Applications
United States
Some applications for retreaded tires are airplanes, racing cars, buses and delivery trucks. Use of retreaded tires was common historically, but as of 2008, it was seldom used for passenger vehicles, mainly due to discomfort on the road, safety issues and cheaper tire brands surfacing on the market. About 17.6 million retreaded tires were sold in North America in 2006.Process
There are two main processes used for retreading tires, called Mold Cure and Pre Cure. Both processes start with the inspection of the tire, followed by non-destructive inspection method such as shearography to locate non-visible damage and embeddedPre cure
Previously prepared tread strip is applied to tire casing withMold cure
Following a thorough quality inspection, the worn tire tread is removed from the casing by buffing. Raw rubber is then applied to the tire casing and it is then placed in a mold where tread is formed. A dedicated mold is required for each tire size and tread design. This tread application method is very similar to that of the new tire manufacturing process.Bead to Bead molding
In this subtype, retreading is also applied to the side walls. These tires are given entirely new branding and stamps.Regulations
Some jurisdictions have regulations concerning tire retreading.Europe
In Europe all retreads, by law, must be manufactured according to EC Regulation 108 (car tires) or 109 (commercial vehicle tires). As part of this regulation all tires must be tested according to the same load and speed criteria as those undergone by new tires. The Land Fill Directive of 1999 banned tires in landfills in 2003, and banned shredded tires in 2006.United States
The Department of Transportation requires marking of a "DOTR number" which shows the name of the retreader and when it was retreaded.Safety
The United StatesEnvironmental impact
Retread tires in service lower the volume of raw materials required for the manufacturing of a new tire. This includes a pronounced reduction in the use of oil. In fact, the US EPA estimated a greater than 75% savings in oil used for a retread as compared to a new tire. This also means significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. A car tire has 40% natural rubber and 60% oil based rubber, a retreading of tires will reduce the need for natural rubber significantly. In addition to reducing the amount of raw materials extracted, retread tires also minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. The latest figures by the US EPA indicate that over 11.2 M waste tires were dumped into the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. To understand this figure, it is equivalent to lining up passenger tires tread to tread from roughly Los Angeles to San Diego or Philadelphia to Washington DC. Because a retread tire prevents the need for manufacturing a new tire, significant environmental benefits are achieved.References
{{Tires, state=collapsed Tires Recycling