Tyres: What are those crack marks?

stator

Unfortunately when you buy tyres you don't even know how old they are. They could have been sitting on a shelf for 2 years and so when you buy them they are already starting to perish.

Richard53

facade wrote: »

Black circles will do the fitting at ATS, they are both owned by Michelin.

I bought my last full set through Black Circles and they sent me to a local independent tyre place. I'm very pleased they did, as they gave great service and I have been using them ever since.

siliconbits wrote: »

Does anyone have a list of basic things you should do to your car regularly? I'm kind of hijacking the thread but I feel that this list would be helpful to the scores of novices who like me drive a car and only worry about it when MOT time strikes. Simple things like check your tyre pressure etc.

Engine oil level
Coolant level
Brake and clutch fluid level
Power steering fluid level
Windscreen wash level
Quick check of the engine bay for anything loose, missing, leaking etc
Tyre pressures (measured cold)



All done weekly, 10 minutes max.

Iceweasel

stator wrote: »

Unfortunately when you buy tyres you don't even know how old they are. They could have been sitting on a shelf for 2 years and so when you buy them they are already starting to perish.

Every tyre does have a very simple to understand date code though.

stator

Iceweasel wrote: »

Every tyre does have a very simple to understand date code though.

Which you only see after they've fitted it to your car, or when it arrives in the post.
I suppose you could ask to see it before you bought it, but that would cause rather a lot of hassle and make you seem like a difficult customer

neilmcl

Plus there's no law that says a new item has had to have been manufactured within a certain date of it's sale.

The point being there's not a lot you can do once they've been purchased/fitted.

bigjl

stator wrote: »

Unfortunately when you buy tyres you don't even know how old they are. They could have been sitting on a shelf for 2 years and so when you buy them they are already starting to perish.

Yes you do, they have been marked up for years.

For example the ones on the Picanto where made in 2013, that car is a March 2014.

There is a four digit number on the side.


2413 would indicate 24th week of 2013 for example.

bigjl

stator wrote: »

Which you only see after they've fitted it to your car, or when it arrives in the post.
I suppose you could ask to see it before you bought it, but that would cause rather a lot of hassle and make you seem like a difficult customer

I have noticed on several occasions that Oponeo list the production date of some tyres they stock.

I wonder if they do this when tyres reach a certain age.

Can't say I have ever seen any other online retailer do this.

Most regular tyre shops only stock common tyres and everything else is for next day delivery direct from the manufacturer or the shops supplier, I did price tyres up a few years ago and he actually did an online price check, the site wasn't unlike the Oponeo one, though I never really looked properly, it was just laid out similarly.

I doubt there is anything wrong with asking to inspect the tyres prior to fitment?

stator

bigjl wrote: »

Yes you do, they have been marked up for years.

For example the ones on the Picanto where made in 2013, that car is a March 2014.

There is a four digit number on the side.


2413 would indicate 24th week of 2013 for example.

What I meant was you can't tell how old they are before you've bought them

hollie.weimeraner

Tread pattern cracking isn't a major issue unless the tread starts to show signs of peeling away. Safety issues start when the sidewall starts showing signs of cracking as this is part of the structural integrity.

Tyres are recommended to be changed either when they get to below 3mm or alternatively when they reach 5 years of age.

EdGasket

hollie.weimeraner wrote: »

Tread pattern cracking isn't a major issue unless the tread starts to show signs of peeling away. Safety issues start when the sidewall starts showing signs of cracking as this is part of the structural integrity.

Tyres are recommended to be changed either when they get to below 3mm or alternatively when they reach 5 years of age.

I only change them when they are worn out. You just need to drive more slowly in wet weather and allow more space in front and not drive like an idiot. In the dry, tread depth makes no difference; in fact a slick tyre would be ideal.