14 replies to this topic

[Bluecray]

The previous owner of my mini barely used it that much.

The Falken tyres, 165/70 x 12 have cracks on the sidewalls, I see the tyres are dated year 05, so they are around 6 yrs old.

The threads are great. and it appears it passed the MOT like this last year (dunno if its an MOT requirement, but I would have thought it is, because if the tyres are not safe the car is unroadworthy.)

Took it to a tyre place and well they said naturally - change the tyres !!!

I think I should fork out for new tyres but it seems such a shame when the threads are really good, any tyre experts out here pls?????

[JOJC]

In my experience, cracked tyres are only going to get worse. Until a blowout im afraid. Espically on a sidewall.

[Bungle]

not

[Bluecray]

not

thanks - new ones then !!!!

[Mini Mad Drakeley]

i bought a set of wheels with all of them with those falkens on and the tyres had only done a few miles and then i noticed the cracks in the wall aswell so im getting new tyres, better than a blow out on a country road

[wainesworld]

Just had my mini mot'd after sitting for 2 years. One tyre has such cracks its passed but this was put down as an advisory. That makes me think it aint that bad to be honest however with saftey in mind prob best to get news.

[Dan]

That just means you dn't know what an advisory is! It's something that if uncorrected will soon be bad enough to fail or as in this case, something you can't fail the MOT for which the tester deems is dangerous enough to write down for you in order to cover his own back if you have an accident. They can only fail you for things specifically listed as a reason for rejection in the manual. Crazed tyre sidewalls isn't listed as a reason but is dangerous. Most tyres will run out of tread before they get old enough to do this but certain Michelins have been recalled in recent years because they crazed very early in their life (I had some on a Saxo once). It means the tyres are old for one thing but also means the rubber is degrading and hardening. They will become porous soon enough. Just because they still have tread doesn't mean they aren't worn out, rubber has a shelf life.

[sonikk4]

We got told by our local tyre fitter that tyres are normally lifed at 5 years. This point was proven to us quite graphically when they removed the never used tyres off Erm's old supalights.

As soon as they were put on the machine to remove the tyres off the rims the rubber bead just peeled off the tyre carcass so totally trashing the tyres. If the side wall is cracked then bin them, you are running a very good chance of a blow out.

Part of our inspections on aircraft wheel units is to inspect the side walls for cracking, bulging etc. An instant replacement.

[1984mini25]

Falkens also have rather soft sidewalls, so naturally flex more than others with doesn’t help with the old cracking.

The other big cause to cracking is as Dan’s said the rubber/tyres drying out, so parking in direct sunlight is best avoided if possible.

[Darkscamp]

Replace them. I work on the rule that if something concerns you enough to think it needs replacing........it does!



dont replace them with ditch-finders (falkens) though. They are nearly as dangerous as cracked walls and even worse in the wet

[Cooperman]

Replace them. I work on the rule that if something concerns you enough to think it needs replacing........it does!



dont replace them with ditch-finders (falkens) though. They are nearly as dangerous as cracked walls and even worse in the wet

Sorry to disagree re. Falkens.
I've won several historic tarmac rallies on them and they are fine. You need to run the 165/70x10 at around 32 to 34 psi and make sure the suspension geometry is correct.
They are not quite as good as a Yoko A008 on smooth dry tarmac, but much better in the streaming wet of on any sort of slightly broken surface or mud. They are also very predictable at or near the adhesion limit.
I try to have a set of Yokos for totally smooth dry tarmac and Falkens for slightly mixed surfaces.
If you put a Mini in the ditch whilst driving on normal roads whilst on Falkens with decent tread, then maybe some advanced driving lessons might be in order. Don't blame the tyres for inadequate driving ability for the conditions.

[Cater_Racer]

Sorry to disagree re. Falkens.
I've won several historic tarmac rallies on them and they are fine. You need to run the 165/70x10 at around 32 to 34 psi and make sure the suspension geometry is correct.
They are not quite as good as a Yoko A008 on smooth dry tarmac, but much better in the streaming wet of on any sort of slightly broken surface or mud. They are also very predictable at or near the adhesion limit.
I try to have a set of Yokos for totally smooth dry tarmac and Falkens for slightly mixed surfaces.
If you put a Mini in the ditch whilst driving on normal roads whilst on Falkens with decent tread, then maybe some advanced driving lessons might be in order. Don't blame the tyres for inadequate driving ability for the conditions.

Agreed

[Darkscamp]

Replace them. I work on the rule that if something concerns you enough to think it needs replacing........it does!



dont replace them with ditch-finders (falkens) though. They are nearly as dangerous as cracked walls and even worse in the wet

Sorry to disagree re. Falkens.
I've won several historic tarmac rallies on them and they are fine. You need to run the 165/70x10 at around 32 to 34 psi and make sure the suspension geometry is correct.
They are not quite as good as a Yoko A008 on smooth dry tarmac, but much better in the streaming wet of on any sort of slightly broken surface or mud. They are also very predictable at or near the adhesion limit.
I try to have a set of Yokos for totally smooth dry tarmac and Falkens for slightly mixed surfaces.
If you put a Mini in the ditch whilst driving on normal roads whilst on Falkens with decent tread, then maybe some advanced driving lessons might be in order. Don't blame the tyres for inadequate driving ability for the conditions.

disagreed

most minis on the road arent set up like a race car for a start, and pressures sound a bit high to what people will read in the cars manual when they go to a petrol station. 10" falkens may be ok but they wont fit on 12" wheels will they, and of all the mini peeps at shows i've spoken too about them on 12's find them dire in the wet. At the end of the day you get what you pay for i suppose, and when it comes to my own safety, i dont compromise.

I am only going on second hand experience based on alot of feedback. I wont personally use less than yoko's on any mini i own and am very picky on the tyres for my other car based on years of successful racing experience in many classes but what would i know about setups aye.

Edited by Darkscamp, 28 March 2011 - 05:20 PM.

[AVV IT]

If you put a Mini in the ditch whilst driving on normal roads whilst on Falkens with decent tread, then maybe some advanced driving lessons might be in order. Don't blame the tyres for inadequate driving ability for the conditions.

I absolutely agree, I have been running on Falkerns for over a decade now and found them perfectly adequate in all weather conditions and particularly when cornering at speed. I've also found that they give significantly better grip & handling than most of the standard tyres that I've had fitted before. I don't doubt for a minute that there are better and more expensive tyres out there (yoko's etc.), but I think that to condemn a perfectly good tyre as "dangerous", simply because it's not as good as an alternative and probably more expensive brand, is a bit harsh.

As has been said above, if you can manage to loose control of a mini on a public road whilst running on a set of Falkerns, then your driving ability is more likely to be the cause of the problem, than the tyres. The most common causes for loosing control (particularly on corners) are; inappropriate speed for existing conditions, inappropriate gear for the selected speed and incorrect use of acceleration through and out of the hazard/bend. These are all things that you may be able to get away with to a certain extent with a better and more expensive tyre. Ultimately though, whilst a driver continues to make these kinds of poor driving decisions, then it's really only a matter of time before they get themselves into a situation where they will loose control anyway, regardless of what tyres they have fitted.

Edited by AVV IT, 28 March 2011 - 07:38 PM.

[jamiestevenbell]

i used to use falkens when i had 10s on my mini and i found they was very good so i cant knock them but you get what you pay for