I'm buying a set of bridgestone S-03s. They have a lot of tread left... the seller says it has about 3K on them. I did notice that there are small cracks on the tread (not on sidewall) that looks like the rubber has dried out a bit. Should I be concerned -- I couldn't find much info out on the web.

any info would be appreciated...thanks!

 

Where on the tread? Sometimes, if a tire is underinflated, there may be cracking along the tread, near the shoulders. Also, can you see the cords/belts? If so, buy some other tires... How old are the tires? (Look for the DOT markings on the sidewall. There should be 10 or 11 alpha numeric characters. The last 3 or 4 till indicate year & week of production. Tires older than 4 or 5 years are creeping close to their expiration date.

(Tires don't actually have an expiration date, but they should, as they are rubber products and will breakdown over time.)

 

closer to the shoulder... it looks superficial, no cords or belts showing. I think it's "weather checking" as some tire websites have described. Thanks for the info on the DOT markings, I'll have to check it

 

btw, it looks like this but a lot smaller

 

You're good to go, as long it's not on the sidewall and no belt or cords showing. I'm assuming it's cheaper too right?

imporacer

 

I'm guessing its just stress- from underinflation possibly

 

On the contact patch some cracking is okay, but you don't want any on the sidewalls. that's a sign of underinflation.

 

cool... thanks for the responses. I feel a little better now. I'm buying them tomorrow (they're attached to a set of SSR comps ) . I'll do one more inspection before I buy them... I'm pretty sure the weather checking was on the contact patch and not on the side wall.

 

Even if the cracks are on the sidewall, it is not a safety risk (according to MAP* guidlines). But you could use the cracks as a bargining chip.

* http://www.motorist.org/

 

phewwww -- turned out it wasn't "weather checking" and just the way the rubber wore down on the corners. I picked them up and the SSR comps and damn they're nice! S03s have a ton of grip compared to the RE92s.

Also, it turned out my stock RE92s had an issue when I swapped them with the seller... there was a small puncture in the tread that I wasn't aware of. I told the seller and he was cool with it as he'll only be on them for 2-3 days until he gets his new wheels.

Thanks for all the replies everyone -- I'll post pics of my new wheels

 

Post pics of the mysterious cracks on the tires as well.