considering the look of the tread pattern they look like they would perform awesome in all weather. i swear they should never be allowed to sell strictly summer tires in north america. they usually suck in most weather conditions including rain. this is the first year for me running winter tires on my truck and they are not too bad but anything really beats the racing slicks i was driving around on lol. i wore my old tires right out.

 

I run 18's. Tire and cheap are two words that don't go together for me. Although I can get a decent deal on TreadWrights, apparently they are a good product according to my research. I'll be looking come fall.

https://www.treadwright.com/products...5x70r18-10-ply

 

There's a lot of threads on retreads especially about 4-5 years ago and I'm firmly on the side of nope, naha, no way, mmhmm, ain't gonna happen.

I got my brand new 33" BFGs for about 600 after a rebate and trade in (worn out Coopers). That's almost the price of 4 retreads before installation. Tires for our trucks are very cheap and I would never consider putting my life and other driver's lives at risk to save 40 bucks. Please reconsider getting retreads.

 

Retreads are put on Semi's on a regular basis. Have been for years. Yeah, way back in the day, retreads weren't that good. Today though, (and recent past as well) the technology has come a LONG way, and retreads are actually a viable option, provided you get them from a reliable company, of which, treadwright is one.

 

Ordinarily I would agree, however, tires in my size are expensive. I get the Firestone/Bridgestone Plant employee pricing(FIL retired from there, I use his account) and the TreadWrights are still a much better deal costwise. I did a lot of research into the company, and I have to say, I'm impressed. Retreading has come a long way in the past few years, and TreadWright seems to be leading the pack in quality. That said, I'm always pricing, so, I may end up with a Firestone/Bridgestone tire if the pricing gets right

 

I know this. My Dad has owned semis for over 40 years and I've had a cdl for 20 yrs. He used to run them to save a buck. Guess what? They last half as long and blow on the road causing damage to the truck and other cars who either get hit (some have died) or drive over Gators causing wrecks. How many times have I had to swerve to avoid a gator? Many to say the least. I've even seen them blow in front of me. And then there's the law that they can only be mounted on drivers or trailers, not steers. If one blows, you still have fifteen tires handling the load and can easily steer the rig safely because of the 2 real tires up front. Truckers hardly use them anymore due to safety regs or insurance or cost analysis or just common sense. With a car, there's only three left! My word, what would you do if one destroys the front of your truck doing 70 in traffic?! I don't care how "better" they are today, it's still a worn out core with new tread glued on. And old design threads that oems have sold off. Might as well drive drunk rather than use retreads. I really thought you'd agree with me on this one. How disappointing.

 

Those things that I slalom through on the way to work every day that still have new tread on them? It's really bad in the Summer months.

 

Semi's demand a lot more of their tires as well, not to mention, a fair few of those road gators do not come from retreads...... I would also add that at one time, some truckers would continue to run a tire, even after it made a baby butt look rough. But, those days have long since disappeared.

I have had new tires do surprising things for me though too....... had one that blew itself apart for no apparent reason. It was not overinflated, I did not hit anything, there was nothing embedded in the tread, at least, not in the parts I could find....... but, it wobbled for three seconds, and then disintegrated. A bit of warning, and I was able to safely get to the shoulder, and stop. (did a number on the rim, and inner fender though.....) Had others that slipped belts, or simply delaminated while driving. Talk about a weird experience. Now, is that more likely to happen with a retread? Probably...... Is it something to worry about? I would say it depends on what you use your vehicle for. I don't do long trips, seldom see the freeway, and don't tow or haul real often.... (more often during the summer.... of course) so, for ME, retreads would be fine. For someone that regularly did any of those things, yeah, retreads might make me a bit nervous.

Granted, yes, it's an 'old' core, but, they are thoroughly inspected before being considered for (re)use. In the case of Treadwright, they actually give you a two year warranty on their tires. (pro-rated after the first year) No mileage limitations. The appeal here is lower cost. Trouble with that is, once you figure in shipping, mounting and balancing, etc, they aren't any cheaper than buying new tires......

 

Okay, if your vehicle never sees road use, and only works on a farm, ranch, or off-road, then I can maybe see getting retreads to save a buck. But if that's the case, and saving a buck is the purpose of using retreads, then why not just buy used tires off craigslist or from a tire shop? Way cheaper and still a complete natural tire from an OEM. My truck is my only vehicle and daily driver for 17 plus years so I always buy new quality brands with warranties. There's enough on these trucks to worry about without wondering if my tires are up to par.

If anybody wishes to use retreads on road, however, please list where you live and what roads you drive so I can avoid them. It amazes me that with all the mandatory government safety features on vehicles today (backup cameras, auto braking, parking sensors, electric parking brakes, fifty air bags, etc) that retreads are even allowed to be made for on-road use.

 

i find all that stuff makes you lazy tho. if you can't drive without that stuff you probably shouldn't even have a drivers licence.

i do agree about the recaps tho. should be sold for off-road use only. new tires are really not that expensive. even if you need tires and are on a tight budget it is pretty simple to get a good set of used tires for cheap on facebook or craigslist. i picked up a set of really nice winter tires for my truck for $75. i even got my BIL a set of winter tires mounted on rim with pressure senors that would all work with his vehicle for $400 which i thought was a wicked deal. the same tires/rim/sensors would have been about $1400 new especially after taxes