Tire Information From A to Z

There are Retreads, and then there are Retreads

If you are a sports fan and read the sports pages, then you are familiar with seeing the word "retread" nearly every day. The same holds true if you read the entertainment section of your newspaper. Unfortunately, the word "retread" has taken on a pejorative meaning.

But there are retreads, and then there are retreads.

The other kinds of retreads are far from being pejorative and in fact, they are making a valuable contribution to our environment.

We're talking about retreaded tires. Before you laugh, there are a few things you should know:

•     Thanks to the retread tire industry, millions of worn tires are given another life every year, resulting in hundreds of millions of gallons of oil being saved.

•     Virtually every major airline in the world uses retreads, including the biggest planes in the air, as do military aircraft around the world.

•     The safety record of retreads equals that of the best new tires - and retreaded tires cost far less than comparable new tires.

•     Retreaded tires are one of the most environmentally friendly recycled products in the world with one of the highest post-consumer contents of any recycled product. Thanks to the retread industry, countless tons of raw materials are saved annually, along with a great reduction of the number of tires that are sent to already overcrowded landfills.

•     The U.S. federal government loves retreads, which is why there is a Federal Executive Order (Executive Order #13149 of April 21, 2000) MANDATING the use of retreads on certain federal government fleet vehicles.

•     It is a safe bet to state that if you live in the U.S. your mail is delivered by trucks riding on retreads. The same holds true for your packages delivered by FEDEX and UPS. Retreaded tires are also used by postal services in other countries worldwide.

 But what about all that rubber scrap we see on our highways?

•     Many studies, including a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), confirm that retreads do NOT cause tire debris on our highways. Ample information is available to support this statement and can be obtained by contacting the Retread Tire Association at 831-646-5269 or by sending an email to info@retreadtire.org.

But are retreads really safe?

Absolutely - which is why school buses and other municipal buses, fire engines and other emergency vehicles, along with taxis, race cars, commercial trucks and millions of other vehicles worldwide, safely use retreads. They wouldn't be using them if they weren't safe.

So the next time you see or hear the word "retread," remember that there are retreads, and then there are retreads.

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I'm Harvey Brodsky, Managing Director of the Retread Tire Association and have been driving on retreads for more than 35 years. I believe in retreading and will be happy to share my passion with you if you call. Want to tour a retread plant near where you live? Want to know the name of a top quality retreader who can sell you top quality retreaded truck tires or custom retread your own truck tires? Need information about top quality tire repairs? We also have information about where to find top quality passenger and light truck retreads.

Or call if you just want to say "hello" and talk tires.

I can be reached at 831-646-5269 or by email at harvey@retreadtire.org.

Let's talk.