What is the fine for operating a retread tire on the steer axle of a bus in the United States, because I understand that it does vary by state. I also know that it is generally an out of service violation for a bus.

California (34506.3V.C.) if would be approx. $200..https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/2018-JC-BAIL.pdf The vehicle would also be placed out of service, until the tire is replaced and signed off..So if you need a tire which is $$$, perhaps a tow $$$, taking time out to get a California Highway Patrol sign off the ticket $$$

***If you get caught at a commercial inspection facility you can expect an inspection of your vehicle that would make a rectal exam seem pleasant.

Google bail schedule for the states that you would be traveling in, and look for commercial vehicle tires and that would give you a better picture.

What exactly is it like running retread tires on front end loaders. I do know that they are commonly used on 18 wheelers and other large trucks.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What exactly is it like running retread tires on front end loaders.

As long as they were retreaded by a reputable company, it shouldn't be a problem. Aside from damage, two things destroy tires: Weathering from the outside and heat buildup in the tire carcass from the inside. Front end loaders rarely if ever travel fast enough to build up any heat in the carcasses of their tires, and a reputable retreader would never use an excessively weathered tire as a base.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

I do know that they are commonly used on 18 wheelers and other large trucks.

Never in a steering position, though. Traveling at highway speeds over long distances, truck tires can build up tremendous amounts of heat, especially if they or the tire next to them slightly are slightly under-inflated, hence the thousands if not millions of "road gators" (shed treads of retreaded truck tires) that litter the sides of highways across the US.

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What exactly is it like running retread tires on front end loaders.

As long as they were retreaded by a reputable company, it shouldn't be a problem. Aside from damage, two things destroy tires: Weathering from the outside and heat buildup in the tire carcass from the inside. Front end loaders rarely if ever travel fast enough to build up any heat in the carcasses of their tires, and a reputable retreader would never use an excessively weathered tire as a base.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

I do know that they are commonly used on 18 wheelers and other large trucks.

Never in a steering position, though. Traveling at highway speeds over long distances, truck tires can build up tremendous amounts of heat, especially if they or the tire next to them slightly are slightly under-inflated, hence the thousands if not millions of "road gators" (shed treads of retreaded truck tires) that litter the sides of highways across the US.

Are retreads on the steer axle of a front end loader fine. Also, are they a good investment for construction companies.

These things never travel on roads, at least here, I suspect it's even illegal, so the state of their tires doesn't matter that much, as long as they get traction in dirt/mud.

Aesma wrote:

These things never travel on roads, at least here, I suspect it's even illegal, so the state of their tires doesn't matter that much, as long as they get traction in dirt/mud.

Where exactly do you live

To make sure we're all on the same page, this ^ is what you mean by "front end loader", right? There are of course smaller versions available.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Are retreads on the steer axle of a front end loader fine.

I'm guessing you meant that as a question, and yes, I don't see why they wouldn't be. Most of the ones I've seen in service, though, the tires that came on them lasted as long as the loader itself did anyway, i.e. if the tires that came on a loader are worn out, chances are the loader itself is too, although the smaller ones that are like a farm tractor with an attachment on the front could be an exception to that rule.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Also, are they a good investment for construction companies.

Right off, no, because they can be rented. You'd have to compare the cost of renting one regularly if you need to versus the initial investment of buying one plus maintenance and transportation (if it travels more than a block or two it'll need to do so on a trailer) for the full analysis.

Aesma wrote:

These things never travel on roads, at least here, I suspect it's even illegal, so the state of their tires doesn't matter that much, as long as they get traction in dirt/mud.

Same here. You might occasionally see one going from one end of a large construction site to the other end via road for expediency, but that's rare.

My company owns lots of them as it's a big construction and public works company, it still rents a lot of them too, but I have really no ideas on the costs, I'm in IT. I know we're being hurt by the end of a tax exemption on "non road diesel" these things use. Might see electric models soon.

What exactly is it like running retread tires on emergency vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances and I have read from a number of sources that it is rather common practice.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What exactly is it like running retread tires on emergency vehicles like fire trucks and ambulances and I have read from a number of sources that it is rather common practice.

Hmmm... Most ambulances here run, or ran, either 16" or 16.5" tires but may run larger standard sizes now as is the trend, and I'm not sure the relatively limited cost savings of running retreads instead of new tires on an ambulance would be worth the risk.

