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Tyres on Fiesta what causes this?


mitch84
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Hi

I have a 2019 Fiesta which has done about 18k on these tyres, as you can see in photo there is cracking on there edges of the tread, even though I have a fair amount of tread still Im going to replace all 4, just to be safe, but what exactly can cause this cracking, Is it just sunlight damage, general age of tyres?

Am I doing the correct thing getting them replaced?

IMG_0134.thumb.jpeg.eb18bb43d3c31e8ff1b2e8b9f3725a7a.jpeg

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UV and weather for 4 years does that.

I wouldn't bother changing them personally, it's only small surface deterioration.

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1 minute ago, alexp999 said:

UV and weather for 4 years does that.

I wouldn't bother changing them personally, it's only small surface deterioration.

Thats what I thought, it's just the fact I see cracks, that has prompted me to purchase 4 new tyres. Peace of mind and all that.

Also ford service did an advisory last time I went for the tread, but upon checking myself I had plenty still.

Anyway I got 4 new pilot sport 4s.

I will be happier knowing Im on fresh tyres to be honest.

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I've seen that before but only on much older tyres, and also tyres of poor quality. The life expectancy of a tyre is 10 years, after which it will be degrading and should be replaced.

Your tyres don't fit with the age or quality problem. So that brings us to sunlight and extremely hot weather, not something the UK is noted for. Are all 4 of the tyres the same ?

While the cracking is unsightly it is only on the surface and unlikely to cause a problem. If you want a full and in depth answer, I'd send photos of the tyres direct to Michelin and ask for there explanation.

https://www.michelin.co.uk/assistance

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4 minutes ago, unofix said:

I've seen that before but only on much older tyres, and also tyres of poor quality. The life expectancy of a tyre is 10 years, after which it will be degrading and should be replaced.

Your tyres don't fit with the age or quality problem. So that brings us to sunlight and extremely hot weather, not something the UK is noted for. Are all 4 of the tyres the same ?

While the cracking is unsightly it is only on the surface and unlikely to cause a problem. If you want a full and in depth answer, I'd send photos of the tyres direct to Mitchel and ask for there explanation.

https://www.michelin.co.uk/assistance

 

Yeah they are all the same (Pilot Sport 4)

Ive ordered new ones now from black circles, did have a 15% code so that knocked £100+ off.

I will have replaced them sooner or later so, my new set should last me the lifetime of the car now before I get a new one.

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I've seen it quite often on newish tyres over the last few years.  Quality isn't what it used to be...I'd be amazed if anyone gets even half a decade from a tyre before it starts cracking now.

As above, it's not actually a safety issue, I wouldn't replace those myself.  The new ones will look the same in another few years.

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1 minute ago, TomsFocus said:

I've seen it quite often on newish tyres over the last few years.  Quality isn't what it used to be...I'd be amazed if anyone gets even half a decade from a tyre before it starts cracking now.

As above, it's not actually a safety issue, I wouldn't replace those myself.  The new ones will look the same in another few years.

Hope not, lol.

I only started seeing this the past 6 or so months.

Anyway as said Ive already ordered new set now.

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Change them when they're bald or when they fail MOT for cracks, whichever happens first.

Don't waste your money

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33 minutes ago, DaveT70 said:

Change them when they're bald or when they fail MOT for cracks, whichever happens first.

Don't waste your money


I’ve already purchased them, I don’t feel like I’m wasting my money, I will need some eventually and I see cracks, be it cosmetic or not, safety is my no1.

I likely won’t need to by tyres again for this car afterwards anyway as the new ones should last me 4-5 years.

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2 minutes ago, mitch84 said:

I likely won’t need to by tyres again for this car afterwards anyway as the new ones should last me 4-5 years.

Unless they start showing small cracks again after two years

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Just now, DaveT70 said:

Unless they start showing small cracks again after two years

Then I will take the advice on here.lol

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Coincidentally had mine MOT'd last week - still only done about 18.5k due to lockdowns, etc, etc.

