A controversy over retreads has two parties at odds. Read through. What do you think of retreads? ------------ RTA NEWS YOU CAN USE June 13, 2014 A VERY DEROGATORY ARTICLE BY BRIDGESTONE PR MANAGER DESIREE VAN NEIKER APPEARED TODAY IN iafrica. HER ARTICLE IS SHOWN BELOW, FOLLOWED BY OUR REBUTTAL Why retreaded tyres are a BAD idea Passenger vehicles should not be fitted with retreaded tyres, Bridgestone SA has warned. While retreads are often used on heavy vehicles, they are not suited to the operating conditions of passenger vehicles, said the tyre-maker. Passenger cars are expected to provide good road-holding and braking, and provide safety and comfort when travelling at freeway speeds, said Bridgestone PR Manager, Desirée van Niekerk. Retreaded tyres are not suitable for fitment on modern passenger vehicles. The process of creating a retread involves scrubbing away any remaining tread and bonding a new tread area to the tyre. A similar process, called re-grooving, is used in tyres which have been designed with extra tread base into which new tread can be cut once the original has worn out. The National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No.093 of 1996) states that No person shall operate on a public road a motor vehicle which is equipped with a re-grooved tyre having a bead diameter of 430 millimetres or less. However, re-grooving is highly dangerous when it is carried out on tyres which were not designed to be re-grooved, including passenger tyres. Re-grooving and retreading are fleet management strategies which are typically used to increase the service life of tyres fitted to heavy vehicles. These tyres are not required to be able to withstand the high speeds and dynamic loads imposed on passenger car tyres. Nonetheless, even in heavy vehicle applications, it is good practice to never fit retreads to the steering axle of a vehicle. The steering axle is a critical axle where tyre failure is potentially deadly, said Van Niekerk. A properly made retread on a heavy vehicle tyre is extremely reliable in practice, but one always wants the peace of mind of a new tyre on the front axle. Talking about passenger car tyres, Van Niekerk said that even an initial re-treading comes with an increased risk of tyre failure. A retreaded tyre also cannot be guaranteed to comply with the speed and load rating of the original tyre. She added that the most effective way to reduce tyre costs over the lifetime of a passenger car is to ensure that tyres are always correctly inflated to provide the most economical operation. Correct driving style also helps prolong tyre life, such as avoiding harsh braking, heavy cornering and sudden acceleration. Good driving and tyre maintenance habits can increase tyre life by up to 30 percent and, in many cases, this can offset the cheaper cost of retreads, Van Niekerk said. But safety remains the top issue. Retreaded tyres are a good choice for heavy vehicles, but not for passenger cars. THE RTA REBUTTAL We take serious exception to the comments written by Bridgestone PR Manager, Desirée van Nieker regarding her statements that retreads for passenger cars is not a good idea. The facts absolutely prove her misguided comments wrong. Now lets look at the facts: Retreads have been safely used and continue to be safely used by thousands of taxis in New York City and have been done so for many years. Taxis in many other cities also safely use them and the accident rate for retreads is no higher than that for virgin tires. Also, many thousands of retreads are in use by motorists - including myself, as I have been safely using retreads on my personal cars in ALL wheel positions for nearly 40 years - worldwide. If retreads were less safe than comparable new tires insurance companies would insist that the premiums for motorists using retreads be higher than that for motorists not using them, yet insurance companies couldnt care less whether vehicles use retreads or new tires. I challenge Ms. van Nieker or anyone else to provide facts, meaning FACTS and not just misguided anecdotal statements that passenger retreads are less safe than new tires. Retreads save motorists money and are far more environmental friendly than comparable new tires, and I challenge Ms. van Nieker or anyone else to come up with proof to contradict this statement. Thanks to the use of retreads many motorists, who might not be able to afford new tires, are able to drive on tires that are far more safe than those with less than the legal tread limit. Harvey Brodsky Managing Director Retread Tire Association
Posted on: Fri, 13 Jun 2014 17:41:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015