Myth about Retreads

By Bear’s Tyres11 May 2011

Professional retreading actually provides a high quality result

Australia’s national tyre management specialist Bear’s Tyres dispels a few myths that truck and commercial fleet owners have about retreading truck tyres.

Bears Tyres is a well-established specialist in fleet tyre management and has developed the software-based Tyre Tracker system.

One of the leading myths surrounding the issue is that retreaded tyres are completely useless and offer nothing but a cheap and dangerous solution to unscrupulous operators.

According to Mr Brad Bearman, Managing Director of Bear’s Tyres, re-treading tyres particularly on large trucks and long haul vehicles saves costs and also makes excellent operational sense.

Tyre retreading is the ideal solution for some businesses, depending on the size of the operation, the frequency of its movements and the level of output required from every single tyre.

Good tyre retreads must ensure uniform tyre pressure because pressure variations across tyres affect performance.

Key benefits of tyre retreading: 

• Significant returns including smart, lean management and a much better environmental policy
• Eliminates the need to throw worn tyres worth hundreds of dollars onto the scrapheap
• Tyres on large long haul vehicles carrying extremely heavy loads can be retreaded up to three times without compromising performance level
• Tyres can be retreaded professionally to quadruple their lifespan
• Reduces environmental impact by ensuring worn tyres do not end up in landfills that can otherwise cause toxic leaching or fires

 

Mr Brad Bearman adds that there is a completely unsubstantiated fear of retreaded tyres because of the bits of blown out rubber lining Australian highways.

He says that even brand new radial tyres have as much chance of blowing out at high speeds as retreaded tyres.

According to the Federal Department of Environment and Heritage, end-of-life, dumped or stored tyres present serious risks to the environment, human health and public amenity, including the leaching of toxic chemicals into the environment, toxic tyre fires, illegal dumping and the increase in breeding grounds for vermin such as rats and mosquitoes.

Mr Bearman states that most logistics companies and fleet operators are not even aware of how to properly and cost-efficiently maintain their truck tyres. In many cases, he has seen tyres with 30-50% of rubber left on them blatantly discarded into the garbage.

Tyre retreading, according to Mr Bearman is not just a very good environmental policy but also a very good example of lean management.

Bear’s Tyres is a brand-neutral independent tyre consultancy and seller in addition to managing and repairing fleet tyres with its Bear’s Tyre Tracker.