Tire Sidewall Damage

Shawn · May 8th, 2007, 7:50 PM

This is more of a maintenance issue but I figured I'd ask anyway.

I hit a curb yesterday at my uni and it gouged the sidewall of one of my rear tires about 0.3-0.4" deep. I'll post pictures in a bit, just gotta get the camera ready.

What do you guys think? Should I just glue it back or buy a new tire? I've heard mixed reviews... some say sidewall damage is dangerous to drive around with, some say it's fine unless you curb the exact same area again. Now it's a brand new tire and since it's a sporty tire the replacement cost is around C$575 per tire.

That's a lot for one tire considering it's only two weeks old as well. The guy who fixed my rim for me said that it was probably going to be fine. He's obviously seen a lot of these and he didn't stand to make a commission on me getting a new tire, so he might be right?

Austere · May 8th, 2007, 7:59 PM

I'd just use it as the spare. Can you do that or do you have runflats or one of those pissy-small spare tyres?

I think I'll wait for the photos before I make any other suggestions...

thedguy · May 8th, 2007, 8:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn

That's a lot for one tire considering it's only two weeks old as well. The guy who fixed my rim for me said that it was probably going to be fine. He's obviously seen a lot of these and he didn't stand to make a commission on me getting a new tire, so he might be right?

Hit up a few tire shops, and ask one of the guys to take a quick look. More than likely they'll probably try and convince you to go with a new tire, but you never know.

KaJuN · May 8th, 2007, 8:38 PM

I've driven cars with plugs in the tread with no problems. But the tires on my last car were starting to get dry rotted on the sidewalls, but it really didn't look like it was any threat to the tire. I just knew I had to replace them before something bad happened. I was away at college and I was coming back home to get a new set of tires. I was going about 60mph on the interstate when the front right blew up. Scared the living crap out of me!

GraemeH · May 8th, 2007, 9:02 PM

Is there a sidewall bulge? If there's broken ply it's just not worth cheaping out. I went over a railway crossing (didn't see it, it was sunk into the road) at about 40mph and "pinched" a tyre, causing a bulge where the ply had broke, and i could feel it sometimes when driving, mostly when pulling away. The wheels would feel like they were driving unevenly like one weel was going to spin and another was putting power down. Now imagine if i was at motorway cruising speed and because of the loss of rigidity from the broken ply added to the centrifugal forces ripped more ply and my tyre collapsed at 70mph. Not going to be fun.

Sucks that tyres are so expensive for you but i'd just get it replaced and call it experience.

Shawn · May 8th, 2007, 9:07 PM

It's just I've hadd too many of those 'experiences'... here are the pics, sorry for the crap quality:

#1 #2 #3

It doesn't feel like anything other than the outer part is damaged, seems mostly cosmetic to me, but what do I know about tires.

Austere · May 8th, 2007, 9:36 PM

Whoa! Fuckin' hell! There's a huge chunk peeling off of the tyre! Get that replaced! What are you, kidding me? Oh my God!

Cobol74 · May 8th, 2007, 9:42 PM

Get it seen to by a professional, blowout = wheee, splat, ribs, guts.

avidvideo · May 8th, 2007, 9:46 PM

Seriously, stop using that tire... ASAP

vRS · May 8th, 2007, 10:58 PM

That's a nasty bugger. Best get the spare on until you can either afford a new tyre or get the current fixed.

Replacing sports tyres sucks ass, ours are around £115 each and currently all 4 need replaced after some track abuse....

Clown · May 8th, 2007, 11:45 PM

Thats mainly just the rim guard.

H0nzik · May 8th, 2007, 11:51 PM

Thats nothing, the rubber isnt really all that important, the plies keep the tire together. If theres no bulge, the plies should be ok. I once had something simmilar, just a bit deeper. When i peeled the loose bit of rubber off, you could already see the ply. But the ply was undamaged, so i just glued it back, so that it doesnt attract any uwnwanted attention at the MOT and kept using it without a problem.

