Retreading to Maximize Casing Value
Tread patterns are available for any type of operation from low rolling resistance drive tires to vocational tires. Photo by Jim Park
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Tread patterns are available for any type of operation from low rolling resistance drive tires to vocational tires. Photo by Jim Park
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Retreading can extend casing life two, three or even four times, thus significantly lowering the lifecycle cost of the tire. While retread costs vary with the type of tread, the quality of the casing and the contract arrangement you have with the retreader, prices are roughly 1/3 to 1/2 that of a new tire.
If you keep an eye on casing value, you’ll know that casings sold seem to fetch a fraction of what they are truly worth. You might get $90 to $125 for a good casing in a tight market, but retreading the casing gives you a virtually new tire with a couple of hundred thousand miles of life left in it — and you can often retread several times. Where does the real value lay?
“A casing is a terrible thing to waste since at least 75% of the cost of a tire is in the casing, notes Ron Elliott, marketing and communications manager, Marangoni Tread North America.
Elliot says the key to a successful retreading program is to start with a quality casing, and then work to protect your casing investment with good maintenance, particularly pressure management.
“Most casings are designed and manufactured to be highly repairable and retreadable to last more than one life,” Elliott says. “A proper tire management program will help ensure the very lowest total running cost.”
If retreads get a bum rap, it’s probably because the tire has been neglected.
It hardly needs to be said, but proper inflation and regular inflation checks will keep all tires in service longer. And of course retreads suffer from the stigma of being assumed to explode more often than new tires. Several tire debris studies have all but disproven …Read the rest of this story