If a given fire truck used the same tires as a regular diesel truck (some newer ones appear to use the wider tires found on cement trucks), a case might could be made for using retreads, but why take the risk if you don't have to? Heads would certainly roll at the purchasing department of a municipality after one of their fire trucks shed a tread or worse yet had a blowout on a call.

What is with all the questions about commercial applications for retread tires? Have you recently taken a job as a salesman for a tire retreading company and are trying to come up with prospective customers to whom you can pitch your product?

Illegal in Wisconsin.

What is it like running retread tires on the steer axle of a delivery truck, such as a local UPS or FedEx truck, Postal Service truck, beer truck, or beverage truck. I do know that retreads are commonly used on local delivery trucks including on the steer axle, at least in the United States.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What is it like running retread tires on the steer axle of a delivery truck, such as a local UPS or FedEx truck, Postal Service truck, beer truck, or beverage truck. I do know that retreads are commonly used on local delivery trucks including on the steer axle, at least in the United States.

The legality of using retreads on the steering axle of commercial vehicles smaller than semis may vary from state to state. Unless or until the retread came off the carcass of the tire, they'd be just like any other tires.

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What is it like running retread tires on the steer axle of a delivery truck, such as a local UPS or FedEx truck, Postal Service truck, beer truck, or beverage truck. I do know that retreads are commonly used on local delivery trucks including on the steer axle, at least in the United States.

The legality of using retreads on the steering axle of commercial vehicles smaller than semis may vary from state to state. Unless or until the retread came off the carcass of the tire, they'd be just like any other tires.

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

Retread Tires are legal on the steer axle of a semi truck and are only illegal on the steer axle of a bus.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What is it like running retread tires on the steer axle of a delivery truck, such as a local UPS or FedEx truck, Postal Service truck, beer truck, or beverage truck. I do know that retreads are commonly used on local delivery trucks including on the steer axle, at least in the United States.

The legality of using retreads on the steering axle of commercial vehicles smaller than semis may vary from state to state. Unless or until the retread came off the carcass of the tire, they'd be just like any other tires.

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

Retread Tires are legal on the steer axle of a semi truck and are only illegal on the steer axle of a bus.

Again, that may vary from state to state but I'm not going to debate you about it. What it comes down to is this: If you own a trucking or any other company, is it worth it to save a few bucks by using retreads on the steering axles of your trucks knowing that if an accident does happen because one of those steering axle mounted retreads came apart that the name and logo of your company will be splashed all over the news along with the headline "Cost-Cutting Measures At (your company) Led To Accident That Claimed XX Lives!!"?

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

TSS wrote:

The legality of using retreads on the steering axle of commercial vehicles smaller than semis may vary from state to state. Unless or until the retread came off the carcass of the tire, they'd be just like any other tires.

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

Retread Tires are legal on the steer axle of a semi truck and are only illegal on the steer axle of a bus.

Again, that may vary from state to state but I'm not going to debate you about it. What it comes down to is this: If you own a trucking or any other company, is it worth it to save a few bucks by using retreads on the steering axles of your trucks knowing that if an accident does happen because one of those steering axle mounted retreads came apart that the name and logo of your company will be splashed all over the news along with the headline "Cost-Cutting Measures At (your company) Led To Accident That Claimed XX Lives!!"?

I have not heard of any state law banning retreads on the steer axle of a truck and such use is common for short haul delivery trucks, dump trucks, and garbage trucks. These are local trucks that usually travel at slower speeds than over the road trucks.

TSS wrote:

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

If even that. And in the US only. ( Their website addresses the US and CANADA. nothing else.)

Can’t say I’ve ever had a retread on all of the brown trucks I’ve driven. Not to say it doesn’t happen, but we usually see new ones when it’s time for replacement.

WIederling wrote:

TSS wrote:

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

If even that. And in the US only. ( Their website addresses the US and CANADA. nothing else.)

Fair enough. Who's the number one retreader in Germany and/or The E.U.?

^ Too late for edit.

WIederling wrote:

TSS wrote:

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

If even that. And in the US only. ( Their website addresses the US and CANADA. nothing else.)

Bandag in Europe- https://www.bandag.eu/en/

TSS wrote:

^ Too late for edit.

