Remould vs Retread: Whats the Difference?

21/10/2024 - Big Tyres

What is a Remoulded/Retreaded Tyre?

At its core, a remoulded tyre used a previously worn-down tyre carcass and seeks to provide a new lease of life by either replacing the worn tread with a new pre-cured tread or a full bead-to-bead new rubber depending on the level of new rubber desired. Most premium tyre such as Michelin, Bridgestone or Goodyear are designed to support remoulding several times over leading to a longer lifespan of the tyre carcass and making a remoulded tyre a serious option for those who are environmentally but also financially conscious.

Remould tyres can be found in the Agricultural, Truck, Earthmover and Industrial tyre sectors. Some examples of brand who focus on remoulded soutions would be Bandenmarkt, Bandag or Vaculug. 

As alluded to earlier, Remoulded/Retreaded tyres fall into two categories: Retreaded or 'Cold Retreads' and Remoulded or 'Hot Retreads'.

What is a Retreaded Tyre?

A Retreaded tyre is the less intensive of the two retreading methods. The process involves preparing a used tyre carcass which is cleaned, inspected both manually and mechanically to ensure it is suitable then a new pre-cured rubber tread layer is adhering to the worn-out tread zone. This process is typically only used in commercial or industrial tyre as they have more durable tyre carcasses. The use of pre-cured tread is sometimes also known as a 'cold retread'.

This video from Bandag explains the retreading process from end to end:

What is a Remoulded Tyre?

A Remould tyre follows a much more rigorous production process involving the removal of previous tread and sidewall from the donor carcass to remould the back on with fresh rubber material. These follow much the same preparation process as a 'Retread' but once the carcass is ready, it follows the more intensive 'bead-to-bead' rubber vulcanisation process, much the same as it would with a new tyre carcass to produce new tyres. The advantages of this process are a new sidewall and allows the tyre to be regroovable in future. This process is also known as a 'Hot Retread'.

A notable example of a brand who produce these kinds of tyres would be Bandenmarkt, who repurposed aircraft tyre carcasses into heavy duty agricultural and industrial tyres. Several premium truck brands such as Michelin and Goodyear offer purpose retreaded products as part of their Remix and Treadmax product lines respectively. Tyre brands such as Vaculug and Bandag make retreaded tyre product as part of their core products offering, allowing for an affordable tyre solutions using premium materials.