Using retread tyres on your vehicle can be an excellent way of saving money, but is it really safe to do so? You may have heard scare stories about retread tyres, and be wary of having them fitted to your car. After all, you want to protect your own safety, as well as that of any passengers you are carrying.
The truth is that the safety of retread tyres depends on the reputation of the provider you get them from. If you are going to invest in retread tyres you need to compare tyres carefully, and choose a product that is good quality. We are going to take a look at why these good quality retread tyres are safe to use. Let’s start by explaining what a retread tyre actually is.
What is a retread tyre?
As you will be aware, there comes a time when the tread on your car’s tyres is too low for you to be able to drive safely. This is when you need to have the tyres replaced. Retreading is a process which enables the worn tyres to be re-used.
Any worn tread that is left is removed from the tyre. New rubber is then molded to the tyre to replace the worn tread. The newly treaded tyre can then be fitted to a car, and driven on safely. You can see why it’s so important that you make sure you buy retread tyres from a reputable provider, so that you can be sure the retreading process has been completed in an expert manner.
Is a retread tyre ever really safe?
If the retreading of a tyre is completed in the correct manner, the tyre is just as safe to use as a new tyre. Do not forget that many haulage companies and airlines make regular use of retread tyres. Here are some of the situations in which you may have heard the safety and performance of retread tyres questioned.
- Excessive heat can easily destroy retread tyres. In fact, heat has just as much effect on new tyres as it does on retread tyres.
- Overall performance of retread tyres is not as good as the performance of new tyres. This is not the case. Retread tyres are even often used in motoring endurance events.
- Accidents can be caused by using retread tyres. If you use good quality retread tyres on your vehicle you are no more likely to cause an accident than someone using new tyres. Accidents are more often caused by driving on bald tyres, or tyres that are over or under inflated.
As you can see, driving on retread tyres should be just as safe as driving on new tyres.
Buying retread tyres can be a good cost-saving exercise, when it comes to replacing worn tyres on your vehicle. It’s a perfectly safe practice, as long as you make sure that you buy the tyres from a trusted and expert provider.