Not only that but you can get free shipping if you just ask to be put on their mailing list and the only mail you get is super deals on holidays. Retreads are all I run and I saved a ton of money.

 

Retread-remold... no... They may say remold, but that's not the case. A retread is any tire that has new tread put on it. You cannot remold a vulcanized rubber into some new pattern, you can apply new virgin rubber and cast a pattern into it.


There is hot-capping and cold-capping. Hot capping is laying raw rubber on the tire and placing it in a mold to impress new tread pattern in the virgin rubber while vulcanizing that rubber onto OLD rubber carcasses. Cold capping is applying a thin layer of tacky natural rubber and then a pre-formed tread that has already been vulcanized. The thin layer of rubber attaches the old rubber carcass to the new tread carcass.

BTW, brand new tires used a hotcapping method, layering rubber and then placing it in a mold to vulcanize the whole tire.


If you are going to run limited miles, run off-road, etc, then a recap will save you money, but do not expect them to perform the same longevity as an "as-new" tire. FWIW, we recapped plenty of 10.50s and plenty of 9.50's back in the 80's, and yes they were a savings over shelf-tires, but no one who ever bought them or sold them ever claimed they were as good as new shelf-tires. They were cheap tires for cheap purposes. Trucks and jeeps that went four wheeling on a budget. Recaps on cars were for the guys who weren't going to put many miles on the car, or who just couldn't scrape enough money together to buy new tires except around tax refund time.

 

And that's different than the processes I posted exactly how?

I'm guessing you did not follow my link. I don't care whether you call it hot capped or remolded, you and I are talking about the same general process, and the industry seems to have adopted the remold terminology.

Anyway, have you heard of shearography? It's this Non destructive testing method that allows them to see any defects inside of the tire carcass. It existed in the 80's, but really didn't become widespread for quite a while afterward. It's now commonplace, and one of the reasons for the improved life of remolded tires.

It never ceases to amaze me the number of people that ignore the technological advances that have been recently made. Everything from my in laws' hatred for all things computer or cell phone related, to all the guys that refuse to believe there is a better pistol than the 1911 or a better rifle than the M1 Garand/M14.

I mean, in the 60's bias ply tires only lasted 20k miles. It took the US until the mid 70s to adopt radials. But in that time, the average life of a tire doubled. With the advances in non destructive testing, computer modeling software, and most importantly, these processes becoming more available to manufacturers, you can guarantee the remolds being sold by reputable companies now are nothing like the tires you were using in the 80s.

 

The only 'advance' their process has done is capping the entire carcass to the bead. The underlying structure is the same used carcass it has always been. With careful selection a used carcass can have good characteristics, but they can't claim to be creating a better tire when all they are doing is casting new tread on someone elses technology.

They call their work "remold" it isn't as I explained already since vulcanized rubber is not changed in such a manner. A tire isn't a piece of playdough that you reform into a new object. It's skeletal structure remains the same. It doesn't matter how much rubber you lay over the top and what pattern you cast into it, the performance is tied to the original carcass design.

You don't see Michellin, Goodyear, BFG, Toyo, etc out marketing remolded/retread tires in their physical outlets.

 

I have been running hitec retreads for 20 years. Never an issue. I get 50 to 60 k per set. You are entitled to your opinion but about evert truck, city bus and dumptuck on the road are running reteads. The. Cost savings are a staggering. Mtr pattern complete set for. Under 500 shipped. As opposed to 250 per tirE.

 

If they had the size I wanted when I went to new my new tires I would have saved close to $200. I called and they were on backorder for months or I would have waited, I have never ran Treadwrights but I have yet to hear anything bad about them.

 

You're technically correct on one point and way off in others. You clearly won't be swayed. Thanks for your opinion. I disagree with it, but respect it.

 

I'm not seeing any solid evidence here, just theories. The proof is in the pudding and they have a record you can't peck at............impeccable.

 

No, they don't

 

Sorry guys, after the rubber comes off, I don't put it back on.

 

Don't worry, I wouldn't buy your retreads anyway :P

 

Paul Titus I agree, as a otr driver for over 10 years I know from experience about new tires being more susceptible to "Gatoring" than retreads. my original question was more asking about drivability, vibration and ease of balance. Also I.M.O. BF KOs are horrible in mud unless you are able to really get them turning. tend to plug up. thanks for all the replies.

 

Those are retreaded with a different process than the treadwrights.

How often do you check the air pressure by gauge on all of the tires of your rig?

My set of tread wrights were mounted without balancing for a couple of weeks waiting on Dyna beads. No vibrations then.

 

Actually, they can run retreads on any axle they want.

Sent from my Telegraph using IB AutoGroup

 

I just re-certified for doing our DOT's at work. No recaps for steer axles is coming very soon

Buses are currently the only thing that cannot run capped steers