Skip to main content
EVENT TRACKER
Keep track of rescheduled, canceled industry events with our COVID-affected event tracker - Powered by Snap Finance
Close
Sister Publication Links
  • Rubber & Plastics News
  • European Rubber Journal
tb-logo
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • OPINION
    • CORONAVIRUS
    • AUTO INDUSTRY
    • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
    • COMMERCIAL TIRE
    • FACTORY FIXES
    • GOVERNMENT & LAW
    • INTERNATIONAL
    • MOTOR SPORTS
    • NEW PRODUCTS
    • RETAIL TIRES
    • SERVICE ZONE
    • SEMA/AAPEX
    • SMALL BUSINESS
    • TIRE MAKERS
    • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • TBC Corp. to make donation to company charity to reward vaccinated employees
      Titan to offer free COVID-19 vaccines at Iowa facility
      Bridgestone hosts vaccination events for plant employees
      Cioffi: Will remote working be the new normal?
    • Light trucks/CUVs to take 82% of new U.S. sales by 2028 — SEMA
      SEMA closes deal for SEMA Garage property in Michigan
      Conti adding dynamic driving simulator at German R&D center
      Yokohama gains OE fitments on BMW, Mercedes-AMG sport utilities
    • Light trucks/CUVs to take 82% of new U.S. sales by 2028 — SEMA
      Pirelli adds 3rd North American bicycle tire distributor
      Goodyear goes retro for 'Throwback' NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway
      Keter to expand NeoTerra SKUs through mid-2022
    • Fisher: Expect robust recovery in last half of year
      Vipal targets North America for machinery sales growth
      Commercial tire, retreading sectors on solid footing
      JK Tyre adds radial truck tires to U.S. portfolio
    • New York chipping in $3M+ toward Sumitomo factory expansion
      SBA extends and expands COVID-19 loan program
      Stimulus spending should help tire industry
      U.S. agro-science firm gets $1M grant to research sunflower latex
    • TravelCenters honors two drivers with Citizen Driver awards
      Bridgestone to upgrade Japanese OTR tire plant
      Point S Canada signs point-of-sale agreement with Flexiti Financial
      Fountain Tire promotes pair to new executive roles
    • Goodyear goes retro for 'Throwback' NASCAR race at Darlington Raceway
      Federal approved as 5th Formula Drift tire supplier
      Maxxis offers discount to ChampCar competitors
      Michelin strikes supply deals with new Canadian racing series
    • Yokohama OHT adds severe-duty solid tire to Galaxy brand
      Bosch adds 22 aftermarket parts in Q1
      Snap-On introduces TreadReader handheld tire scanner
      Vogue Tyre introduces ‘biggest, boldest' red stripe tire
    • TravelCenters honors two drivers with Citizen Driver awards
      Light trucks/CUVs to take 82% of new U.S. sales by 2028 — SEMA
      Point S Canada signs point-of-sale agreement with Flexiti Financial
      WTC webinar to address tire/wheel-balancing process errors
    • Fisher: Expect robust recovery in last half of year
      Bosch adds 22 aftermarket parts in Q1
      Marinucci: Detailed instructions will save time
      Bartec introduces TPMS software updates
    • Light trucks/CUVs to take 82% of new U.S. sales by 2028 — SEMA
      WTC webinar to address tire/wheel-balancing process errors
      SEMA closes deal for SEMA Garage property in Michigan
      SEMA picks site in Michigan for 2nd SEMA Garage
    • SBA extends and expands COVID-19 loan program
      Stimulus spending should help tire industry
      Giti disputes report blasting tire maker for accepting PPP funds
      SEMA survey shows resilient auto aftermarket in 2020
    • Coopers are ready to rock: Cooper Tire, Alice Cooper seek best garage band
      Last Mile: Delivery surge raises demand for medium truck tires
      Nexen touting manufacturing quality milestone
      Apollo isn't planning U.S. plant — yet
    • Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      Stocking Tires for Crossover SUVs
      Sponsored By AppointmentPlus
      Three Important Lessons Learned for the Tire Business During a Pandemic
      Sponsored By Yokohama Tire Company
      7 questions to ask consumers when they need tires for a crossover SUV
  • SHOP FLOOR
    • BALANCING
    • DEMOUNTING
    • SAFETY
    • TIRE REPAIR
    • TPMS
    • TRAINING
    • VEHICLE LIFTING
    • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Video: Balancing Tire
      Choosing the right balancing equipment
      Safety tips for wheel balancing
      An introduction to wheel balancing
    • Video: Demounting
      Demounting Equipment
      Making rims ready for a tight seal
      Tire changer types, tips and trends
    • Video: Safety
      Making friends with OSHA
      Ergonomics on the shop floor
      Customers
    • Video: Tire Repair
      Tire repair: Shining a light on visual inspections
      Staying safe when repairing a tire
      Essential tools, materials and equipment for tire repair
    • Video: TPMS Service
      Decoding sensor data for TPMS diagnosis
      Replacement TPMS sensor overview
      The life-saving work of TPMS
    • Video: Training
      Advantages of apprentice program partnerships
      Options and resources for CE tech training
      Internship ideas to attract tech talent
    • Video:Vehicle Lifting
      All types of lifts for all types of work
      Tips and recommendations for lifting safety
      The gravity of proper lift points
    • Video: Wheel Torque
      Using torque sticks to speed service times
      The danger of too much, too little torque
      The importance of torque specifications
  • Multimedia
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
    • PODCASTS
  • Events
    • ASK THE EXPERT
    • LIVESTREAMS
    • WEBINARS
    • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
  • Data
    • DATA STORE
  • Resources
    • DIRECTORY
    • CLASSIFIEDS
  • ADVERTISE
  • DIGITAL EDITION
  • Awards
    • Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
April 24, 2000 02:00 AM

