It’s Because They Know That Retreading Plays an Important Part of the Life Cycle of a Truck Tire
PACIFIC GROVE, Calif. — Every major new truck tire manufacturer manufactures their line of truck tires to be retreadable and the concept of multiple lives for a truck tire plays a big part of every truck tire they produce.
By producing retreadable truck tires they not only make their tires more economical for the end user but they also make a major contribution to the environment, since a retreaded truck tire is very environmentally friendly.
It takes approximately 22 gallons of oil to produce a new average size truck tire, but only 7 gallons of oil go into the retreading of that tire, saving approximately 15 gallons of oil for every truck tire retreaded. Since truck tires contain a significant amount of petroleum based synthetic rubber, retreading saves hundreds of gallons of oil every year, which is a big plus for the environment. Also, every truck tire that is retreaded is one less tire for the landfill.
The major truck tire manufacturers who produce retreadable truck tires include RTA members Hankook, Sailun, Alliance Tire Americas, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Continental Tire, GITI Tire, along with a number of other major truck tire manufacturers worldwide.
BUT ARE TRUCK TIRE RETREADS SAFE?
Absolutely! Truck tire retreads are safely used on school and city buses, fire engines and other emergency vehicles, small package delivery services such as DHL, FED EX, Purolator, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service, There is even a Federal Executive Order (13149) MANDATING the use of retreads on federal government trucks.
THEN WHY DO WE SEE SO MUCH TIRE DEBRIS ON THE HIGHWAYS?ISN’T THIS CAUSED BY RETREADS?
Don’t be fooled by the naysayers. The fact is that much of the tire debris (road alligators) on our highways comes from tires that have NEVER been retreaded. Tires fail and come apart throwing rubber on our highways because of improper tire maintenance, with underinflation being the main culprit, followed by overinflation, mismatching of tires in the dual wheel position on trucks, improper tire repairs, misaligned vehicles and tires being driven with less than the legal amount of tread remaining.
Tires that are improperly maintained will fail given enough time and it does not matter if the tire is a retread or one that have never been near a retread factory. But don’t take our word for it. Have a look at a report by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) titled Commercial Medium Tire Debris Study, December 2008 (you can find this easily on Google).
To blame a retread for tire debris on our highways is the same as blaming a vehicle for an accident caused by a drunk or texting driver. The blame is simply misplaced.
IN SUMMARY
Millions of retreaded truck tires are produced annually and are safely being used by millions of trucks and other types of vehicles, including commercial and military airlines, worldwide. This would never be happening if retreads did not perform as well as the best – much higher priced and less environmentally friendly – new tires.
So the next time you are in the market for tires or when it’s time to have your own truck tires replaced, look for retreads. You will be glad you did and so will your checkbook and the environment.
For more information about the environmental and economic benefits of retreaded tires, contact us at +831-646-5269 or by email info@retreadtire.org, or visit our web site, www.retreadtire.org.
Finally, I walk the talk! I’m Harvey Brodsky, the managing director of the Retread Tire Association and I have been driving on retreads on my personal cars for more than 35 years, with never a problem.
