Hello. I’m trying to determine if an one to two inch cut or slash in a side wall of a tire can later grow into a four inch cut or slash and cause the tire to be flat? I don’t know if the slash or cut was there for a while but when I used my car later, the tire was completely flat. Please advise. Thanks
Yes, a two inch slash can grow into a four inch slash and cause the tire to go flat.
The tire is trash. Sidewall damage cannot be repaired by any technique due to flexing.
As usual, mountainbike is correct. The tire CANNOT be repaired, due to the location of the damage.
Rather than focusing on whether it can get worse, be aware that the current situation is essentially a fatal one for the tire. If you attempt to repair it and to continue to use it, this could become a situation that is fatal to humans.
and I don’t know of ANY shop that will repair sidewall damage, or if I’d want to patronize a place that did. the liability is too great a risk.
I read your reply, the same mountainbike, but how can I determine if it was vandalized or not? I did replace the tire, thanks. pls advise.
A clean, straight-line cut in a tire’s sidewall is almost definitely a case of vandalism. But, before you draw conclusions as to where the tire was vandalized, you have to realize that you might have driven on it for several days before you discovered the damage.
Smacked or Slashed?
Look for any mark or bend on the wheel rim or wheel cover (if steel wheels) that could indicate the wheel’s hitting anything like a pot-hole or sharp edge of pavement, etc.
I have seen tires cut on the sidewall by their flexing to the point of flattening against the rim when striking something and have appeared to have been slashed.