Passenger retreading not dead, but vitals fading

Chris Collins, Tire Business staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    AKRON (April 24, 2000)—Remember former "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson´s "telepathic" character, "Carnac the Magnificent," who would answer unknown questions "hermetically" sealed in envelopes?

    Imagine Mr. Carson´s longtime announcer and sidekick Ed McMahon handing Carnac the envelope.

    Carnac holds it to his forehead, winks and says: "Affordable health care, Elian Gonzalez and passenger-tire retreading."

    He then opens the envelope and reads: "Name three things in danger of disappearing from the U.S."

    Although passenger tire retreading probably won´t become extinct in the near term, the rapidly shrinking market has put it on the "endangered species" list.

    The International Tire and Rubber Association has forecast the production of 950,000 retreads for U.S. passenger cars in 2000—a 50-percent drop from last year.

    That total equates to only about 2.5 percent of the 40 million passenger retreads produced in 1975.

    Earlier this year, ITRA Executive Director Marvin Bozarth speculated that only about 100 out of more than 1,200 retread shops in the U.S. currently retread passenger car tires.

    That segment´s decline is primarily the result of two factors.

    First, consider the heavily advertised low-price new tires from national mass merchandisers—for instance, four tires for $99 at Pep Boys—Manny, Moe and Jack. Such deals have siphoned off budget-conscious drivers who may have formerly purchased retreads.

    Second, finding suitable passenger tire casings for retreading has become much more difficult. The rejection rate these days for those casings is "deplorable," said Rick Hawkins, owner of High-Tec Retreading in Edgemont, S.D.

    Three of the top five retreaders of passenger tires in 1997 have since left that market.

    EcoTyre Technologies Inc. in Holtsville, N.Y., ranked in 1997 by Tire Business as the nation´s No. 2 retreader of passenger tires, went out of business a year later.

    Fifth-ranked White´s Tire Service of Wilson Inc. in Wilson, N.C. stopped retreading them in 1998.

    Ray Carr Tires Inc. in Harrisonburg, Va., ranked third in 1997, pulled the plug on passenger tire retreading in early 1999, citing the declining market for the product.

    Prineville, Ore.-based Les Schwab Tire Centers Inc., the industry´s long-time passenger tire retreading leader, cut its daily production of them by 87 percent between 1997 and 1999—from 1,200 to 156 units per day. Over that period, Schwab´s light truck retread production dropped 51.7 percent, to 266 tires per day from 551.

    Les Schwab officials declined to comment on the future of passenger tire retreading. However, in response to the annual Tire Business survey of retreaders, the company said it planned to "expand truck tire retread facilities to meet additional volume."

