Debunking 7 Myths about Retread Tyres

Let's dispel the misconceptions about retreading

The trucking industry saves more than $3 billion each year by retreading tyres, yet there are still many truckers who believe retreaded truck tyres are lower quality or unsafe. Don’t let false assumptions that have been around for years sway your opinion or impact your bottom line. Michelin is here to help answer “are retread tyres safe?”.

Retreaded truck tyres, often called remolded or recaps, are worn, premium, new tyre casings that have gone through a rebuilding process to replace the used tread with new tread to help extend the life of the original casing that has been designed to be retreaded multiple times.

While nearly half of the replacement tyres on the road in North America are retreaded truck tyres, many drivers still believe that buying a low cost, imported, less-retreadable, new tyre is a better investment than buying a premium tyre that has been designed and guaranteed to be retreaded multiple times.

Seven top myths about retreaded truck tyres that still plague the truck tyre market:

1) Buying low-cost import tyres will save more money than retreading premium tyres.

2) All the rubber on the side of the highway comes from recap truck tyres. The rubber you see on the side of the road is a result of the tyre failing due to low tyre pressure. It is not due to a failure of the bond between the retread and the casing.

3) Remolded tyres are not safe and can cause accidents.

4) Retreads are less fuel efficient than new tyres.

5) Retreads don’t do well in extreme temperatures.

6) They don’t look as cool as new tyres.

7) Retread truck tyres are not as good for the environment.

Over the years, the quality of retread truck tyres has increased dramatically, thanks to advances in technology, such as the 9-step manufacturing process that Michelin uses to create remolded tyres that are high quality.

Don’t let old myths cause you to spend more money on new tyres instead of exploring the cost-effective, environmentally-friendly option of retread truck tyres for your fleet.

You can learn the truth behind each of the common myths about remolded tyres by downloading the white paper below.

‘Disclaimer:’

^{(1) Mileage data is E2A average. Based on Michelin E2A Internal study.
(2) Cost compared with a new tire, with the same tread pattern at equivalent usage condition.
(3) Depends on the casing condition and usage conditions. For optimal usage, it must follow a strict compliance with these conditions: casing quality, retreader qualifications and points of inspection
(4) The CO2 impact of a retreaded tire is linked to the material saving, or 115 kg of CO2 representing 50 kg of raw material savings, at a rate of 2.3 kg of CO2* per kg of raw materials. *Equivalence between CO2 and a litre of fuel or kilogram of raw material is calculated
in this way: The emissions factor of 3.24 kg of CO2 for 1 litre of diesel comes from the life cycle assessment conducted by ADEME for pure diesel. It includes emissions during the diesel production stages (17%) and during its combustion (83%). Source: ADEME, Study
"Well to wheel - JEC", v4, july 2014. The emissions factor of 2.3 kg of CO2 for 1 kg of tire comes from the life cycle assessment calculations for production of a tire cradle to gate), conducted internally by Michelin using the calculation rules developed by the tire manufacturing
profession (TIP). It includes stages including extraction of raw materials, transportation, manufacturing, and distribution. Source: UL Environment Standard, "Product Category Rules for preparing an Environmental Product Declaration for the product category:
Tires, v3.05, february 2022."
(5) A new tire ready to be retreaded weighs 50 kg on average.}