Recaps, re-treads or what ever you call them for a JKU

[thebrassnuckles]

I had treadwrights on my 2013 JKUR. I loved them. I put 25k miles on them in about a year and a half. I ran them in sub zero temps, 100+ degree temps, at 12-60psi across the whole temperature range, did donuts, hit over 100mph (downhill tailwind) i pretty much ran the gambit with them. If I wasn't super broke I would have bought another set for my cruiser, but I bought some used AT tires off craigslist.

That being said, their prices keep going up, and are now pretty much a moot point on the savings IMO.

 

[kojackJKU]

For a trail rig fine. On a rig that sees heavy road and highway use, NOPE. Not worth having one delaminate at 70 plus mph and wrecking.

 

[ihatemybike]

We've run three sets of the remolded Treadwright Warden AT tires on our cross country driven Jeep.

The first two sets from before they were bought LT245/75R16 and LT265/75R16 were great, balanced nicely, wore nicely, no complaints at all.

The current set LT245/75R16 from their new owners and location in Texas took more to balance, have been wearing a bit funny and the seam between the remolded tread and the original manufacturer's sidewall has small chunked away spots.

While not quite as "Look at that fun off-road toy", I've been run some Starfire SF 510 tires 31x10.5R15LT on my Blazer and rather liked them. Starfire is a Cooper Tires sub-brand, Heche en Mexico. I'll most likely put the LT245/75R16 version on the van I recently bought and probably on the Jeep for it's next set (if my wife agrees, she likes the off-road toy look).

 

[TheRealBuddyExpedition]

I buy from Www.tirerecappers.com. ..

Sent from my DEA work phone.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

I wouldn't put retreads on my lawnmower. Wearing tires quickly? Then get a different tire tread type. Commercial vehicle don't out retreads on the steering axle for a reason, what makes you think putting them on the front axle of your Jeep is safer? Also, those big chunks and strips of rubber all over the freeway? Those are retreads. Retreads and the casings of retreaded tires that failed.

 

[unkamonkey]

We ran recapped Michlins on the Suburban for many years, XZ tread. We also hand picked the carcass and did the recap job ourselves. We capped some of them up to four times. I have lost more treads off of "new" tires than any recap. I have never lost a cap tread. We recapped anything from a passenger car tire to semi tires.

 

[kojackJKU]

Guess you were running the explorer with firestones. I have driven more than most here, and I have yet to have a tire separation on a NEW tire. A recap.....I see those all over the highway all the time. NO thanks for me. My family is more important to me than saving a 100 bucks on a set of ****ty recaps.

 

[hansrober]

My first set of Treadwrights worked out great with about 40k on them. My second set from the new Treadwright in Texas were terrible! If anyone is near me you can come pick them up. They would be great for a hunting "woods only truck" or to set on fire in a riot. They are 285R70'17 Wardens. No more of those for me. The hassle was not worth the time.

 

[ihatemybike]

What you see on the highway are recaps, used on the trailers, which had catastrophic failure. Research has shown this is usually due to low or no inflation. What happens is something causes the tire to leak down from the 100+ psi they should be inflated to, the tire flexes, overheats and falls apart. Since they are run as duals and tire pressure monitoring systems still aren't widely used on semi trailers, the truck driver can have no knowledge of the situation till the tire fails.

Recaps and remolds are created using two entirely different processes.

Recaps (semi trailers), a premolded band of tread is adhered to the casing.

Remolds (cars, trucks, semi-drive wheels), new tread is added to the casing using the exact same hot molding process as a new tire.

I did lots and lots of research before Treadwright (remolded) tires were put on our Jeep. What I found was that failure rates for remolded tires were no greater than new tires.

 

[kojackJKU]

Again, NO THANKS. NOT the place to cheap out.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Again, NO THANKS. NOT the place to cheap out.

What he said. Especially on a tire used off-road (aired down), then on highway and back and forth between the two uses. The price savings just isn't worth it.

 

[BNJeepsta]

What you see on the highway are recaps, used on the trailers, which had catastrophic failure. Research has shown this is usually due to low or no inflation. What happens is something causes the tire to leak down from the 100+ psi they should be inflated to, the tire flexes, overheats and falls apart. Since they are run as duals and tire pressure monitoring systems still aren't widely used on semi trailers, the truck driver can have no knowledge of the situation till the tire fails.

Recaps and remolds are created using two entirely different processes.

Recaps (semi trailers), a premolded band of tread is adhered to the casing.

Remolds (cars, trucks, semi-drive wheels), new tread is added to the casing using the exact same hot molding process as a new tire.

I did lots and lots of research before Treadwright (remolded) tires were put on our Jeep. What I found was that failure rates for remolded tires were no greater than new tires.

THIS^ I work in a rubber molding facility and, while we make solid wear parts, not car tires, the molding process is the same. Recap semi tires are a completely different tire than a remolded car tire. I have ran 3 sets of treadwright guard dogs on 3 different jeeps with no issues. Sure, some people have had less than savory experiences with them but, there isn't a single tire manufacturer that hasn't had a bad review. I personally think that BFG A/T's are the worst tires on the planet. Does that mean that BFG is a bad company and nobody should buy their tires? No...

 

[(none)]

What you see on the highway are recaps, used on the trailers, which had catastrophic failure. Research has shown this is usually due to low or no inflation. What happens is something causes the tire to leak down from the 100+ psi they should be inflated to, the tire flexes, overheats and falls apart. Since they are run as duals and tire pressure monitoring systems still aren't widely used on semi trailers, the truck driver can have no knowledge of the situation till the tire fails.

Recaps and remolds are created using two entirely different processes.

Recaps (semi trailers), a premolded band of tread is adhered to the casing.

Remolds (cars, trucks, semi-drive wheels), new tread is added to the casing using the exact same hot molding process as a new tire.

I did lots and lots of research before Treadwright (remolded) tires were put on our Jeep. What I found was that failure rates for remolded tires were no greater than new tires.

But what is the quality control on the used carcass? They are taking carcasses with unknown number of miles, unknown age (to the potential end customer), and unknown history and slapping new rubber on it. It doesn't matter how good your process is if the foundation is unreliable. If I get a set of remolds, do all of those tires have carcasses from the same manufacturer?

At least when you purchase new tires, you are assured you are purchasing all new materials.

 

[Frank]

Tires are the single most important safety and performance item on a vehicle. Spend all the money you want on suspension, horsepower mods, brakes etc, none of it is good if the tires suck or come apart on the freeway and put your family and others at risk.

Not worth the gamble to me. Just my opinion.

My opinion as well. If you want to run 'mud' or anything aggressive, they will wear rather quick, and its the price you have to pay for running such a tire.

JEEP ....Just Empty Every Pocket.

 

[ihatemybike]

But what is the quality control on the used carcass? They are taking carcasses with unknown number of miles, unknown age (to the potential end customer), and unknown history and slapping new rubber on it. It doesn't matter how good your process is if the foundation is unreliable. If I get a set of remolds, do all of those tires have carcasses from the same manufacturer?

The quality control of used carcasses is quite high, x-rays and high pressure testing is the norm. Our quick to sue society makes sure of this. The carcasses often have fairly accurate mile history as many people buy tires from the same place over and over. Carcass age is molded into the sidewall by the original manufacturer. Abused history will show up in x-rays. The remolding industry in the US rejects 99% of the carcasses they see.

When I've ordered tires form Treadwright I've always specified and received matching BFG All Terrain TA carcasses.