Retread tires

I figured I'd try a set of retreads. They're almost 1/2 the price of comparable new tires, and they look pretty good. I thought some folks here might be interested, so I'll post updates from time to time regarding wear, ride, balance issues, catastrophic failures...

Here's the product: Treadwright Guard Dog M/T, load range E. New tread applied over matched Toyo carcasses (I think you can actually request the sidewall/carcass you want). I also got the optional "Kedge Grip", which is crushed up glass and walnut shells in the compound. The walnut shell supposedly falls out, creating little sipes for traction, and the glass stays in longer for better grip on ice, etc.

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps2226ab35.jpg

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps5d01f6ec.jpg

http://i841.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps40dbc709.jpg

I've heard people recommend them before. In cooler temps, I wouldn't be too afraid of running them, but when it gets good and hot out(upper 90s and up), I would be reluctant. Seems when it gets hotter out, the caps tend to separate more often, and with that, a lot of damage can happen. Now with these, they may fair better than big truck tires, but I lack first hand experience with them, just semis. Pretty aggressive, they should have some real bite offroading.

My dad had a set and ended up with them coming apart and ended up with a blowout. Says he will never buy another set.

I love the looks of the deep & aggressive tread pattern. Curious to hear your reports back on tread wear and overall reliability.

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Originally Posted by WETWRKS

My dad had a set and ended up with them coming apart and ended up with a blowout. Says he will never buy another set.

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Yeah, my dad told had the same experience.... in the 1960's. Supposedly, these have a good track record. We'll see...

There's a lot of guys running them with good results. I wouldn't be afraid of throwing a set on.

My pops runs re-treads on his semi during the winter. He super singles in the summer. Thousands of miles, lots of weight, never an issue.


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I know retreads are popular across the pond and always wondered why they were not here. Keep us updated.

I will agree for a winter tire that will see cooler temps and lower speeds, why not?
I refuse to buy brand new tires.
Until CL runs out of tires the 250.00 per tire from a shop ain't happening....

These seem to get mostly good reviews over on pirate4x4 every time they are brought up. There were a couple reports of treads separating but also they are supposed to have good customer service with their warranty.

Also, these will never be driven at very high speed, probably 55 tops. They're just going on a recreational trail beast (Pinzgauer 710M).

I had a set of 31s and didn't have a very good experience. These came from a shop (now closed) in Longmont.

One totally delaminated on an early spring trip to Moab. The second was a sidewall blow out in Boulder Canyon, with multiple open cracks. The third, and final, was on the highway and had a chunk come out of the center tread about the size of a softball.

All three incidents were at or under 60mph and none were in the summer.

That was enough for me. Ever since, I have never considered retreads.

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Originally Posted by BPTactical

I will agree for a winter tire that will see cooler temps and lower speeds, why not?
I refuse to buy brand new tires.
Until CL runs out of tires the 250.00 per tire from a shop ain't happening....

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I can understand that. With a little price shopping you can find good deals online. I picked up four new tires for my jeep recently, $136 a pop for Cooper STTs in 30". Look up tread depot, and tire crawler on the internet. I just used tirecrawler with no issues.

Nevermind

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Originally Posted by Fentonite

Also, these will never be driven at very high speed, probably 55 tops. They're just going on a recreational trail beast (Pinzgauer 710M).

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I retract my quote then

I have friends that run them with good luck. Ill likely be checking out a set as the price is almost 100 less per tire vs a BFG MT in my size.

Same tires that are on my explorer (minus the kedge grip). I have a different model from Treadwright on my F150. I had a few sidewal cracks appear on one of the truck tires shortly after I bought them that looked like dry rot, Treadwright sent me a replacement at no charge.

We run caps on 5 semis and a few other trucks. We have never had one issue with them. We run them in the Bakken in North Dakota and throughout Colorado and surrounding states. All temps and a lot of weight. I would just make sure that it is a good dealer that your working with.

