Factory Firestones with 17k miles on them. I noticed this the other day while doing some Spring cleaning of wheels. I'd really rather not replace tires right now, but I also want to be safe as we tow a 35 foot 5th wheel and the last thing I want is a blowout. It may be difficult to tell from the photos but the length of the cut is approx 1/2 inch. Depth does not appear to go into any of the sidewall plies. Under the black sidewall there appears to be a layer of white rubber that you can see in one of the photos.
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Is this sidewall cut a problem?
- Thread starter roegs
- Start date
DammitDave
Well-Known Member
Maybe get it swapped out with your spare.
Thompsre08
Well-Known Member
It doesn't look horrible but any weak spot is an area that can grow quickly. I'm not a fan of the stock transforce anyways so any argument to change them I'm for. New tires are a whole lot cheaper than yard sale'ing your truck and fifth wheel on the highway.
When I first read this, I thought 'Why didn't I think of that!'. After checking, RAM did me the favor of a 18" spare for my 20" tires. I'll probably do as jadmt mentioned and go to the local tire shop and get them inspected. I've got a good relationship with the local Discount Tire so I'll see what they say.
As Thompsre08 mentioned, many are not fans of the OEM Transforce Tires. Depending on what Discount Tire says I may call around to some of the local RAM dealers to see if they have any take-offs for sale.
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
Thats fine to run it does not look like any body cords are cut
Just to wrap this up, I went to Discount Tire the other day to get their input. The guy looked pretty close (even getting a flashlight) and said that there was no concern. It was only through the first thin rubber layer and presented no risk to the structural sections of the tire. I know many have their own favorites, but I gotta say I've had very good experiences with Discount Tire. This guy could have easily pushed me into different tires, but I felt he put honesty before his desire to sell tires.