I thought sabotage at first, but the slice tails off very gradually. The middle is deepest, i could stick my nail in it, but dont know how deep it goes. Tire is 3 yrs old, almost down to wear indicators. Is it still safe to drive on? Not sure how long its been there, but im pretty sure it wasnt there few weeks ago when i painted my rims. Can this happen naturally in tires??

 

Only way that that slice is natural, is if something rolled past your car with a sharp object sticking out. You couldn't create that flat of a cut (non-arched) with the vehicle rolling.

It doesn't look TOO bad, but I wouldn't try and run for much more then a few months on that tire.

 

Unless you want a reason to repair or purchase a new wheel, replace it immediately.

 

If you're not leaking air and its keeping pressure, it'll be fine for now. But do you really want to drive around constantly worrrying about a potential blowout?

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I have decided that its not worth the risk, especially since my other tires dont have alot of tread left.......i ordered a new set.

 

I agree with Matt, that cut looks deliberate to me.....be sure to do a walk around the vehicle often (at least for a while)