Tire Piece Missing

Is this safe to drive on?

 

Generally sidewall damage is not a good thing and is not repairable. No legit shop will touch that.

That being said, if you watch any video of how tires are made, the inner carcass that holds the air is not the same thing as the outer layer with the tread/sidewall design. The outer layer is designed to protect the inner layer, but it takes time for the inner carcass to get damaged enough to present a risk while driving.

And if you ever visit a 3rd world country, you will see plenty of vehicles being driven on tires that are of questionable integrity.

 

What is your risk aversion level? Is this one of the front tires and is driven to school by your 19y/o daughter on the expressway at 70mph or do you drive it around town and don't really care if you have to fix a flat along the way? On that note, how is your spare? If money is tight, rotate your good spare into service and use that problem child for the spare. Or, just put it on the back and rock on....

 

Eww what's the date code on those tires? They look pretty old.

 

Like others have said, it's risky but probably OK. I would expect it to bubble a bit before it gives out, so you may have warning. With that being said, your tires are the only thing keeping your truck on the road, is it really worth taking that chance?

 

That sucks, I'm sorry! Sidewall damage is the worst. Unfortunately, my vote is also to replace the tires, all four if they are worn out, or at the very least two so you have the same diameter left to right. In the meantime, I would take the extra step of putting it on the rear, since you really don’t want a blowout on a steer wheel.

 

Ide run it....

 

So if I rotate my spare into service and this one as spare, what happens when I then need a spare? Use this one as a spare?

 

Why would you want to have an unsafe spare? What is so hard about this? Buy another tire.

 

What if I replaced this one with a new tire, with the spare and have the new tire as a spare, so there is somewhat of even wear and tear on all fours. Opinions?

 

How old are the tires? If they are more than 8-10 years old they should be replaced anyway.

 

I would say roughly 5 years.

 

hat does youre tire tread thickness look like now with a 5 year old tire, how many miles on tires....
if theyre worn down, you will need to buy 2.....
you dont want a thick new tire on one side & worn out tire on the other side....

 

See what the date code is, it's the last 4 digits of the DOT number on the side of the tire with the longer number.

 

Wouldn’t it matter when I bought them and put them on?

 

HELL NO. Park it. Put the spare on and drive to a tire shop. Why take a chance on your life and especially on other peoples lives. Always consider sidewall damage baaaaaaaad.

 

The DOT is 4522

 

Well so then would I just buy one and keep the new one as a spare and use the current spare, or replace all four?

 

Some tires have a road hazard replacement warranty but that’s usually only good for between 1 to 3 years. You are beyond that m

 

Depending on thread depth and age of tires consider a full set of new tires