|
Retreading is a safe, efficient and environmentally friendly way to breathe new life into worn tyres: The "worn-out" tread of the tyre is replaced with a brand-new one and this means that the tyre can be used again!
Unfortunately, however, not every tyre can be retreaded. The requirements are:
- The tyre was used correctly in its "first life", driven with the right air pressure and treated with care.
- The tyre's frame, the carcass, is not seriously damaged.
In addition, whether a retreadable carcass can be reused depends on the type of tyre. The following retreading limits apply:
- Car tyres: 1 time
- Light truck tyres: Generally 1 time
- Truck tyres: 1 to 3 times
- Aircraft tyres: Up to 12 times
There are two techniques for retreading:
Hot retreading or Precure retreading.
KRAIBURG Austria has expertise in both retreading techniques.
The benefits of retreading are that it is both environmentally friendly and cost-efficient!
- When the tread has worn off, only about 20% of the tyre is used up. The carcass, which represents about 80% of the tyre's value, can be re-rubberised for a "new tyre life".
- To produce a truck or bus tyre requires about 60-80 kg of rubber mixture. Retreading the tyre takes only about 15 kg of rubber. A considerable amount of raw materials can therefore be saved. In the EU, this equates to more than 300,000 tonnes per year!
- To produce a car tyre requires about 28 litres of crude oil. To retread a car tyre, on the other hand, only 5.5 litres of oil are needed.
|
|
Retreading saves over 500,000 tonnes of crude oil in the EU every year.
- Retreads save the user a great deal of money, since they will do about the same mileage as new tyres, but cost only 45-60% of the price of a comparable new tyre.
- While retreading does not eliminate the need to dispose of old tyres, it does delay it considerably. This helps keep down the fast-growing cost of disposal and takes the pressure off landfills.
Retreads and their place on the market
The proportion of retreads on the replacement car and truck tyre market in Europe still varies widely.
- For car tyres, retreads make up only 1-2% of the market in Switzerland and the Netherlands, but this figure rises to over 20% in Scandinavia. In Germany, retreads account for around 10% of car tyres, a proportion which rises to 20% for winter tyres.
- For truck tyres, the proportion of retreads is much higher, ranging from around 40% in Spain to over 70% in Finland. In Germany and France, retreads make up around half of the replacement tyre market for trucks. Over 15 million truck and bus tyres are used every year across the EU. Of these, around 8 million are new tyres, and over 6 million are retreads.
Retreading plays a particularly important role in aircraft tyres, which are subjected to extreme stresses. Aircraft tyres have to withstand huge strain at speeds of over 250 km/h, and undergo retreading after around 150 take-off and landing manoeuvres. Retreading can take place up to twelve times. The testing procedures are naturally very stringent here, and safety takes top priority.
High-quality retreading is the alternative to new tyres for commercial vehicles, since it offers safety, top running performance and an excellent cost-benefit ratio. More and more consumers are recognising and coming to appreciate the positive image of high-quality retreads.
|
