Retreaded tires?

Hi,

What is your opinion on retreaded tires?

A complete set of new winter tires in size 205/55 R16 would start at around 400 euros, with higher-quality tires costing significantly more. A set of retreaded tires is available from as little as 200 euros. Does the original brand of the retreaded tires have a significant impact? If so, is there a way to determine that?

Or, better yet, just avoid buying retreaded tires.

I should mention that snow only occurs here (on the North Sea coast) if Easter falls on Christmas. Mainly, I'm interested in how things behave at temperatures around 4°C and in wet conditions.

Thank you very much!
Chris.

P.S.: Okay, never mind, I just found some reports. It seems like things are easily going over my head.

P.P.S.: Tire tests seem to be a lot of nonsense. The ratings for the same tire range from very good to satisfactory, and sometimes the same magazine will downgrade the same tire by two grades within a year, etc.

To be honest, even if there's no snow where you are, I would never try using retreaded tires, especially not 16-inch ones. I use 16-inch winter tires in your size, which are from the Marge GT Radial brand and are called Campiro, but they haven't been tested anywhere yet. These items cost a total of 311 euros, which is quite a lot, but I have to say that I was really surprised by that amount.
While I don't expect high speeds in curves on a wet road, I have to say that I've driven worse. Especially, the car brakes very well, and so far I've been able to get up every hill (which we have plenty of here). Also, it was important to me that the car could reach a top speed of 210 km/h. I don't drive that particular car, but it's good to know that the wheels have reserve capacity if you ever drive at 180 km/h.
We once had retreaded tires on a 190d, but even on ice, the tires wouldn't grip due to the lack of power. If quality is important to you in temperatures below 4 degrees Celsius, then avoid these types of tires. Once the described 190d got going, it was difficult to brake on wet roads, and it was completely undrivable in snow.

This isn't an advertisement for my tire; I just want to show that you can find really good options even among tires that aren't ranked among the very best.

Matthias.

Hi,

I would stay away from that. First, they are still not really durable enough for high speeds, and second, you might end up with 4 different tire casings, and you can imagine what kind of driving characteristics that would result in.

I have Goodyear Eagle UG GW 3 tires in size 205/55 R16 H on my Golf, and I haven't regretted spending the 492 euros on them yet.

Thank you for the information. I also thought that, probably you would get even better value for money with a cheap Asian manufacturer than with those retreaded tires.

I just ordered a set of Dunlop Pneumant Wintertek PN 150 tires. Let's see...

The Pneumant PN 150s are perfectly fine!

My tire dealer highly recommended these to me, and I'm sure he's not just thinking about earning a commission, but about providing optimal performance!
We know each other too well for that!

I then randomly came across a used set of Continental tires that had been barely used, and I got them for 200 euros.
Otherwise, as I said, I would have also taken the Pneumant!

I could have also recommended Hankook.

but definitely not reconditioned.

It's amazing how prejudices persist.

1. In the recent tests, it was mostly (low-cost) brand-name tires that failed the speed test.
2. I am not aware of any cases in recent years where a rebuilt engine failed due to poor quality.
3. The price difference is significant. I have retreaded tires from Reifen Schwarz installed, with the Contiprofile. The retreaded tire costs almost only a third of the price.


And it's not just about how good the tire is when it's new.
How long will you be using those tires? It's definitely better to buy a set of retreaded tires every 3 years than to use a more expensive 'brand-name' tire for 6 years!
I certainly don't notice any weaknesses in this tire, and I've already convinced the whole family, plus some colleagues, to try them. Not to mention the environmental aspect. Most (if not all) retreaded tires with Conti or Michelin profiles likely come from a tire retreading plant in Germany.

Specifically, my TDI's tires tend to spin out very easily.
And on the highway, I rarely drive below 180 km/h. If I read what I just wrote, I should already be dead, right?

It is amazing how prejudices persist.

1. In the recent tests, it was mostly (low-cost) brand-name tires that failed the speed test.
2. I am not aware of any cases in recent years where a rebuilt engine failed due to poor quality.
3. The price difference is significant. I have retreaded tires from Reifen Schwarz installed, with the Contiprofile. The retreaded tire costs almost only a third of the price.



Well... I once had some retreaded winter tires myself. They had a Goodyear tread pattern.

