Sidewall cuts

[freedom_in_4low]

Still holds air but I found these airing back up. We were out for the eclipse and barely even wheeled but there's one place in particular where I remember hugging the side with that tire and the rocks there were sharp.

Photos don't really do them justice...they remind me of when I get a bad papercut that turns out deeper than it looks. The STT pros seem to have a reputation for good, tough sidewalls so I figure there's a decent chance they're superficial, but i had a 4 hour drive at 60mph on state highways that don't have much if any shoulder so I swapped it out with the spare out of an abundance of caution.

Was I way over the top cautious or was it justified to swap it?

I paid for the road hazard warranty so I'll probably see what Discount will do about it.

On the bright side...the wobble I've been tolerating got WAY better with this one off the pavement.

 

[AndyG]

I run those tires- good product- glad you made it safely. That had to be some sharp sharp rocks.

 

[CMBD]

If I cant gauge the cut depth with a ruler, see cord, or see bubbles, I'm going to keep on keepin on.

That looks to be a mere flesh wound. Tis but a scratch.

 

[macleanflood]

Maybe carry a Gluetread sidewall patch JIC. Assuming you have a way to air up?

Spare?

-Mac

 

[freedom_in_4low]

Maybe carry a Gluetread sidewall patch JIC. Assuming you have a way to air up?

Spare?

-Mac

Kinda skimmed through my first post, eh?

No worries, yes I was airing up when I saw it and put the spare on for the drive home. I just don't have much feeling/experience with whether it's ok to put back on or if I need to replace it. Even holding air now, I can't tell for sure how deep it is because it's so narrow it almost looks more like it came from a blade rather than a rock. if the cut reached the carcass at all, there's now a stress riser there that will flex open 600 times for every mile it rolls.

If I analyze it like a potential issue at work:

Severity (if a failure occurs) - high, considering it could blow out and cause a rollover at speed

Likelihood of Detection - low likelihood that I would detect it before it failed since progress of the cut is buried beyond what I can see.

Likelihood of Occurrence - this is the big unknown.

Even if occurrence is low, severity and detection would be enough to call for preventative action.

The more I talk about it the more I'm talking myself into believing I did right by not driving on it and need to replace it.

 

[macleanflood]

I did too short of an answer...

My tolerance for "it's broken/damaged/looks bad" goes up or down based on this list...

Is it going to hurt/kill someone else?

Is it going to hurt/kill me?

Is it going to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere without cell service?

Are replacement parts available or are they just as questionably sketchy as the originals?

Do I have time to do a quality repair job or am I too tired/busy/stressed out and most likely to botch something.

Can I afford to replace it now or can it wait until I pay down the credit card?

You're already thinking along those lines and making good decisions!

-Mac

 

[PurpleTJAZ]

Just my experience for what it's worth.....

I get that a lot wheeling in the AZ rocks. I do not daily drive my TJ but I drive on the highway and around town quite a bit. I run "E" rated mud terrains with 3 ply sidewalls. It is a judgment call for sure, but if it is a superficial cut in the surface rubber layer, but not into the actual sidewall structure I will run it. If I replaced a tire every time it got superficial sidewall damage like minor cuts or chunking I would be replacing tires constantly.

 

[JMT]

Kinda skimmed through my first post, eh?

No worries, yes I was airing up when I saw it and put the spare on for the drive home. I just don't have much feeling/experience with whether it's ok to put back on or if I need to replace it. Even holding air now, I can't tell for sure how deep it is because it's so narrow it almost looks more like it came from a blade rather than a rock. if the cut reached the carcass at all, there's now a stress riser there that will flex open 600 times for every mile it rolls.

If I analyze it like a potential issue at work:

Severity (if a failure occurs) - high, considering it could blow out and cause a rollover at speed

Likelihood of Detection - low likelihood that I would detect it before it failed since progress of the cut is buried beyond what I can see.

Likelihood of Occurrence - this is the big unknown.

Even if occurrence is low, severity and detection would be enough to call for preventative action.

The more I talk about it the more I'm talking myself into believing I did right by not driving on it and need to replace it.

I saw this the other day and forgot to respond. I have one tire that did that type of thin slice that is hard to see the depth in two places on the sidewall. I did peel the rubber back as far as I could to look. It’s hard to know much because you can’t really gauge the sidewall thickness. No air ever leaked. I patched them with Glue Tread for practice and for insurance since I was heading out to Moab in a few days. It’s now been to Moab and back plus 5,000 miles. The Glue Tread even peeled off a bit due to rocks. Seems fine.

