I've just noticed that my front left tyre is starting to perish There are little cracks all over the tyre and I'm not sure what caused it. It seems like a defect to me, but the front right tyre has got a few of the small cracks starting to show. Is this due to driving style, a defect or something else? I'll get pics in the morning to show what I mean...

 

Ok, heres a pic of the cracked tyre:

 

It's normal, see how the cracks are exactly in the center of each rib? It's probably just a feature of the tire.

 

Gee, I thought you were talking about cracks in the sidewall, which is a more common complaint...

Drive over a lot of gravel or rough surfaces lately? How old are these tires?

I wonder if you've maybe driven through any chemicals or something on the road... hmm. Are they still grippy and rubbery though? The blocks look kinda dry and brittle.

Don't know, but they sure look beat.

 

i hope theyre not crappy firestones... they sure look like em :P

 

Looks like the tread surface has been very hot and run hard on a poor surface such as oiled gravel or even gravel. More air might help - the tread blocks look a little rolled over, and more air keeps the tire cooler too.

 

No, not firestones They're Simex tyres (may not be a known brand in the US). I did live on a gravel road for 4 months, and now live on a sealed road but do sometimes have to travel on gravel. The Tyres are about a year old.

 

Hmm, well they're not that old... The only thing with the gravel idea is that you wouldn't expect only ONE tire to get more beat up like this.

 

Yeah, I was wondering that too. It did have a drift to this side until I got the wheels re-balanced if that's any help