What Are Retreaders Doing to Improve Fuel

Efficiency?

If trucks are kings of the road, then retreaded tires are their scepters.

The Tire Industry Association estimates that approximately 17.6 million retreaded truck tires were sold in

North America in 2005, with total sales exceeding $3 billion. The majority of these were medium truck

tires. That’s almost three­fourths of the entire medium/heavy truck tire market.

Just like new replacement or original equipment tires, retreaded tires – and their all­important casings –

also need continuous maintenance if the fleet is going to realize improvements in fuel economy.

Consider the following:

• Retreaded truck tires represent an estimated savings of more than $2 billion annually for trucking

companies in North America.

• The lowest possible cost per mile is achieved with a good tire management program that includes the

use of quality retreads.

• Retreads are environmentally friendly. Tires are basically petrochemical products. According to

Bandag, it takes 22 gallons of oil to manufacture one new truck tire. Most of the oil is found in the

casing, which is reused in the retreading process. As a result, it takes only seven gallons of oil to produce

a retread.

While there are no new retread compounds on the development tables, most companies continue to offer

a variety of “fuel­saving” or “energy­saving” products for their customers.

It’s no secret, though, that in the retreading industry, they use the same recommendations to improve fuel

efficiency as their new tire­manufacturing counterparts. Consistent with those guidelines is the mantra:

“Constantly check inflation pressure!”

Scott Rhodes, director of commercial products for Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. and its Oliver Rubber

group, says, “We have some fleet customers that have specific requirements regarding service that must

be performed by our Cooper tire dealers and Oliver licensee retreaders. We convey the importance of

overall tire maintenance through direct user training seminars and tire survey analysis activities.

“Together, we make sure the fleets pay close attention to the vehicles’ geometry, air pressure, airpressure gauge replacement procedures, pull­point recommendations and many other maintenance

practices that add to the tire and retread life cycle.”

What about retreaded tire maintenance recommendations? “Our recommendations are generally directed

toward maximizing tire service life, thereby minimizing tire costs for the fleet,” says Rhodes. “Matching

the tread designs to the vehicle applications, maintaining proper air pressure for the speed and loads

carried and keeping vehicles aligned are areas that are very important in this regard, whether it’s a new or

retreaded tire.

“Incidentally, those practices are also important for fuel economy. Using the wrong tread in a particular

type of service, allowing retreads to run without the required amount of air pressure for a specific load or
having a vehicle not properly aligned will each cause any tire to wear prematurely.”

And, he reminds, they will put a ding in any fuel savings efforts.

Rhodes offers other specific recommendations to help win the fuel economy war:

“Fleets must recognize that investment in good maintenance pays dividends,” Rhodes says. “We

recommend that tire air pressure be checked regularly – weekly, bi­weekly or even monthly – and

adjusted to match the loads carried most regularly.

“We also recommend the use of flow­through metal valve caps that allow tire service people to check air

pressure without removing the valve cap. These devices protect the valve stem, while still allowing for

additional air to be added or removed quite easily.

“Monthly air pressure checks and paying close attention to the vehicles’ geometry are the minimum a

fleet should practice. We have seminars on this in which we train end­users and licensees in proper

procedures and techniques. Any inflation check period longer than monthly allows for too much potential

variance in air pressures.

“Air pressure gauges need also to be checked monthly and be regularly calibrated with a master gauge to

maintain accuracy. These gauges do not last forever and need to be replaced periodically.”

Integrated Efforts

Harvey Brodsky, managing director of the Tire Retread Information Bureau (TRIB), offers a similar

perspective to some of his members’ recommendations.

“Initial tire construction significantly influences retread tire fuel economy,” Brodsky says. “However,

retread processing – such as the amount of original undertread left on the casing before retreading – also

has a significant effect on retread tire fuel consumption.”

It’s ironic, but while more tread will generally increase removal mileage, the added rolling resistance

hurts fuel economy. The rubber compound used can obviously have an impact on both original and

retreaded tires.

