Flap of loose rubber on sidewall - serious?

[LilFett]

My wife ran the front tire up against the curb the other day and I'm trying to decide if this is a serious gash or not.

I've never had low-profile tires before, so I'm not really sure if that changes things.

I've attached some pictures. The actual thickness of the rubber that's coming apart from the edge seems pretty thin to me, but I'm not experienced with tire damage. I can probably get a better shot of under the flap if that would help.

The tires are newish (probably 2,500 mi at most) and have a road hazard warranty on them from Sears, but if I'm not even sure if that covers this and I'd like to avoid the hassle if it's just cosmetic.

I've been lurking around the boards before actually buying the Vibe (2009 GT, just got it in July) and figured I'd start looking for advice here - thanks!

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[joatmon]

Tires are safety critical. Don't risk what you can't afford to lose.

That being said it might be fine or it might be unsafe, its hard to know from the picture. If you decide to keep using it then it might be prudent to rotate it to a rear spot. A front tire blowout can be a lot worse than a rear one.

[vibenvy]

Personally, I'd take it back to Sears and see what they have to say. As joatmon said, it's not worth getting in an accident over.

Those curbed, dirty wheels make me sad .

[Kincaid]

That pic doesn't look serious at all to me, but I agree it is wise to take it to a shop for an opinion. If the tire guy said it was dangerous, I'd probably take it to another shop for a second, or even third opinion. Difficult to trust a shop that stands to benefit by selling you a tire.

BTW, my college-age daughter has had my Vibe for about a month now - had to trade for her automatic because my knee was hurting. Last time she was home I saw she curbed the front wheel pretty hard.

[LilFett]

Yeah, I just drove from Kansas to Seattle, so the thing is dirty as heck- even after a trip to the car wash! But at least the dirt will wash off unlike the scratches!

I probably will take it to Sears just to see if they will honor the replacement. I'm a little skeptical of them because I think their guys in Kansas are the ones who screwed up a TPMS sensor replacing the tire (kind of a pain in the end). I doubt the guys up here are going to be much better...

I'll see if I can post a better pic of the underneath area as well - it's like you're saying Kincaid: they may just want to sell me some more tires!

Thanks for the input, guys.

[DennisLee]

Well, you've got your Road Hazard, and you have some kind of side wall damage. I'd go in there and tell them you hit something on the road (and not mention that it was the curb ) and ask them if the tire is still safe. If they jump at the chance to tell you the tire has to be replaced, *then* I would mention the Road Hazard coverage. Your tires are almost new, if I read correctly, so Sears should still be able to get the exact tire, after 2500 miles your wear should not be significant enough that one new tire would cause a problem (altho I'd put the new one on the read for the next 5000 mi or so).

[star_deceiver]

Yeah, I just drove from Kansas to Seattle, so the thing is dirty as heck

Dirt and scratches, lol!

I've never been comfortable having a department store even look at my car. But you seem to be covered 6 ways from sunday so take it in and let them look at it before you tell them anything!

[LilFett]

If they jump at the chance to tell you the tire has to be replaced, *then* I would mention the Road Hazard coverage.

Yeah, I thought about handling it this way too. My concern would be that they deny that they cover that kind of damage (I've seen stories from people going either way online) and then they have me sufficiently spooked about driving around on that tire.

...(altho I'd put the new one on the read for the next 5000 mi or so).

Wasn't sure what you meant here?

I did get some better pictures of how deep the cut went:

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[LilFett]

I've never been comfortable having a department store even look at my car. But you seem to be covered 6 ways from sunday so take it in and let them look at it before you tell them anything!

Yeah, I started off there out of sheer convenience (they are across the street from my old job) and once all the sensor stuff started happening, I was stuck resolving it with them.

It wasn't very expensive in the end, they were just very slowwww. Probably won't be going back unless I hit another "road hazard!"

[DennisLee]

...(altho I'd put the new one on the read for the next 5000 mi or so).

Wasn't sure what you meant here?

Sorry, typo'ed that. I meant to put the new one on the rear for a while so you'd have matched wear on the tires on the front until the new tire gets some road miles on it.

[dragon64]

I've worked as an aftermarket wheel and tire product developement tech and also in a high end specialty wheel and tire shop. Any cut in the sidewall ofa tire is dangerous. The sidewall of a passenger car tire is only one or maybe two plys of nylon or polyester cloth and a thin layer of rubber on each side. Looks like you have cut through the rubber and abraded the cords. One good impact or sudden flex of the tire cornering at that spot could cause the sidewall to blow out or even zipper without warning. In addition in many states/prov. it is illegal to drive with a tire with a damaged sidewall.

Based on years of experience dealing with damaged wheels and tires if there is a road hazzard warranty I do see any issue why they wouldn't honor a claim for this tire.

In regards to your TPMS sensor damage issue there is a procedure for removing a tire and installing it without damaging it.

[09vGT]

I get my tires from Sears, they always have the best deal, and take care of any problems (i.e. buying me a new tire when they put it on backwards). I had a gash in my pervious set of tires and just left it. It was a little larger than that. I had also run up on a curb. It stayed that way for several thousand miles before it was time to get the tires replaced. Just have it checked out.

[trb]

Don't know how I missed this thread, but the road hazard should cover a new tire on that. I hit a curb once, it actually popped the bead of the tire and it went flat. No real visible damage to the tire other than a scuff on the sidewall. The tire store had no problems replacing the tire when I told them what happened. All I had to pay was for a new warranty on the new tire.

[LilFett]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! I did take it into Sears and they said they couldn't see the cords or anything - just a cosmetic thing.

I think I'm going to get a second opinion anyways just for safety's sake. Thanks again for all the feedback!