WIederling wrote:

TSS wrote:

Bandag Tire is one of the largest and most respected retread companies in the world- https://www.bandag.com/en-us/index

If even that. And in the US only. ( Their website addresses the US and CANADA. nothing else.)

Bandag in Europe- https://www.bandag.eu/en/

They present themselves as the market leader in "Kalterneuerung" ( i.e. a glued tread retread "el cheapo" )
that is one segment of re treading. "Heißerneuerung" is a wirebead to wirebead vulcanized process.

and they apparently work as a franchise group. .. and are a Bridgestone subsidiary.
there is nothing to be found on them being the "most respected and largest retread" in the world.
Bridgestone has had quite the difficult path to get away from a "sub par" product image.
I don't think they are there yet.

What is it like to run retread tires on pickup trucks and is it a common practice to do so.

Maybe about as common as there are retread threads on a.net.

In seriousness though, whenever I need new tires I order online and book in with whichever centre has the best rates, but I've never seen retread tires for sale, only new ones.

Is it not really a thing here in the UK? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but I'd never really heard of retreads until Mr. Archguy1 joined this board.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What is it like to run retread tires on pickup trucks

Dude, if you're going to keep asking variations of the same question then I'm going to start giving you variations of the same answer, so...

Unless and until the retreads separate from the carcass of the tire, they run exactly like any other tire.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

and is it a common practice to do so.

No. Way, way back in the 60s and 70s it was more common, but even then retreads were seen as a cheap, low-quality substitute for brand new tires which themselves weren't very good by modern standards. 20 years ago or more when full-sized half-ton pickups all used the same size tire (P235/75R15XL) you might could have found retreads in that size, but you probably could have found brand new tires for the same or even a lower price more easily. Now with every trim variation of a pickup coming with different sized tires I don't imagine there's enough sales volume of any one size to bother making retreads for them.

BlueberryWheats wrote:

In seriousness though, whenever I need new tires I order online and book in with whichever centre has the best rates, but I've never seen retread tires for sale, only new ones.

Is it not really a thing here in the UK? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but I'd never really heard of retreads until Mr. Archguy1 joined this board.

I can't say about the UK, but here in the US they're very common on semi trailers, less so on the drive wheels of semi trucks. ArchGuy1 and I disagree as to whether it is even legal to install them on the steering wheels of semi trucks: He says it is, I say it isn't, or at the very least it wasn't legal at one time and with good reason.

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What exactly is it like running retread tires on front end loaders.

As long as they were retreaded by a reputable company, it shouldn't be a problem. Aside from damage, two things destroy tires: Weathering from the outside and heat buildup in the tire carcass from the inside. Front end loaders rarely if ever travel fast enough to build up any heat in the carcasses of their tires, and a reputable retreader would never use an excessively weathered tire as a base.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

I do know that they are commonly used on 18 wheelers and other large trucks.

Never in a steering position, though. Traveling at highway speeds over long distances, truck tires can build up tremendous amounts of heat, especially if they or the tire next to them slightly are slightly under-inflated, hence the thousands if not millions of "road gators" (shed treads of retreaded truck tires) that litter the sides of highways across the US.

Retread tires are commonly used on the steer axle of local delivery trucks, garbage trucks, and dump trucks.

Aesma wrote:

My company owns lots of them as it's a big construction and public works company, it still rents a lot of them too, but I have really no ideas on the costs, I'm in IT. I know we're being hurt by the end of a tax exemption on "non road diesel" these things use. Might see electric models soon.

Do they use retread tires on front end loaders.

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Aesma wrote:

My company owns lots of them as it's a big construction and public works company, it still rents a lot of them too, but I have really no ideas on the costs, I'm in IT. I know we're being hurt by the end of a tax exemption on "non road diesel" these things use. Might see electric models soon.

Do they use retread tires on front end loaders?

Once again, please use a question mark ( ? ) at the end of sentences that are intended as questions and not as statements.

In order for there to be retreads available for anything, there have to be two things firmly in place:

1. A large number of used tires in a specific size with worn out tread that are otherwise in good shape with no dry rot/weather checking/UV damage from sun exposure.

