Tyres Chipping

Submitted: Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 12:56
ThreadID: 134653 Views:5780 Replies:14 FollowUps:10
This Thread has been Archived
How do your tyres perform?

As you can see from this picture, I'm getting a few chips in the tread blocks of my tyres......I'm not one for spinning tyres and if there is any slip it's only mild.

Is this because,
Tyre pressures are to low?
Tyre pressures not low enough or
Is it just the type of terrain i.e shale/rocky tracks.

I'd be interested in your thoughts

cheers
Greg
Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: Member - artheserenity - Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 13:03

Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 13:03
sorry for the glitch, i'm having troublr with photo loading.

any help would be good, i'm using flickr to upload.

thanks
AnswerID: 610181

Reply By: Member - artheserenity - Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 14:20

Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 14:20
This should make it a bit easy to see what I'm talking about.

image by artheserenity, on Flickr
AnswerID: 610183

Reply By: Les - PK Ranger - Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 14:41

Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 14:41
How old are these tyres Greg ?
They some of look hard and brittle.
Generally chunky offroad tyres can chip bits off if given a hard time to scale a track etc, sharp shale like road etc.
Some are worse than others from past posts I have seen in a similar vein.
What brand / make of tyre ?
Look a bit like Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs ?
If so I had these on the Ranger for a while, eventually going back to stock rolling dia and less aggressive AT.
AnswerID: 610186

Follow Up By: Member - artheserenity - Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:26

Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:26
Les,

These are Cooper ST Maxx, 2yrs old with 20K on them.

They been great tyres but have noticed them starting to chip.

regards
Greg
1
FollowupID: 880218

Reply By: Rob K (VIC) - Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 14:55

Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 14:55
G'day artheserenity,

If you've been travelling along rocky tracks, particularly going up steep ones, then chipping of the Cooper ST Maxx tyre is not unusual. Happens because of the big blocks on the treads and the forces placed on them crawling up the steep grade.

What you haven't told us is what pressures you have been using (can then comment whether too high or too low) and how long you've had the tyres (they become more brittle with age). The picture shows plenty of tread although the tyres don't look new - could be wrong with this assumption? A little more information might get you better responses.

Now for the diversity of opinions about the best tyre.......

Cheers and good luck with the feedback.

Rob
AnswerID: 610188

Follow Up By: Member - artheserenity - Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:41

Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:41
Hi Rob,

There 2yrs old with 20k on them. I normally run 20-24psi in these conditions, 28psi on gravel roads.

thanks
Greg
0
FollowupID: 880219

Reply By: Rangiephil - Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 20:54

Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 20:54
I always remember reading in one of the 4wd magazines where they went out in the desert on a test with Cooper Development engineers.

The engineer said that chipping of rear tyres was caused by rocks thrown up by the fronts.
IMHO it is always the rears that chip .
In any case the development Engineer from Cooper should know if anyone does.
Regard s Philip A
AnswerID: 610196

Follow Up By: Shaker - Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 22:03

Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 22:03
My front ones chipped the same as the rear!

2
FollowupID: 880117

Follow Up By: The Bantam - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 22:14

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 22:14
Assuming that the cooper engineer should know is not a reliable conclusion.

Cooper is a very small company in the rubber world and they have very limited engineering and research capacity compared to any of the large tire companies.

AND

Cooper representatives may not be prepared to tell what they know, partiocularly if their tyres are more prone to chipping than others.

Cheers
1
FollowupID: 880142

Reply By: Blown4by - Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 22:32

Thursday, Apr 13, 2017 at 22:32
Provided your pressures are correct for the load, speed and type of terrain, I would say the chipping is more a characteristic of the tyre compound than anything else you might be doing. Chipping is very common with some tyre brands when off-road in the Pilbara and Kimberley regions of WA due to the very hard rock and the fact the way the stones break leaves very sharp surfaces. In times past they made spears out of the stuff. This phenomenon can be exacerbated in the wet when the water acts as a lubricant assisting the cutting hence chipping process. Bridgestone D697 LT tyres do not chip in my experience. Also looking at your picture slight 'feathering' is evident which may be due to low pressure or misalignment but it is unlikely this would cause the chipping. I disagree that rocks thrown up by the front tyres cause the rears to chip because I have seen plenty of front tyres chipped just as much as the rears. Also with a loaded vehicle the front and rear tyres hit the road surface a lot harder at speed than the force generated by rocks thrown up by the front tyres hitting the rears. 2WD hire cars (Holdens/Falcons) running passenger tyres in these areas suffer badly from chipping further indicating that the problem is usually a tyre compound that is too soft for the conditions.
AnswerID: 610197

Follow Up By: The Bantam - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 22:29

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 22:29
You've hit it right on the head with the tyre compound comment.

Some of the BIG name 4WD tyres are made of old hard rubber compounds and are very well known for their chipping, particularly in their more aggressive tread patterns.

Many of the bigger tyre companies have developed better rubber compounds, that are softer but wear well and are less prone to chipping .......

Many of those same companies also have clever tread patterns that do not rely on big blocks and big spaces for traction and to clear mud.
The shape and size of the tread blocks and the spaces between can also influence chipping .... big blocks with square corners will be most prone to chipping.

Lots of 4wd people buy tyres with a desire to see big blocky teads ....... this is not always best for traction, wear or off road performance ....... but big blocaky treads is what a lot of people want to buy regardless.

cheers
1
FollowupID: 880143

Reply By: gbc - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 06:12

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 06:12
Unless you've spun it, chipping is generally a result of running too much pressure. Not enough info to say yet though.
AnswerID: 610200

Reply By: Les - PK Ranger - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 06:29

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 06:29
So what tyre are they Greg ??

