A Guide to Tire Retreading: The Reliability of Retread Tires

In examining the reliability of tire retreading to your organization, it’s important to consider the factors that influence your tire choices. Our trusted team at STTC has decades of experience in tire retreading and within our latest post, we’re looking into the A Guide to Tire Retreading: reliability of retread tires compared with new tires, and what this means for fleet operators across the marketplace.

Common assumptions related to tire retreading proven wrong

One of the common misapprehensions within the tire industry in recent years has been that tire retreading has been a leading cause of tire failure. Many had thought that the failure of retread tires was responsible for the number of tires and tire debris across local roads. But recent studies by educational leaders across the country have proven this narrative to be false.

Studies show lack of maintenance the key to tire failure

A study by a team from the University of Michigan examined 86,000 lbs of debris totaling 1496 tire items found across Interstates and truck stops. Within their research, they investigated the probable causes behind the failure of the tire. They found that hitting a curb or nail on the road was the most probable cause, while maintenance and operational issues accounted for many failures. The results show that most of the debris collected particular to retread tires was not the result of manufacturing issues or deficiencies in the retreading process.

Retreads offer reliability and environmental benefits

Beyond the return on investment in terms of the cost per mile achieved by tire retreads, the studies show that retreads offer high level reliability – even when compared with the newest tires across the marketplace. When you add the environmental benefits to the equation, such as the limited amount of oil used in the retread process, compared to manufacturing a new tire, then the operational value of retread tires is clear.

The conclusions of the study

Within the University of Michigan study, their team concluded that tire maintenance and regular inspections were crucial to getting full value over the long-term for truck tires. Retread tires that are properly inflated and inspected according to the industry best practices before each trip will last longer and perform more effectively within the fleet.

Our experienced team at STTC can help guide you about the value of retread tires to your organization.

Aside from the lower initial cost to purchase retread tires, this value is further enhanced if one considers the cost to dispose of tires, for which STTC only charges $12. When a tire is retreaded three times, it leads to a fleet savings of $36 per tire.

For those disposing of their tires through landfills or local companies with higher disposal costs, the value in retreading older tires rises exponentially.

To learn more about what this can mean for your fleet and the latest in retreading options, please call us today.