Okay, so far so good. I could have left the summer tires on. They slipped constantly on wet roads, had terrible grip in the snow, and locked up immediately when braking.
'So, I threw them away (they still had over 5mm of tread left) and got the real Goodyear tires fitted in the middle of winter. Wow, what a difference. The wet grip was barely noticeable, the braking distance was amazing, and the grip on snow was finally what you expect from winter tires...'

In the past, due to financial constraints, I also used to buy retreaded summer tires, which had the same disadvantages.

I don't care at all about whether they are high-speed rated. However, my experiences with the 'driving quality' make me avoid retreaded tires. The rubber compounds and tread patterns simply aren't as good as the originals.
and one thing is certain: the tires are the most important components of the vehicle!!!
And I certainly don't skimp on those parts, because my life literally depends on them.

CU Gremlin.

Hi,

I've only ever had retreaded tires once. In that case, one of the tires had a leak on the sidewall and had to be replaced. So, it's already clear that a proper review wasn't conducted.
Next, the grumpy guy complained that the tread somehow vulcanized unevenly, which is why balancing could only be done with the largest available weights.
The handling on wet surfaces was also not particularly impressive.

That experience, which happened over 10 years ago, was so bad that I ruled out buying refurbished products back then. Perhaps it has improved by now.

Best regards, Rainer.

Hi,

Winter tire -> Goodyear Ultra Grip 6, feels like driving on a railroad track.

@garth.brooks:

Hi,

I would like to have your faith ...

Even the evergreen faction , in the form of the magazine Ö*otest, does not find the remanufactured products to be particularly suitable. Please see here: http://www.oekotest.de/cgi/ot/otgp.cgi?doc=711


The parts are being sold less and less, and when they are, it's mostly within the truck segment. Do you know about the discarded tire treads on the shoulders of highways ?

They might give me the parts for free, but I wouldn't drive them.

My wife had retreaded tires on her Corsa when she bought it! It was quite a fun, albeit slippery, experience.

My dad also had these things installed on his gasoline-powered Passat 7 years ago! They were okay on dry roads, but very loud, but when it got wet or there was snow... *we're going sledding now*.

'On my Corsa, I've been using Fulda Kristall Gravito tires since last year, and I also had them on my old 1Z. On my new Passat, I'm using Goodyear UltraGrip 6. So far, I haven't had any problems with any of them!'

Hi,

The Maloya Cresta 220 in size 195/65 R15 is a highly recommended tire. According to the latest ADAC test, it has no weaknesses and performs on par with brands like Dunlop, Goodyear, Bridgestone, and Michelin, but at a significantly lower price. It is manufactured by Vredestein in the Netherlands.
I bought this tire last year for my father's A4, and he's very happy with it.

I have ContiWinterContact TS790 tires that are 4 years old. Unfortunately, they are already so cracked that I will be sending them back to Conti to claim a warranty. Apparently, this is a known problem with Conti tires, according to several tire dealers. Conti themselves claim to know nothing about it and want to examine my tires. I will then receive a partial credit towards new tires.

Regards,
Sausage blinkers.

Hello,

Speaking of which, my winter tires are only approved for speeds up to 190 km/h, and I often find myself, embarrassingly, exceeding that limit on the highway, sometimes reaching 220 km/h. This only happens when overtaking. I always feel bad about myself for driving so recklessly. I've been wondering how much reserve a new tire actually has. For example, amusement park rides that are approved for 1 ton are tested with 1.5 tons. How does that work with tires? And what about modified tires? Are the tests the same? What if the retreaded tire was previously damaged on its casing?

Today I had the Dunlop Pneumant PN 150 tires installed. The first thing you notice is that the old tires already had quite a pronounced saw-tooth profile. With winter tires, it's now much quieter than with summer tires.
But here's something peculiar: The V-shaped profile points in different directions on the left and right sides. I specifically asked again, and the response was 'yes, that's okay, the tires don't have a direction of rotation.'

Hmm, well, that seems a bit strange to me... What's the point of all that fuss with the profile if the direction doesn't even have an effect?

For clarification - profile view, facing forward, left side: /\ and right side: \/.

Okay, take a closer look. If they are direction-dependent, there will be a corresponding indication (an arrow) on the side.
and if they really are: oil the chainsaw and take it to the dealer.

CU Gremlin.