When buying tires I always compare prices in different stores. At the same time I am tempted for the used tires market and for the reconstructed tires, but at the same time I don't know if they are safe. What's your opinion?
Under absolutely no circumstance is a used tire or a reconstructed tire in any way safe. The reconstructed tires have a habit of just shredding with no warning at highway speed. Not to mention that they wear out much faster so you often end up loosing money in the long run any way. I would also avoid most of the tires at places such as Walmart as they are often rebranded tires that do not match the quality of the rest of that companies merchandise. It is best to just wait it out for a good sell from a place that specializes in tires. But really, never buy reconditioned or reconstructed tires. Saving that little bit of money is not worth the risk of your entire car or life.
I agree with 295255, just a couple of years ago a friend of mine was in a highway with a reconstructed tire and the tire blew up causing an accident... On the other hand, used tires from crashed cars can be a good bargain no?
I have never bought reconstructed tyres before. I have always bought new, or gotten them used from a friend. They can be quite expensive, but I have always assumed they are the best value for money as they will last longer. I usually just shop around to find the cheapest tyres and fitting, but other than that there's nothing else I do.
Reconstructed tires have rubber put on top of the inside structure, but this is never as safe as a new tire and often they rubber comes out and the tire blows up, what can be particularly dangerous especially if you're going at a fast speed, so they are not advisable...
I think that the whole reconstructed tires being particularly dangerous thing is an urban legend.Log In is the wikipedia page on it, but it doesn't say either way. It seems to me as if the retreaded tires seem like they're more prone to failure because of the huge mess they leave behind when they do. When a tire blows out, it usually still stays on the wheel.
I agree with you folks above. Reconstructed or "re-treads" are a very risky option for a road tire. I have bought second hand tires before but that was only for a drag car and I would always to a burn out ot warm them up first. Plus the track was super sticky so the tires in that instance were fine. For my road cars though I buy the best I can afford and generally I buy a known brand. Considering your tire is the only contact point between your car and the road it is important not to take risks with tire choice. As for brand, Kumho, Dunlop and Michelin are my preferred brand for everyday use and for my other cars that sometimes see use in motorsport I prefer Falken (track) or Mickey Thompson (strip). It also pays to ask your auto service person what they recommend. My bloke is pretty good and will always give me an honest opinion. He also lets me know if he can get a discount on a bulk purchase and gives me the option of pre-ordering tires for my next service therefore saving me some money.
When it comes to my safety on the road, I never take second chances. I always go for new tires which am sure they will last for a long time without any issues and all the same they give the confidence that am safe from any accidents that bursting tires can cause.
Never bough reconstructed tires but I did buy used ones. Since I don't know that much about cars, or tires, I always brought along a friend that knew what to buy, or what defects to look for. While I do agree that buying used tires is not that safe, I find tires too expensive to buy new and continue buying used in order to save money. Winter tires for example, I buy new, since driving in the snow is dangerous and I don't want to take any risks.
I'd say that used tires are far better than reconstructed ones, especially if the used tires come from cars that were in accidents, sometimes we can pick up new tires from wrecked cars at least from half price or less, those are great deals! Reconstructed tires are really dangerous, they can blow up at any time.
I'd always go with new tires because used tires have some wear on them. Nonetheless, used ones are great for emergency situations. However, if your tire does go flat, then used should still be the 2nd option.
I had a scary experience with recapped or refurbished tires when I had my first car. The recapping may not be that good that's why it was detached. Good thing I was running slow. There is a tire store area here that sells cheap new tires at about 40% cheaper. They have all brands. However, someone told me that the stores there sell some fake and the genuine tires are smuggled (illegal sources). To be on the safe side, we buy new tires from S&R where we have a membership card for a great discount. By the way, the tires of our 2 cars are due for replacement within this year.
Generally our countrymen or the Filipino car owners are conscious savers in all things. They don't bother to get a new tire in case his car tires are already worn out due to wear and tear. He would rather have it recap and the tires are used as if they're all brand new. The recapping tire machine has indeed preserved it well.
I would not recommend anyone to go for retreaded tires as they have two major problems. Most of the local retreaded tires are not done properly so in most cases they have no proper wheel-balancing which result an extra load of the car's engine. The driver gets tired easily, the engine loses its power fast, more fuel consumed and the drive is always rough.