    But several passenger tire retreaders have found success in two niche markets—winter tires and high-performance tires. Other former passenger tire retreaders also have successfully switched to light truck tire retreading, including providing replacement tires for local delivery or courier vehicles like the U.S. Postal Service. (See story on page 19.)

    On a unit basis, North America´s most prolific passenger tire retreader is Eastern Tire Service Ltd., New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, with daily production of 725—a 16-percent increase over the previous year.

    The Canadian firm´s daily unit production is more than three times that of Techno Pneu Inc. in Rimouski, Quebec, and Mt. Morris Tire Service Inc., Mt. Morris, Pa., each of which produce about 200 units per day.

    "We sell quite a few (winter passenger tire retreads)," said Mt. Morris President Jack Holbert, although the recent mild winter weakened sales. The company also makes all-weather and high-performance retreads.

    "May it (passenger tire retreading) rest in peace," said Donna Puskar, president of A Major Tyre Co. Inc. in Bridgeport, Conn.

    A Major produces about 60 passenger tires a day, down from about 80 per day a year ago.

    "Our biggest market is still snow tires," she said, bemoaning the state of passenger tire retreading due to the lack of quality casings and the sales of low-cost tires by mass merchandisers.

    "It´s a shame," she said, "Everybody´s letting it (passenger tire retreading) die."

    At Gossco Inc. in St. Johnsbury, Vt., production of retreaded passenger winter tires dropped slightly due to the mild winter, said President Sally Goss. "In our area you really need winter tires," she said. "The worse the weather, the better they sell."

    Still, all-season tires represent only about 20 percent of retread sales, Ms. Goss said, even though there isn´t much competition in rural northern Vermont from mass merchandisers.

    Mass-merchandisers "don´t sell aggressive winter tires anyway," she added.

    Mt. Morris´ Mr. Holbert said high-performance passenger retreads provide excellent profit margins for his company and the wholesalers that distribute them. He sells 60- and 65-series high-performance retreads—which may fetch as much as $100 at retail—to wholesalers for about $25.

    For Retread Systems Inc. in Anderson, S.C., the dominant product is high-performance tires for racing, according to President Sydney McDowell. His company retreads about 18,000 tires a year for "entry level racing," which is about 75 percent of his company´s total passenger tire output.

    He said passenger tire retreading in his market has been damaged by vendors who sell low-cost tires at area gas stations.

    "These guys make $5 to $7 a tire," he said, "and that´s what kills dealers of passenger retreads."

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Tire Business would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor Don Detore at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Newsletter Center

    Staying current is easy with Tire Business delivered straight to your inbox.

    SUBSCRIBE TODAY

    Subscribe to Tire Business

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • RSS

    Our Mission

    Tire Business is an award-winning publication dedicated to providing the latest news, data and insights into the tire and automotive service industries.

    tb-logo
    Reader Services
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Site Map
    • Industry Sites
    • Order Reprints
    • Customer Service: 877-320-1716
    Partner Sites
    • Rubber & Plastics News
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Automotive News
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Media Guide
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Classified Rates
    • Digital Edition
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • OPINION
      • CORONAVIRUS
      • AUTO INDUSTRY
      • BUSINESS/FINANCIAL
      • COMMERCIAL TIRE
      • FACTORY FIXES
      • GOVERNMENT & LAW
      • INTERNATIONAL
      • MOTOR SPORTS
      • NEW PRODUCTS
      • RETAIL TIRES
      • SERVICE ZONE
      • SEMA/AAPEX
      • SMALL BUSINESS
      • TIRE MAKERS
      • SPONSORED CONTENT
    • SHOP FLOOR
      • BALANCING
      • DEMOUNTING
      • SAFETY
      • TIRE REPAIR
      • TPMS
      • TRAINING
      • VEHICLE LIFTING
      • WHEEL TORQUE
    • Multimedia
      • VIDEOS
      • PHOTOS
      • PODCASTS
    • Events
      • ASK THE EXPERT
      • LIVESTREAMS
      • WEBINARS
      • SEMA LIVESTREAMS
    • Data
      • DATA STORE
    • Resources
      • DIRECTORY
      • CLASSIFIEDS
    • ADVERTISE
    • DIGITAL EDITION
    • Awards
      • Tire Dealer Humanitarian Award