I spent 7 months in hospital and a further 2 months off work after a
friends re-tread stripped at 70 mph, I wouldn't touch them with a barge
pole, but it's your choice in the end and things might have improved in
the last 35 years.

Mike

Safe as houses, as long as they stay on the
trailer/wheelbarrow/trolly/forklift.

Or if your not planning on reaching over 40MPH or so.

Many years ago I ran on retreads because I couldn't aford anything
else. They were awful but....

Times have changed.  For car and 4x4 tyres most retreads are
manufactured to a very high quality.

Ony good quality casings are used for retreading. There is a limit to
the number and size of repairs that a retreader will accept on his
casings.

The tread and sidewalls are buffed down to a computer controlled
specification.

High quality products are used to rebuild the body of the tyre and it
is then cured in a pressure mould. In exactly the same way as a new
tyre is manufactured.

The retreaded tyre is then pressure tested.

There is very little difference between the way a new tyre is finished
and a retread is finished.

People point to the debris at the roadside and say - bloody retreads -
but the reality is that it is just as likely to be a new tyre as a
retread that has left the debris.

All tyres can "chunk out", if have bits of rubber tread fly off. All
tyres can delaminate if they are subjected to mistreatment - ie
overloaded or run at too low a pressure. Running overloaded or at low
pressure builds up heat in the sidewall, and in the tread - I've seemn
a new W rated tyre running 10% low and overloaded disintegrate at
230kph in lab conditions.

I've seen the waste at both new and retread factories, and believe me,
new tyre manufacturers have an astonishingly high waste rate through
faults. Retreaders nowadays have to use some pretty sophisticated
equipment to check each and every tyre that comes off the line so the
quality of most UK retreads is actually pretty high.

If you do go for a retread then Colway is a pretty safe bet - most Uk
retreaders only do Truck tyres nowadays, But I do know that Insa Turbo
get imported from Spain, and you might come across Hiperimperio from
Portugal, Black Star from France, and Malatesta and Marix from Italy (
Marix is Marangoni's retread brand and Marangoni make some pretty
nifty new tyres under their own label Marangoni, and also as Stunner.

And yes, I'm involved in the business but I don't sell tyres and have
nothing to gain from the above.

Ewan Scott

I use Colway C trax ATs on my Rodeo during the winter. They get a mixture
from dry tarmac to forest stages. Never had a problem.

Cheers

D