What causes tires to crack in the sidewall?
A leading cause of cracking is age. Many experts and vehicle makers state six-years is the maximum safe life of a tire. See our Detailed Topic article Old Tires With Good Tread for far more details. Use of tire dressing can also promote cracking of tires. Some tire dressing can remove the ozone protection from the rubber. Severe cracking at low age is usually a defect in the tire, a deficiency in manufacturing.