What does a dent in a tire mean? Tire Tech: Sidewall Indentations, Undulations & Protrusions Fortunately sidewall indentations are a cosmetic condition that does not affect the performance of the tires. However when the tire is mounted on a wheel and inflated to operating air pressures, it is free to expand.
Why do bigger tires have more dent in them?
This is due to the fact that larger tires have steeper sidewalls, which results in longer undulation ripples, more inflation pressure to push the rubber against the ply, and most likely greater weight on the tires, which also raises the pressure on the tires. Dent in tire a reason for concern? Dent in tire a reason for concern?
What is This indentation on my tires?
A: Vertical indentation on sidewall from rim to tread. A common byproduct of radial tire construction, sidewall indentations/undulations are more noticeable in tires with taller sidewalls or operate at higher inflation pressures. Fortunately... Why Tire Rack?
What does the dot number on a tire mean?
DOT NUMBER: The D.O.T. number created by the Department of Transportation, also known as the Tire Date Code or Tire Identification Number (TIN), is a code of digits that one can find on the sidewall of all over-the-highway tires signifying the fact that the tire complies with the U.S. Department of Transportation motor vehicle safety standards.
What does R Mean on tire tread?
"R" stands for radial, which means the plies run radially across the tire. "B" stands for bias construction, which means that the plies run diagonally across the tire. CONTACT PATCH (AKA FOOTPRINT): The total area of the tread that is in contact with the road during operation.
Is it safe to drive on a tire with sidewall damage?
A sidewall tire damage is not safe to drive around with. The sidewalls of the tires are much more sensitive than the tread area. In many cases, the damage is damaging the whole structure of the tire, and it can cause it to blow at any moment.
What causes a tire to wrinkle?
Because research indicates that tires more than six years old should be retired, regardless of their tread depth or their miles on the road. Here's why: As tires age and are exposed to heat, the rubber deteriorates. That's because rubber absorbs oxygen, which causes what is called thermo-oxidative aging.
How do you tell if a tire is ruined?
Look for These Trouble SignsCracking or cuts in the sidewalls.Uneven tread wear. ... Excessively worn tread. ... Alternatively, you can use a quarter and penny as treadwear indicators. ... Bulges or blisters. ... Excessive vibration.
How do you know if your tire has sidewall damage?
Symptom: bulge or bubbleA bulge or bubble on the sidewall of a tire generally indicates damaged cords caused by a severe impact.Damaged cords are often accompanied by a visible break in the inner liner.If cords have been damaged, air has infiltrated into the plies and can result in a bulge.
Are Sidewall indentations bad?
In the case of sidewall indentations, according to Tire Rack, “sidewall indentations are a cosmetic condition that does not affect the performance of the tires.”
What does tire rot look like?
Whereas a healthy tire is smooth and crack-free, a dry rotted tire tends to resemble cracked leather or elephant skin. These cracks can be large and noticeable or small and veiny, depending on the severity of the dry rot. Discolored rubber is a clear indication that dry rot has progressed to a more advanced stage.
How often should tires be replaced?
every six yearsThe NHTSA recommends that tires be replaced every six years regardless of the number of miles driven. Proper inflation is the Holy Grail of tire maintenance. Too much or too little air in your tires is guaranteed to cause you trouble and uneven or excessive wear over time.
How can you tell if tires need to be replaced?
Place a penny head first into several tread grooves across the tire. If you always see the top of Lincoln's head, your treads are shallow and worn. If this is the case, your tires need to be replaced. If part of Lincoln's head is always covered by the tread, you have more than 2/32 of an inch of tread depth remaining.
Can hitting a curb damage tire?
Hitting a curb can do some nasty damage to your tires, let alone other vehicle components including the suspension. Even striking one at turtle-like speed can wreck your day!
Can I just replace one tire?
Tread of other tires: If the other three tires are fairly new, you may be able to get by with just replacing one or two tires without drastically impacting performance and safety. As a rule of thumb, if the other 2 or 3 tires are worn down more than 4/32 of an inch of tread, you should replace all 4 tires.
Is it safe to drive with a piece of tire missing?