2. Reasonable demand for that same specific tire size in the marketplace.

Each model of front end loader within a manufacturer's range tends to use it's own sizes of tires, so no one size is likely to be popular enough to justify the investment of making retread molds for that size, plus the tires on front end loaders or any construction equipment tend to succumb to the elements, specifically UV damage, long before the treads wear out so there are not likely to be many if any carcasses available in good enough shape to bother retreading anyway.

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Aesma wrote:

My company owns lots of them as it's a big construction and public works company, it still rents a lot of them too, but I have really no ideas on the costs, I'm in IT. I know we're being hurt by the end of a tax exemption on "non road diesel" these things use. Might see electric models soon.

Do they use retread tires on front end loaders?

Once again, please use a question mark ( ? ) at the end of sentences that are intended as questions and not as statements.

In order for there to be retreads available for anything, there have to be two things firmly in place:

1. A large number of used tires in a specific size with worn out tread that are otherwise in good shape with no dry rot/weather checking/UV damage from sun exposure.

2. Reasonable demand for that same specific tire size in the marketplace.

Each model of front end loader within a manufacturer's range tends to use it's own sizes of tires, so no one size is likely to be popular enough to justify the investment of making retread molds for that size, plus the tires on front end loaders or any construction equipment tend to succumb to the elements, specifically UV damage, long before the treads wear out so there are not likely to be many if any carcasses available in good enough shape to bother retreading anyway.

What makes retreading the trailer tires and rear tractor drive tires on semi trucks economically viable?

ArchGuy1 wrote:

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Do they use retread tires on front end loaders?

Once again, please use a question mark ( ? ) at the end of sentences that are intended as questions and not as statements.

In order for there to be retreads available for anything, there have to be two things firmly in place:

1. A large number of used tires in a specific size with worn out tread that are otherwise in good shape with no dry rot/weather checking/UV damage from sun exposure.

2. Reasonable demand for that same specific tire size in the marketplace.

Each model of front end loader within a manufacturer's range tends to use it's own sizes of tires, so no one size is likely to be popular enough to justify the investment of making retread molds for that size, plus the tires on front end loaders or any construction equipment tend to succumb to the elements, specifically UV damage, long before the treads wear out so there are not likely to be many if any carcasses available in good enough shape to bother retreading anyway.

What makes retreading the trailer tires and rear tractor drive tires on semi trucks economically viable?

Until quite recently the overwhelming majority of them were one size: 11R24.5 (semi trucks and trailers), with 10R22.5 or 11R22.5 (local delivery trucks) in second place. In metric sizing, 11R24.5 would work out to 279/82R24.5. With the newer metric-sized truck tires there seems to be a wider variety of sizes in use.

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

TSS wrote:

Once again, please use a question mark ( ? ) at the end of sentences that are intended as questions and not as statements.

In order for there to be retreads available for anything, there have to be two things firmly in place:

1. A large number of used tires in a specific size with worn out tread that are otherwise in good shape with no dry rot/weather checking/UV damage from sun exposure.

2. Reasonable demand for that same specific tire size in the marketplace.

Each model of front end loader within a manufacturer's range tends to use it's own sizes of tires, so no one size is likely to be popular enough to justify the investment of making retread molds for that size, plus the tires on front end loaders or any construction equipment tend to succumb to the elements, specifically UV damage, long before the treads wear out so there are not likely to be many if any carcasses available in good enough shape to bother retreading anyway.

What makes retreading the trailer tires and rear tractor drive tires on semi trucks economically viable?

Until quite recently the overwhelming majority of them were one size: 11R24.5 (semi trucks and trailers), with 10R22.5 or 11R22.5 (local delivery trucks) in second place. In metric sizing, 11R24.5 would work out to 279/82R24.5. With the newer metric-sized truck tires there seems to be a wider variety of sizes in use.

Even with the new metric sized tires, retreads are still commonly used on the trailers and rear tractor drive tires on semi trucks. They are also commonly used on the rear drive tires of city transit buses and school buses.

BlueberryWheats wrote:

Maybe about as common as there are retread threads on a.net.

In seriousness though, whenever I need new tires I order online and book in with whichever centre has the best rates, but I've never seen retread tires for sale, only new ones.

Is it not really a thing here in the UK? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but I'd never really heard of retreads until Mr. Archguy1 joined this board.

