Is using a retread tire a good idea? Many of us will have to ask ourselves that question someday. With the prices of everything going up, people are looking for ways to cut back and survive the rising cost of living. One of these ways is by buying used parts for our cars instead of new ones.
Not many average drivers think that a retread could be anywhere near as good as a new one, or even a used one, but the reality is that these tires must go through an inspection and be approved by the Department of Transportation, and given a rating of “good as new performance”, before the can enter the market for resale.
Retreads are not very common for passenger cars, but they are once you get into the larger sizes for off road and commercial vehicles. These wheels are more expensive than the smaller ones are, and when one tire needs to be replaced for an off road truck, or a big eighteen wheeler you can save around 60% by buying one that is a retread.
On one of the U. S. Government websites, it says that it takes much less oil to make a retread tire than it is to make a new one. A retread only needs about seven gallons of oil to make one, while a new one uses twenty-two gallons of oil to produce. That of course makes them less expensive, another reason is that the casing from an old one is used to create the retread, and that in turn saves time and money.
The retread process involves taking an old casing from a tire and bonding new tread to it. The process to make a retread is very similar to the one used to make a new one. These tires are so good that they are used on eighty percent of the United States air crafts. Also fire trucks, school buses, and more government vehicles all use retreads. The trucking companies say that they save over 3 billion dollars a year just by using retreads.
A problem that arises for individual states is, not knowing what to do with old rubber. Most times old rubber is “stockpiled”, this is when old tires are piled up in a dump area and left to sit.
When a pile of old rubber just sits, one way or another they seem to catch fire. This type of fire is very dangerous, it produces a thick black smoke, and it burns very hot, making them hard to extinguish. Another problem with old casings just sitting around is that they gather water and turn into a breeding ground for mosquitoes, that can carry diseases.
Knowing that retreads are held up to standards, and have to be approved by the Department of Transportation before they can be sold, eases many thoughts when it comes to buying a first retread.. Also knowing that keeping rubber out of stockpiles where it will take millions of years for the rubber to break down calms the environmentalist in all of us.
The use of retreads is governed by a states law, and these laws vary greatly. Some states encourage you to buy retreads for your bigger vehicles, and allow them to be used on all four or more wheels, while other states will not let you use them on the front of a vehicle.
When the people who do purchase retreads are asked about their performance, they all seems to agree that there is no noticeable difference, and they wear, and perform just as well as a new tire would. One of the best ways to not have to worry about whether or not you will ever need to purchase one is to keep you current ones properly inflated and have them rotated at least a few times a year.
Each technician is fully licensed with a minimum of 5 years experience in servicing your truck and/or any Tires Mississauga and Winter Tires Toronto needs. The Tire Terminal 1750 Britannia Road East, Mississauga, ON L4W 2A3 (905) 565-8406