Three Busted Myths About Using Retread Tires
The tire industry is a big business. We spend about $37 billion per year replacing our tires. There is no escaping it. We depend on our tires to get our vehicles from here to there, and they wear out over time. In fact, even if you never drove your car ever, you’d still have to replace the tires eventually, as time caused the rubber to corrode.
The problem with throwing away your old tires and getting a brand new set is that this is super bad for the environment. It fills up a landfill, takes a long time to decompose, and wastes a ton of energy to create your new tires (it takes about seven gallons of oil to create a single tire). Not to mention, a new set of tires can really put a hole in your wallet. You could save yourself some money and ecological waste by suiting up with used tires, but you don’t know if they’ve sustained any damage that would weaken them and make them unsafe to drive. This is why wheel companies have created a solution that gives you the benefits of new tires and the savings and improved environmental impact of reusing tires: retread tires.
Retread tires utilizes the casings of spent tires, with new tread glued onto them with industrial strength glue, to produce a brand new tire. There is a lot of misconceptions about retreads that make people hesitant about using them. We’re going to shed some light on some of these myths.
Three Busted Myths About Using Retread Tires
- MYTH: Retread tires aren’t safe.
We get why wheel safety is your priority numero uno. The most common cause for mechanical-failure fatal car-wrecks is tire malfunction. We even get why you’d be worried about the safety of retreads. What if the adhesive that glues the tread to the casing comes off?
However, retreads are actually equal to or safer than brand new wheels (and leagues ahead of used wheels in safety!). Before a tire is given a new tread, the casing is thoroughly inspected, repaired and serviced. A brand new wheel doesn’t get this level of diligence to ensure it is safe for the roads. In fact, retreads are so safe that most school buses (the safest type of vehicle on the road) and air crafts (talk about a vehicle that tests their wheels by fire!) are fitted with retreads.
Not only should you not be worried about the safety of retreads, you’re actually making a safer choice! - MYTH: Retread tires pollute the roadways with burnt out tire tread.
We agree with people who make this claim in one regard: Tread that litters the highway is both unsightly and unsafe. However, this tread isn’t the result of retreads. Or should we say, this isn’t the result of new retreads. Let’s say you get wheels that are retread; you save a ton of cash and save a landfill the space of the wheels that were recycled instead of being thrown away. High five. However, as time goes on, your retreads take wear and tear just like a set of brand new wheels would. Eventually, your tires are nearly bald and the tread comes off. Did your retreads litter the roadways? Yes. Is it because theya re retreaded? Absolutely not.
The truth is, there is no greater likelihood of retread burning off of a tire casing as there is brand new tread detaching from the tire casing. The tire litter that you see on the side of the road is just worn out wheels that should have been replaced before they were driven to failure. - MYTH: Retread tires are ugly.
We know that you take pride in your beautiful vehicle. Maybe you feel like putting a set of retreads on them is like wearing a pair of knock-off shoes. It cheapens and takes away from the overall appearance of the vehicle, right?
In reality, studies show that retreads and brand new wheels are so similar in appearance that they are indistinguishable in blind tests. Your retreads have the same pristine appearance, but at a lower cost, and they better for the planet!
What do you think? Have you ever used retreads? Have you ever considered using retreads? Please share your thoughts on the subject with us in the comment section below!