Security
Retreaded Tyres are Safe!
Retreaded tyres are manufactured to high standards using highly sophisticated machinery. Since January 2004 it has been a legal requirement for retreads to be manufactured according to ECE Regulations 108 (car tyres) and 109 (commercial vehicles tyres), which stipulates that tyres are tested to the same load and speed criteria as new tyres.
Although many UK retreaders had been producing according to ECE 108 and 109 for some time, the introduction of the regulations as a mandatory requirement has made a considerable contribution towards ensuring and proving that the quality, integrity and performance of retreaded tyres are, at the very least, on a par with that of new tyres.
Economy
Retreaded Tyres are Great Value for Money!
Retreaded tyres can and do perform as well as tyres that have never been retreaded and they do it at a substantial savings over the high cost of new tyres
It should be remembered that every major truck tyre manufacturer, with no exceptions, manufactures its tyres for multiple lives, meaning they are designed to be retreaded. So when an owner operator or a fleet manager doesn’t retread his tyres, he is simply throwing money away.
If you are a private car owner, retreads also offer a viable economic alternative to new tyres.
Environment = ECO TYRES
Retreads are Green!
Retreading is highly environmentally friendly and should be considered as the best practical environmental option for tyre recycling. Unlike other forms of tyre recycling or disposal, retreading does not simply defer the eventual disposal of the tyre, but actively contributes towards reducing the amount of tyres being used and hence saving valuable natural resources.
Every retread produced means one less new tyre, thereby minimising the number of new tyres produced annually, extending the life of the original product and saving substantially on resources such as oil (a passenger retread requires 20 litres less oil than a new tyre. For a truck tyre this figure is 68 litres).
The result is less tyres to be disposed of annually. At the end of their first, second or even third life retreaded tyres can then be used as a raw material for other forms of ‘deferred disposal’. This is consistent with the Government’s sustainable development policy.
RETREADS AND THEIR PLACE ON THE MARKET
The proportion of retreads on the replacement car and truck tyre market in Europe still varies widely.
For car tyres, retreads make up only 1-2% of the market in Switzerland and the Netherlands, but this figure rises to over 20% in Scandinavia. In Germany, retreads account for around 10% of car tyres, a proportion which rises to 20% for winter tyres.
For truck tyres, the proportion of retreads is much higher, ranging from around 40% in Spain to over 70% in Finland. In Germany and France, retreads make up around half of the replacement tyre market for trucks. Over 15 million truck and bus tyres are used every year across the EU. Of these, around 8 million are new tyres, and over 6 million are retreads. Retreading plays a particularly important role in aircraft tyres, which are subjected to extreme stresses. Aircraft tyres have to withstand huge strain at speeds of over 250 km/h, and undergo retreading after around 150 take-off and landing manoeuvres.
Retreading can take place up to twelve times. The testing procedures are naturally very stringent here, and safety takes top priority.
High-quality retreading is the alternative to new tyres for commercial vehicles, since it offers safety, top running performance and an excellent cost-benefit ratio. More and more consumers are recognising and coming to appreciate the positive image of high-quality retreads.