Driving on a tire with a chunk missing is dangerous for several reasons. First, the tire may blow out completely if the chunk gets too big. Second, even if the tire doesn't blow out, it will continue to wear down and will need to be replaced sooner than if it wasn't damaged.
How much damage to a tire sidewall is too much?
To determine how much sidewall tire damage is too much you need to check the threads in the area of damage. If you can see the threads or the radial cords, it's time to replace the tire. These threads are located 0.125 to 0.188 of an inch beneath the surface of the sidewall.
What is vertical indentation on a tire?
A: Vertical indentation on sidewall from rim to tread. A common byproduct of radial tire construction, sidewall indentations/undulations are more noticeable in tires with taller sidewalls or operate at higher inflation pressures.
What is the most reinforced area of a tire?
In reality, the splices are the most reinforced area of the tire's sidewall. Since radial tires feature steel cord reinforcing belts under their treads to keep them flat, indentations only appears on the sidewalls.
How are tire casings reinforced?
Tire casings are reinforced by multiple fabric cords encased side-by-side in a thin sheet of rubber. Radial ply tires feature one or more layers of cord (depending on the tire's required strength) that run parallel to each other from bead to bead (with each individual cord running up the sidewall, across the tread and down the other sidewall). ...
Can a tire expand when mounted on a wheel?
However when the tire is mounted on a wheel and inflated to operating air pressures, it is free to expand. These overlapping splices may create slight indentations since the stretching capacity of the lap-splices is slightly less than the rest of the body ply.
What are sidewall undulations on tires?
On larger tires, they might stand out and be quite obvious, even from a distance. These creases are known in the tire business as sidewall undulations.
Why do radial tires have sidewall undulation?
Sidewall undulation occurs naturally on radial tires because of the way they are constructed. Just inside the outer walls of your radial tire, it is wrapped with sturdy fabric cords to reinforce its strength. The more strength needed for your particular tire, the more layers there will be of the fabric cords (or ply) .
What are the ripples on my tire?
Valleys, Creases, Ripples and Indentations on My Tire Sidewall. It is not uncommon to find creases, ripples, valleys or waves of indentations on the sidewall of your radial tires. On smaller tires, they can sometimes be very delicate and easy to miss. On larger tires, they might stand out and be quite obvious, even from a distance.
Why do larger tires have taller sidewalls?
That’s because larger tires have taller sidewalls, which means longer undulation ripples, more inflation pressure to push the rubber against the ply, and probably more weight on the tires, which also increases the pressure .
Where are tire cords wrapped?
Those cords are generally wrapped directly up and down vertically over the sidewall, not across it at an angle.
Do sidewall undulations affect tire performance?
Sidewall undulations will not compromise the performance of your tire. They are only a cosmetic tire characteristic. However, as always when you find something out of the ordinary on your tire, please ask a tire professional to take a look to make sure your tire does indeed have a normal tire undulation and not a dangerous bulge. ...
What is a light truck tire?
LIGHT TRUCK TIRES: Tires designed for non-commercial light trucks, pickups, passenger vans or SUVs. If you are looking for light truck tires, our Wrangler tire family might be right for you.
What is aramid in tires?
ARAMID: A synthetic fiber used as a reinforcement material in some tires. DuPont™ Kevlar® is an example of an aramid fiber, which can be found in our Goodyear Wrangler® All-Terrain Adventure With Kevlar® tire.
What does LT mean on a truck?
An "LT" designation means that it is a light truck tire. TRACTION: The grip or friction between the tires and the road surface. TREAD: The part of the tire that comes into contact with the road surface. TREAD DEPTH: The distance measured from the tread surface to the bottom of the grooves in a tire.
What is Fortera tires?
FORTERA® TIRES: Families of tires developed for crossover vehicles, SUVs and light duty pickup trucks that provide a smooth and quiet ride and all season performance in a variety of wet and dry road conditions . Fortera® tires also offer stable handling.
What is an O.E. tire?
ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FITMENT: Original Equipment (O.E.) tires are tires that came equipped on a new vehicle at the time of purchase. These tires are selected by the vehicle manufacturer in order to help provide optimal performance based on the characteristics of the vehicle. Learn more detail around original equipment tires and the decisions between choosing an OEM vs. a Replacement Tire when buying new tires.
What is understeer in cars?
