I've got the original tires on my 03 H2 with 70k miles. Tread is still good, but the tires are over 6 years old, and the sidewalls are starting to crack. I'm out of work, so I would like to wait before replacing them, but I also ferry a 3 year old around, and I don't want any undue blowouts. Any advice here? Do cracked sidewalls fail slowly (leaking air), or do they just blow out all of a sudden?

Thanks for any help.

 

Well, I haven't got to that point with any of my tires. It is a 50/50 chance that they will slowly leak or blow out. The cracks in the sidewall could split further causing rapid air loss or "Blowout" with no warning. What people don't know is tire shine can actually cause accelerated cracking. If you use tire shines, find ones that don't contain petroleum products. They will dry out the sidewall and cause cracking. Just a little tip. With the kid in the truck, remember, you are still in a Hummer!

 

that's crazy, I never knew that. thanks for posting

 

Precisely why my wife bought it, being a victim of ~18 accidents (no joke).

However, I'm more concerned with a blowout on the freeway causing our H2 to flip and tumble. Reading your response moves me closer to dishing out the cash for new tires...