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HEY GUYS i HAVE A FRONT TIRE THAT IS RELATIVELY NEW ( 4 MONTHS)
AND IT HAS SOME SIDEWALL CRACKING AND CHECKING. IT IS NOT EXTREME BUT i WONDER IF IT SHOULD BE REPLACED. ANYONE OUT THERE HAVE AN OPINION?

Replace it! Don't take chancs with tires!

Take it back to the place you got it , complain & get em to give you a replacement for no charge - 4 mths is not a long time, did you put a lot of mileage on it?

Sidewall checking is usually an indication of age. Tires are like milk, they have an expiration date. Beyond about 4 yrs., the chemicals that keep the rubber soft and pliable dissapate into the atmosphere. This causes the rubber to become stiff and one of the first indications is sidewall checking. It's not good to be riding on rubber like that.

Check the date code on the side of the tire. IIRC, it should be 3 letters followed by 3 numbers. Forget the letters. The numbers should translate into the week and year of manufacture. 521 would tranlate into week 52 of 2001 (rougly late December). 064 would be the sixth week of '04.

If the tire is more than a few years old, I'd complain. I won't buy a tire that is more than two years old.

That tire should not be checking. It must have been sitting at the dealers for a LONG LONG time. It's called "dry rot"
Take it back and get a new one. Any reputable dealer would make good on it.

Take it back and get a new one. Any reputable dealer would make good on it.

A reputable dealer shouldn't have sold it in the first place!

[quote="Seetrout"][quote]Take it back and get a new one. Any reputable dealer would make good on it.[/quote]

A reputable dealer shouldn't have sold it in the first place![/quote]

True but, he has no choice but to deal with the guy. Like they say "good help is hard to find". How the dealer handles this will tell him the caliber of the dealership. If the guy gives him a hard time, stop dealing with him, and spread the word, but get a new tire first.

Thanks for all the comments . I have actually resolved the issue with the dealer at no further cost so I guess he is a responsible guy. Thanks again.

flynrider wrote:Check the date code on the side of the tire. IIRC, it should be 3 letters followed by 3 numbers. Forget the letters. The numbers should translate into the week and year of manufacture. 521 would tranlate into week 52 of 2001 (rougly late December). 064 would be the sixth week of '04... If the tire is more than a few years old, I'd complain. I won't buy a tire that is more than two years old.

That should be in a sticky! For folks like me who buy a used bike and wonder if we should replace tires that have plenty of tread.

I just checked this on my tires. My rear is over five years old. Plenty of tread, but still too old for me to have piece of mind on it...especially since it was a cheap tire to begin with...

Fortunately, I ordered a new set a couple of days ago.

Thanks for the info.
JC

My rear tire is checking pretty badly . And altho I have a tube in it , now that my front is starting to check I am getting new ones for both front and rear .
Decided to go with Dunlops .
Regards, Wizzard