Winter tire cracked, still usable? pic inside

[rsquared]

Hey all, looking to pick up a set of used winter tires but one of the tires has a crack in it, as shown below. I know it's hard to tell from a photo, but from what you can see, should I steer clear or would it still be okay?

http://kijiji.ebayimg.com/i16/02/k/000/7e/74/4e20_20.JPG

[dentinger]

i'd probably stay clear of that set...

its hard to see, but what are the last 4 digits of the DOT number?

[Malcolm991]

I wouldn't use that set! Asking for trouble

[SonicBoy]

Not worth the risk. The tire was probably discarded for the very safety concern.

You'd always be thinking about the tire in the back of your mind.

[stormin84]

i agree wouldn't risk it....

[drunkmunky]

You could purchase it if it is cheap, but it would be safer if you didn't. If you do decide to purchase them, make sure you have CAA, and that the shop or store from which you purchased the tire from has some sort of warantee coverage.

[rsquared]

Thanks for your feedback all. Someone is selling the set of four on Kijiji, but they said one of the tires had a crack, as pictured. Will definitely pass.

[kevcol74]

I'd personally still check them out... A "crack" to someone may just be a slight cut to me. Usually "cracks" are concentric, that in the picture is not. Looks like a slice, but all depends on how deep it is! Have a look in person, make your best judgement. You may be passing on a perfectly good set... Mine literally have a chunk missing on the sidewall, they still work fine, and I feel quite safe with them. (bought them with it, previous owner curbed them... not even a wobble though!)

[Noisy Crow]

I'd personally still check them out... A "crack" to someone may just be a slight cut to me. Usually "cracks" are concentric, that in the picture is not. Looks like a slice, but all depends on how deep it is! Have a look in person, make your best judgement. You may be passing on a perfectly good set... Mine literally have a chunk missing on the sidewall, they still work fine, and I feel quite safe with them. (bought them with it, previous owner curbed them... not even a wobble though!)

The side wall flexes as the wheel rotates.... and any sort of cut along the diameter of the sidewall is going to flex open-close-open-close... which may cause it to open up. It may or may not get worse, but you can't know. And it might be difficult to determine how deep the crack has gone....

[kevcol74]

The side wall flexes as the wheel rotates.... and any sort of cut along the diameter of the sidewall is going to flex open-close-open-close... which may cause it to open up. It may or may not get worse, but you can't know. And it might be difficult to determine how deep the crack has gone....

To each their own.. personally I'd check them out, some people over-react to small things. It could be a very light "slice" for all we know. Until someone sees it in person, its hard to make an educated decision. Its not mounted, it can be flexed to see the depth of the cut quite easily... (I used to be an installer, I know what I'm talking about here)

TO me, its worth a look. To the OP, thats their call.

[Mazda3Greek]

The only thing the car rides on is the tires, dont mess around, its worth the investment of new tires. Keep it safe.

[Go_Habs_Go]

as an earlier poster said, it's a good idea to also check the tire manufacturing date (last 4 digits after the DOT). If it's more than 6 years AND has that crack then I wouldn't take them even if they were free!!