There heavy as hell my 37s are half the weight of the 35s I ordered from them....when I got mine the seam where the tread met up around the tire there was an 1/8" diffrence in tread hight
I sold em on cl for what I paid for em....now I'm running 16.5" rims and I can buy mil surplus 37s for 95 bucks a tire with 95% tread

I'd be worried about the tires going on a truck that gets driven little. The tire industry is getting hip to the age of rubber. If the carcass is already 5 years old, you got to wonder how long it is gonna sit in your garage. The tires on my Willys are nearly 10 years old but look like new. I'll likely replace them in the next couple years. They are not recaps. That's why recaps make sense on a truck that sees a lot of miles and will wear them out in a couple years. Not so great for a collectors car.

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Originally Posted by ben4372

I'd be worried about the tires going on a truck that gets driven little. The tire industry is getting hip to the age of rubber. If the carcass is already 5 years old, you got to wonder how long it is gonna sit in your garage. The tires on my Willys are nearly 10 years old but look like new. I'll likely replace them in the next couple years. They are not recaps. That's why recaps make sense on a truck that sees a lot of miles and will wear them out in a couple years. Not so great for a collectors car.

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Hmmm. That's an interesting point I hadn't thought of. I guess I'll just have to drive it more![Coffee]

I've got Wardens on my Amigo. I think they just hit 12,000 miles in 2 years. My spare is on the back and open to the elements for two years. The spare has small, but noticeable, cracks around the edge even though the tire has never been on the pavement before. I can snap a picture if someone wants. I'd be comfortable with it getting me off a mountain though. I've had the tires up to probably 85 mph, but hardly ever drive that fast in any of my cars anymore. My rear two tires have the Kedge Grip. I still haven't rotated them.

I have run several sets of Treadwrights, I have never had an issue, the new tires they have are not just recaps their new B2B versions are complete remolds, tread sidewalls everything, no "cap" to come loose, the whole tire has been molded,

I have a set of the warden b2b on my 3/4 chevy right now, quite smooth, great in the ice and snow, way better than the new michelin m/s on my wife's 3/4 ton surburban, they suck out loud, trading them this week for a set of warden's

I have used them on my 1 ton dually, my durangos, my jeeps, avalanche, never an issue, they are not the old recaps that your dad used, on my dually they saved me $600 per set.

They sometimes take a little more weight to balance, the guard dogs the OP is using are the same pattern a BFG MT, very loud on the road, but on a trail rig i would not hesitate, i had a set of 33s on my lifted durango for a while, the road noise was too much for me, the warden is the same tread pattern as a BFG AT, quite and smooth

you dont want these though, dont increase demand, i dont want the pricing to go up :)

Since we are talking tires, I have posted an ad down in the Trading Post under Non-Firearms. Although not retreads, these are two Michelin road tires off of a Toyota Tundra Crewmax with a good number of miles left in them. Sure would like to get rid of em. [Help]

My dad tried them and had a blowout from tread separation that actually dented the the rear quarter panel on his truck. Also, what are all those tire parts all over the interstate? Retreads baby, retreads.

I have 35,000 miles on a set on my dually and I can't complain about them I never even had to put air in them but they are bald as shit now

So after having 6 different sets of the greadwrights over the hear I finally had one fail

The drivers fro t separated today, not a blow out, but it is cooked, about 12000 miles on it bought last oct.

I will report on their customer service, I cant wait to have another set shipped so I am off to the tire shop in the am

How fast were you going when it happened? Any issues keeping control until your were safely off the road? How fast do you usually drive on them? I've pushed mine to about 90, but I don't really feel comfortable doing it.

As other guys have noted trucking companies use them all the time on big rigs (with the exception of the steer tires). I may look into them next time I'm ready for some tires on my 2500HD. Over $1k per set gets a little painful.

Can these be bought locally? Or online only?

Treadwright was located in North Dakota, but has now moved to Texas. Even with shipping it is way cheaper.

