Tires: Retreaded often not a good choice
SECOND TIRE LIFE Recycling is in vogue and is also important with a view to sustainable mobility. Retreaded car tires have also been around for a long time. But are these remanufactured products really to be recommended? As part of its tire tests, TCS looked into the question of how good and safe retreaded tires are. The remanufacturing of tires, i.e. the [...]
As part of its tire tests, TCS investigated the question of how good and safe retreaded tires are. The retreading of tires, i.e. the recycling of discarded tires, is common in the commercial vehicle sector, in agriculture and even in racing.
Retreaded tires are an alternative to brand-new models. For this purpose, used tires are collected and the old treads are planed off the carcasses. Vulcanization is used to permanently bond a new tread to the old base. This brings the reconditioned tire close to the manufacturing quality of new tires.
Often "not recommended" in TCS tests
Currently, the company Reifen Hinghaus is offering a large-scale advertising campaign to draw attention to its brand King Meiler. The King Meiler tires are available in Switzerland only online, usually cheaper than new tires.
TCS has also been testing retreaded tires since 2003. The tests have shown that such products cannot compete with first-production tires from well-known tire manufacturers. In the latest test, tires of the King Meiler brand were tested. They performed poorly, especially in the wet, in snow and in terms of noise emissions.
Why the poor test results?
Possible reasons for the poor test results are the used carcasses. There is a risk of driving four different tires, although they all have the same tread.
As a result, each wheel has different handling characteristics. It is also unclear whether the tread design and rubber compound of the retread are on a par with the original in terms of quality.