Bandag has been in the retreading business for more than 45 years and distributes its products through

Bandag Alliance, its integrated dealer network that includes more than 1,600 sales and service locations

in North America.

Bandag’s Don Schauer says that his company offers specific, on­request training to its network, but, in

general, follows the industry guidelines – with inflation topping the checklist.

While a fleet must weigh the product for the application, in general, using a ribbed tread design will

provide better fuel savings than a traction design, he says.

But, to punctuate the importance of proper tire maintenance, Schauer cites as an example the Northeast

Region Fleet of Allied Waste that covers an eight­state area in the New England area.

Using a focused tire maintenance plan with the cooperation of Allied corporate, Allied maintenance

personnel, drivers, a large number of different Bandag dealers and Bandag corporate representatives, the

groups developed “best practices standards” that are shared throughout their network.
These best practices include specifications for tire rotation, pull points and matching of tires running in

dual configurations.

Schauer said that all Allied drivers have been presented with air gauges and are required to complete a

daily vehicle condition report, including air pressure checks on all tires. He adds that “all of the drivers’

air pressure gauges are regularly calibrated to a master gauge at each location.”

As a follow up, Bandag field representatives provide drivers with training in such areas as air pressure

checks and understanding the difference between checking air pressure when tires are hot in contrast to

cold pressure checks.

Allied’s Northeast Regional Maintenance Manager Larry Allen agrees with Bandag’s approach.

“Those Best Practices Tire Standards are a comprehensive approach to addressing one of the larger items

in any fleet’s operational budget,” Allen says. Something as simple as proper air pressure maintenance

can yield you the largest returns.”

Inflation Alternatives

Lest anyone think that retreaders aren’t thinking about fuel­savings alternatives, all they have to do is

look at a company like Fargo, N.D.­based Branick Industries Inc. Although not in the retreading business

per se, Branick manufactures nitrogen generators.

At a cost of between $8 and $20 per truck tire, Branick says it can conservatively double a typical

casing’s life of two to three retreadings by filling it with nitrogen instead of air.

“We have a customer in South Africa, Aberdare Cables, that has been recapping tires five or six times by

using nitrogen inflation, where previously it was only getting three recaps per casing,” says Branick

President Brian Brasch.

“We are trying to be conservative for the marketplace, so we are only quoting that (with nitrogen) you

can maintain proper tire inflation three to four times longer.”

Even giant Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire (BFNAT) discusses the benefits of nitrogen. In a

recent issue of its Real Answers magazine (trucktires.com), it writes: “While both nitrogen and oxygen

can permeate rubber, nitrogen does it much more slowly. It might take six months to lose 2 psi with

nitrogen, compared to just a month with air, even when valves and beads seal properly and there are no

punctures. And, nitrogen is far less reactive. It doesn’t cause rust and corrosion on steel or aluminum, and

it doesn’t degrade rubber.”

Branick adds that using nitrogen would help in the battle with maintaining correct inflation in tires – new

or retreaded. “Inflation is the topic on everyone’s mind – especially with the rising cost of fuel,” he says.

“If you spend less time in maintenance, that increases the time spent hauling goods – and making more

money.”

Michelin is neutral on the subject of using nitrogen in retreaded tires. “We have not been able to validate

claims of nitrogen begin as effective as clean, dry air,” said Doug Jones, customer engineering support

manager for Michelin North America. “We believe, however, that it’s very important to have moisture

traps in the equipment that is used to fill up tires.”

Easy Steps to Take
TRIB’s Brodsky summarizes the retreading industry’s challenges: “Truckers who get in the habit of

checking their tires on a regular schedule will experience far fewer tire failures and, as an added benefit,

will find that their tires last longer and their fuel costs will decline.”

Fleets looking to deflate fuel costs can follow seven easy steps, says Brodsky:

1) Use tire air equalizers to spot underinflation more easily.

2) Maintain proper inflation; heat is a tire’s worst enemy.

