For the skeptic customer still on the fence, the financial benefits of retreading are an excellent closing argument. Retread tires are significantly less expensive than buying 18 new tires every 200,000 miles.
Harvey Brodsky, managing director at the Retread Tire Association (RTA)says most standard commercial vehicle tires can be retreaded for less than half the costs of a new tire. “You have to do the math. When you add up the costs of both you’d have to be crazy to not even consider retreading,” he says, noting most major North American fleets have long established retreading programs.
Randy Gaetz, vice president of sales at Toyo Tires, says Toyo doesn’t have a retreading facility but all of its commercial vehicle tires are designed to be retreadable. Weller says his company has a similar strategy, and both companies offer a casing warranty to ensure customers their new tires will be able to be reused.
That retreadability is an important factor in fleet buying strategies, says Alex Chmiel, director of marketing at Continental Commercial Vehicle Tires. Chmiel says most Continental fleet customers purchase new tires with retreading in mind.
“It’s interesting; fleets are starting to view casings as an asset rather than an expense,” Walt Weller, vice president at CMA, producer of Double Coin commercial tires, says.
Brodsky notes that’s an important aspect for customers to maximize the financial benefits of retreading. Tires must be maintained.
“You have to take care of the tires you have” so you can use them again, he says.
