News You Can Use

RTA NEWS YOU CAN USE
May 8, 2014

The following post by Robert Platt Bell offered a VERY negative impression about retreaded tires and we were not going to let it go by without our rebuttal, shown below Mr. Bell's post. As we have mentioned before, if you ever come across a negative mention about retreading or proper tire repairing, please let us know by contacting us at info@retreadtire.org or by telephone to 831-646-5269 and we will make an appropriate rebuttal pronto.

Robert Platt Bell has left a new comment on the post "Retread Tires (recaps)":

MR. BELL'S COMMENT

The other thing about recaps to consider is gas mileage and tire wear. Recap tires generally do not last as long as original tires. And they often have higher rolling resistance. Many trucking companies are moving away from the dual-wheel setups on tractors and trailers in favor of these new single huge tires - with tire-pressure monitors and even fill hoses.

They cost a lot more, yes. But they get better fuel mileage and blow out a lot less often - resulting in less downtime and fewer roadside repairs (which are expensive). Yes, a cheap set of recap truck tires are cheap to buy, but the trucker who buys them will leave "gators" on the road and spend hours waiting for a tire repair truck to arrive - at least a few times a year.

Going to a higher quality product costs more, and the savings are not readily apparent at first. But over time, such products are cheaper. It is like furnaces. You can buy a low-efficiency furnace for cheap - and then pay more on your fuel bill. Or you can buy a higher-efficiency furnace and pay more up front, but less down the road, and less overall.

Recap tires is just poverty-think.

Posted by Robert Platt Bell to Living Stingy at May 8, 2014 at 7:55 AM

RTA'S REBUTTAL

I could not disagree more with the comments by Robert Platt Bell because by ignoring the facts he comes to faulty conclusions regarding the safety and performance of retreaded tires. One should consider that nearly all major trucking fleets routinely use retreads and have been doing so for years with no problems. Companies such as FED EX, UPS, DHL and even the U.S. Postal Service use retreads because they understand how reliable and cost effective they are. They would never use retreads if they caused problems. The tire debris on our highways comes from tires - both retreads and those that have never been near a retread factory -  that have not been properly maintained. Tires that are driven underinflated, overinflated, not properly matched in dual wheel positions, with poor repairs, less than the legal limit of tread remaining, etc., WILL FAIL given enough time, and it doesn't matter whether the tire is a retread or a new tire.

To blame a retread for road alligators (tire debris on our highways) is the same as blaming a vehicle for an accident caused by a drunk driver. The blame is simply misplaced. And in fact, much of the tire debris on our highways comes from new tires, but don't take my word for this. The National Highway and Traffic Administration (NHTSA) sponsored an interesting study that you may wish to read, as it confirms what I have written above. The study is titled, Commercial Medium Tire Debris Study, dated December 2008 and can be found on GOOGLE or most any other search engine.

There is even a Federal Executive Order (13149) that MANDATES the use of retreaded tires on most federal fleet vehicles. The federal government understands how safe, environmentally friendly and economical retreads are, because if they didn't believe in retreads there would have never been Federal Executive Order 13149.

In summary, we ask that you draw your own conclusions and if you want additional information, contact us at info@retreadtire.org for a FREE DVD telling the true story about retreaded tires. We will be happy to send this DVD along with much additional material that will enable you to better understand more about the many benefits retreaded tires offer to motorists of all size vehicles, from the smallest to the largest, including school buses and commercial and military airlines who routinely and safely use retreads.

Finally, I drive the talk and would never tell anyone to use retreads if I didn't use them on my personal vehicles. I have been safely using retreads on my personal family cars for nearly 40 years.

Harvey Brodsky
Managing Director
Retread Tire Association
info@retreadtire.org
www.retreadtire.org
831-646-5269

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"Don't own so much clutter
that you will be relieved
to see your house catch fire."
- Wendell Barry