Re-treads experience?

[CoreyZ]

So seeing as how the retreads are a very economical option for tires.... has anyone had experience with them to say they are worth it?

Been looking at the treadwright 265/70/17 "Wardens" for when I get the OME lift... and at $540 shipped, hard to beat.


I know semi's have used retreads for years... and I wont see too much trail time, but I dont want the tread flying off while on the way to work lol.

[Matt]

While I don't have any direct experience with retreads, there's a reason for that. Tires are the most crucial part of a vehicle. So everytime I've been shopping for tires and have come across retread pricing I have asked myself, is saving $300 worth the risk? Most good offroading tires will last over 40k miles with proper alignment, inflation and maintenance. So that $300 in savings isn't really all that much when you consider savings/year or savings/mile. Thus, I always choose to stick with proven/known brands. Regardless of how many sucess stories I hear, its just not worth the unknown risk.

With that said, if I was building a trailerd trail rig.... I'd toss retreads on that in a heartbeat.

[AJeepZJ]

While I don't have any direct experience with retreads, there's a reason for that. Tires are the most crucial part of a vehicle. So everytime I've been shopping for tires and have come across retread pricing I have asked myself, is saving $300 worth the risk? Most good offroading tires will last over 40k miles with proper alignment, inflation and maintenance. So that $300 in savings isn't really all that much when you consider savings/year or savings/mile. Thus, I always choose to stick with proven/known brands. Regardless of how many sucess stories I hear, its just not worth the unknown risk.

With that said, if I was building a trailerd trail rig.... I'd toss retreads on that in a heartbeat.

I call this the grandpa approach - stuck on old ways, and I totally agree with you, lol.

[Matt]

Lol that's because those who don't follow the "grandpa" approach don't live long enough to reach grandpa status!

In all seriousness though I also question people's level of knowledge when reading the "I've never had issues" reviews. Is this person a 16 year old kid or an astronaut?

There's also an inherent level of "what I have is the best, because I have it" philosophy amongst the online community... which is funny because I have seen people swear up and down that (for example) their tried and true 4spd trans is the best and that new 6spd trans is nothing but junk..... then they eventually trade in the truck and all the sudden the 6spd trans is leaps and bounds better than that "old 4spd" they had.

So for those reasons, I try not to base any of my entire decision off online reviews.

[AJeepZJ]

I try to look for areas of consistency when I'm trying something new, or thinking of trying a different approach. Because, you are right, people can become... sensationalists, lol. When you find patterns of success or failure in a product - it allows you to ask the right questions.

[Matt]

Exactly. I pay special attention to those who have used multiple products throughout years of being an enthusiast. And these sites are good for identifying trends as well.

My main point on retreads is we're now talking about safety. Its not "are they loud?", "how long do they last?" , etc type of questions..... its "are they truly safe for daily driven highway use with my kids in the back seat" type of question that honestly makes the $300 savings a moot point (IMO). And that's why I don't run them.

Hell, you notice that most guys will spend $300 on new rotors for their vehicles instead of resurfacing rotors with plenty of meat left.... I wonder if there's anyone who would run retreads to save $300 but is also against rotor resurfacing (which isn't an issue when done right). That would be kind of funny.

Edit: hence, in my personal opinion, I think retreads have a solid place in the market for trails rigs where the risks/consequences are much much lower.

I know there are at least a few in the XK/WK community running them on DDs, so I expect we'll hear some differing opinions. It definitely comes down to a personal choice in this matter.