I was thinking they looked like my old Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs.
Rob K mentioned Cooper ST Maxx ?
AnswerID: 610201

Reply By: mike39 - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 08:38

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 08:38
To me it looks like a scallop out of every second lug?
If so I would suspect too low a pressure/alignment issues.
Do these tyres "howl" at speed on the bitumen?

My truck spends a lot of time in W.Qld. breakaway country where sharp silcrete rock is encountered.
Edge bites are common, but not restricted to any inner/outer edge or particular tyre.
Mike
AnswerID: 610207

Reply By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 09:08

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 09:08
Hi Greg

Over the years, we have travelled many thousands of kilometres of outback roads and many have been very rocky and I always drop tyre pressure to 20 % of what I use on the highway, or around 28psi and of course my speed is then no more than 80 kph. And having said that, my vehicle is only ever used for when we go bush, so you can rate my tyre usage as around 90% dirt and 10% bitumen.

What I can tell you is chipping can be caused by a couple of factors, having tyre pressure far too high, or the brand of tyre that you use.

We have never had any chipping at all with Bridgestone LT 694 or the LT 697 over the years and even on our Toyo AT11 Open Country LT tyres. One brand that people rave about is the BFG and we had them on our camper and they chipped so bad after just one trip up the Birdsville Track that we gave them the flick and now have the AT Open Country on the camper and not one mark on them.

When I posted about the issue of the BFG's people responded about...tyre pressure , going too fast, being on the rear they pick up more stones and the usual reply's about just how good they were and it is just me .

Them there were a few that broke the mould and spoke honestly about the BFG and they had the very same issue as me. Then low and behold at work a couple of months ago, a local came in and when I loaded a TV into his new Prado, I made a comment about how badly chipped his new BFG tyres were. The front were so badly chipped I could not believe it and that was from his Bridsville trip and he was less than impressed by the so called, super strong and so called tyre of tyres. This alone showed that even front tyres chipped for no other reason than....tyre brand.

So far I am very impressed with the new Toyo's and one thing I have now noticed, is that I am seeing more and more fitted to vehicles now.

So the Moto of the story is....do not let all the expects tell you it is the way you drive....it is your tyres.


Cheers



Stephen
Smile like a Crocodile

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

AnswerID: 610208

Follow Up By: Zippo - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 11:16

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 11:16
"I always drop tyre pressure to 20 % of what I use on the highway, or around 28psi"

Stephen, I'm sure you meant drop BY 20% - otherwise you are running ~140psi on the highway.
2
FollowupID: 880124

Follow Up By: Shaker - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 12:36

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 12:36
My tyre supplier advised me to run 40psi on the highway & to drop to 28psi on the Outback tracks, then adjust from there if necessary.

By far the worst tyres that I have for chipping, were Coopers.

1
FollowupID: 880126

Follow Up By: Mick O - Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 13:30

Friday, Apr 14, 2017 at 13:30
Ditto to what Shaker said. I run my rears a little higher, say 32-34 dependent on load but 26-28 on the steers. If off track, I drip even more say 26R and 18 on the steers.

Cheers
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

1
FollowupID: 880128

Reply By: Bob Y. - Qld - Saturday, Apr 15, 2017 at 09:08

Saturday, Apr 15, 2017 at 09:08
Back when we lived down the Diamantina, and drove an 80 series, I always bought BFG AT's and used them for about 10 years.

Ran them at 32-34psi all the time, and never got more than 40K clicks out of a set of the 265.75R16's. The tread used to chip badly, no doubt accelerating the tyre wear. But their strength was "legendary", only one flat and no blowouts in often extreme conditions and a lot quicker than snails pace. :-)

As a 80% bitumen tyre you couldn't beat them, but not a good wearing off road one.

Bob

Seen it all, Done it all.
Can't remember most of it.

Lifetime Member
My Profile  My Blog  My Position  Send Message

AnswerID: 610230

Reply By: Shaker - Saturday, Apr 15, 2017 at 13:33

Saturday, Apr 15, 2017 at 13:33
You have asked a question & several people have asked you relevant questions to help them assist you. It appears that you have ignored them, it is very annoying when people just post & run!

AnswerID: 610234

Follow Up By: Member - artheserenity - Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:51

Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:51
My appoligies Shaker,

I don't always have access to the net, but when I do, I make good use of it.

have a good day.
0
FollowupID: 880220

Reply By: Member - artheserenity - Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:49

Tuesday, Apr 18, 2017 at 13:49
Hi to ALL,

Sorry for the late reply to your answers, I've been off-line for a few days.

As most of you have asked what pressures, how old etc. I try to answer with this one post.

Make - Cooper ST Maxx
Pressures - 20-24psi in rocky type conditions and 28psi on gravel roads. Road pressures depend on load, but in most cases 40psi
How old - 2yrs.

again, thank you to those that answered
Greg
AnswerID: 610310

Reply By: Peter_n_Margaret - Wednesday, Apr 26, 2017 at 16:05

Wednesday, Apr 26, 2017 at 16:05
That is not chipping....
This is chipping :(
Caused by the type of rocks, rear tyres only when travelling too fast and using too hard a tyre compound.



Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome
AnswerID: 610573

Follow Up By: nickb - Monday, May 01, 2017 at 17:41

Monday, May 01, 2017 at 17:41
Hahaha looks like it was melting into the road!!!
0
FollowupID: 880675

Sponsored Links