Sliced Sidewall
 

This is the set up of the car.

Front: 255/40/17 Goodyear Eagle F1 D3's
Rear: 315/35/17 Goodyear Eagle F1 D3's
Lowered 1.5 inches

I recently was trying to go up a tall drive way and trying not to drag. Natuarly I went in at an angle. I started to drag anyhow, so I stopped. I slowly started backing out of the diveway and then I heard it. My back drivers side tire was scrubbing. I guess when the car was in a bind all of the weight was on that tire and the tire went inside the fender well. When I started backing out the weight of the car lifted and as it lifted and the tire was rolling back the lip of the fender well sliced the sidewall of my tire.

The tire is still holding air two days later. No leaks. However the slice is about a inch or two deep for about two inches, then it is not as deep for about another 8 inches around the tire. A replacement tire is $281 plus shipping.

My first questions is if it is still holding air how dangerous would this be to drive on everyday? My major concern is I have a one year old boy that i pick up from day care everyday. My second concern is I don't want to have a blow out and mess up my car. What is you opinions on this? (I will try to post pics of it up today when I gethome from work.)

I recenlty bought 275/40/17's to go the front and are waiting to go on. If the tire is to dangerous to drive as is, can a 275/40/17 tire fit on a 10.5/17 rim?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Get a new tire. Your son's safety is worth it.

I see that as a big potential danger. I recommend getting a new tire ASAP. That tire could blow at any moment going down the road. A tire on my girlfriend's camaro had a defect in the sidewall. Luckily, it blew while she was driving through a parking lot at a low speed. Still caused her to hit/run over a parking stop.

This is what I recommend:

Take the tire to a REAL tire shop. Not some stupid national chain, but a place that works on trucks and race cars.....guys that are certified to repair tires by the manufacturer to new tire specifications.

They will inspect and make a recomendation, then certify the repair and provide you with a written guarentee. National chains do not do this, they always take the pussy way out. If just the rubber layer is damaged, it may just be cosmetic.

In the meantime, keep that car to slow speeds and get it checked right away. Some sidewall damage can be repaired.

It may be hard for you to find the right shop in your area....there is really no easy way to search.

If you want, you cold call Nick at Norm's Tires near the Twin Cities in MN. You could always ship the tire to them and have them ship it back....if it can be safely fixed, they can fix it. Figure on $35 to $50 for a repair plus shipping. Nick is a Mustang owner and active in the local Mustang scene. You can use my handle (WaterDR). But, be prepared for the advice that you may need a tire anyway and Nick would be more then willing to sell a replacement too.

there is no repair for a sliced sidewall. it is a flex point of the tire. replace it, DO NOT attempt to repair it. you hit a small bump at speed in the right place on that tire and POW!! you have an exploded tire and a bad wreck. not worth it at all.

shot some pics of it.
 

Thanks for all of the advice. I have not be driving it for the last couple of days, in fear of a blow out. I shot some pics of the tire to show the damage.

Will these 275/40/17's fit on the 10.5 size rim I have. I was going to put them on front because of the weird wear on the fronts. However if they will fit I will put them on the back, and live with the weird wear for a little while.

Sorry for the big pics, I just wanted you all to be able to se the slice.

275's are too narrow for a 10.5'' rim. but someone is gonna come on here and say they will be fine.

I have the same tires and I can tell you those tires are thin as hell replace it! I ran over a tack screw and it got between the grooves in the tire and punctured it! I couldnt believe something as small as a tack screw could puncture a $300 tire

There are places that are most certainly authorized by the tire manufacturers themselves to not only repair sidewalls, but the tires will maintain their original speed rating. Sidewalls are flex points, but they have materials that are used on the inside of the tire that can be used and make the tire better then knew. This is a specialty and not done at most tire places.

I am not a tire expert and I can't tell by looking at the tire if this one can be repaired. The slice seems rather long and deep.....but if I thought there were a chance, I would would have it inspected. We have a local place here that does this work and I had them repair a sidewall for me a few months ago. In my case, it was just a screw, but they did tell me that there are some spilts that they can fix.

Thanks to everyone for their advice. I believe I will have the tire inspected, and if it can be fixed I will keep these as spares. I just ordered a set of Nitto Drag Radials 315/35/17. This car is my daily and I love to go to the track as it gets warmer, so I thought the best tire this round would be the Nitto DR's. Thanks again. If I can not find a place to inspect the tire here in Alabama I might pm you WaterDr to get an address to ship the tire to. Thanks again to all for all your help.

