Is Using A Retread Tire A Good Idea

Is it OK to use a retread tire? At some point in time anyone who owns a car might have to ask themselves that question. It is getting very expensive to fix a car these days, and when you see the difference in the price of reread versus new it is hard not to go with the less expensive one.

Whenever anyone hears the word retread, they probably get a bad image of seeing rubber on the side of the highway and that this is all from retreads. That is not true, retreads have to get a full inspection before they can be approved. They pass them with only a “good as new performance” level and than they can be sold.

Passenger cars hardly ever use retreads, because they are not normally made that small. Retreads are mainly used in jeeps, construction vehicles, off road trucks, and SUVs. Because of the size of these tires they are normally much more expensive than smaller ones. When you need to replace one you could actually save about sixty percent of the cost, by buying a retread rather than a new one.

According to one government website, it takes on average, 22 gallons of oil to make one new tire, but retreading one for a truck uses only 7 gallons of oil. This is one of the reasons that they are less expensive. They other reason is that the retread is made using the casing from a tire that had worn done.

What happens is the old casing has new tread bonded to it by using a process very similar to the manufacturing process of a new tire. It is a fact that school buses, fire trucks, and 80 percent of all United States aircraft, use retreaded tires. The trucking industry in the U. S. Saves more than three billion dollars every year by using retreaded tires.

When consumers buy only new tires it turns out to be a very big problem getting rid of the old. Most are not recycled, they are just “stockpiled” like a big heap of garbage in a dump. Sometimes these catch fire, and a rubber fire is hard to control.

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.

When people hear that retread have to pass an inspection by the DOT, as be deemed as “good as new’, it takes the pressure off of people who may need to buy them, and they don’t need to think twice about their decision.

There are laws that vary from state to state about the use of retreads. For instance in California any passenger car whose wheel is 16 inches or below will not be sold retreads. In some states you can only have retreads on the back of a vehicle, in other states they cannot be one the front of a construction vehicle.

People everywhere agree that purchasing a retread tire is just as good as buying a new one when you need one. The best way to not have to purchase new tires for your car at all, is to always keep them properly inflated and have them rotated. More flats occur from people who do not follow the advice above, then do from people who run over things.

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