Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/403816
8 www.studentdriverplacement.com November '14 It Works How Play It Again T he idea that retreaded tires DUHQ·W SUDFWLFDO IRU RYHUWKH URDGWUXFNVLVDQXUEDQOHJHQG WKDW·VRQDSDUZLWKWKHEHOLHIWKDWRQH FDQÀQGDQKRQHVWSROLWLFLDQGXULQJDQ HOHFWLRQ\HDU A tire retreaded by a qual- ity retreader will perform as well as a com- parable new tire, and at a far lower price. As a point of comparison, a tire that costs approximately $350.00 when new can be retreaded for approximately $115.00. Bet- ter still, the retread will often deliver even more mileage than the original tire. Retreadability is not simply a function of DWLUH·VDJH7KHUHDUHVHYHUDOFRQVLGHU ations that go into determining whether or QRWDFDVLQJLVÀWWREHUHWUHDGHGDFFRUG LQJWRWKH7LUH5HWUHDG,QIRUPDWLRQ%XUHDX 75,% 7KHVH LQFOXGH WKH DSSOLFDWLRQ type of equipment the tire was and will be used on, how well the tire was main- tained, the number of times the tire has EHHQUHWUHDGHGDQGWKHXVHU·VQHHGV Poor attention to maintenance can make a new tire old well before its calen- dar life is over, and diminish its chances for retreading. Conversely, a chronologi- cally older tire that has not been subject- ed to adverse conditions is likely to be retreadable multiple times. Every repu- table commercial tire manufacturer, with no exception, designs its tires for multiple lives, meaning the tires are designed to be retreaded. 0DQ\IDFWRUVLQÁXHQFHWKHDYHUDJHOLIH expectancy of a tire, including weather and climate conditions, sitting for extend- ed periods of time, the amount of weight on them, and storage conditions. $WLUH·VFDOHQGDUDJHFDQEHIRXQGLQWKH 7LUH,GHQWLÀFDWLRQ&RGHVHULDOQXPEHUOR cated on the sidewall. For tires produced after 2000, the last four digits reveal the week and year of manufacture, with the ÀUVWWZRQXPEHUVIRUWKHZHHNDQGWKH QH[WWZRIRUWKH\HDU7RLOOXVWUDWHDWLUH ZLWKD7LUH,GHQWLÀFDWLRQ&RGHRI'27;; ;;;;;ZRXOGKDYHEHHQPDQXIDF tured on the twelfth week of 2011. When it comes to retreading, the gen- eral consensus is that a tire six years old or older might be suspect. But ultimately, LW·VWKHUHWUHDGHU·VMREWRGHWHUPLQHWKH YLDELOLW\RIFDVLQJV7KLVLVGRQHWKURXJK both a thorough visual inspection, and by using high-tech, non-destructive inspec- tion equipment. X By Tom Kelley 5HWUHDGLQJ7LUHV6DYHV7UXFNHUV0RQH\