You have gotta see this .

[EE_Bota]

I did have a couple tires blow because of failed retread, I never would put a retread on the front, at the time most would not. This was on a big rig.



I do agree a lot of blowouts can be because of wrong pressure, but not all or even most. I had tires blow because of foreign objects {biggest problem} and bad retreads. This was back in the early 90's so maybe things have changed, and even though I used retreads I HATED THEM! Cost was the only reason I used retreads and I NEVER would use them on the fronts.

I would appreciate knowing the manufacturer and the installer of those retreads. If you know, perhaps you could PM me with that information.

Many folks think that retreads are an attempt to save money, and they do save money. The primary emphasis nowadays is to save energy. Even if a tread were to come off, it should be a very loud and noticable event, and it should not lead to a loss of tire pressure. The most likely scenario is loss of tread, followed by some sort of puncture in the tire casing many miles later. Tires coming apart are nearly always the result of extreme heat. Rubber is a truly amazing compound, and it is very hard to come up with an alternative to rubber where rubber is needed.

 

[20 20]

I would appreciate knowing the manufacturer and the installer of those retreads. If you know, perhaps you could PM me with that information.
.

It was many years back {1990} The tires where put on by North American Van Lines. I'm quessing that todays retreads are much better. I still stand behind my main reasons for blow outs, foreign objects. I was allways a stickler for PM's on my truck{I owned the truck they owned the trailer}. It was nothing for me to check oil tires lights etc 4-5 times a day{truck and trailer}. I found a bolt in one of my tires{one time} luckily there was a tire shop within a mile.

I did have a friend that bought a retread for his PU around the same time frame{from sears}. It lasted about a weak, he did save it and took it back. They {sears} told him that the retread did fail, the glueing process did NOT take. he has never used a retread sense.

I just changed out my tires on my small dump{dual wheel} back in the fall. The gentalmen at firestone said DON"T go with the retreads. Reason's, you won't save that much{couple of $ difference each tire} and they WON"T last as long. Another tire shop wouldn't even order the retreads for my truck :confused2: pretty much the same reasons. You folks can take it for what it is worth, I'm not knocking saving a couple of $$'s when possible. BUT if the tire shop says it's not worth it then......maybe it's not??? My post's are about my personal experience and what I have been told. If any of you are getting great deals and believe in retreads then go for it :thumbsup:. I did watch a show {few years back} about "How It Is Made", they were showing the process about retreads, I found it interesting. If EVERYTHING is setup and working proper then the retread seems tough enough.

 

[20 20]

Many folks think that retreads are an attempt to save money, and they do save money. The primary emphasis nowadays is to save energy.

What happened to putting the old tires into roads? I remember WY doing some sort of test on mixing in the old tires for roads. I have not searched how it went or if it even took. I believe other countries also use the tries for a pavement like road way????

Even if a tread were to come off, it should be a very loud and noticable event, and it should not lead to a loss of tire pressure.

When I had tires blow out, on the trailer, for some I never heard a thing. Then of course, I have seen the back of a trailer lifted off the highway by an exploding trailer. Last year I watch a cement truck lose a VERY heavy back fender and steel bumper when a tire blew. Each case is different.

The most likely scenario is loss of tread, followed by some sort of puncture in the tire casing many miles later. Tires coming apart are nearly always the result of extreme heat. Rubber is a truly amazing compound, and it is very hard to come up with an alternative to rubber where rubber is needed.

Agreed, but the tire had to loose pressure some how usually a foreign object. When a retread fails it is usually caused, from the bonding being week. Can I ask, which would folks here believe stronger, a new tire or a retread? If you believe retread, then can I ask why not trade in the new make a few bucks and go with the retread?

 

[EE_Bota]

Here is a pdf that does about as good a job as I have seen explaining some of the issues.

20_20 asked: Which would we trust more, a retread or a new tire? I honestly don't know. If the retread were done with my own casing, I would trust the retread more. I know the history of the casing. I know I have treated it well, and it has not been abused, and that it is experienced and proven. A new tire with a new casing is a baby, and it will either grow up to be a reliable tire, or a failure.

Some old tractors that have run well for years do so for many many more years. Some new tractors have failures very early on. Tires, and most anything else, are similar in this regard. Things are done right and designed right, or they are not.

The majority of the energy and labor in a tire is in the casing. Tossing with a worn tread is not much different that tossing a knife when it gets dull in many respects.

Firestone manufactures retreads, and new tires. Firestone was victimized by Ford a few years back due to blowouts due to underinflation that Ford suggested in the manual and placards to smooth suspension issues. If those had been retreads, no investigation would be necessary. Your dealer would have told you retreads caused it. It is difficult to know whether a retread or a new tire butters your dealers bread the best.

It is not so much a glueing process as a vulcanization process involving an autoclave. Typical pull strengths are greater than 150 psi.

