Retread Report: 10 Reasons Retreads May Be Better Than New Tires¹

1. Reliability

Contrary to commonly held beliefs, studies have shown that retread tires offer reliability comparable to new tires. This is confirmed by several studies conducted over the last two decades, which all come to the same conclusion as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): “… retreaded tires are not inherently more prone to failure than new tires.”
– John Woodrooffe, Director, Transportation Vehicle Safety Analytics at University of Michigan.

2. Cost-savings

It’s simple math, really. Retreads cost less than comparable new tires, saving fleets big money on their third highest expense item after labor and fuel.

3. Warranties Include Retreads

Quality new tires are engineered to be retreaded, and, in fact, most warranty their casings for multiple retreads for multiple years. The initial investment in a casing pays dividends each time it delivers another tire life through retreading.

4. Wear Like New Tires

Advanced compounding and tread designs enable retreads to deliver wear-out mileage comparable to — and in some cases better than — new tires. In fact, a recent test in a waste fleet, one of trucking’s toughest applications resulted in Bandag’s BRM3 retread handily outwearing premium new tires: the Goodyear Endurance WHA and Michelin XZUS22

5. Fuel Efficiency

Did you know that retreads are some of the most fuel-efficient tires available on the market today? In fact, out of 362 new and retreaded tires evaluated for rolling resistance, Bandag’s FuelTech retreads were among the top 10% in rolling resistance of all tires tested3.

6. U.S. Economic Benefits

Retreading plays a critical role in supporting 268,000 jobs that are directly or indirectly attributable to the domestic tire industry. The domestic tire and retread manufacturing industries contributed over $28.4B to the economy in 2016 with a direct benefit of $3.2B economic impact to the trucking industry.

7. Energy Savings

Requiring 68% less energy to produce than a new tire, one retreaded truck tire saves enough energy to power an average U.S. home for 33 days!

8. Oil Savings

Tires are primarily petroleum products. A retreaded truck tire requires approximately 15 fewer gallons of oil to produce than a new tire. When you consider that approximately 14 million retreads are purchased each year, that equates to an annual savings of about 210 million gallons of oil.

9. Environmentally Friendly

Each year, approximately 14 million retreaded medium truck tires are purchased, potentially preventing 14 million used tire casings from entering our waste streams and landfills. That’s enough casings, if laid end to end, to go from New York to Los Angeles and back again!

10. Reduced CO2 emissions.

According to an independent analysis comparing the relative carbon footprints of new tires and retreaded tires, retreading contributes to a 30% reduction of CO2 emissions versus the manufacture of new tires.