No Boss · May 9th, 2007, 12:08 AM

Well there's your problem...

Shawn · May 9th, 2007, 12:47 AM

Just went around to a few random tire stores around my area... they all say it's fine. I know the consensus here is to get it changed but those pictures really don't show it the way it is.

It's basically on the very top and one of the guys told me that unless you see the wiring and stuff inside the rubber you're fine. Plus these are some kind of weird tires which have a bulge which covers the outer lip of the rim to protect against curb rash and this peel is on that protective lip... doesn't seem like it's going to comrpomise the strenght and integrity of the tire.

I just glued the piece back on with some kind of waterproof/heatproof rubber glue and it stuck... albeit after holding it for 10 minutes. It looks pretty good, just gonna leave it for a bit and then clean the area.

I was planning on getting winter tires anyway (these aren't all seasons) so my tires won't even be getting used year-round.

zeoniks · May 9th, 2007, 3:10 PM

It doesn't look bad. It just seems like you scraped the rubber and not the actual inner liner. I don't think it's that bad, but if you feel like you should replace it, go ahead

Shawn · May 9th, 2007, 8:31 PM

^ Yeah, the non-dealership tire stores all told me it was fine as it just scraped the very outer shell of the tire. Plus the glue has now set and I used some WD40 to clean the area of any left over glue and you can't even tell it was there anymore. You gotta run your finger very slowly over the area to notice anything.

Blind_Io · May 10th, 2007, 5:36 AM

Ok, I have damaged my fair share of tires while offroading, including gouging out the sidewall on the entire circumference of the tire. That "gouge" is little more than a scrape, it just took off a bit of surface rubber around the tire rim guard. It's nothing to worry about. It hasn't gotten down to any of the deeper layers so the tire's integrity is still intact. I have done that kind of damage to tires before and they have gone on without failure - finally to be discarded because of regular wear.

If you are really worried about it just watch the tire pressure, but I would bet dollars to pesos that the bead is fine and you have not compromised the tire at all.

Shawn · May 10th, 2007, 5:46 AM

Thanks for the info Blind. My new car actually has a TPMS so I'm all good in that department.

May 8th, 2007, 8:38 PM	#4
KaJuN Disco Inferno Joined: Jul 31st, 2006 Last Online: 10:07 PM Location: American in Okinawa Age: 23 Posts: 5,067 Car: Suzuki Swift, Honda Benly CL50 Rep Power: 176	I've driven cars with plugs in the tread with no problems. But the tires on my last car were starting to get dry rotted on the sidewalls, but it really didn't look like it was any threat to the tire. I just knew I had to replace them before something bad happened. I was away at college and I was coming back home to get a new set of tires. I was going about 60mph on the interstate when the front right blew up. Scared the living crap out of me! __________________ ...and Michigan still sucks. D-Fence: Kajun is just outside caressing his Discovery....touching it gently, you know......it is such a dirty bitch.....but he seems to love dirty girls in high heels who are taller then him and have "quite a few pounds" on their hips ^^ This post was accidentally unearthed from a shallow grave by construction workers. My Flickr Last edited by KaJuN; May 8th, 2007 at 8:41 PM.

May 8th, 2007, 9:02 PM	#5
GraemeH Joined: Apr 19th, 2005 Last Online: 5:21 PM Location: Scotland, UK Posts: 2,066 Car: Toyota Corolla. Rawrr. LFS Status: Rep Power: 34	Is there a sidewall bulge? If there's broken ply it's just not worth cheaping out. I went over a railway crossing (didn't see it, it was sunk into the road) at about 40mph and "pinched" a tyre, causing a bulge where the ply had broke, and i could feel it sometimes when driving, mostly when pulling away. The wheels would feel like they were driving unevenly like one weel was going to spin and another was putting power down. Now imagine if i was at motorway cruising speed and because of the loss of rigidity from the broken ply added to the centrifugal forces ripped more ply and my tyre collapsed at 70mph. Not going to be fun. Sucks that tyres are so expensive for you but i'd just get it replaced and call it experience. __________________

May 8th, 2007, 9:42 PM	#8
Cobol74 Joined: Mar 21st, 2006 Last Online: 10:50 AM Location: Southampton Posts: 8,592 Car: Vauxhall Zafira 1.9 TDI Slush box. Rep Power: 126	Get it seen to by a professional, blowout = wheee, splat, ribs, guts. __________________ Lotus 7 Registration Mark = KAR120C : Engine Number = 461034 TZ Ross Brawn genius or what?

