 High-Tec Retreads
I recently bought new tires from High-Tec Retreading and I am very impressed. I now have put over 1,400 miles on my tires and decided I would share my thoughts on the subject of retreads. It took me quite awhile to decide to try these tires because I had heard more bad than good things about retreads. Most of what I had heard was based more on stories than actual truth, so I did some of my own research. My main concerns were:
Price, Quality of workmanship, and Tread life. I looked at these areas one at a time and did not let myself forget about other areas if something seemed really good. I tried to get the whole picture.This is what I found:
Price - Retreads tend to run a fraction of the price of new tires. In my own case the tires I chose were of a mud terrain pattern and were 1/3 the price a similar sized new tire would cost. High-Tec Re-treading is located in South Dakota and shipping was a concern of mine, since tires are so heavy. In my mind if shipping tires from South Dakota to Massachusetts was going to cost me an arm and a leg I might as well get new factory tires. This was not the case at all. My actual total for the tires, shipping, and mounting came to the same as if I had purchased two brand name mud tires before mounting costs.
One of the reasons for this is the fact that retreads use less material. In High-Tec's case they use 7 gallons of oil to make a retread as where a new truck tire uses almost 22 gallons. Ok the price is right, what about the quality.
Quality of workmanship - (aka are they going to fall apart) Most of what I had heard about retreads involved the tread splitting from the tire. Most of my fears were put to rest after reading the process that is involved with re-treading. High-Tec Retreading puts so much faith in their tires that they warranty them for two years and 24,000 miles. They list nine steps that their tires go through before the consumer gets them. The steps are listed here- http://high-tec-retreading.com/how.html After reading how they go about making the tires I also read other people testimonials about retreads as well as asking around I found that everyone that had recently purchased retreads from High-Tec Retreading were very impressed. So they are quality tires made to be used on everything from jeeps to military planes as well as the school buses most cities use! ok, next on my list is tread life. How do these compare?
Tread life - I wanted a tire that would take the abuse of everyday driving as well as do well off road. Tread wear would have to be a consideration so a really soft mud tire would not work. The retreads offered by High-Tec Retreading start on the right foot by offering a two year, 24,000 mile warranty. At this point I'm thinking, "If they didn't expect a tire to last that long why would they warranty it for that long?" I was skeptical about a mud tire lasting over 20,000 miles but after talking to a few people that had bought retreads they anticipated their tires lasting at least 25,000 miles more if they really keep track of their rotating schedule.
So the price was in my range, the quality of the tires seemed superb, and for a mud tire I was going to get average or better tread life. Ok, sold. I purchased four 235x75xR15 mud pattern tires for my Jeep Wrangler (TJ), and had them shipped to me. Five days later the UPS guy shows up with my tires. (apparently, when SD gets a foot of snow the UPS guy takes longer) I took the tires to a local tire place after Town Fair Tire turned me away, since I didn't buy the tires with them. The local place didn't care if I bought the tires with them since I was paying to have the tires mounted, balanced and I also needed a front-end alignment. (reason other tires needed to be replaced) The guys at the shop were surprised at how good the tires looked and how little they cost. I left the shop with far better looking tires than I originally had, and except for a slight humming sound above 30mph the tires felt fine on the road.
1,400 miles later and some light snow, hard rain, shallow mud, and many highway miles I can say I am very impressed with these tires. I have yet to take them for any real off road test, but for the limited things I have done, they have done very well. I thought at the first sign of water on the road I would be sliding all over due to the larger tread blocks and no siping. Not the case at all. I have yet to slide on hardtop. I have even had the chance to use these tires in an emergency braking situation and they faired very well. They howled when I locked them up but they stopped confidently and I have no flat spots on my tires. Take a seriously look at these tires the next time you need a new set of tires. I would definitely recommend these tires to anyone looking for a cheap sensible alternative to name brand tires.
http://high-tec-retreading.com
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