I encourage folks to do what they want, and I have no axe to grind either way. But there is considerable misinformation surrounding the use of retreads, and this is unfortunate. If energy prices go where I suspect they will go, we will all wish for retreads.

 

[jinman]

When I was in high school in the mid-60s, I had a car with retread tires. Even though the best advice said to put tubes in recaps, the dealer told me not to worry about it. He said I could run them tubeless and all the talk of tubes was rubbish.

With two recaps on the rear of my car, I set out on school field-day trip with other classmates to go to a town about 150 miles away. I was following a teacher in front of me who also had a car full of kids. About 25 miles out of town, I heard a pop at 70 mph and suddenly a rough ride. I tried to flash my lights at the teacher in front of me, but she didn't notice. I even tried to speed up to catch her, and the second tire let go of a section of its tread. Two retreads failed within a matter of a few seconds, perhaps because it was in the high 90s and I had a car full of people.

I stopped on the side of the road and inspected the tires to see that they had air. I found that only the tread had separated. As a matter of fact, they had more bubbles on them that were ready to let go. I limped down the road and drove to a town about a mile off the highway where I bought two good used tires at a gas station and had them installed. I think I spent all the money I had on those two used tires.

I knew I'd be in trouble when I got to my destination and I was. The teacher had finally realized I was not behind her and returned to look for us. Not finding us, she was completely distraught and almost beside herself with worry. I will never forget how she was angry and yet crying in relief that we were all okay. She had allowed me to drive because I was the mature kid in the class. I could do nothing but tell her how sorry I was and how I had done what I thought was right. Of course, she finally forgave me because I had no idea all this would happen and I did get everyone safely to our destination. However, I never got to drive on another field trip.

 

[Eagleview]

The biggest problem with retreads is that in the years previous , the tyre cases have been punctured X amount of times . The cases are inspected for major damage before being retreaded but the tiny holes are often overlooked . If the newly retreaded tyres/tires are put on a vehicle without a tube in them , the air can and will leak out of these old puncture holes and lift the retread off the case at that point . You may feel a vibration or a wobble and have time to pull over but if you don't , that air pocket will quickly heat up and fail . You can be lucky sometimes and only have a section of the tread tear out and the tyre remain inflated but usually once it starts to tear , the flap rips out a chunk of the case (with some belting) and the tyre blows out . If the retreaded cases are not sealed with the Yellow spray on goop to seal the old punctures , fit a tube .

 

[20 20]

EE Bota: thanks for the PDF good info.

Jinman, I believe your story. Maybe it has something to do with older tech compared to todays tech? Maybe the retreads of today are fine?

Like I said I find it funny{odd} that I was told NOT to go with retreads on my small dump just a few months ago. I'm all for saving the enviroment and such, but I also believe in safety on the highways. If the price where right I'd probably try retreads on the BACK of my truck. BUT NEVER ON THE FRONT.

 

[Taylortractornut]

We run Retreads on all the roll offs at work, they hold up great but we only run 10 mile round trips with a few 40 mile trips per week. We go with retreads because the trucks are backing in and out of the landfill several times a day and the plants throw loads of screws away per day. We did have a tire sales man pitch a Wanli tire to us one time on the steer axle. The truck made 8 trips that day on a good clay road. THe last trip the driver was backing up to the working face and I heard a pop. I was on a ridge breaking the edge over for a scraper road and at the same time of the pop felt a slight pressure wave or some thing similar to whe na blade line blows on the dozer.

I saw the compactor driver and truck driver looking at he trucks front wheel The Wanli had exploded and tore off the brake chamber and bent the braket that holds it to the spindle, all five of the rim wedges, and ruind a 350 dollar rim. I would have hate to have seen it if one of us had been flagging trucks back to the face, being right next to it. I felt it about 250 fet away up the hollow from it.


The next worse one to blow out I was 17 running the scraper and for years we had been speculating when the crack in the side wall was gonna go. I was in 4th gear comming back from the cut and the tire let go. It scared all the dogs off the hill and blew sand everywhere. I got to get the experience then on how to put a new on on with the tire guy.

 

[20 20]

I was watching one of the logging shows last night {recorded from a few days ago} and they mentioned retreads. ((((DING)))) I instantly thought of this thread. They said the ONLY reason they use retreads is because of money. They also said regular tires are MUCH better, they even showed one of the trucks losing the retread part of the tire, and staying infalted. They went on to say how dangerous retreads can be and how they have seen the tread boil off the tire. This is not new to me because this is the way it was 20+ years ago. Just thought I'd share another point of view from Maine loggers.

 

[EE_Bota]

I am sure they have seen a new tire fail as well, but did not swear off of them.

To each his/her own.

Most treads are manufactured by tire manufacturers. It a new tire suits you better, it is perfectly fine with them. If a retread suits you better, more and more tire manufacturers are glad for that fact, because they too, believe it or not, have corporate directives to try to improve the environment, and reduce energy waste.
Those companies are made up of people, much like you and I, who have concerns for the environment, and for the energy resources of the planet.