retreads

Today I recieved a set of High-Tec retreaded tires. I chose High-Tec because of their low prices, the warranty on the tires, and because I had seen a favorable review in a 4x4 magazine recently. High-Tec sells retreaded tires up to 33" sizes. They reuse old, undamaged tire carcasses sold to them from qualified tire dealers from all over. Then they place the carrcass thorough a rigorous inspection, before they are cleaned and prepped for new tread to be applied. The new rubber is applied and vulcanized with a combination of powerful adhesive, heat, pressure, and time. The tires emerge from this process with new tread in one of three available patterns: Mud-terrain (MT), which is a replica of the Dunlop Radial Mud-Rover tread design; All-terrain (AT), a pattern similar to the venerable BFG All-terrain tread; or All-Position (AP), an unidentifiable pattern best suited for a street driven vehicle which rarely sees any dirt.

I chose the All-terrain pattern, because the Blazer will see mostly pavement for a while, and it is not ready for a tire with a very agressive tread. These ought to perform well in modeate off-road excursions, but probably will have limited capability for deep mud or rockcrawling. The size I ordered was 31x10.5 R15's. I decided to stay with the 31" for now because I am not ready for a lift yet, but I wanted to move up from the TINY 235/75's that came when I bought the truck.

One of the funny things about retreads is seeing one tread design on a tire, and then seeing the sidewall writing which doesnt match at all! For instance, The All-Terrains that I ordered came on four bodies that used to be Yokohama Geolander A/T's! It is kinda odd looking at them before you realize the discrepency.
     I was very impressed with the fit and finish of the tires when I recieved them, they look brand new (even the reused sidewalls) and had that new tire smell. They even came with the white sidewall lettering colored blue like a brand new tire! they shipped them quickly to me, i had them within 5 days of ordering.
     One other positive aspect of retreaded tires is the environmental impact, or lack thereof. Reusing a tire by retreading them for a second life of vehicle service is beneficial to the environment in 2 ways. The process used to retread a tire only uses 7 gallons of oil, while manufacturing a brand new tire uses closer to 22 gallons of oil. Reusing a tire carcass for a retread also saves that tire from going to a landfill, where it will take decades for the tire body to decompose.
     Overall, I am very happy with the new retreaded tires, I haven't gotten to test them a whole lot (due to some engine troubles) but the little I have used them I was very impressed. They seem to be very well made, have a 2 year warranty on the retread, and they definitely grip much better than a bald set of BFG's. For someone looking for a good set of cheap tires, I would not hesitate to recommend Hi-Tec retreading for your tire needs.