Is it bad if you check your tires and see cracking on the side wall?
Here is a breakdown on if your tire cracking is a problem.
- WEATHER CHECKING: A natural aging process.
As your tires age, the carbon black additive used in tires will begin to dry and crack. This is normal for tires and can be worse in different areas. Minor sidewall cracking especially in areas where salt is used on roads during the winter time is expected. Weather Checking on your tires is normal and should not be an alarm. If you are concerned about your tires having weather checking, stop by our Tire Shop any time and we will be happy to take a look at your tires.
- SIDEWALL CHECKING DUE TO TIRE GLOSS:
Tire Gloss is the worst thing that you can treat your tires too. I know that it looks really good after washing your dirty vehicle. I do the same. You would just need to understand that these chemicals dry out the rubber and can cause sidewall checking. At our Tire Shop, if we see sidewall checking on the outside of the tire but not on the inside of the tire. The checking is from cleaning chemicals. This is not an issue and your tires do not need replacement.
- DEEP CRACKS IN THE TIRE TREAD AREA: This can be an issue.
If we find deep consistent cracking in the Tire Tread area, This can be an issue for concern. Here is what can cause deep cracking in the Tire Tread area.
- Age: As tires age, the natural rubber can dry out and crack. If your tires are 8 years or older and we notice deep cracking, we recommend replacing your tires. Not only is the external rubber dry and cracked, but the internal bonding materials are old and dry as well. Replace your tires. If you are concerned about the age of your tires, you can check this by looking at the DOT number. The las 4 numbers denote the week and year that the tire was built. An example would be “4117”. The tire was built on the 41 week of 2017.
- Low Tire Inflation: Continually driving your car with low tire pressure can cause cracking due to overheating. Tires driven too long with low tire pressures experiencing extreme flexing and overheating. This will cause Tire Cracking and may force you to purchase new tires. Keep a watch on your Tire Pressures or feel free to get in touch with our Tire Shop and we will gladly check your tire pressures.
- Improper storage and minimal driving: Driving your car is the best thing for your tires. A car in storage, especially parked in an area where sun light beams down on the tires for a long time can cause cracking. I hope this helps if you every happen to observe your tires and notice cracking. Always know that you can contact our Auto Repair Shop and we would be more than happy to evaluate your Tire Cracking.