What is a retreaded tire

The main wear element of a tire is the tread. It is the condition of the tread that determines whether the tire can be used further or not. It doesn't matter how many kilometers the tire has traveled, the moment when the tire needs to be replaced is measured by the residual depth of the tread. For summer tires, this value is 1.6 mm, and for winter tires, it is 4 mm. Few people have heard that there is a way to give a tire a second life. Is it worth considering seriously or is it another scam?

Now we are talking about tire retreading. This is a process in which the remainder of the old tread is removed and a new tread strip is used instead. There are two ways to retread tires - cold and hot. During the cold process, a ready-made vulcanized tread strip with a pattern is used. The old tread is removed using a milling machine on a special machine. Then the tire is coated with liquid rubber and glue, and then the ready-made tread strip is applied to it. After the tire is reassembled, it is placed in a special oven where it is subjected to pressure and a temperature of around 100 degrees. There, everything is finally glued and the tires are ready for use. There is also a more expensive and longer way. The difference from the first method is that raw rubber is used instead of tread. And after assembly, the tire undergoes full vulcanization under the influence of pressure and high temperature.

So why don't we see retreaded passenger tires everywhere? As a rule, retreading is used for truck and light truck tires. The whole point is that the tire carcass plays a very important role in retreading. The carcass of truck tires with a steel cord is initially designed for million-kilometer mileage. And the textile cord of passenger tires is not designed for such mileage. And if a metal cord can be inspected with X-rays for punctures, then a textile cord is difficult to assess in terms of damage. Besides, with the low cost of passenger tires, retreading may not make sense.

That's why retreaded tires can only be found occasionally in Europe, and even then on carcasses from renowned premium brands. And if you need to replace your tires with new ones, you can always pay attention to budget brands from China. Even the most budget-friendly new tire made at a factory will be better than a retreaded tire. You will be sure of the quality of the tread and carcass.