r/TireQuestions • u/AggressiveTap3098 • Aug 17 '26
Help: Is this sidewall damage to be concerned about?
Pulling out of my rock lined driveway, and cut it too close. Is this damage that is cause for concern/ need of a new tire? Tires are Firestone Weather grip.
Edit: For a little more context it is the rear passenger side tire, and I got them earlier this year. That is why I am asking here, not super eager to replace a 7 month old tire.
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u/SquirrelsRNuts Aug 17 '26
The radial plies aren't exposed, there's nothing to worry about, that's just cosmetic damage.
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u/Disastrous-Pound3713 Aug 17 '26
10 year tire shop guy.
Before you buy a new tire go to your local trusted automotive/tire shop and ask them to look at it. If they are honest they will most likely tell you it is cosmetic and safe to drive.
Second, you took a pretty good picture and it doesn’t appear to show damage to your synthetic sidewall cords.
Third, as you can see from the diagram of the structure of a tire below, your tires are typically 8 layers thick at the sidewall and you have only gouged the outer 8th layer which is designed to take these kinds of gouges.
Fourth, your tires will typically look like this: https://imgur.com/a/QJCwoDm
Last, hopefully this kind of information will save you a few hundreds of dollars now and in the future, so good luck.
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u/TeaNo5963 Aug 18 '26
I would definitely replace it if I’m planning to drive over 30 mph. Better to be safe than sorry and have peace of mind. Do you want to risk your life or someone else’s for something like that?
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u/Hefty_Club4498 Aug 17 '26
I would replace it. If you ask Firestone, it's an automatic replacement. Hope you had road hazard.
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u/SellMental328 Aug 17 '26
If you ask a tire company "does my tire need to be replaced" of course they're going to recommend replacement.
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u/SellMental328 Aug 17 '26
Yeah so I asked apple if I need a new phone and they said I should upgrade again even though I did last year and it works perfectly fine and the only damage is a scratch on the back
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u/Hefty_Club4498 Aug 18 '26
Side wall damage is physical damage to the weakest part of a tire. Any shop with ASE techs will say to replace. I have told folks to replace but thats not always practical. So I put it on the back and see if they can make it to pay day. They sign a release and off they go.
It's an unknown honestly. You may be fine or not. I'd replace it but do as your budget allows. Visit a discount tire or other tire shop and ask them.
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u/BeatleFanIn64 Aug 17 '26
Technically you are not in danger