What do you think of Tire retreading?

Recaps get a bad rap . Any tire will fail if proper inflation is maintained .

 

They are not the problem as they once used to be... The technology behind them have gotten much better.. Keep the tire air pressure well maintained and they will last you.. When one blow it can tare a bunch of stuff up.. You can't deny that fact.. But as Rick said any tire can blow if it is not maintained.. I had a non retread tire pill just like a recap would before.. on a car and on a truck.. And I check my tire pressures often... (may have happened before I got the truck though)

Never put them on a spread axle though...

 

I've had good luck with them, but you do have to be careful when buying them. You want to make sure they are not too old, haven't been stored outside for very long, haven't been stored on a trailer tire rack for years, the side walls are not weather checked, and overall the casing looks good. I also like to mount my own tires, because I can take my time and make sure the bead is even. If everything else checks out good, and like the other guys said, you maintain proper air pressure they should hold up fine.

 

I always turned in my casings for recapping and had no trouble with a first cap. Second caps are to be avoided regardless of their low price. I also regrooved my tires with an electric hot knife.

 

I don't like recaps. I will agree that both virgin and recaps can fail in not properly inflated. But the recaps tend to throw the entire tread off, in one shot, causing an expensive repair bill. One of our trucks threw the tread off of an inboard drive tire and knocked the manifold off of the bottom of the tank trailer. The trailer did not have a belly valve and the whole load spilled out on the side of the road.

 

I had brand new ones on the tractor last night. The paper was still on the tread. Proper inflation. Nothing hit on the road except the road bumps.

66 miles later. The tread came off the inside front driver dual. Tore off the mud flap on the front and part of the frame. Parked it in the truckstop and waited for 2 hours for road service. Air in the tire was still the proper amount.

 

I chew up so many tires that there's no way I'd buy new.. But then again most of my work is offroad..

 

short trips , maybe , and don't exceed 55 mph.. i agree ALL tires need proper inflation... i also rotate mine.. you get more even wear..