando to ft lauderdale with no problems (200 miles) and drove in the heat for a couple months. then...it happened! left rear tire separated from the steel radial. if you dont want to spend the money just make sure your spare is good. then, once one goes your okay...and then its time to buy. gl
 
goaround said:
on my fj62 that sat for a few years in a barn in florida had some pretty dry rotted tires that lasted for a trip from orlando to ft lauderdale with no problems (200 miles) and drove in the heat for a couple months. then...it happened! left rear tire separated from the steel radial. if you dont want to spend the money just make sure your spare is good. then, once one goes your okay...and then its time to buy. gl
Click to expand...

Just be aware that if that tire separates and blows when you're driving freeway speeds, it won't matter how good your spare tire is! Dramatic tire failure and high profile vehicle do not go well together. Never cheap out on tires, they are your connection to the road/ trail.
 
Devortex said:
Hairline spider cracks on the sidewall are usually not an issue, often caused by using crap like ArmorAll that actually dries out the rubber over time. Get concerned if you begin to see cracks that run along the bead just above the lip of the rim. Also, get concerned about cracks in the tread area that are bigger than simple hairline. Both of these situations can lead to ply separation and ultimately tire failure. Depending on your climate and how you've cared for your tires, most manufacturers only recommend 4-6 years time span for tires. After that, even if the tread is good, the flexibility of the rubber diminishes and pothole impacts, centrifugal force and all the other things that happen to your tire will take a toll and can cause dramatic failure.
Click to expand...

The ArmorAll idea is interesting. I usually use the NoTouch tire gloss from Costco, I wonder if that is hurting my tires?


Zack
 
Years ago, I had a mild to moderately sun-cracked Remington Wide Brute tire separate on the interstate with kids in my truck (Dodge Ramcharger). It was an immediate, total tire failure w/o warning. I'd rather not repeat that pants-poopin action if I can reasonably foresee it.
 
Zack1978 said:
The ArmorAll idea is interesting. I usually use the NoTouch tire gloss from Costco, I wonder if that is hurting my tires?


Zack
Click to expand...

Most of the popular tire "dressings" are actually harmful to your tires. Many of them are alcohol (or similar) based and will draw moisture out of the natural rubber causing premature dry rot. Some of the more paste type dressings create a barrier that doesn't allow the rubber to "breathe" which will cause similar accelerated aging. If you research most major tire brands, you will see that they don't recommend any dressings or treatments. Just wash your tires with the same stuff you wash your truck with (water and mud :cool:) and be done with it.

Just my $0.02 but I worked for Goodyear for about 10 years and spent a lot of time with the R&D engineers in the race tire division.
 
Wile E Coyote said:
Years ago, I had a mild to moderately sun-cracked Remington Wide Brute tire separate on the interstate with kids in my truck (Dodge Ramcharger). It was an immediate, total tire failure w/o warning. I'd rather not repeat that pants-poopin action if I can reasonably foresee it.
Click to expand...

i will never forget the 15 seconds surrounding having a 38" swamper explode @ 70mph.... i wasnt hurt but it made me belive in angels the truck was totalled
 
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