Even though retreads have been around for more than a century, they have become an undeniable economical and environmentally friendly investment for fleets.
By Robby Hamby
Retreaded tires are one of the oldest examples we have of a circular economy. Companies began retreading tires as far back as the early 1900s to bring new life to old tires and help fleets get more miles on the tires they purchased. Retread technology has come a long way since then and has expanded its reach within mobility. What was once viewed as only a product for commercial trucking has now been embraced by fleets of all types and sizes. You can find retreads on school buses, firetrucks, motorcoaches, last-mile delivery vehicles, airplanes, and waste and recycling trucks to name a few.
The cross-industry adoption of retreaded tires is made possible through advancements in the development process. Modern manufacturing facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and use the latest techniques in manufacturing to produce high-quality tires that are safe and dependable.
Although retreaded tires have been around for many years and are widely used in various industries, the basics and benefits of retreading are still sometimes misunderstood in the industry. If you are still undecided about using retreads, here are important questions and answers that can help you make an informed decision.
Question #1: What are the Key Benefits of Retread Tires?
It is difficult to overstate the long list of benefits that retreading can offer a fleet. Whether you are looking to lower costs, increase uptime, equip your vehicle with specific tires to help with performance or bring more environmentally friendly practices to operations, retreaded tires can help your business check a lot of boxes.
Fleets of all sizes—not to mention almost every industry in today’s economy—place a premium on sustainability as a vital component to business. In many ways, retreading was sustainable before “sustainability” was the buzzword it is today, and retreads remain one of the oldest examples of a circular economy. The retreading process enables fleets to take an old, worn asset in a tire casing and inject new life into it. The result of this process is the diversion of tire waste from landfills, saving valuable space. An estimated hundreds of millions of used tires have been kept out of our waste streams thanks to retread technology. These numbers continue to climb each year as the commercial industry as a whole becomes more focused on sustainably driven products.
On top of eliminating waste, the sustainable benefits are magnified further at retread facilities. The retread manufacturing process uses one-third of the raw materials of a new tire, and it releases nearly 25 percent less emissions compared to new tires. Retreading saves up to 15 gallons of oil per tire, and industry-wide retreading saves an estimated 215 gallons of oil per year across the U.S. and Canada. When you start to add up all the resource savings, especially for large fleets that purchase substantial quantities of retreads, you can see the immediate and massive impact retreads can make.
When it comes to productivity and uptime, retread tires have proven to offer comparable levels of reliability to new tires. This is made possible because of advances in manufacturing and tire technology. Modern retread tires are made with advanced compounding and tread designs that provide drivers with the same ride and feel as they get with new tires. It is a common misconception that retread tires are more susceptible to heat and other safety concerns—this is simply not true. If the retread is well-maintained, it will perform the same as a new tire and last as long too.
Finally, retreading is an effective way to lower fleet costs without sacrificing productivity. Tires are typically one of the top expenses for fleets because of the sheer quantity needed to maintain operations. Retreaded tires are sold at a lower price point than new tires because of the reuse of existing, quality materials and reduction in manufacturing costs. Still, the price in no way reflects the quality of the product. On average, fleets can save anywhere from 30 to 50 percent per tire when they choose to purchase a retread.
retreadability
Question #2: How Many Times CanYou Retread a Tire?
After you understand the core benefits of retreads, it is important to ask yourself this follow-up question to understand the magnitude of those benefits. When you retread a tire for the first time and put it back on a vehicle, you are starting the entire process over again. The retreaded tire, in a sense, is a brand-new tire with zero miles of wear and fresh, untouched tread. For example, if you purchase a new tire and have it retreaded one time, you can double the number of miles you get from that single tire.
If you take proper care of that retread, you can start the process over again when its tread becomes worn. There is no baseline or ceiling to the number of times a tire can be retreaded. Retread dealers have fleet customers who successfully retread tires three times and in some cases, even more. The main factor that determines whether or not a tire can be retreaded is how well it is maintained while in use. That means keeping a close eye on tire inflation and checking the tread and alignment often. Simply put, if you stay on top of tire maintenance to ensure optimal health, you can increase the tire’s retreadability, whereas neglecting it can lead to unnecessary damage and early retirement.
Question #3: When is the Right Time to Start Using Retreads?
This is more than likely the last question standing in your way from moving forward. As a stakeholder in the tire business, I say if you are already considering bringing retread tires to your operation, odds are you are ready. There is no right moment, operational requirements, or tire minimum to get going. Tire manufacturers understand that not all fleets are in the same spot and need various levels of support, which is why manufacturers have worked hard to put infrastructure in place to help meet businesses where they are and with what they need. Whether you start with retreads for one or two vehicles to dip your toe in the water or for a fleet of 100 vehicles, the retread industry has you covered.
The first step to set your operation up for success is to invest in high-quality tires equipped with premium casings. A tire’s casing is the one piece of the tire that will remain the same after each retreading, making it the most valuable part of your tire investment. When a worn tire is recovered, the casing is salvaged and used as the base within the retread, which is why it is vitally important to take proper care of your tires if you want to retread them.
A Great Economic Investment
Even though retreads have been around for more than a century, they have become an undeniable economical and environmentally friendly investment for fleets. Moreover, with the advancement of manufacturing technology, more new products are designed with retreading in mind, which will only further improve their impact on mobility in the future | WA.
Robby Hamby is the Director of Commercial Product Strategy for Bridgestone Americas. Robby is responsible for Bridgestone’s Commercial product portfolio which encompasses four strategic business units (TBR&R, OTR and AG). For more information, visit www.bridgestone.com.