May 8th, 2007, 9:46 PM	#9
avidvideo Joined: Jan 16th, 2007 Last Online: 2:11 PM Location: Jagged Rock Junction, Toronto, Canada Posts: 397 Rep Power: 18	Seriously, stop using that tire... ASAP __________________ "Police people can have an entire conversation and you wouldn't recognize a single word. They call cars 'vehicles' and they never walk anywhere. They 'proceed'. Doctors are as bad, solicitors are worse. And then there's the world of film and television. I know what 'Roll VT' means and you don't, so I am brighter and cleverer than you." Jeremy Clarkson "Decadence is freedom with a smile" Penn Jillette torontogamers.ca

May 9th, 2007, 12:08 AM	#13
No Boss Neener, neener, I banned your title! Joined: Oct 8th, 2005 Last Online: November 8th, 2009 Location: 'mericuh, someday the UK. Age: 24 Posts: 6,859 Car: 2005 Volvo S60 R Rep Power: 86	Well there's your problem... __________________

May 8th, 2007, 7:50 PM	#1
Shawn Lexus? Oh shi- Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: July 30th, 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Age: 24 Posts: 11,026 Car: '07 Boring Poseur Mobile Rep Power: 134	Tire Sidewall Damage This is more of a maintenance issue but I figured I'd ask anyway. I hit a curb yesterday at my uni and it gouged the sidewall of one of my rear tires about 0.3-0.4" deep. I'll post pictures in a bit, just gotta get the camera ready. What do you guys think? Should I just glue it back or buy a new tire? I've heard mixed reviews... some say sidewall damage is dangerous to drive around with, some say it's fine unless you curb the exact same area again. Now it's a brand new tire and since it's a sporty tire the replacement cost is around C$575 per tire. That's a lot for one tire considering it's only two weeks old as well. The guy who fixed my rim for me said that it was probably going to be fine. He's obviously seen a lot of these and he didn't stand to make a commission on me getting a new tire, so he might be right?

May 8th, 2007, 7:59 PM	#2
Austere Joined: Nov 26th, 2006 Last Online: 6:20 PM Location: Adelaide, Australia Age: 26 Posts: 2,371 Car: 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280S Rep Power: 187	I'd just use it as the spare. Can you do that or do you have runflats or one of those pissy-small spare tyres? I think I'll wait for the photos before I make any other suggestions...

May 8th, 2007, 9:07 PM	#6
Shawn Lexus? Oh shi- Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: July 30th, 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Age: 24 Posts: 11,026 Car: '07 Boring Poseur Mobile Rep Power: 134	It's just I've hadd too many of those 'experiences'... here are the pics, sorry for the crap quality: #1 #2 #3 It doesn't feel like anything other than the outer part is damaged, seems mostly cosmetic to me, but what do I know about tires.

May 8th, 2007, 9:36 PM	#7
Austere Joined: Nov 26th, 2006 Last Online: 6:20 PM Location: Adelaide, Australia Age: 26 Posts: 2,371 Car: 1971 Mercedes-Benz 280S Rep Power: 187	Whoa! Fuckin' hell! There's a huge chunk peeling off of the tyre! Get that replaced! What are you, kidding me? Oh my God!

May 8th, 2007, 10:58 PM	#10
vRS Joined: Nov 22nd, 2004 Last Online: November 11th, 2009 Location: Stirling, Scotland Age: 18 Posts: 1,832 Car: '02 Vauxhall Corsa SXi Rep Power: 35	That's a nasty bugger. Best get the spare on until you can either afford a new tyre or get the current fixed. Replacing sports tyres sucks ass, ours are around £115 each and currently all 4 need replaced after some track abuse....

