Effects of APC and SVRT on tires/rubber

[paoutdoorsman]

I just pulled my summer wheels/tires off my camper this weekend and put on the winter storage wheels/tires. I noticed my 4 year old summer tires with 6-7000 miles on them are starting to show cracks on the outside sidewalls. I dropped by the tire dealer today to get his opinion. Based on the fact that the inside sidewalls are not showing the same symptoms, he believes that sun exposure, my cleaning solution, and/or my tire treatment is drying the rubber out and causing the cracking. I've only recently found and started using Adams, so for the most part I've used Simple Green to clean these tires, and have occaissionally dressed them with Black Majic Forming Tire Cleaner or Advance Auto Brand Tire Dressing.

 

So in an effort to prevent similar damage to future tires, I'm curious if there is anything in Adams All Purpose Cleaner, or SVRT that would cause rubber to dry out or harden? I've read or heard it said that SVRT has SPF 35 in it which should be a step in right direction for reducing the damage caused by sun exposure, but what about the chemicals themselves on the rubber?

[Team Adam's]

UV exposure is probably the biggest culprit, followed closely by that tire dressing which most likely is jammed full of silicones. The simple green I don't believe would have enough bite to it to do any damage and I'm not familiar with the BM Foaming Cleaner to give any input on it.

 

No need to worry with our stuff, APC doesn't contain any harsh damaging chemicals and SVRT is water based.

[pjwoolw]

Go with a real light mix of APC and water if you need to use it at all. Otherwise just use the car wash shampoo and an appropriate brush. The VRT will cover any browning or whatever regardless. Good stuff that VRT!

 

The products you were using previously I have no experience with. To me the dealer is trying to put the failure of the tire on you which is BS in my opinion. I just went through this on two sets of tires. Check the manufacture date of the tire. Should be on the sidewall. How old was it when you bought it? Is it still under warranty?

 

If you don't mind I would like to know the tire manufacturer. PM me if need be.

[Odds and Ends]

For tires, I use a mix of APC and water at about a 4:1 ratio, so as Pete stated, a fairly light mix.

 

I agree with the others...check the date code on the tires. APC and VRT are perfectly safe for your tires.

 

- Darryl

[BRZN]

Dana, Figure you're parking the camper outside during the camping season? If so, I'd go with Dylan's answer: UV exposure. Also, just sitting doesn't do tires any good. The SPF in the VRT should help. When I wash my tires (other than the GTO) I use the APC full strength with a brush. At least once a year (on all my vehicles) I remove the tire/wheels from the car and wash and treat the back sides too.

 

I just read a good article in the Jan 2012 issue of High Performance Pontiac regarding tires and age related dangers, see if Brent has a copy he'll loan you to look at.

[ouarkie]

Dana I believe Dylan is totally correct. Trailer tires have the toughest lifecycle of any tires. They sit in one spot for weeks or months at a time, usually in the weather, some even on the grass. Then they are driven for a few days, then parked again. So I am not surprised that this is the case. If you buy new tires I would definitely not park it on grass, because of moisture seeping into the tires. To maintain I would wash and SVRT them, then cover them if they are parked outside. This is how a tire dealer friend suggested to take care of them. He didn't specifically say SVRT, he said DO NOT use anything with petroleum distillates. Because Armour All and things like that dry out the rubber. I said SVRT because it actually has SPF in it. I hope this helps.

[Chris@Adams]

 

No need to worry with our stuff, APC doesn't contain any harsh damaging chemicals and SVRT is water based.

If APC & VRT would damage your tires,I wouldn't have any left!

[paoutdoorsman]

Thanks for the responses and info all!

 

A bit more info; I purchased these tires on 10/1/07. Manufacture date is 2007 (week of May 14th 2007) on 3 of the tires and 2407 (week of June 11th 2007) on the 4th one. So the tires were 5 months old when I purchased.

 

I install these on the camper in May, prior to our Memorial Day camping trip, and remove them at the end of October each year. They are stored clean and dry in my basement over the winter months.

 

Below are some pics. The first two are the outer sidwall showing the cracking. The second two are the inner sidewall showing no signs of cracking.

 

The tires had a two year warranty, and the tire shop didn't have any reason to back out of anything. I was really just showing them, and asking for advice/opinions to prevent this type of premature aging in the future. He did not feel there was any casing or belt damage that would render the tire unsafe, but did say he would only be comfortable with these on shorter trips. I do try to replace trailer tires every 5 years for safety reasons anyway.

 

I think UV has to have been a big factor since the inside sidewalls are still perfect. My boat trailer has the identical tire in a slightly smaller size, but it gets to sit inside year around. And earlier this year I replaced all 4 tires on my enclosed trailer with the same model. It has to sit outside year around so I'll keep them treated with SVRT and watch for similar premature aging.

 

Outer Sidewall Pic 1

 

 

 

 

Outer Sidewall Pic 2

 

 

 

 

Inner Sidewall Pic 1

 

 

 

 

Inner Sidewall Pic 2

 

[paoutdoorsman]

UV exposure is probably the biggest culprit, followed closely by that tire dressing which most likely is jammed full of silicones. The simple green I don't believe would have enough bite to it to do any damage and I'm not familiar with the BM Foaming Cleaner to give any input on it.

 

Thanks Dylan. I agree that the UV possibility is huge here, but I'll have to see if I have a partial can of either of those still sitting around and see if the ingredients are listed.

 

Go with a real light mix of APC and water if you need to use it at all. Otherwise just use the car wash shampoo and an appropriate brush. The VRT will cover any browning or whatever regardless. Good stuff that VRT!

The products you were using previously I have no experience with. To me the dealer is trying to put the failure of the tire on you which is BS in my opinion. I just went through this on two sets of tires. Check the manufacture date of the tire. Should be on the sidewall. How old was it when you bought it? Is it still under warranty?

If you don't mind I would like to know the tire manufacturer. PM me if need be.

 

Pete, see my ressponse above for answers to most of your questions. Let me know if you can't determine the mfg from the pics. I'll give you a hint. There are several really big car shows there every year, and it's 30 miles from my home.

 

I didn't really have a failure. It's just the surface sidewall cracking which quite honestly doesn't give me a very comfortable feeling in terms of towing safety.

I'm not sure if it's possible to get tires fresher than 5 months or not, but I'll be asking next time I buy. I've got 14 trailer tires on the ground, plus the spares so I'll have ample opportunity!

 

Dana, Figure you're parking the camper outside during the camping season? If so, I'd go with Dylan's answer: UV exposure. Also, just sitting doesn't do tires any good. The SPF in the VRT should help. When I wash my tires (other than the GTO) I use the APC full strength with a brush. At least once a year (on all my vehicles) I remove the tire/wheels from the car and wash and treat the back sides too.

 

I just read a good article in the Jan 2012 issue of High Performance Pontiac regarding tires and age related dangers, see if Brent has a copy he'll loan you to look at.

 

Dave, you are correct, it is outside during the camping season (May-Oct). Like you, I remove these and clean front and back each year. However I've never treated the back sides. I store them in the basement clean and dry out of sunlight 6 months out of the year.

 

I'll check with Brent on the article. Thanks for the tip!

[Foxxer]

Yes sir as stated above by others, I had the same issue with my truck, never went inside the garage for almost a year, funny thing I had only 2 damaged tires simply because they were exposed to direct sun while the other two aren't.