Tires are without a doubt the most important part of any vehicle. Have you ever tried driving without them? Nope, didn't think so. Tires are obviously the key ingredient to vehicles functionality making it also a key ingredient to vehicle safety. Having a set of reliable tires can make or break your car driving experience.
Many consumers are often confused by price with safety. Just because a tire is expensive does not necessarily make it safer than another tire. Yes, a brand new tire from a top tier manufacturer will be your safest tires on the market and usually most expensive, but with that being said we at TreadWright Tires take those premium tire casings from top-tier manufacturers and put them through a 7 point inspection apply new rubber and resale them at a fraction of the cost without sacrificing safety.
Tires Can Get Costly
Since tires are perishable, it’s natural that they slowly wear down over time. The friction (or grip) that tires create is what keeps you on the road. Compared to other items on a car, it can seem like tires wear out a lot quicker and add up in cost over the years. Balancing cost with quality is where the struggle comes in with tires. However, the educated consumer will be able to analyze tires and make an intelligent decision when making their tire purchases and realize that retreads/remolds are a viable option.
Why do retreads have a bad safety reputation?
Have you ever been driving down the highway and seen a large piece of rubber tire on the shoulder? Or even worse had a semi or other commercial vehicle delaminate its tire right in front of you?
Seeing or experiencing tire failure can be pretty scary at best and at worst it can cost lives. So it’s no big surprise that the myth of delaminated retreaded tires failing quicker than normal tires caught on so quickly.
Retreading was first started in the early 1900s and sometime in the mid to late 1980s, is when the story that all those tire carcasses on the side of the road were the fault of retreads, began.
It’s easy to see why. Broken truck tires on the highway can look like delaminated retreads. And as we mentioned before, with tires being the only thing keeping in contact with the road, a lot of people don’t want their tires to be the next ones to be coming apart on the road.
Facts about retreads Pre-Cure & Mold Cure Tires
They have an equivalent safety record to new tires
The fact is, the number one cause of tire failure on US roads is from tires that are not inflated to the correct pressure and are either overloaded or not used in the correct way.
Whether it’s brand new or retreaded, a poorly maintained tire will only last so long. Tires are just like anything else on your vehicle. They need maintenance or they’ll wear out quickly.
In a 2009 study, the Federal Government has shown that in terms of failure rates, retreaded tires are no more dangerous than new tires. Debris seen on roads comes from both new and retreaded tires.
In fact, the study showed that the top five causes of tire failure on the road were:
- Road hazards
- Debris and operational issues
- Excessive heat
- Manufacture defects
It’s not retreaded tires that are causing the issue, it’s lack of proper tire maintenance and care are the culprit. It’s not just improper pressure that can cause failures. Improper wheel alignment, incorrect camber, and toe of the vehicle can all cause premature wear on the tires with these common tire problems.
We recommend sticking to the manufactured maintenance times outlined in your vehicles user manual and tires brand to keep your wheels straight and true.
Retreads cover hundreds of more miles than most passenger cars.
It’s important to keep in mind that trucks, buses, and aircraft that use retreads cover hundreds of more miles than your car or truck. And they carry much, much more weight distributed across their multiple wheels. It’s is almost impossible to compare the wear and tear of a commercial vehicle tire against that of a car.
If retreaded tires were really so unsafe, you’d be seeing many more failed tires littering the side of the highway and a lot more problems on our logistics transporters.
How remolded tires have increased safety
While the basic technology of retreading tires is still the same, it’s remolding tires that have become the real game changer in terms of safety.
In the past where tire casings just had the tread layer replaced, remolding a tire also adds on an extra layer on the sidewalls of the tire effectively creating a ‘bead-to-bead’ mold which cures and bonds to the existing tire casing underneath. You can read more about the difference in full detail, Pre Cure Vs. Mold Cure.
This method of retreading ensures a strong, efficient bond between the old and the new tire and means much more safety when driving on the road.
With the advancement of retreading technologies, retreads are gaining a bigger market share. More than 80% of all aircraft tires are now retreaded and the market for truck retreads is about $1.3 billion.
Sources:
https://www.pe.com/2017/09/12/on-the-road-retreaded-tires-can-save-you-money-but-are-they-dangerous/
https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/drivers-ed/tire-tread-wear-causes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire#Specifications
https://www.tirerecappers.com/tire-recappers-news/5-tire-retread-myths-debunked/