Sure thing.....if I were you, I would speak to Nick first about the injury before spending money on shipping. In fact, I will email the photos to him and see what he thinks tonight. He is always on line.

I just emailed the pics to him. As I look at them again, that slice looks REALLY long.

sry, I go by my BMW factory training on any and all automotive advice I give. ANY repair WILL and DOES compromise the speed rating of a tire, ask Michelin, ask Continental, ask Bridgestone, ask Dunlop. I have personally spoken with reps from each of those tire manufacturers about stuff like this. I trust the ppl who made the product before I trust an aftermarket repair facility, no matter their reputation.

Dealers always take the easy way out....no offense. They are only ever worried about getting sued.

Tire manufactures due certify people to make repairs and still maintain speed ratings. Folks that just want to sell tires....well, they just want to sell tires. There are even ISO 9000 certified procedures.

Case in point....my $232 tire on my Pacifa had a screw in the side wall. The dealer said that it could not be fixed and recomended TWO replacement tires because the tire was already worn by 20% and they claimed that the AWD drive would not work properly. Like I said the dealer just wants my money and they always look for the easy way out.

The professional tire shop's solution was to make an approved inspection and repair. They also said that if the tire could not be repaired, I would just need one tire and they could shave the new one down to match the wear on the other.

BTW, this was Nick's comments:

Depending how deep the cut is it may have to be replaced!?!? There is no fix for it at all If the cut is not down to the steel cords at all it should not be a problem. I would love to take a look at it and give you my opinion on it Has the rubbing issue been fixed?? If so we could flip the tires on the wheels so that those cuts are on the insides so that it cosmetically looks better(looks as if they are directional tires??)

yeah I see the fact that ppl are sue happy and dealers and tire reps are avoiding being sued by suggesting the safest course of action, which is to replace the tire/tires. That is merely my point, it is the safest thing to do. no question about it. cost effective? nope, but its the safest...and thats all that counts to me.

That is an incorrect statement. Some repairs do, but not ANY repair as you have stated. Look it up....you will find tons of information on this subject. If done correectly and if inspected properly by a properly trained technician, the speed rating can be maintained. If not, you should simply not use the tire at all as it it no longer safe for road use.

Any tire repaired while still on the rim is not a proper repair. In the case of tires, the term repair means to restore to original condition in the first place.

The safest thing to do would be to NEVER drive....yet I never see a dealer say that. Dealers are just worried about law suits, not because it is safest, but because it limits their liability. The two are connected, but mutually exclusive.

If safety is your #1 concern as you have stated, then you are driving the wrong car. See, safety is part of the equation, but rarely ever the #1 concern.

I am not try to advocate that anyone should ever drive on an unsafe tire, but I do beleive that too many dealer service centers prey on unsuspecting people trying to constantly sell services that people don't need. My local dealer just tried to sell me on a full fluid change on my car at 15,000 miles, yet the book states 50k. I don't trust dealer service centers.....they are good for warranty work and that is about it.

Back on subject.....tire repairs on contraversial to some extent....an owner should do what they think is best.

I am going to stick to the tire reps advice and what I learned in chassis dynamics school.

I have repaired hundreds of tires and only one repair I made failed. Im still not going to trust a repaired tire at high speeds, and since I drive fast at times, I will replace a tire on my car if it gets damaged in any way.

bottom line is that a new tire is better than a repaired tire. Is that my opinion? I dunno...seems like common sense to me.

LOL....thats funny man.

safety regarding tires is what I was talking about...in that context yes, that is my #1 priority.

my car may not be the safest car on the road, but isn't the way I drive it more of a factor than the car itself?


anyway...back to jjmustang04's tire...that cut looks deep and very big. I'd just play it safe and get a new tire.

Some of you may recall a few years ago the blow out my wife had with the kids in our Suburban on the interstate. The All Terain KO (a great tire) exploded with just 500 miles on it. Tire Rack replaced after they saw the email of the tire in shards. I posted pictures and the rim was ruined.

Tire Rack claimed that the only way the tire could have blown apart like that if that it would have had a catastrophic failure from the inside.....should have been found by the person that mounted it. It was a brand, spanking new tire.

man, you could whip off example after example. new tires are better than repaired ones, that fluke tire on your suburban doesnt change that fact.

I would replace it. It sucks spending the $$ , but if you have a blowout or crash is it worth the savings? Just my 0.02
carry on