It used to be a regular thing here in the UK, standard schoolboy joke about a new pair of shoes in the 1970's "are they firsts or remoulds" we all knew about remoulded tyres as they were a common thing on cars at that time. When I started driving in the early 80's good value new radial tyres were appearing on the market and remoulds were nearly as expensive, so no one wanted them any more.
Most aircraft tyres are remoulded as are many truck and bus tyres, they of course are much more expensive and the saving is worth having.

2 villages away from me used to be a company that made remoulding machinery, over the years they have shrunk from a big manufacturing plant down to just a small unit, mainly due to the demmise of remoulding car tyres in the UK

Bongodog49 wrote:

BlueberryWheats wrote:

Maybe about as common as there are retread threads on a.net.

In seriousness though, whenever I need new tires I order online and book in with whichever centre has the best rates, but I've never seen retread tires for sale, only new ones.

Is it not really a thing here in the UK? Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but I'd never really heard of retreads until Mr. Archguy1 joined this board.

It used to be a regular thing here in the UK, standard schoolboy joke about a new pair of shoes in the 1970's "are they firsts or remoulds" we all knew about remoulded tyres as they were a common thing on cars at that time. When I started driving in the early 80's good value new radial tyres were appearing on the market and remoulds were nearly as expensive, so no one wanted them any more.
Most aircraft tyres are remoulded as are many truck and bus tyres, they of course are much more expensive and the saving is worth having.

2 villages away from me used to be a company that made remoulding machinery, over the years they have shrunk from a big manufacturing plant down to just a small unit, mainly due to the demmise of remoulding car tyres in the UK

Are truck and bus tires remoulded on the steer axle in the UK.

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

TSS wrote:

Once again, please use a question mark ( ? ) at the end of sentences that are intended as questions and not as statements.

In order for there to be retreads available for anything, there have to be two things firmly in place:

1. A large number of used tires in a specific size with worn out tread that are otherwise in good shape with no dry rot/weather checking/UV damage from sun exposure.

2. Reasonable demand for that same specific tire size in the marketplace.

Each model of front end loader within a manufacturer's range tends to use it's own sizes of tires, so no one size is likely to be popular enough to justify the investment of making retread molds for that size, plus the tires on front end loaders or any construction equipment tend to succumb to the elements, specifically UV damage, long before the treads wear out so there are not likely to be many if any carcasses available in good enough shape to bother retreading anyway.

What makes retreading the trailer tires and rear tractor drive tires on semi trucks economically viable?

Until quite recently the overwhelming majority of them were one size: 11R24.5 (semi trucks and trailers), with 10R22.5 or 11R22.5 (local delivery trucks) in second place. In metric sizing, 11R24.5 would work out to 279/82R24.5. With the newer metric-sized truck tires there seems to be a wider variety of sizes in use.

Retread tires are commonly used on all axles, including steers of local delivery trucks and waste hauling trucks as evidenced in this article. They tend to follow strict rules for such use.
https://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/speci ... xle-tires/

ArchGuy1 wrote:

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

What makes retreading the trailer tires and rear tractor drive tires on semi trucks economically viable?

Until quite recently the overwhelming majority of them were one size: 11R24.5 (semi trucks and trailers), with 10R22.5 or 11R22.5 (local delivery trucks) in second place. In metric sizing, 11R24.5 would work out to 279/82R24.5. With the newer metric-sized truck tires there seems to be a wider variety of sizes in use.

Retread tires are commonly used on all axles, including steers of local delivery trucks and waste hauling trucks as evidenced in this article. They tend to follow strict rules for such use.
https://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/speci ... xle-tires/

From the linked article- "Even though retreads are approved on commercial vehicles for the steer axle, it is still not a popular option; most over-the-road trucking fleets have not considered the use of retreads on the steer position, primarily since the vehicles are infrequently seen in fleet yards."

Also from the linked article- "Vocational trucks and local pickup and delivery service vocations are good examples of applications that would be excellent candidates to for retreads on the steer axle. These fleets are usually home every night where the tires can be inspected on a regular basis."