I sent 'em an email. Curious to see if they have anything suitable for an old Willys Jeep in stock config., for 16"x4.5" steel rims, 6 ply, with innertubes and liners. Tall and skinny, pizza cutters.

Ill share my Treadwright experience up to this point. I ordered tires back on 3/15, they pulled the money from my account on 3/17. When I ordered, it said 2-3 weeks for delivery. According to my friend who sent me their way, that's highly abnormal. usually he gets his tires within 3-5 days. They had updated their website a few days after I ordered so I figured they were in a transition so things were a little slower. No biggie as I had some time left on my tires.

Approaching the start of week 3: I don't get any shipping updates or anything. I give them a call just to make sure nothing was lost. The rep says "Oh, 2-3 weeks. This is week 3. They'll go out this week.". Great. End of week 3, nothing. No email updates or anything. I call back.

"Oh, you ordered online? I can't see any online orders. You have to talk to customer service."

"Isn't that who I called? You only have one number on your site?."

"We only have the one number and we have to transfer you. Let me see if I can talk to someone over there for you."

Puts me on hold for a few minutes.

"Nope, I couldnt talk to anyone. You have to call back tomorrow"

Wow. So I write a to the point email and Hector calls me the next day.

"We just had some tires come in. I talked to my production manager. The tires will go out this week." (This is Tuesday of week 4)

Things are looking up at this point. Little delayed but the cost savings was still worth it.

Hector calls me back on Thursday. "So we don't have any usable tires for the ones you ordered. But we do have some Kedge grip tires that we can ship you. They're $10 more per tire though." (No offer of comping that cost difference).

"And if I don't want those?"

"You'll have to wait for tires to come in (According to his last call, tires were there?), get tested, built, etc So you would just have to keep waiting."

I just get give the ok to order the upgraded tires so I can be done with it. Start of week 5 and they finally showed up. Took them to Big O and got them put on. According to the tech, he had a hard time getting them balanced. He said the recaps are hit/miss as far as how balanced they are to start. So, I get noticable wheel shake at 40-45 mph, then it goes away. Slight shake at 70+ but not bad.

All said and done, it was a poor experience. The tires look awesome but I'll save up the little bit extra next time and avoid them. I don't do well with poor customer service. Problems arise but its how a company handles them that gets me to come back or not.

You have to have them balanced a certain way. Shiuld be info on the site about it.

Well there ya go. I'll have them redo the balancing and will report after. I still won't support them again though.

They moved recently, byt they still treated you like crap. They gave me some tires with Kedge grip for free, just to get me the complete set. That was a few years ago though.

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Originally Posted by Dave_L

Ill share my Treadwright experience up to this point. ....

All said and done, it was a poor experience. The tires look awesome but I'll save up the little bit extra next time and avoid them. I don't do well with poor customer service. Problems arise but its how a company handles them that gets me to come back or not.

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Wow, Dave. I'd be pissed too. That's nothing like the experience I had with them. They were very quick and polite to me. And my set of tires is still rolling true, with lots of abuse racked up on them already. But if I got treated the way they treated you, I'd never go back either. I wonder if they're getting a little too successful, and too big for their britches?

Yeah, I don't know. My buddy ordered a set 4 months ago and had no problems with his order. :shrugs: Just one of those things, I guess.

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Originally Posted by Dave_L

All said and done, it was a poor experience. The tires look awesome but I'll save up the little bit extra next time and avoid them. I don't do well with poor customer service. Problems arise but its how a company handles them that gets me to come back or not.

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If I had no means of being able to get a decent set of tires, sure this might do in a pinch. It seems they have about a 50% quality ratio and that is not something I am willing to gamble with especially on something that I use for long trips, camping, etc. I like to purchase certain things from brick and mortar stores. Dave's experience would be one of the reasons why.

Where do you get the 50% from? Is that people just in yhis thread?