Is it safe to drive on a tire like this?

[jgradyc]

Sorry I didn't think to get a picture, but here's the problem.

 

I was walking by a friend's car and noticed a gouge in the sidewall. Looking closer, it appears the car hit a pothole, slightly dinged the rim, and gouged a hole in the sidewall about the size of teaspoon and about a quarter inch deep. The gouge starts about one inch above the rim and is about an inch long. It's maybe a half inch wide. It's not deep enough to show any of the belt... if there is a belt on the sidewall... I don't know. 

 

Looking closer, I saw some cracking between the treads. I checked the date code and found 0708... 7th week in 2008... eight years old. The tire isn't showing any cracking on the sidewall, but where the tread begins, there are lots of narrow cracks where the tire is drying out. It's a front, passenger side tire. Pirelli something 205/55 by 16. The tires still have a lot of tread left. It's not leaking and apparently this is not a relatively new damage. I just happened to see it a couple of days ago and told him that he needed to replace that tire and since they were eight years old, he should at least replace the front two tires.

 

The problem is my buddy bought these tires online only a couple of years ago... again, at my insistence because the old tires were almost bald. He got them cheap online. Obviously, someone sold him some old stock.

 

Still, he thinks it's okay to keep driving on it. I told him it's dangerous.

 

It's not like he's poor. His other car is a 2015 'Vette.

 

What's the opinion here? Safe to drive on or not?

 

[10-Ring]

I wouldn't do it.  I would at least move it to the back.  But then again I err on the side of caution when it come to tires.

[Rightwinger]

Not safe

[Caster]

I see them like that all the time.
I've seen them run a long time with no issues.
I've seen them blow out at the most inopportune of times.


Is it gonna be okay to drive on?
Flip a coin. It either will or it won't.
The BETTER question, what's the cost of a tire? If you like 50/50 odds then bet your life on it...bet other people's lives on it. Tires aren't important...until they are. Tires seem expensive...until they're really not by comparison.

[Sam1]

Sidewalls do not have belts like the road surface does.

 

Just as Caster said it may/may not work for a long time.  Ask yourself - are you willing to bet your safety, or shredding a fender/messing up the paint if there is a blowout going down the road?

[nightrunner]

I wouldn't do it. That's a small tire, can't be too expensive. From the size, it sounds like it's a FWD car, I'd at the very least move it to the back.

I build tires for a living. There isn't what is commonly called belts behind the sidewalk, but there is what is called body ply and it has parallel steel wires running from the bead up the sidewall across the tread back down the sidewall to the other side to the other bead. But if it had gotten down to that, it would have already blown.

Knowing how it is built, I'd replace it now.

[blewbayou]

Tires are easily one of the most important parts of any vehicle. It's cheap insurance to replace based on year and damage.

Coming from a two wheeled hobby, I don't mess with tires that have damage, just replace. That's your only point of contact with the road. At least in a car if something goes wrong with one, there are three more to hopefully get you to the side of the road. Edited February 14, 2016 by blewbayou

[buck1032]

Not safe. I too err on the side of caution. Just about any sidewall damage warrants replacement.

[jgradyc]

Thanks, guys. His wife drives this car a lot so I'm confused by the reluctance to simply replace the tires. It's a tiny Mercedes CLK 320 rear wheel drive.  

[gregintenn]

Not me, brother! I spend money on good brakes and tires.

[Pete123]

I'm weighing in on the side of this being dangerous, especially if the tire is on the front.  He has a Corvette, so we know he likes to drive fast....and keep in mind that driving 80 mph isn't really driving fast around here.

 

At those speeds, especially if the tire is on the front, it just isn't wise to have that big gouge.

 

I did a lot of stupid things when I was a kid that should have killed me, so I don't take chances that I can avoid.

[Sam1]

Thanks, guys. His wife drives this car a lot so I'm confused by the reluctance to simply replace the tires. It's a tiny Mercedes CLK 320 rear wheel drive.  

 

Most people with a mercedes (myself included) have a syndrome which causes hesitation any time you bring up the word "mechanic" or "garage" because a fuse normally ends up cost $750 by the time your finished.

 

If you talk to him, tell him to buy a set from online at discount tire tonight, he can save $100+  The sale ends tonight.

[Wingshooter]

I would replace it. It might not hurt to check the spare... there might be a new replacement riding in the trunk.

[Tedro2022]

Does he love his wife? If she's the one driving it on the regular, tell him to replace it for her sake. If there's something wrong with my car, I fix it as soon as I can afford to. If there's something wrong with my wife's car, it gets replaced ASAP.

Keeping the Mrs safe is priority #1. Always


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Caster]

Dang right Tedro.

If my wife gets picks up a nail, I'll repair it and sell it to someone else. She gets perfect stuff at all times.

[hipower]

Dang right Tedro.

If my wife gets picks up a nail, I'll repair it and sell it to someone else. She gets perfect stuff at all times.

 

Then how'd she end up with you?  :devil:

[Trekbike]

Then how'd she end up with you? [emoji317]

Shots fired...

[Possumslayer]

Live on the edge........drive it

[Tuffus]

My wife's car had a chunk missing from the sidewall while I was checking air pressure. I replaced it the same day. I'd hate for her to hit a pot hole and what might happen then.

[Volphin]

If my wife was driving it, I'd replace it.  Now if my EX was...

[jgradyc]

Ha! Thanks, everyone. I talked with his wife today and she is planning to replace the tire(s) next week.  I'm relieved to hear it. 

 

It's bad enough driving a safe car.  I was in the right hand lane on I-65 northbound at the Harding exit a couple of days ago when the van in front of me suddenly slowed. I hit the brakes hard, then took my foot off and swerved to the exit ramp. After I passed the van, I could see a Scion had slowed to about 5mph in front of the van. Apparently the driver was unsure of whether to take exit and just slowed to a near stop in the right hand lane! The driver eventually pulled onto the exit ramp. Had it been a semi instead of a van, that Scion would be half its length by now!

[No_0ne]

Good plan.  Tires are a lot cheaper than lawsuits ...

[Spiffy]

I wouldn't drive on it nor let anyone I had direct control over drive on a tire like that.

 

That said I've seen people drive on worse.....shivers.

[chances R]

Two things not to skimp on; tires and brakes.....whoops, make that 3.....guns.

[Omega]

Two things not to skimp on; tires and brakes.....whoops, make that 3.....guns.

But...