Hi everyone! I need a bit of advice about my tyres. I am running 22" wheels with the usual Pirelli Scorpion Verde tyres. 2 years ago, I had to replace 3 tyres because of "cuts" to the tyres, penetrating down to the cords in areas, on both nearside tyres and the offside rear. Fast forward to the most recent service, and once more I have apparently got "cuts in the tyres, including sidewalls, on the same three wheels.

We have a gravel driveway at home, and a carport which has the same gravel on the floor. I live in the countryside, and our house is down a longish single track road, but it is fully tarmac'ed. (The track, not the house!) I mostly drive on normal roads and motorways, no off-roading other than going onto verges to allow cars to pass on single track country roads. In 6 years, I've had to replace a total of seven tyres due to "cuts" and also screws, nails etc. in the treads!

I thought it might be the way I drive into the carport, perhaps squashing the gravel (which is formed into two flattened ruts by the car) against the sidewalls. But the cuts seem to be only on the inner walls, as I can't see any on the outer surfaces.

My local garage is putting it on a ramp tomorrow so I can have a proper look - they are interested too, as they did the MOT in mid-December, and didn't record any tyre damage.

Has anyone else had anything similar, or any thoughts on what might be going on? I'm considering raking all the gravel out of the carport and digging out for a concrete pad, but that may not make any difference as I don't know if that is the cause. Is it just bad luck?

Most the punctures I've had are from flints.

We live on the Lincolnshire Wolds in a very rural location down single track roads. The farmers are sod's for leaving thick mud all down the road, particularly when harvesting sugar beet in Winter. I'm not fussed about the mud, but I do get very upset by the puncture causing stones that come with it!

The mud they leave is full of chalk pieces and sharp flints due to the geological nature of the Wolds. The chalk pieces aren't a problem, but the flints have never seen the light of day (well, except when being ploughed up), so are razor sharp and just love getting between tyre treads and causing punctures.

Gravel driveways are usually made from quarried or dredged stone which tends to not be a sharp as pieces freshly smashed off a flint layer. But this could be the cause of your issues.

Do you find lots of stones stuck in your tread? Try using a small screwdriver or bent pick to pull them out now and again if they don't free themselves from normal driving.

I feel your pain,

Jon 1992 RR Classic 3.9 efi Vogue
2014 Disco 4 HSE
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Both my fatties now gone...
Previous: 2011 L322 4.4 TDV8 Vogue SE /// 2002 L322 4.4 V8 HSE /// 2009 Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 XS /// 2004 Defender 90 TD5 /// 1993 110 V8 Snatch Landrover /// 2005 Discovery 3 2.7 TDV6 SE (Aus) /// 1990 110 Isuzu 3.9 County (Aus) /// 1976 Series III Trayback (Aus)

I agree its definitely flint, maybe its mixed in with your gravel 2018 SE SDV8 4.4 Byron Blue

Thanks chaps. I do have an update - my MOT guy got the car up on the ramp and we both had a good look at the tyres - nothing. We only managed to find one split in the tread of one tyre, just a normal road war wound.
We checked the front brake discs which supposedly have catastrophic corrosion - again an MOT pass 5 weeks previously. Mild corrosion on the disc edges but nothing of note on the braking surfaces.

All in all, I think someone was taking the . One final insult happened last week. The rear wiper arm was changed and when I cleaned the car I discovered several straight and zig-zag scratches on the glass, clearly from a wiper blade being scraped across the glass (not arcs from first caught under the blade).

Suffice to say, I'll not be going back there.