Tyre age and cracking between tread and carcass

Hi all,

I hope that this is the right forum for this post.

I drive a Merc 1823 which has been converted into a motorhome. I do high miles for a motorhome driver, but tiny miles for what the truck was intended.

Given the low distances that I travel, the 315/80 tyres either get damaged or perish before I can wear them out.

I’ve got retreads on the back axle which are showing the cracking in the photo. The carcasses are old Hankooks but the sidewalls look good. The cracking is between the tread and the carcass, and varies in severity around the tyre. The photo is about the average.

I’m certain that if I went to a tyre place they’d tell me to replace them, but I’d like opinions from people who are not trying to sell me tyres. The DVSA tester says no problem but he’s just going on his sheet, and doesn’t have to drive down the highway with his family in the vehicle.

I’m not averse to replacing them if it’s time, they’ve served me well and have taken me far and wide. I’m about to drive down to Genoa via the Alps so I want to have some faith in the rubber.

Thanks for your help,

Nick

If they’re retreads as you say replace them as that cracking is along joint line
How old are the tyres , look on the wall and there should be a set of 4 numbers 2 = week 2 = year

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We get the same problem with racecar transporters, from experience I reckon tyre life is about 5 years before the cracks on the sidewalls begin to look dangerous, although trying to get race team bosses to replace tyres with loads of tread isn’t always easy until I tell them what it costs to do it somewhere in France after a blowout.

The last one cost the thick end of £2000 for 2 tyres and an air bag, and took 6 hours to sort out.
Although a mate of mine probably has a bigger bill after a blow out coming back from Belgium, it took out the wheel covers, part of the skin of the trailer and a car run into the carcass as it went across the motorway.

That wouldnt bother me in the slightest and is quite common on remoulds.
But maybe get new ones and flog the olds ones on ebay etc to recoup some of your money?

Trickydick:
That wouldnt bother me in the slightest and is quite common on remoulds.

Agreed. I would be far more interested in the age of the casing. I realise that these are on the back, but if these are over 10 years old they shouldn’t be on the front axle regardless of tread depth. IIRC the racing transporter fatal last year was down to an old casing failing.

Trickydick:
That wouldnt bother me in the slightest and is quite common on remoulds.
But maybe get new ones and flog the olds ones on ebay etc to recoup some of your money?

Same, they have to stick the new tread on top of the prepared casing and the gap could be easily filled and you wouldn’t know, if the casing was good. I wouldn’t worry on the rear axle.

I’d only be concerned if the rear axle was getting on towards full design weight, very unlikely, other than that they’ve got a few years yet.
Course if you fancy some new rubber by all means.

Purely out of interest the best gripping drive axle tyres i’ve ever experienced were Kenprest remoulds, my then boss took the new tyres off the drive axle of my new Daf 2500 tractor for use on steers (same pattern all round in those days) and had the Kenprests fitted…which cheesed me off no end at the time i might add :smiling_imp: …talk about egg on face :laughing: those tyres could not be made to slip no matter how wet or slippery the road or how stupidly driven :sunglasses: .

New premium drive axle tyres these days are bloody lethal in the wet, bad as Mich X’s of yore, what’s happened?

We have the same “issue”, to use corporate speak, with tyres. Our trucks do a very small mileage, one is less than 10,000 miles, and we stopped using retreads after losing a couple, which means new mudwing, possibly lights etc. We now put chinese Double Coin, or similar on and change them either at 5 years, or if there is any sidewall cracking.
We do exactly what is suggested above, fortunately, or maybe unfortunately from another point of view, there is always somebody looking for a cheap secondhand tyre with “a bit of tread on it” :-

But maybe get new ones and flog the olds ones on ebay etc to recoup some of your money?

Thanks all,

The casings are from 2006, which is shockingly old really. Having said that, the tyres are out of direct sun and there is really no visible cracking on the sidewalls.

These are on the back, I’ve got first life Michelin XZY3 tyres on the front.

The tyres in question are a Bandag retread, they look like the WHL tread pattern. They’ve been good for a mix of long motorway miles and shorter distances on gravel and dirt. They’ve held up well on some very bad roads. They truly ■■■■ in mud though, I’ve struggled up slight inclines even with the diff locked.

I might give the L355 Bandag’s a go. There’s a slight chance of snow driving through the alps in October , so having a M+S rated tyre on the back is no bad thing.

Nick

One of my other concerns with using a lorry tyre as a motor home is the noise, whilst Bandag have been around a while, they have never made a “nice tyre.”
I think tyres are tactile and have to feel right.