May 8th, 2007, 11:45 PM	#11
Clown Joined: Mar 31st, 2006 Last Online: November 12th, 2008 Posts: 201 Rep Power: 0	Thats mainly just the rim guard.

May 8th, 2007, 11:51 PM	#12
H0nzik Joined: Dec 15th, 2006 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Prague, Czech Republic Age: 25 Posts: 464 Car: Fabia RS Rep Power: 17	Thats nothing, the rubber isnt really all that important, the plies keep the tire together. If theres no bulge, the plies should be ok. I once had something simmilar, just a bit deeper. When i peeled the loose bit of rubber off, you could already see the ply. But the ply was undamaged, so i just glued it back, so that it doesnt attract any uwnwanted attention at the MOT and kept using it without a problem.

May 9th, 2007, 12:47 AM	#14
Shawn Lexus? Oh shi- Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: July 30th, 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Age: 24 Posts: 11,026 Car: '07 Boring Poseur Mobile Rep Power: 134	Just went around to a few random tire stores around my area... they all say it's fine. I know the consensus here is to get it changed but those pictures really don't show it the way it is. It's basically on the very top and one of the guys told me that unless you see the wiring and stuff inside the rubber you're fine. Plus these are some kind of weird tires which have a bulge which covers the outer lip of the rim to protect against curb rash and this peel is on that protective lip... doesn't seem like it's going to comrpomise the strenght and integrity of the tire. I just glued the piece back on with some kind of waterproof/heatproof rubber glue and it stuck... albeit after holding it for 10 minutes. It looks pretty good, just gonna leave it for a bit and then clean the area. I was planning on getting winter tires anyway (these aren't all seasons) so my tires won't even be getting used year-round.

May 9th, 2007, 3:10 PM	#15
zeoniks Joined: Aug 19th, 2005 Last Online: July 15th, 2009 Location: Brooklyn, New York Posts: 629 Car: 2007 Nissan Murano Rep Power: 18	It doesn't look bad. It just seems like you scraped the rubber and not the actual inner liner. I don't think it's that bad, but if you feel like you should replace it, go ahead

May 9th, 2007, 8:31 PM	#16
Shawn Lexus? Oh shi- Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: July 30th, 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Age: 24 Posts: 11,026 Car: '07 Boring Poseur Mobile Rep Power: 134	^ Yeah, the non-dealership tire stores all told me it was fine as it just scraped the very outer shell of the tire. Plus the glue has now set and I used some WD40 to clean the area of any left over glue and you can't even tell it was there anymore. You gotta run your finger very slowly over the area to notice anything.

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May 10th, 2007, 5:36 AM	#17
Blind_Io Dispenses buckshot medication for all undead patients. Joined: Apr 5th, 2006 Last Online: 7:16 PM Location: Utah, USA Age: 28 Posts: 10,993 Car: 2006 Nissan X-Terra - 2000 VFR800 Interceptor Rep Power: 266	Ok, I have damaged my fair share of tires while offroading, including gouging out the sidewall on the entire circumference of the tire. That "gouge" is little more than a scrape, it just took off a bit of surface rubber around the tire rim guard. It's nothing to worry about. It hasn't gotten down to any of the deeper layers so the tire's integrity is still intact. I have done that kind of damage to tires before and they have gone on without failure - finally to be discarded because of regular wear. If you are really worried about it just watch the tire pressure, but I would bet dollars to pesos that the bead is fine and you have not compromised the tire at all. __________________ War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength

May 10th, 2007, 5:46 AM	#18
Shawn Lexus? Oh shi- Joined: May 26th, 2005 Last Online: July 30th, 2009 Location: Vancouver, BC Age: 24 Posts: 11,026 Car: '07 Boring Poseur Mobile Rep Power: 134	Thanks for the info Blind. My new car actually has a TPMS so I'm all good in that department.