[alcooker]

Evening All,

I noticed earlier one of my tyres has cracks. They're Michellin PS3 that are on my GT V6 and the cracks are just on the driver's side front tyre, all the way around. I'd like to put it down to hammering around corners, but that would be lying. I reckon the tyres are about 4 years old and there's stacks of tread as not done more than 8000 miles on them. I'm a bit miffed tbh.

 

[cue2]

It's the resting between flexing ,while plasticisers dry out , that causes the cracking I'd imagine. I've got it on my Dunlop SportMax from tyres since reducing the mileage.

 

[alcooker]

And does it worry you or are you just err cracking on?

 

[cue2]

I'm going to tread carefully and ask the place where I got them about it. Hopefully I won't come up against a wall.

 

[alcooker]

I might pop down to Watford HQ.

 

[symon]

I had a similar thing on a set of Dunlop SP Sport MAXX RT-2

Strangely my car had two of the Dunlops fitted and two PS-3's fitted when I bought it. The Dunlops had cracked and the Michelins hadn't, despite the Michelins being a year or so older according to the sidewall markings.

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/general-alfa-discussion/872514-cracking-dunlop-tyres.html

 

[Cuore_Sportivo_155]

it's not an issue in itself, if the cracks aren't down to the plies.

It could be an issue because the tyre is losing grip, but if you're not hammering it's a non-issue.

I'd suggest, for the next set, to run higher tyre pressures. I bet it was the front tyres on Symon's car aswell.

 

[symon]

it's not an issue in itself, if the cracks aren't down to the plies.

It could be an issue because the tyre is losing grip, but if you're not hammering it's a non-issue.

I'd suggest, for the next set, to run higher tyre pressures. I bet it was the front tyres on Symon's car aswell.

Not sure, they were like it when I bought the car, although at the time I didn't spot it.

I had the beginnings of cracking on my Golf V5 which was running Dunlop SP Sport fast response. It began at around 1 year old from new, but the tyres wore out before it goot too bad.

I know for sure that they were never underinflated.

It will be interesting to see if it happens to my Goodyear Assymetric 2's on the G, as I am pretty sure they are made in the same factory (In Germany)

 

[Cuore_Sportivo_155]

you can't really go by the placcard in the door to determine underinflation. inflation pressure should correlate to the load on the tyres and speed of the vehicle, and for a htahcback about minimum of 60% of the load is on the front tyres. a V5 is likely closer to 70% load on the front?

Just look at the tyre shape around the contact patch when "correctly" inflated. Compare front and rear tyres. there's a a lot more deflection on the front, this propagates the cracking as shown in the opening post, aswell as cracks in the valleys of the thread.

I use the high speed or high load pressures as a minimum for the front wheels. Never had this cracking myself but I see it regularly on customer tyres. It's definitely not brand related but the more loaded tyres get it first and worst.

 

[symon]

The V5 did have its own set of tyre pressures, but I don't think the engine was any heavier than the 1.8T setup in the GTi, as it was al all auminium block and obviously did away with turbos and the other bits that went with it.

The back tyres which were bought at the same time as the fronts also suffered the same.


Personally I think it was down to the compound of the rubber. Some tyres suffer others don't.

The Falken's on my Mrs Focus are nearly 3 years old and they haven't suffered, even on the driver side rear which does tend to loose a bit of pressure compared to the rest.

 

[duemila]

4 years will probably do that

 

[TheGrimJeeper]

They be in a much worse state down here with the summer heat.

If they were mine I'd bin them.