Anyway, PS4 as above but 17" on mine. No cracking but 4 advisories for outer edges of tyre being near legal limit, though I measured them all myself before the test as at least 3.5mm all round on what I considered the tread area.

The issue seems to be the very rounded shoulder profile of the tyre (more like a motorbike tyre), where the extremity of the tread tapers away to almost nothing, and was noticeable even when new. You can see it to some extent in the pic in the OP. I think they must have measured it there.

Wonder if anyone had had a similar experience. I'm not rushing to buy replacements for a while yet as I don't corner on the door handles!

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Should only be the centre 3/4 of the tread that's measured unless MOT rules have changed.

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19 minutes ago, Frembrit said:

Should only be the centre 3/4 of the tread that's measured unless MOT rules have changed.

Yes, that's my understanding and still what it says in the inspection manual on Gov.uk. It also states:

The ‘breadth of tread’ is the part of the tyre which can contact the road under normal conditions of use measured at 90 degrees to the peripheral line of the tread.

so, unless as I say, I was cornering on the door handles the extremity which almost wraps round the sidewalls, wouldn't count anyway.

I'm always a bit suspicious of tread depth measures - more than once I've had "vehicle health checks" which have shown the same tyres having greater tread depth than the previous year.

 

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Update/

 

Never got any time slot from the fitters, and due to work quite restricted, so I phoned BC and cancelled. 

Not sure if its just my luck but BC customer service seems really rubbish, was told I would get email confirmation of refund, still waiting.

Also sent emails and 2 days later, still no replies.

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I got email confirmation of refund eventually, so all good, I will keep my current tyres for the time being and just keep an eye on them.

The thing with black circles is the service all depends on the fitters, although the fitters had my tyres I believe, they should have confirmed that and given me a time slot, due to work I needed a time earlier in the week for next Monday, to sort things out, I shouldn't have to chase them up.

Anyone though of a better place to get tyres for future reference?

 

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40 minutes ago, mitch84 said:

Anyone though of a better place to get tyres for future reference?

Formula 1 Autocentres.  Not quite as cheap as BlackCircles but you can book a time and they usually have discount codes, as well as cashback through TCB.  Again, service is dependent on branch.

I've also used the local ProTyre with good results.

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43 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Formula 1 Autocentres.  Not quite as cheap as BlackCircles but you can book a time and they usually have discount codes, as well as cashback through TCB.  Again, service is dependent on branch.

I've also used the local ProTyre with good results.

F1 are quite far from me, I might just phone my local independent tyre fitters when time comes. Might be able to beat some of these online places perhaps.

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I had a set of Michelins that weather checked like that on a Focus that I had five years ago. I was curious about why tires seem to have this issue more than they did in the past. 
the best explanation I received was from an engineer in Detroit that rattled off on several areas of relevance. Prime ones being that the manufacture of tires is a heavily regulated process that emits a huge amount of hydrocarbons. The tire industry has been working on reducing emission levels in the process, and that means that the chemistry of that tire and what constitutes the ingredients in that lump of goop that becomes a tire has been changing. 
the bottom line is that tires are lasting longer than they ever have, the industry has developed tread compounds that have incredible tread life, but the aging process is inevitable and that visible deterioration is an indication that the tire is near the end of its useful life.

In America, we grind up spent tires and use the rubber compounds in asphalt paved tracks for athletic running surfaces. As I get older I have found an appreciation for a softer running path.

 

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@mitch84 Have you looked at the date code on the tyres you have now? I wonder how long the were kicking around before being fitted.

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46 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

@mitch84 Have you looked at the date code on the tyres you have now? I wonder how long the were kicking around before being fitted.

Nah will check, is it a certain code I’m looking for?

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@alexp999

 

I think I found it , it’s 1019, so if I’m correct that tally’s up with my car reg May 2019.

first 2 digits being weeks and then year.

So they are not old, it’s just weathered tyres as stated on here.

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Should be a 4 digit number (WWYY) in an oval/pill shape usually.

EDIT:

Yeah that's it.

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