Here is an article that taks about why it would be beneficial for retread tires to be used on school buses. It costs half as much as new tires, would save a lot of taxpayer money, and the school buses carry light loads on easy roads. Also, the tires are generally replaced every 2 years and retreads would be beneficial on the budgets of school districts by possibly making it every 6 years that the tires are replaced. The only regulation regarding retreads on buses, is that they are prohibited on the steer axle of any bus under FMCSA regulations. So, retreads are considered by many to be a win win situation for use on school buses and those vehicles are considered a perfect fit for such use.
https://www.tirerecappers.com/tire-reca ... ead-tires/

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Here is an article that taks about why it would be beneficial for retread tires to be used on school buses. It costs half as much as new tires, would save a lot of taxpayer money, and the school buses carry light loads on easy roads. Also, the tires are generally replaced every 2 years and retreads would be beneficial on the budgets of school districts by possibly making it every 6 years that the tires are replaced. The only regulation regarding retreads on buses, is that they are prohibited on the steer axle of any bus under FMCSA regulations. So, retreads are considered by many to be a win win situation for use on school buses and those vehicles are considered a perfect fit for such use.

https://www.tirerecappers.com/tire-reca ... ead-tires/

I think with that article one should seriously consider the obvious bias of the source- Tire Recapper's News, on the website tirerecappers.com. Of course they're going to say that retread tires are great for school buses and everything else because they're trying to promote their own product.

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Here is an article that taks about why it would be beneficial for retread tires to be used on school buses. It costs half as much as new tires, would save a lot of taxpayer money, and the school buses carry light loads on easy roads. Also, the tires are generally replaced every 2 years and retreads would be beneficial on the budgets of school districts by possibly making it every 6 years that the tires are replaced. The only regulation regarding retreads on buses, is that they are prohibited on the steer axle of any bus under FMCSA regulations. So, retreads are considered by many to be a win win situation for use on school buses and those vehicles are considered a perfect fit for such use.

https://www.tirerecappers.com/tire-reca ... ead-tires/

I think with that article one should seriously consider the obvious bias of the source- Tire Recapper's News, on the website tirerecappers.com. Of course they're going to say that retread tires are great for school buses and everything else because they're trying to promote their own product.

I don't really buy it either, wheels/tyres are specced for vehicles on the basis of the authorised maximum gross weight. You don't spec the axle assembly, wheel rims and tyres for 8 tons at 100mph if the authorised limits are going to be 4 tons at 60mph. Not only will you have spent money for no good reason, but you will also have fitted a heavier axle, heavier wheel rims and heavier tyres, cutting into your useful payload.

You also end up with a tyre that can be used on both axles, and a tyre that can only be used on the back axle. A sure fire recipe for a mistake on a dark night at the side of the road

TSS wrote:

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Here is an article that taks about why it would be beneficial for retread tires to be used on school buses. It costs half as much as new tires, would save a lot of taxpayer money, and the school buses carry light loads on easy roads. Also, the tires are generally replaced every 2 years and retreads would be beneficial on the budgets of school districts by possibly making it every 6 years that the tires are replaced. The only regulation regarding retreads on buses, is that they are prohibited on the steer axle of any bus under FMCSA regulations. So, retreads are considered by many to be a win win situation for use on school buses and those vehicles are considered a perfect fit for such use.

https://www.tirerecappers.com/tire-reca ... ead-tires/

I think with that article one should seriously consider the obvious bias of the source- Tire Recapper's News, on the website tirerecappers.com. Of course they're going to say that retread tires are great for school buses and everything else because they're trying to promote their own product.

How common are retread tires actually used on school buses in the United States?

Can I use retreads on a Power Wheels car? It was originally 6V but I have since modded it run on 12V and added rubber tires for additional grip. We drive it around the cul de sac which technically puts it on the street. How much am I risking my toddler's life if a bad retread separates? Should I go brand new or go with recaps then put the savings toward a bottle of beer? Thanks all!

Here is an article that debunks the myths on retread tires and talks about the fact that they are used on commercial trucks, off road jeeps, and even fire trucks and ambulances. I'm the case of fire trucks and ambulances, they are likely not seen on the steer axle though.
https://www.treadwright.com/blogs/tread ... es-exposed

ArchGuy1 wrote:

Here is an article that debunks the myths on retread tires and talks about the fact that they are used on commercial trucks, off road jeeps, and even fire trucks and ambulances. I'm the case of fire trucks and ambulances, they are likely not seen on the steer axle though.

https://www.treadwright.com/blogs/tread ... es-exposed

Dude, that is not an article, it is an advertisement for retread tires from a tire retreader's own website. There is not a more obviously biased source for information.