How To Identify Retreaded Tires
Retreaded tyres are more common in heavy vehicles, such as lorries or buses, but for ecological and economical reasons, they are beginning to be used more and more in passenger cars. It should be noted that, despite popular belief, properly recycled tires are just as safe as new tyres, making retreaded tires an excellent alternative for environmental and economic reasons because they are cheaper. In any case, to avoid being sold retreated tyres at the price of new ones, at OneHowTo.com we explain how to tell if tyres are retreaded.
Steps to follow:
First, we need to know how retreaded tires are made to be able to detect them. This is the process:
- Scraping to clear the previous tread.
- Vulcanization to install a tire with a new tread.
While modern techniques mean that this process results in a tire which is perfectly safe to use, the different techniques used can leave some identifying markers which will help you tell whether a tire is a retread or not. Below we go through some of these signs and advise you on how you can correctly identify a retreaded tire.
Tread that is darker than the rest of the tire or that feels rougher to the touch is indicative that the wheel has been recycled.
Another sign that helps us to know when the tire is retreaded and not new is when there is a small mark or seam next to the tread.
Sometimes, they use patches of cement or adhesives to reinforce the bond with the retreaded tire, so there is a new line visible which can help to identify a retreaded tire.
Another way to tell if a wheel is recycled involves looking at the outside of the tread for signs that the tire has been polished.
In addition to these signs, most countries require a clear marking to show that the tire is a retreaded tire, so do your research about where and what this marking is like in your country.
If you want to read similar articles to How To Identify Retreaded Tires, we recommend you visit our Cars category.