Wheel Nut:
One of my other concerns with using a lorry tyre as a motor home is the noise, whilst Bandag have been around a while, they have never made a “nice tyre.”
I think tyres are tactile and have to feel right.

https://youtu.be/hc8SoPUAtxM

I agree to some extent, but my usage is not typical of a motorhome, and coach type tyres would have left me stranded multiple times. Whilst most of my miles are on tarmac, I enjoy camping off the beaten track, and don’t want the tyres to be the limiting factor.

Can you recommend a nicer tyre for a mix of on and off road stuff at a similar price? My local Bandag place will do them for about £250 a piece.

I’ve used mixed-use type tread on the back for a while, but for a lot of miles I used a standard regional type steer tyre on the front. The shoulders got badly chewed up and I ended up having to ditch them with lots of tread left.

nick disjunkt:
Thanks all,

The casings are from 2006, which is shockingly old really. Having said that, the tyres are out of direct sun and there is really no visible cracking on the sidewalls.

These are on the back, I’ve got first life Michelin XZY3 tyres on the front.

The tyres in question are a Bandag retread, they look like the WHL tread pattern. They’ve been good for a mix of long motorway miles and shorter distances on gravel and dirt. They’ve held up well on some very bad roads. They truly ■■■■ in mud though, I’ve struggled up slight inclines even with the diff locked.

I might give the L355 Bandag’s a go. There’s a slight chance of snow driving through the alps in October , so having a M+S rated tyre on the back is no bad thing.

Nick

Retread is totally dofferent from a remould, add in the 12 year age and I would be changing them

Drive axles at work we run Bandvulc BT08 I think? and have to say they grip well when the road is greasy and running solo, dont seem to collect stones between the treads unlike the Mich and Conti drive tyres, the Mich are very bad for this and they grip the small stones so tight they stay in the tread groove and eventually wear through the rubber down to the cords.
But they are bloody heavy compared to first life tyres, or maybe Im just getting old!

Always had an issue with older tyres, and people in charge wanting to get theres monies worth.

As muckles states(and we both work in the same sector) it only takes one to go bang and it takes half the trailer with it.

I keep a record of my findings and crack on, and let the people who write the cheques deal with the bills when ■■■■ happens.

Tyres have a shelf life, beyond that you are at risk of failure. Personally I’d accept the cost for what it is and replace them a year before their best before date, the old ones should fetch a decent price and go towards the cost of replacements. In the long term this will most likely be the more cost effective way too and you’ll always have decent rubber between your pride and joy and the road.

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I’ve got some michelins 10 225s from the 70s no perishes at all , have done 60 -70 on the motorway not gone bang yet :laughing:

Tyres were probably just made of plain old rubber back then Dan, now they’re all fancy compounds, maybe it’s a case of they don’t make em like they used to, as with most things today.

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newmercman:
Tyres were probably just made of plain old rubber back then Dan, now they’re all fancy compounds, maybe it’s a case of they don’t make em like they used to, as with most things today.

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Yes I’d say so , the Ken Thomas Erf unit in preservation has the same tyres as I have they are dated 1968 :open_mouth:

Some of these old vehicles and motorcycles that do classic racing and rallies have brand new original spec tyres. Both Michelin and Dunlop make them at Montlucon.

Doesn’t help this thread though

Go to ( my tyres, or, big tyres) google them and buy a new set

nick disjunkt:
Hi all,

I hope that this is the right forum for this post.

I drive a Merc 1823 which has been converted into a motorhome. I do high miles for a motorhome driver, but tiny miles for what the truck was intended.

Given the low distances that I travel, the 315/80 tyres either get damaged or perish before I can wear them out.

I’ve got retreads on the back axle which are showing the cracking in the photo. The carcasses are old Hankooks but the sidewalls look good. The cracking is between the tread and the carcass, and varies in severity around the tyre. The photo is about the average.

I’m certain that if I went to a tyre place they’d tell me to replace them, but I’d like opinions from people who are not trying to sell me tyres. The DVSA tester says no problem but he’s just going on his sheet, and doesn’t have to drive down the highway with his family in the vehicle.

I’m not averse to replacing them if it’s time, they’ve served me well and have taken me far and wide. I’m about to drive down to Genoa via the Alps so I want to have some faith in the rubber.

Thanks for your help,

Nick

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They look fine to me, except for the age of them. Have you taken one off recently and had a look at the inside?