Sidewall cut.... (1 Viewer)

[WarWagon]

New 285/75/16 Mickey Thompson Deegan 38's. Was wheeling two Sunday's ago with some FJ and 4R guys and sliced one of my tires. Nothing crazy as far as sharp rocks go, just mud and river rocks. No matter, it happened. Love the tire but now I'm rethinking running them for rocks etc. Has me thinking a trip to Colorado would cut them up. Anyone else have issues like this with the tires they're running? Opinions on toughest sidewall tire?

 

[WingNutLG]

For a narrow slit like that, it would've been something pretty sharp. Different manufacturers have different "technologies" for sidewall durability, but aside from steel-steel commercial tires, many won't hold up to extremely sharp cutting objects. Abrasion sure, but cuts can typically ruin almost any sidewall.

I've got no recommendations. My favorite tires typically have a hate/love relationship on this forum, especially for sidewall durability. Hopefully someone with less biased of an opinion will chime in.

 

[flintknapper]

Looks more like a 'split' to me than a cut.

For that to be a cut it would have had to of been something extremely sharp.

I'd have that tire evaluated at a tire shop.

 

[WarWagon]

Hmm.....so by "split" you're thinking possible defect?

 

[Manhattan]

Looks like a cut from a rock... lower part where the rock tore in, then split the sidewall.

 

[a_traut_man]

Are you positive you cut it wheeling'? I picked up a similar cut from road debris

 

[flintknapper]

Hmm.....so by "split" you're thinking possible defect?

Don't know.

Just doesn't look like a cut (all of it) to me. The bottom part looks like a cut/chunking from a rock or something, but the rest (except the very top) looks like 'stresses' split the sidewall. Its just so symmetrical and thin. A tire store 'might' surmise that the tire should have held up better, I don't know.

They see enough of that type thing to determine whether it was actually 'cut' or if it split (stress) and if the tire performed up to standard or not. Can't hurt.

Were you aired down at all?

 

[Jeepster09]

It looks like tire defect to me....ply seperation? Not sure?

 

[WarWagon]

I wasn't aired down....45psi. Tons of MUD and lots of smooth river rocks. Noticed it a couple of days ago (trip was 2 weeks ago) and assumed that's where it occurred.

I've contacted the seller to see about warranty replacement. I've been wanting to go back to 295's so I think no matter what happens with warranty I will pick up some 295/75/16 Hankook Dynapro MT's. I'm gonna sell these with tire as is or with warranty replacement. Have them on Craigslist and will post on MUD today. Less than 500 miles on them.

The cut isn't deep at all. Looks mostly cosmetic.

 

[WarWagon]

Could have occurred here while we were riding the riverbed.

 

[Sandroad]

Looks like a cut, not a defect to me. Unless you have road hazard warranty I'd be surprised if that's a warranty thing. At least one review of this tire (4waam.com) talks about thin sidewalls, bulging sidewalls, and questions about rock durability. Are you running with a matching spare, or just the 4 tires?

 

[Bomar]

Go back to a major brand if you want a good sidewall.

Toyo/Nitto (same manufacture)

BFG

That tire is made by Cooper and it is a Tier 2 tire....in my book just from what I have seen in the past years.

Or buy from Discount Tire and pay for the warranty no questions ask replacement.

 

[KC100series]

I think the first major step you could take would be to start airing down every time you go off road. I think any tire, no matter what brand would have a chance of cutting a sidewall at 45 psi on sharp river rock. The benefits of airing down are numerous, one of which is greater resistance to cuts on the sidewall. Also, the ride is going to be so much better going over rocks.

 

[re_guderian]

Seems strange that it is so perfectly perpendicular to the tread. And unless BFG changed, I'd hesitate to put them in the strong sidewall category. And aren't river rocks usually rounded?

 

[hoser]

Perhaps it was there prior to installation? Kinda looks like damage that could happen from packaging straps.

 

[KC100series]

Seems strange that it is so perfectly perpendicular to the tread. And unless BFG changed, I'd hesitate to put them in the strong sidewall category. And aren't river rocks usually rounded?

Haha touche , haven't seen too many sharp rocks in a river. I was making a more general statement about the benefits of airing down.

 

[87warrior]

As mentioned above, airing down could have helped you. 45psi is a lot of air pressure, especially off road. I have found 20psi to work well for me and the small 'second tier' tire installed on my 100. I suspect the Deegan 38 2ply has a similar sidewall to the AT3 and I can confidently say I have not had a problem in the Colorado Rockies running at a lower psi.

But..... if you are looking for a reason to change tires this is the opportune time

 

[Hayes]

I think this kind of damage is sometimes seemingly random. I've come back from Moab area (not known for sharp rocks) trips with some pretty puzzling surface cuts (not fully through), and even some real punctures. Sticks, roots, and branches can kill a tire too. I lost a Toyo ATII to a tiny piece of pinion through a small sidewall puncture. Although I still think airing down is the best thing to do, sometimes airing down just puts that weaker sidewall closer to the hazards.

 

[WarWagon]

Airing down notated for sure; and looking at the chunk/slice is a bit perplexing. Seems if the tire is rotating the cut would be horizontal, not so vertically extreme as it is. Almost as if the chunk caused the sidewall to split.

Either way I placed a set of 295/75/16 General Grabber AT2's on today. I realize some people love these, and some can't seem to stand them. Overall great reviews though. I'll definitely run them around 15-20psi when out on days like this.

Had Kauffman Tire examine the cut and notate the findings on my receipt for the Deegan 38's. Completely cosmetic and none of the damage has affected the integrity of the tire itself.

I'm still impressed with the Deegan 38 though. Great looking tire and got me through a ton of MUD and rough terrain during this past trip.

Had 295/75/16 Toyo AT2 Extreme's on my other 100 and I have to say it's the right tire size for this vehicle in my opinion. Just not a lot of choices out there unfortunately.

I'm still gonna try and warranty the Deegan.

 

[fooldall1]

How are the Grabbers working out? I was considering these, when I get some Tundra 18 wheels. Feels weird NOT to drop the extra coin on the K02s, but they're like 500 less $. Hard to ignore that.