jeepbunny

Browsing for tires on eBay, I came across some retreaded tires that will fit my XJ. They gain points for being environmentally friendly but I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced them on a DD with proper tire maintenance?

Much appreciated

Slick761

What brand are they? I was just reading an article somewhere on those saying they are great. I think retreads had a bad rap cause they used to come apart or something but I don't think the d.o.t. would allow them if they weren't safe these days.

Silver60th

Treadwright I'm assuming. They make a great product and really stand beside them with good customer service. I have a pair of their Pumas on my XJ and my dad has the Guard Dogs, we both love them

Slick761

Ya treadwright was what I was reading about.

desert-rat

I'm a truck driver and retreads are the biggest seller in tires 'cause of the price. They do come apart easy in hot weather if not maintained at proper air. I'm sure you have seen truck tires on the freeways before. Usually retreads. Us truckers call 'em gators. Retreads are safe if proper air preasure is in the tires. 500-600 miles a day on retreads with close to 80,000 lbs tells me retreads are safe. I wouldn't buy em for a car though.

jronald

After working for both a Bandag and Michelin recapping facility...
I disagree somewhat with DesertRat. Most of what you see on the highway are new tire failures. Easiest way to tell the difference is whether or not there are "threads" still attached. If you see threads, that is part of the belt system of the new tire. When a cap fails it will normally come off in one solid "crisp end" piece.
Agreeing with DR 110% on air pressure, it is critical that the air pressure remains at the right level, neither over nor under. Once the sidewall starts to flex too much, the cap begins to peel and you have a failure on your hands. Generally the larger the tire, the better the cap. It has to do with surface adhesion. Would you rather have strip of scotch tape or duct tape wrapped around your arm?
I can tell you the 385 steer tires gave us far less issues than the 11r tires EVER did.

Ron

Slick761

So then you can't air them down for the rocks?

Silver60th

You can and people have. The manufacturer doesn't cover failures at incorrect pressure. However, there was a test a while back that these tires performed admirably at, even aired down.

Read the links on this page:

https://www.treadwright.com/t-news.aspx

Slick761

Unfortunately no 35s in a 15 inch wheel.

Silver60th

Call them to be sure, I bet they have some unlisted

Slick761

Thy discontinued the 33x12.5-15 due to lack of usable blanks

Techprimus

Retreads wear down quicker than any other tire I have ever owned in my life. True story. And I maintained PSI and rotated with each oil change.

Burned them up in 10k miles and said **** it and went with a new set of 6-ply tires. They still have about 1/4 tread after 2 years.

Silver60th

Really? I've had mine for almost 2 years now with almost no noticeable wear. And that's with 1,000 mile round trips to school.

To each his own I guess

jeepbunny

Thank you guys so much for the responses. The ones I was looking at were Comptreads ( http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/4-NEW...item1c1e192e3f ) pretty much I'm trying to buy time since my current tires are on secondary rubber...fail. These are a LOT cheaper than buying new tires too.

TSea99XJ

I'll completely support jronald on this. I'm a wholesale commercial tire salesman by profession, and due to location and industry, retreaded tires are by far our biggest seller, with price being one of, if not the biggest factor. But a reduction in price does not mean a reduction in quality.

The retread industry has come a long long way from recapping being performed by prisoners in jailyards. If you've spent any time around the retreading world, you would see that the technology being used in the casing inspection and recapping process is on par with today's advancing world.

Yes, retreads get a bad rap, and most anyone who does a large amount of highway driving can tell you about the blowouts they've seen, and the shredded tires that are laying along the roadsides. I've seen it happen myself, both the blowout, and the resulting damage done. But as a whole, I can name as many, if not more, instances of virgin rubber peeling the tread as I can a recap.

The trade-off for the reduced price, as desert-rat and jronald pointed out, is air pressure. You'll spend more time checking your tires, making sure they're at the recommended pressure, than you would with virgin rubber. You can't wait always wait until the tire goes low, then put some air in it or get it repaired. Again, as pointed out, increased load/flex of the sidewall of a low-air tire can and will lead it the cap peeling off. Personally, if this is going to be a daily drive, I would make checking air pressure a weekly routine, and if a tire appears low, air it and repair it immediately, don't wait.

As for the tires in question, and usage on a trail vehicle where you will be wanting to air down your tires, I can't give any specific advise as I've never used retreads on a passenger vehicle, only commercial. But if you're willing to put some extra time into the maintenance of the tire, there is no reason why retreads shouldn't be a viable option for you.