3) For better retreadability, pull tires by 6/32nds.

4) Duals must be matched in size! (Refer to your tire manufacturer’s truck tire service data.)

5) Align axles when mounting tires.

6) Use premium radials on spread axles.

7) Match your retreads to your new tires. If a new tire tread pattern delivers fuel savings, a similar retread

pattern will likely do the same.

Five Things Drivers Can Do to Improve Tire Life

1) Maintain proper tire inflation pressure. This is the number­one maintenance issue facing fleets today,

regardless of the season. Underinflation leads to increased tire deflection, which leads to increased heat.

Heat is a tire’s worst enemy. Low inflation leads to reduced tire miles, reduced retreadability, poor fuel

economy and even an increase in the number of punctures. Check your tires at least weekly with a

calibrated air pressure gauge.

2) Fingertip diagnostics. Running your hand across the tread surface can identify alignment­related wear

conditions. For example, if you run your hand across the tread surface, and you feel a ‘stepped’ wear

pattern (i.e., not smooth), you probably have a vehicle toe­in or toe­out condition. Catching alignment

wear conditions early will allow the truck to be corrected so the tire can still achieve high removal miles.

3) Visual tire inspection. Look for signs of sidewall damage and tread­area punctures.

4) Train drivers and mechanics in Tires 101 maintenance basics. Work with your tire professional, who

can conduct seminars on basic tire maintenance. Once drivers understand that tires are the highest fleet

cost next to fuel, tires become a lot more important. Anything you can do to protect that investment is

critical.

5) Don’t exceed tread depth standards. Depending on your specific service vocation, make sure your fleet

does not exceed removal tread depth standards. If your trucks are used for off­road service highway, you

may be best served to make sure you have enough remaining rubber before retreading to ‘insulate’ the

casing against stone damage and drilling.

Source: Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems

Goals Are Great, But Savings Come With a Tangible Plan

Tires – a fleet’s second­highest operating cost – play an important role in fuel efficiency. The problem is

that no fleet will manage its tire assets purely on the basis of fuel efficiency, and nor should it.
Still, there are many tire­related things fleets can do to have a positive bottom­line impact on fuel costs.

All it takes is a plan and firm execution. Without a written policy and established goals, a fleet has

nothing realistic to measure and manage against.

Typically, fleets institute tire programs to meet one of four goals: minimize lifecycle costs (measured as

cost per mile over a tire’s complete life), minimize tire­related downtime, maximize durability under

specific service conditions or maximize fuel efficiency. Fleets can logically tackle multiple goals, like

improving lifecycle costs and minimizing downtime. Based on the type of operation, though, some fleets

can only focus on one specific tire goal.

The key, say experts, is to have a program that meets specific needs. For instance, a liquid bulk hauler

with ever­changing irregular loads shouldn’t focus on improving fuel efficiency over tire durability or

minimizing downtime. A long­haul fleet, though, can make fuel efficiency a priority, along with the

others.

Goal in place, the next step is to create a specific, written tire policy that will guide every aspect of

specifying, purchasing and, most importantly, maintaining a fleet’s tires. Detail what tires – by brand,

tread design, etc. – will be purchased for each axle position, as well as the purchasing process. That’s the

easy part.

With regard to the maintenance aspect, the policy should be rather expansive and should include, say

experts, established air pressures by axle and vehicle application, loads carried by vehicles, frequency of

and methods of tire inspections, pull points for new and retreaded tires, guidelines for the number of

retreads expected for tires, detailed tire recordkeeping and data management, age specifications, repair

policies and procedures, out­of­service criteria, etc.

The policy should be as comprehensive as possible but remain flexible so that in­line changes can be

made easily to improve processes or enhance tire life.

The next aspect is training. Your fleet’s goals and tire policies must be understood by everyone involved

– from the purchasing manager to the servicing tire dealer. And, don’t forget the people who have the

most direct influence on fuel efficiency and tire costs – drivers.