Retreads

[BlackRubi]

Has anyone used the TreadWright retreads? The couple of reviews that I have seen (like on IH8mud.com), but I was wondering if anyone here has used them. Seems like a money-saving deal. I'm just a little apprehensive about airing them down (although the review said they do great).

[Andrew]

I'd never buy a retread. Ever.

MAYBE on a trailer-only rig. NEVER on something I would drive on the highway.

You see those big strips of tread that come off of semis? Well they usually use retreads. And that's what happens. On a semi they have a crapton of other tires that it's not as big of a deal if one fails. On your vehicle you've got 4 and that's it.

[Chris]

I agree with Andrew on this.

[brian pleasant]

i will never buy retread tires, bad experience in florida with all heat on the roads

[scout man]

I have blown out several on semi's and because of that would never want to put one one a person vehicle that I would use on a highway. So yes, I agree with Andrew.

and to give you an idea of the force those things have when they blow, I blew one out on a semi trailer one day that wrapped around the 1/4" angle iron that the mud flap was attached too, and put a full twist in the angle iron, then pushed it up through the floor of the trailer. Granted, those run 105psi, but still, I wouldnt want to risk having that happen under a consumer grade vehicle. Could basically total your rig.

[1freaky1]

I used retreads early on way back when I had my first car cause I couldn't afford decent tires back then raising a family. After having one blow on me and causing me to total my car and literally dying 3 times in the ER and having been left with a brain injury I said no more to retreads ever again. Kyle, a couple years ago Colorado outlawed retreads for passenger vehicles so you might want to check into that some more.

[Chris]

Wow Sean, can't get much more convincing than that.

[BlackRubi]

The only reason I was wondering is because of the review and the cash saving aspect. I had thought about them before, then decided against it for the exact reasons that you guys are giving. The review says that they're good and long lasting, but I was still apprehensive about it. Thanks everyone. If anyone else has any experience with them, please feel free to chime in.

What about as trail tires? Maybe get another set of rims, mount the retreads, and only use them to get to the trail, run the trail, then back home, then switch back to the MT/Rs?

[Andrew]

I wouldn't trust them to get me to the trail doing anything but sitting on a trailer being towed.

Yeah they're cheaper, but it ain't worth the risk.

With a regular blowout, you can still get in a wreck too but most of the time the tread doesn't completely fail and come off the tire.

You want to save some money, get on Craigslist and look for some used tires.

I'm not sure why you would switch to different tires for a trail but then switch back to MT/R's?? Wouldn't you want to run MT/R's on a trail?

[BlackRubi]

I wouldn't trust them to get me to the trail doing anything but sitting on a trailer being towed.

Yeah they're cheaper, but it ain't worth the risk.

With a regular blowout, you can still get in a wreck too but most of the time the tread doesn't completely fail and come off the tire.

You want to save some money, get on Craigslist and look for some used tires.

I'm not sure why you would switch to different tires for a trail but then switch back to MT/R's?? Wouldn't you want to run MT/R's on a trail?

The retreads I was looking at has the same tread pattern as the MT/Rs. I'm just going to need new tires soon. Hence all of my prior posts regarding Pitbull tires and such. Right now I'm looking at the new MT/Rs with Kevlar, BFG Mud Terrains, Pitbull tires (all of them), swampers, and M/T Baja Claws. I'm just trying to avoid having to sell a kidney on the black market to pay for it. I've always been a little weary about buying used tires on CL. I'm really stuck on what to do.

[Metalhed]

I would run em
and I have with no issues or concerns
a tire is a tire is a tire, if it blows anything can happen

I went close to 30k on some mud tires from Hi-Tek. Great construction, great tires

I have also had retread OTR tires come apart, but overloading was the name of the game for the company I worked for. That is why OTR retreads can only go on the rears.

[Andrew]

I am running a set of 33x12.50 MTR's I got off Craigslist.

[ShutUpHippie]

I am running a set of 33x12.50 MTR's I got off Craigslist.
That should always be your first bet if you're looking to save a few dollars. So many good deals out there.

[Andrew]

Yup. If you don't feel comfortable, take a friend who knows tires to give them a look over.

My MTR's cost me I think $700 for 5 of them (It's been a while so not sure exact price). They still had all the wear indicators and everything. They were just sitting on this guy's FJ restoration project and he was selling it and wanted to put different tires on. They sat in the garage and were driving around the block testing things and that's about it. Couldn't be happier.

There are certainly junk tires on CL but there are deals to be had.

[DETN8R]

I wouldnt see any problems with running them as long as you inspected them quite frequently.

[porkchop]

I used retreads early on way back when I had my first car cause I couldn't afford decent tires back then raising a family. After having one blow on me and causing me to total my car and literally dying 3 times in the ER and having been left with a brain injury I said no more to retreads ever again. Kyle, a couple years ago Colorado outlawed retreads for passenger vehicles so you might want to check into that some more.
sorry to hear man. but i also wanted to add that ive also heard of colorado outlawing retreads on passenger vehicles some years ago

[JeffX]

I'd never buy a retread. Ever.

MAYBE on a trailer-only rig. NEVER on something I would drive on the highway....

I would consider them. For my rig, the re-treads are ~$500 and new ones are over $1000. There's a guy on Ronin running them without issues, but he keeps them on the pavement.

That said, I've busted a retread before (on a commercial vehicle). It was minorly inconvenient (tire didn't pop), but the shop warranted it.

[Brody]

Not really the best idea unless you are on a really extreme budget. Even then, you would be better off buying a set of used tires off of craigslist.

The company that was mentioned has actually gotten good reviews on their retreads, though. Four Wheeler or another 4x mag did a review awhile back and they had been running them on a test rig for over a year with no problems, on and off road. That said, I personally wouldn't want them on mine, especially since a tire failure on a lifted rig and/or a short wheel base rig like a Jeep at highway speeds, is going to produce some really bad actions....in other words, a failure in this type of rig will probably mean flipping the rig..

[4Runninfun]

From what i understand retreads have come along way since the old days, however i would tend to agree with the sentiments on here. shop CL first. always good deals to be had. Also check out Colorado4x4.org, seams i always see good deals on tires over there. only if in a serious bind would i put retreads on. IMO there a few things on a car that you absolutely NEVER go cheap on, tires being one, breaks and steering. those 3 things will get you hurt faster than just about anything else. good luck. might PM patrolman and have him work his magic on CL.

[JeffX]

From what i understand retreads have come along way since the old days.....

Yeah, that's my point. They're a great alternative to new, IMO. I will be seriously considering them for my next set if I can't afford new.