Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/667099
38 commercial carrier journal | april 2016 Keep on rolling Retreads provide tires with more lives – if given the opportunity BY JASON CANNON T he most effective way to squeeze more mileage from your tires is to use them more than once. Retreading is a popular option for fleets looking to get more life from their rubber, but far more goes into a tire's retreadability than simply slap- ping on a fresh set of treads. Proper maintenance and care are keys in getting the most tread life from tires in general, but that responsibility multiplies for fleets looking to use their tire casings more than once. "The way in which a driver actually drives the vehicles can have a signifi- cant effect on the casings – this cannot be understated," says Paul Crehan, director of product marketing for Michelin Truck Tires. These driving habits include curb impacts, braking, emergency stops, speed, route choice, road maneuvers and obstacle avoid- ance, he says. Just as improper tire maintenance can prematurely erode tread, it also can destroy retread capabilities. "The main reason a tire casing is rejected during the retread process is due to the tire being underinflated or overloaded at some point during its lifecycle," says Terry Smouter, business development manager for Continental CVT. Ben Rosenblum, director of Bandag marketing for Bridgestone Commer- cial, says maintaining proper air pres- sures in tires can easily lead to three or more retreads on a high-quality casing depending on the application. "Our studies have shown that high-quality casings retread just as well on the second and third retread as they do on the first," Rosenblum says. "Casings today are built to last many years and multiple retread cy- cles. If you maintain the appropriate pressure – and hopefully avoid too many curbs – you'll get the most out of your casings." Backing them up Many fleets adhere to an informal policy that calls for tires to be moved further back on the combo the more times they have been retreaded. How- ever, Crehan says this isn't a hard-and- fast rule. "All steer casings can be used for drive and trailer retreads," he says. "A casing is fully capable of moving to ei- ther position depending on the casing's age and condition." Gary Schroeder, director of commer- cial vehicle and OEM sales for Cooper's Roadmaster brand, says tires first have to perform their intended work func- tion, wear long enough to be practical and have the durability necessary to be retreadable multiple times. Crehan suggests fleets establishing a retread policy should determine load composition, guaranteed delivery times, winter travel and other sensitiv- ities. "A steer is not normally retreaded," he says. "An exception would be an all-position tread that could be used on steer axles for specialized low-speed start-and-stop applications like waste haulers and other local delivery." Dr. Prosser Carnegie, head of prod- uct development for Continental CVT, says casings that are rated higher – with fewer repairs and lower heat history – tend to be placed on the drive axle since the torque on those tires leads to higher heat generation. "As the tire experiences longer heat history or has more repairs needed, then generally it is moved into a less severe axle like the trailer," Carnegie says. "But this is not only dependent on the number of times that the tire is retreaded. A tire after its first life could have experienced service conditions and other external conditions that could lead to it being placed on the trailer axle." Likewise, a casing could still be without repairs and in a condi- tion that would allow it to be used on the drive axle, he says. A best practice for many fleets, Rosenblum says, is to buy new steer tires, place the first retread on the drive and the second on the trailer. "Moving back on the truck and trailer is a very common practice," he says. Part 1 last month focused on tire expense control. in focus: THE LIFE OF TIRES, part 2 Maintaining proper air pressures in tires can easily lead to three or more retreads on a high-quality casing.