UNDERSTEER: A handling characteristic where the front tires have a larger slip angle than the rear tires, making the vehicle tend to turn less sharply than the wheels are pointed.
What is a camber in a vehicle?
CAMBER: A vehicle suspension setting indicating the degree of a wheel's inward or outward tilt from vertical. This angle is adjusted in order to keep the outside tires flat on the ground while under load and turning.
What are dimples in a tire?
The dimples are superficial. Indentations in the tire are best illustrated if you were to imagine tying a string around an inflated balloon and then gently pulling the string tighter. If the balloon is the tire, the string is the embedded carcass cords which are concealed by the rubber.
What does it mean when a tire breaks?
An impact break is damage inflicted on the carcass (the casing of the tire) after the tire comes into contact with certain obstacles. A pronounced bulge on the sidewall of the tire indicates destroyed cords inside the carcass.
What causes tire damage?
The most common types of damage are punctures, cuts, impacts, cracks, bulges and irregular wear. In this section, we'll explain the signs and symptoms to help you diagnose the issue, ...
What causes a carcass to break?
Overstressing the carcass causes individual cords to break. The exact extent of the damage will depend on the speed and angle of impact, and the size of the obstacle. Careful motorists are usually able to avoid this type of damage, unless an obstacle suddenly appears in front of a vehicle and they can't steer around it.
Why do low profile tires have a higher tread void?
Particularly with low-profile tires, a higher percentage of tread void is necessary to take up the water and to improve protection against aquaplaning. Cross-grooves for water drainage take the form of freestanding blocks in the shoulder area.
What happens if you puncture a tire?
If the puncture is deep enough, the tire could begin to lose air pressure. If you find that one or more of your tires are continuously losing pressure, or if you discover a nail or screw embedded in the tread, then visit your local tire specialist as soon as possible to have them repaired.
How many overlaps are there in a tire?
During manufacture of a tire – or rather when constructing the carcass, to which the steel belt and the tread are attached – there are often one or two overlaps in the carcass. It's this overlap which is sometimes visible as an indentation after the tire is fitted and inflated.
What does tire size mean?
Tire Size Meaning. There are two ways that tire manufacturers display tire size, inches and metric. To find the tire size meaning in inches is very straight forward. The first number is your overall diameter of the tire. In this example the tire diameter or "height" is 33 inches tall.
What does the second number mean on a tire?
The second number represents the width of the tire. In most cases with inch measurement tires the width will have a .50 decimal after the initial number. In example "A" this reads 12.50, meaning the tire width is 12 and 1/2 inches. The final number simply is the wheel size or "diameter"of the wheel that the tire will fit on.
How to find tire height?
To get the overall diameter or "height" of the tire you would add the two sidewalls and the diameter of the wheel. In example "B" the last number "17" is the wheel size the tire will fit on. Therefore the sidewall twice would be 8.41 x 2 = 16.82 plus the wheel "17" makes the tire height 16.82 + 17 = 33.82.
Advantages
Construction
- Tire casings are reinforced by multiple fabric cords encased side-by-side in a thin sheet of rubber. Radial ply tires feature one or more layers of cord (depending on the tire's required strength) that run parallel to each other from bead to bead (with each individual cord running up the sidewall, across the tread and down the other sidewall). Because of their \"straight across\" radial orientat…
Operation
- When the tire is being cured, it is pressed against its metal mold. However when the tire is mounted on a wheel and inflated to operating air pressures, it is free to expand. These overlapping splices may create slight indentations since the stretching capacity of the lap-splices is slightly less than the rest of the body ply. In reality, the splices are the most reinforced area of …
Appearance
- Since radial tires feature steel cord reinforcing belts under their treads to keep them flat, indentations only appears on the sidewalls.
Issues
- However, if protruding bulges, as shown in Fig. B (photo provided by a customer), rather than indentations appear on the sidewall of a recently installed tire, it reveals that there is an undesirable gap between some of the body ply cords inside the tire. The tire should be removed from service and replaced under the tire manufacturer's materials and workmanship warranty.
Causes
- However if a protruding bulge doesn't appear until later in the tire's life, it was usually the result of a road hazard when several adjacent cords were injured as the tire struck a pothole, curb or object in the road.