Occasionally I will get a question about using “retread” tires on an RV. My quick answer is, “No, I would not recommend that an RV owner switch to retread tires.” But some still think the slightly lower cost might be a good idea. There was recently an article in the tire industry press about increasing the use of retreads on “Commercial Vehicles,” so this topic will come up again.
The news article reported that “The U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA) and its member companies stand in support of H.R.8578, the Retreaded Truck Tire Jobs, Supply Chain Security and Sustainability Act of 2024.”
Advantages of retreaded tires
On the surface, this may be a reasonable proposal for owners of commercial vehicles, as the data suggests that when compared to new tires, commercial retreaded tires:
- Use 15 gallons less oil and 90 lbs. less total material per tire.
- Save the U.S. and Canada about 215 million gallons of oil per year.
- Reduce CO2 emissions by 24%.
- Reduce water consumption by 19%.
- Reduce air pollution by 21%.
- Remove 1.4 billion pounds per year from the waste stream.
Stumbling blocks for RV owners
There are a few stumbling blocks that RV owners should consider. These include but are not limited to:
- The bill would provide some tax incentives for investments in retreaded commercial tires by providing tax credits for fleet purchases of U.S. retreaded commercial tires. While the language of the legislation has not been finalized, it is true that “commercial tires” are normally considered to be 22.5 and 24.5 size tires and “fleet use” would apply to owners of dozens of similar trucks and trailers.
- Tire sizes in the 16″ and smaller range would not normally be considered as “commercial” applications.
- Tax credits for using a volume of retread tires are normally aimed at “fleets.” Those would be owners of at least a dozen or more vehicles and would not apply to individual owners.
- Safety regulations for tires used in personal RV application would need to be developed and published as the current DOT regulations. CFR Title 49 Chapter V “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of Transportation” specifically applies to ‘Passenger Car tires’ under section 571 “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.” These federal safety regulations have evolved since initially written in the 1960s. They do not have language that would cover the manufacture, application or use of “Commercial Retread” tires on RV trailers, or on Class B or C motorhomes.
- A separate issue of using retreads on RVs is that we know of the special challenges facing the RV owner with speed, load and inflation limits that do not provide satisfactory results in current usage.
Finding a retread shop
With the issues of size and load range facing the RV owner, the retread shop owner faces the challenge of finding acceptable tires that have only been worn out and are not more than just a couple years old. Usually this would mean tires with over 80,000 miles in a couple years. But assuming you have worn out your tires and are in the market for some lower-cost replacement tires for the drive position, you would need to find a retread shop that works on your size and load range. Note I said “drive position,” as retreads are not acceptable for front tire application for safety reasons.
Many trucking companies can deliver “worn-out” tires to the retread shop so they will receive the savings by not needing to purchase a carcass. An RV owner will not be able to get this savings as most tire shops know the history of tires in RV use, with most being driven in an overloaded or underinflated condition. So the shop is unlikely to want to take the chance of retreading a tire with less than desirable structural conditions.
Here is a video of the process of retreading truck tires.
Pay attention to the inspection process starting at about 2:00 and the Special Shearography process.
Retread tires in the drive position
Can you consider going with retread tires in the drive position? Yes, you can. But notice the mention in the video toward the end, that they are talking about the retread process being performed “on the customer’s tire.” So this might present another problem for the RV owner unless you are driving 80+ thousand miles a year, as a 6-year-old tire will probably have a number of areas with questionable structural integrity.
If this idea is of interest, you might want to first contact retread shops in your area and ask the cost of obtaining a retread in your size and load range. Who knows? There may be an opportunity available. You will need to remember that when applying the tires in a “dual” position, you need to confirm the “OD” dimensions as covered in this blog post.
Roger Marble
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Not betting my life and fortune on retreads.
I very much agree with Tom. The few nickles saved is not worth the risk. I asked my friend a freight hauler why he didn’t use retreads on his trailers 53′ aluminum flatbed spread axle. His answer if the tread lets go it does more damage and repair cost then the savings on a retread. I used his rotation schedule on my old motorhome; new on steer axle then rotated to the drives and finally to the trailer (no trailer with my motor home). I never had to buy more than two new tires (always on steer axle) at a time.
Retreads are used in general aviation on Cessna, Piper, Mooney, etc…mostly by cheap flight schools and pilot/owners, have seen how they wear, some good some not so good especially when student/owner pilots land while applying the brakes, and the smell, yikes! personally I wouldn’t run retreads on my rig or vehicle
I wouldn’t put retreads on a little red wagon. As a young kid I bought recap tires because I didn’t have a lot of money…never had good luck with them . Once I bought a pair of recap snow tires made from sawdust…they fell apart in no time…junk. Trucking companies use them on trailers…just watch all the “gator tails” laying along highways… a result of retreads falling apart.
While trucking companies use retreads on trailers, they don’t on steer tires (at least not ‘legitimate’ companies). With over 30+ years as a driver, I experienced many blowouts, and the damage caused by the tread coming off was worse than just the tread coming off. Blowouts always took out the trailer taillights, license plates, and anything else near the tire. This is why you never want to follow a big truck too closely or drive next to them.
Having managed a truck fleet of over 5,k trucks from panel vans to tractor trailers for over 35 years I can tell you buying a retread from a reliable retread company is just as good as buying a new tire from a reliable company the failure rates are about the same. I have been to new tire factories and retread plants and seen how tires have been built. Both start with the casing then the tread is put on. If built correctly and the proper tire pressure is kept the tire will last the life of the tread. What happens in most causes is the tire picks up a nail, screw or gets a cut from something in the road which causes the tire to loose air. This can happen short term or over time. If you see a
This can happen short term or over time. If you see a part of a tire on the side of the road and see wires at the ends its a casing failure if no wire is showing its retread failed. My suggestion is if you are going to put retreads on the rear of your motorhome only use a casing that is a year old and get it from a reputable brand and keep the correct tire pressure the tire will last as long as a new tire. If retreads were not safe fleets would not be using them.
Thank you, Roger! 🙂 Running retreads seems, as my dissertation chairman routinely said, “penny-wise and dollar-foolish.” Thanks again, have a great week, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