Small Tear in Tyre

HallamLad

Got to my car today to see the right front tyre was down. Wasn't fully flat but was noticibly down. Took it to the nearest garage and pumped it up fine and it's stayed like that but I've noticed a small tear to the side of the tyre near the rim. I'm guessing this will need to be replaced?

Anyone recommend anywhere to get cheap, good tyres? Have looked on mytyres.co.uk but I don't really know what I'm looking for.

dacouch

Do not use Kwik Fit is I would say, ask your friends for recommendations

HallamLad

Yeah I've had bad experiences with Kwik Fit myself, expensive tyres and got the balancing all wrong. Not great having your wheel shaking violently as your driving along a motorway!

mrdunkleysexy

Check for local independent tyre fitters in your area using yell.com or something like that

you should be able to get a kumho/federal/firestone/ tyre balanced and fitted way cheaper than hi-q and kwik fit etc

Wouldnt recommend driving it though to you get it sorted just incase

pogofish

Yup, a tear on the sidewall is a replacement issue.

Try looking around for a local independant tyre shop - They will normally beat the big names by a good margin.

The budget brands mentioned above are good, but beware of the truly cheap imported no-name Chinese tyres (ie less than a tenner!) - Some dealers get them by the containerload & I've seen more than a few that are totally the wrong rating for the vehicle they get fitted to. Which could easily land you a ticket if you get caught in a roadside check.

Best of all, ask a taxi driver - at the rate those guys get through tyres, they will know the best value places!

HallamLad

Thanks for the advice, phoned a few tyre fitters about prices, one company will do an economy tyre for £30 all-in and continental tyres for £45 all-in. Sounds pretty good to me!

The_AA_company_representative_2

Hi
I work for the AA as a Technical Specialist and this is a question we are asked quite often.

Damage outside the normal tread area does not necessarily mean the tyre is scrap and it may be worth asking your local tyre depot if the tyre can be sent to a major tyre repairer. The tear in this particular case does sound a bit close to the rim, but specialist repairers can often repair damage to the sidewalls and shoulders.

Minor tyre damage (less than 6mm in diameter located in the tread area) can be repaired at most tyre depots using a cold vulcanising process.
The cold cure plugs used for minor repairs in the tread area are not suitable for repairs to shoulders and sidewalls of tyres as there is too much flexing in these areas. For 'major repairs' the repairers use a hot vulcanising process, where the damaged area is filled with rubber and then a reinforced plug or patch is applied and permanently attached to the tyre using heat and pressure. There are limitations on the number and size of the repairs because the tyre has to be capable of the same type of use (speed and load) after repair as it was before it was damaged.

Cost of a 'major repair' is around £15 to £20 and these are usually done by repairers who specialise in commercial vehicle tyres.
Obviously, this isn't worthwhile if there is only 3mm of tread left, but might be if the tyre is fairly new.

Pssst

See here

http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/

HallamLad

Thanks for all the advice. I went to one tyre centre the other week who said there wasn't any problems with the tyre, the tear in the tyre was in a place designed to take some wear and tear. Thought nothing of it until the tyre deflated again!

I've taken it to another garage who found a nail in the tyre causing the problem. The nail has been removed and the tyre fixed however you fix it and only cost me £8! That should be the end of the problems fingers crossed!