PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. — Although we celebrate Earth Day every April 22, which is a good reminder to be kind to the planet, if you are truly concerned about helping to conserve natural resources, you should be driving on retreaded tires.
The retread industry worldwide has been green before the word became fashionable.
Thanks to retreading, every time a truck tire is retreaded approximately 15 gallons of oil is saved. When we multiply this by the millions of tires retreaded every year we can see that retreading is responsible for saving hundreds of millions of gallons of oil worldwide every year. This is because tires contain synthetic rubber, which is petroleum based.
Every time a tire is retreaded one less tire has to be disposed of in a landfill. Although all tires – including retreads – eventually wear out, as long as another tire is retreaded to take its place the tire can be kept out of a landfill indefinitely. Think of a juggler. There is always one ball up in the air and the same applies to the tire that takes the place of the one whose life has come to an end.
But How About Safety?
The safety of today’s retreads has been proven beyond a doubt by millions of vehicles over billions of miles worldwide. Airlines, both commercial and military, school and municipal buses, small package delivery services such as DHL, FED EX, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and postal services in many other countries routinely and safely use retreads. Taxis, racecars, Fire Engines and other emergency vehicles also safely use retreads as to trucks and other types of vehicles in both the private and public sectors around the world.
Then Why Do We See So Much Tire Debris on Our Highways?
Unfortunately, many people believe that tire debris (road alligators) on our highways is caused by retreads that have come apart. But the facts are different from the perception that most people have. Nearly all of the tire debris on our highways comes from tires that have been improperly maintained.
Underinflation, closely followed by misaligned vehicles, mismatched tires on dual wheel positions on trucks, improper tire repairs, tires with less than the legal limit of tread remaining and overloading of vehicles are the main causes of tires failing and throwing rubber pieces all over the highway. It doesn’t matter if the tire is a retread or one that has never been in a retread factory, if it is not properly maintained, if will fail given enough time.
To blame a retread for tire debris on our highways is the same as blaming a vehicle for an accident caused by a drunk driver. The blame is simply misplaced.
Is the Savings Real When Retreads are Used?
Yes it is. You can often save as much as 50% over the cost of a comparable new tire, without sacrificing safety, performance or handling. Since tires are one of the highest costs of operating any fleet, whether it is a fleet of one truck or one thousand trucks, by using retreads you will make very significant savings when buying tires. In the U.S. there is even a Federal Executive Order (13149) MANDATING the use of retreaded tires on many government fleet vehicles.
Want More Proof
Let us send you our Reputable Retreading CD/DVD packet along with our Understanding Retreading booklet, along with additional materials. There is no cost for our materials and they are all non-commercial. To order send an email to info@retread.org, or call our toll free number 888-473-8732 from anywhere in Canada or the U.S. We never share your email address or telephone number with anyone!
Still Want More Proof
How about a retread plant tour? We will be happy to arrange a tour of a retread plant close to where you live and we know you will come away from the tour convinced that retreaded tires make all the sense in the world. We also have a speaker’s bureau and we will be happy to have a speaker come to your organization or service club to make a presentation about the economic and environmental benefits of retreading.
By using retreads on your vehicles every day can be Earth Day. You can do well while doing good, and that’s a pretty good deal.
