Bridgestone sidewall cracking

Jkh112

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A while ago I noticed cracking around the edges of the rear tyres on my 212 estate.
The tyres are the original Bridgestone potenza re050a and are 4 years old covering 20k miles.
The cracks run around the circumference on the shoulder where the tread meets the sidewall.
Today I took the car in to have a slow puncture fixed and two tyre places refused to fix the puncture due to these cracks.
I have had a pair of new tyres fitted but am wondering what caused the cracks.
The front tyres show no signs of cracking so why the rears? Is this common on these tyres/cars?
 

Flyinspanner

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Always check the manufacture date on tyres, even if they are “new” they may have been in storage for years!

It’s a little lozenge with a 4 digit number, ie 1418 would be made in the 14th week of 2018.
 
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Jkh112

Jkh112

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The tyre place checked the date, the tyres are only just over 4years old.
 

drmw

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So were mine - according to Bridgestone "the first time" - yea, sure.

It's not a uncommon fault. Mine blew out at quite a speed which is fortunate as at a slower it would have been difficult to say the least.
 
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Jkh112

Jkh112

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Fortunate to blow out at speed! Did you mean to write that?
 

DREAMER NO2

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Jkh The problem is the sun , it will remove the flexibility from the rubber over time .And the rear tires need to be supple to flex as they move over rough roads more so than the fronts . The signs you have are common to hard rubber on the side walls .
To keep your tires in tip top condition you need to spray them with a silicon spray . Or a rubber treatment and conditioner .My car sits in the sun all day .I use silicon to keep the rubber from going hard .The other thing i use is the cloth type covers that the spray shop use to cover the wheels as they spray the body. And you can find them on ebay . They have a steel wire going through them so easy to fit ==== Dont over do the tires with silicon ,it will get on to the brake disc and calipers .
 
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Jkh112

Jkh112

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I am not so sure it purely down to UV from the sun. The front tyres show no signs of cracking whilst the rears only had cracking in a circumferential ring right on the shoulder.
I have had tyres of older age on other cars with no such issues.
One of the tyres places said it looked like a manufacturing fault with tyres whilst the other place talked about overloading the car.
Either way it doesn’t matter as I won’t be taking it any further and won’t be fitting Bridgestone tyres again just interested to see if it was common on these cars.
 

Marcusjjjj

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I
A while ago I noticed cracking around the edges of the rear tyres on my 212 estate.
The tyres are the original Bridgestone potenza re050a and are 4 years old covering 20k miles.
The cracks run around the circumference on the shoulder where the tread meets the sidewall.
Today I took the car in to have a slow puncture fixed and two tyre places refused to fix the puncture due to these cracks.
I have had a pair of new tyres fitted but am wondering what caused the cracks.
The front tyres show no signs of cracking so why the rears? Is this common on these tyres/cars?

i have exact same issue with this tyre and it’s the same age (albeit I’m in Australia). I think the sun has cooked it but still not great for a $400 tyre
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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In 2018 I bought a BMW 4 series with Bridgestone Potenza runflats, the car was a 14 plate and had covered 6k miles (weekend car) and the tyres had hardened to the extent that over concrete sections of the A50 the car vibrated so much I wasn’t sure whether one of the tyres would explode - needless to say they have been changed for MIchelin PS4 which has improved the driving experience dramatically - seems to me Bridgestone were having rubber compound problems in 2014 judging by what’s been experienced on this thread
 
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rorywquin

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I


i have exact same issue with this tyre and it’s the same age (albeit I’m in Australia). I think the sun has cooked it but still not great for a $400 tyre

Yep tyres are expensive there. I got a new rear set of Pirelli P Zero on my SLK and the bill brought tears to my eyes IIRC it was over AU$1000.
 

Marcusjjjj

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In 2018 I bought a BMW 4 series with Bridgestone Potenza runflats, the car was a 14 plate and had covered 6k miles (weekend car) and the tyres had hardened to the extent that over concrete sections of the A50 the car vibrated so much I wasn’t sure whether one of the tyres would explode - needless to say they have been changed for MIchelin PS4 which has improved the improved the driving experience dramatically - seems to me Bridgestone were having rubber compound problems in 2014 judging by what’s been experienced on this thread
Well mine are a 2016 build and same issue, I am looking at Michelin’s but will see what the tyre shop says about safety and longevity. My other car with these tyres is directional and staggered so im stuffed with uneven wear and the seemingly poor lifespan even though they have plenty of tread on the back tyres.
 

bembo449

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it was firestone in the states that got sued over poor quality tyres it think ? so its not unheard of
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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My son is running Goodyear 20in runflats on his W213 and the tyres are about the best runflats I’ve experienced regarding comfort and wear
 

A.J.

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Well mine are a 2016 build and same issue, I am looking at Michelin’s but will see what the tyre shop says about safety and longevity. My other car with these tyres is directional and staggered so im stuffed with uneven wear and the seemingly poor lifespan even though they have plenty of tread on the back tyres.

I spent most of my working life in the Vehicle Contract Hire industry and whenever we bought a new Car, Van or lorry we always insisted that they were shod with Michelin. :)

The reason being the quality of manufacture and the longevity of the tyre was amongst the best. However there is always a downside to everything and in those days it was the level of grip. Dry conditions were fine but you always had to show them a little respect in the wet. I think it was because they were manufactured from quite hard rubber which made them hard wearing :)
 

rf065

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still need a new one if he was to get a puncture eh ?
Why's that?
Dunlop/Goodyear:
Unless otherwise specified in the car owner's manual, a Goodyear or Dunlop self supporting tyre can be repaired by a qualified tyre professional after a thorough inspection and analysis of the tyre history. In case of doubt the tyre should not be repaired.
 

John Laidlaw

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2 x rear Pirelli Scorpions on the XC90 which sit in the sun are cracked after 3 years, UV the culprit and changed plasticisers in modern compounds is my 'guess'
 

malcolm E53 AMG

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2 x rear Pirelli Scorpions on the XC90 which sit in the sun are cracked after 3 years, UV the culprit and changed plasticisers in modern compounds is my 'guess'

Yes even on Michelin which I experienced when I had to change two rears on a Focus in 2016 due to cracking on the shoulder of the tyre - very disappointed with this as the tyres were only 25% worn and again circa 4 years old - had seen quite a bit of UV on the drive though
 


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