The Arguments for Retreading

Safety

Retreaded Tyres are Safe!

Retreaded tyres are manufactured to high standards using highly sophisticated machinery.

In addition all retreads must, BY LAW, be manufactured according to a European Standard (ECE Reg 108 for car tyres or ECE 109 for commercial vehicle tyres). These regulations, which were made mandatory in the UK in January 2004, and which became law across the EC in 2006, prescribe that all retreaders must submit their production to be tested under the same load and speed criteria as new tyres.

These regulations have made a considerable contribution towards ensuring and proving that the quality, integrity and performance of retreaded tyres are, at the very least, on a par with that of new tyres.

Economy

Retreaded Tyres are Great Value for Money!

Retreaded tyres can and do perform as well as tyres that have never been retreaded and they do it at a substantial savings over the high cost of new tyres.

It should be remembered that every major truck tyre manufacturer, with no exceptions, manufactures its tyres for multiple lives, meaning they are designed to be retreaded. So when an owner operator or a fleet manager doesn't retread his tyres, he is simply throwing money away.

If you are a private car owner, retreads also offer a viable economic alternative to new tyres.

Environment

Retreads are Green!

Retreading is highly environmentally friendly and should be considered as the best practical environmental option for tyre recycling. Unlike other forms of tyre recycling or disposal, retreading does not simply defer the eventual disposal of the tyre, but actively contributes towards reducing the amount of tyres being used and hence saving valuable natural resources.

Every retread produced means one less new tyre, thereby minimising the number of new tyres produced annually, extending the life of the original product and saving substantially on resources such as oil ( a passenger retread requires 4.5 gallons less oil than a new tyre. For a truck tyre this figure is 15 gallons).

The result is less tyres to be disposed of annually. At the end of their first, second or even third life retreaded tyres can then be used as a raw material for other forms of 'deferred disposal'. This is consistent with the Government's sustainable development policy".

In addition, remember that almost all retreaded tyres sold in the UK are manufactured in the UK. At a time when the distance travelled by products to reach consumers is becoming a majorissue for the environmentally aware, it is worth considering which is more environmentally friendly - a British manufactured retread or a budget new tyre manufactured in China?

Source: Retread Manufacturers Association