Are cracks in tires OK?

Question

There are small cracks on my tires. I have read that it is from spraying tire shine on them. Is it safe to drive on them or should they be replaced?

Answer 1

Hi,

Any derivative of petroleum tends to ruin tires.

If using a product for tires, make sure it doesn't contain petroleum destilate. But I guess it's better not to use anything.

This is out of the subject, but it's one of the reasons why vaseline should not be used as a lubricant on condoms.

One traditional thing that was used long time ago was glicerine with that blue alchool (don't know in what proportions). Of course that this last sentence was referred to tires :-)

Ah ! pay attention to the cracks on your tires. Safety is very important and tires are what grabs the car to the ground (and the shock absorbers).

Kind regards,

Joséhttp://theartinquirer.blogspot.com

Answer 2

yep spray shine just kills the tires making them old before thier time.... and not being able to see how bad they are as a tire guy what he thinks

Answer 3

this is the first sign of old age on your tires I would buy some

new tires a.s.a.p. but untill then try not to over heat them for

that will surely blow out your tires

Answer 4

The most conservative answer is replacement but honestly tiny cracks are not a safety concern - you are seeing the beginning stage of dry rot

As the years go by those cracks will get bigger and bigger  BUT you will end up wearing the tread down before the cracks become a serious issue

I've heard that tire chemicals cause cracks too but haven't been able to confirm that personally - i use normal tire care products all the time and haven't had a problem yet

I wouldn't worry about it and would just keep an eye on them every time i got gas

Answer 5

tires can get old and dry rot. If your tires are old--not necessarily in mileage or wear but in age then it may be time to replace them.

The tire shine thing I don't know about. never used it.

Answer 6

I don't know about the tire shine part - never used it. But the little cracks can only grow into large ones. I assume you're talking about cracks in the side walls. I bought two new rear tires and the cracks appeared on those too. I went back to the place I bought them, and they gave me a very generous credit towards a new set.  They admitted at that time that the first set had been in their inventory for some five years before I bought them. So it may have been age that made them crack, or it could have been a manufacturing flaw. You never really know for sure.