 

[Mike_H]

Kinda skimmed through my first post, eh?

No worries, yes I was airing up when I saw it and put the spare on for the drive home. I just don't have much feeling/experience with whether it's ok to put back on or if I need to replace it. Even holding air now, I can't tell for sure how deep it is because it's so narrow it almost looks more like it came from a blade rather than a rock. if the cut reached the carcass at all, there's now a stress riser there that will flex open 600 times for every mile it rolls.

If I analyze it like a potential issue at work:

Severity (if a failure occurs) - high, considering it could blow out and cause a rollover at speed

Likelihood of Detection - low likelihood that I would detect it before it failed since progress of the cut is buried beyond what I can see.

Likelihood of Occurrence - this is the big unknown.

Even if occurrence is low, severity and detection would be enough to call for preventative action.

The more I talk about it the more I'm talking myself into believing I did right by not driving on it and need to replace it.

I see you write FMEA's at work...LOL

 

[Lou]

Is this a joke?

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I saw this the other day and forgot to respond. I have one tire that did that type of thin slice that is hard to see the depth in two places on the sidewall. I did peel the rubber back as far as I could to look. It’s hard to know much because you can’t really gauge the sidewall thickness. No air ever leaked. I patched them with Glue Tread for practice and for insurance since I was heading out to Moab in a few days. It’s now been to Moab and back plus 5,000 miles. The Glue Tread even peeled off a bit due to rocks. Seems fine.

View attachment 517383

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good info. These patches are not something I'm familiar with, I'll look into those.

And your comment really hits at the root of it...I can't tell how deep the cut is, and even if I could, I have no idea how deep is a problem. I do hear a lot about people replacing tires just from being age-cracked, so is the cracking the problem or is it just symptom of a deeper but not directly related issue?

I just know how cuts work and cycling it open as the sidewall flexes over and over again makes it likely that the depth today may not be the depth a year from now.

I see you write FMEA's at work...LOL

yes, lots and lots. I don't know if other people have this issue, but it's hard not to apply the same thought process to daily life, like this situation.

 

[starkey480]

 

[Apparition]

View attachment 517489

Kevlar!!!!!!!!!!

 

[freedom_in_4low]

View attachment 517489

Those are examples of gouges I know better than to worry about.

Mine look like a slit from a blade. If I noticed them in a parking lot and they weren't at the exact orientation caused by a rotating tire passing a stationary object I would think someone tried to slash the tire with a box cutter. I actually just stuck one of the thinner shims of my feeler gauge into the cut and it went in about 2mm. That seems deep.

 

[Lou]

Those are examples of gouges I know better than to worry about.

Mine look like a slit from a blade. If I noticed them in a parking lot and they weren't at the exact orientation caused by a rotating tire passing a stationary object I would think someone tried to slash the tire with a box cutter. I actually just stuck one of the thinner shims of my feeler gauge into the cut and it went in about 2mm. That seems deep.

Do you have any idea how thick the sidewall is?

Is this the first time you have driven on a rock with your jeep?

 

[tworley]

If this slit was on my tire, it wouldn't bother me.

 

[Apparition]

I saw this the other day and forgot to respond. I have one tire that did that type of thin slice that is hard to see the depth in two places on the sidewall. I did peel the rubber back as far as I could to look. It’s hard to know much because you can’t really gauge the sidewall thickness. No air ever leaked. I patched them with Glue Tread for practice and for insurance since I was heading out to Moab in a few days. It’s now been to Moab and back plus 5,000 miles. The Glue Tread even peeled off a bit due to rocks. Seems fine.

View attachment 517383

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Which glue tread kit is the preferred one to buy? It looks like this one makes the most sense but I don't know what I don't know.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09KDMD2Z2/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[Lou]

I have an stt pro sitting in my garage so i took a hole saw to it. As you can see it’s quite thick.

 

[Apparition]

I have an stt pro sitting in my garage so i took a hole saw to it. As you can see it’s quite thick.

View attachment 517521

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I have an stt pro sitting in my garage so i took a hole saw to it. As you can see it’s quite thick.

View attachment 517521

thanks for that, that's actually helpful.

Don't suppose you could measure how thick the rubber is before it gets into the plies, could you? Don't know if you saw my post from a little bit ago, but one of the cuts (the one that looks less visible, oddly enough) is 2mm deep. From your photo that could actually be through the rubber and into the structure.