NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 27, 2012) — Bridgestone Commercial Solutions (BCS) has revamped and relaunched its “Retread Instead” website in an effort to educate truckers and fleets on the importance of extending tire life.
The online campaign at www.retreadinstead.com will focus on sharing positive attributes about retreading and attempting to clear up any misconceptions about the process, which Bridgestone calls “retreaducation” on the site.
“It's commonly known in the industry that many believe retreads are an inferior product, when in fact they can not only save operators and fleets money, but are often just as durable and safe as a new tire,” said Scott Damon, vice president, marketing. “We encourage operators, fleets and dealers to take a look at the site and see how retreads might be a good addition to their tire solution.”
One section of the site hosts an invitation to take the Bandag Challenge, a comparison test of two similar vehicles in a fleet. It is a cross-axle test where one vehicle will be retreaded and the performances of the vehicles will be monitored. At the end of the challenge, the cost difference will be determined and BCS will refund any savings that were not in favor of the retreads.
Another section of the site is dedicated to debunking the myths of retreading, with a variety of them being explained. For people thinking the rubber “gators” on the road with all the wire poking out are because of retreads, the website states this usually is not from a retread failure but from a tire casing failure because there is no wire involved in the retreading process.
Some drivers question the safety of retreads and Bridgestone explains that various major airlines use retreads and also claims that retreads can last as long as or longer than new tires as well as being more eco-friendly than new tires.
The website states that Bandag produces retreads with just 30 percent of the energy used to make new tires and that there are 290 million scrap tires generated every year, a figure that would be reduced with an increase of retreading. It takes 22 gallons of oil to manufacture a new truck tire, but only seven to produce a quality retread, the site claims.
Bridgestone Commercial Solutions is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and provides tires and services for trucking, construction, mining, aggregates and industrial operations across the Americas.