Compare on cost per mile, not price per tire
Retreads are usually judged on purchase price, and on that measure they win easily against a new tire. The more honest comparison, and the one that tells a fleet whether its retread program is working, is cost per mile.
The arithmetic is simple. What a tire cost, divided by the miles it ran before it came off. Do that for new tires and for retreads in the same position, on similar units, and the answer is a number you can act on.
If retreads come out well ahead, extend them to more positions or more units.
If the gap is small, look at why retreads are coming off early. Under-inflation, misalignment and damage shorten a retread exactly as they shorten a new tire, and the casing gets the blame.
If new tires come out ahead, something in how the retreads are being run needs attention before the program is judged.
What it takes
Records. Each tire needs the date it went on, the miles or hours at fitting, and the same figures when it came off, with the reason it came off. That is a small amount of writing per tire and it turns retreading from a habit into a decision.
A fleet account is the natural place for those records to sit. For equipment, the same calculation works in hours instead of miles, with tires handled through OTR services.
Where the work happens
This store works with Purcell's retreading program. Casings are collected here in Washington and retreaded at the Purcell plant in Salt Lake City, then returned ready to run.
Other collecting stores nearby
North Las Vegas, NV and Kingman, AZ also collect casings.
About this store
The Washington store carries all nine Purcell tire categories and is managed by Steve Williams.
See the national retreading page for how the program works and for all 54 collecting locations.