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Questions Frequently Asked

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Q.What are the advantages and disadvantages of widebase tires and traditional duals?
Q.Why should I check the lug nuts 50-100 miles after the wheels have been installed?
Q.Why should I pay extra to properly repair a flat tire when plugging is so much cheaper?
Q.Is there an age limit to casings?
Q.Is it legal to repair a steer tire?
Q.I run fully loaded but come home empty. What can I do to reduce irregular wear?
Q.Should my air pressure be what's listed on the sidewall?
Q.Why are there speed ratings on some medium and heavy-duty truck tires and not on others?
Q.Once the tread design is worn off the radial truck tire casing with a maximum 55 mph rating, is it legal to operate it at a higher speed after it has been retreaded with light, high speed tread designs?
Q.Is there a federal law regulating the minimum allowable tread depth for truck tires?
Q.Is there any situation where plugging a hole in a tire and not using a patch would be an acceptable industry practice?
Q.When would it be acceptable to inflate a tire to the maximum pressure?
Q.Is there a federal regulation requiring trucks to use new tires when hauling toxic waste?
Q.We are new to the retread business in our country and we wish to know how old a tire can be and still be retreaded or repaired.
Q.Do I have to remove any information from a truck casing before it is retreaded?
Q.How do I go about getting a DOT Code for a new retread plant we are opening?
Q.Does the DOT Code on retreaded truck tires have to be molded on the tire sidewall or can it be branded into the sidewall?
Q.We heard that the retread DOT code must be on both sidewalls of a tire. Is this true?
Q.We recently purchased a retread plant. Do we have to apply for a new Department of Transportation (DOT)code, or can we use our old one?
Q.How can I tell if my passenger tire is a retread?
Q.How will 20 percent overinflation in a steel radial truck tire affect the tire's performance?
Q.Do you recommend destroying a casing that may be dangerous to mount and inflate, even if it belongs to your customer?
Q.We mark our truck retreads with "R-DOT" designation along with our additional company information and the date. We just learned that we should not put the DOT symbol on our tires. Is this correct?
Q.Are new tires imported into the United States for sale, required to have the name of the manufacturing country on them?
Q.I understand that the maximum allowable injury for a nail hole repair in a large radial truck tire is 3/8"(10mm), but I don't understand why a 3/8"(10mm) injury in the sidewall requires a more costly section repair. Please explain.
Q.Is it true that any irregular tread wear pattern that develops in an original new tire will show up again when the casing is retreaded?
Q.Can the new ultra-low profile truck tires that replace duals be retreaded?
Q.I was told that I should not mark my truck retreads with the DOT symbol, but instead should use the "R" to designate "Retread". Is this true, and why?
Q.Is it acceptable to use bias ply tires on the front of my dump truck if radials are on the tandem drive axles?
Q.Do speed-rated passenger tire casings retain their speed rating after retreading?
Q.How is minimum dual spacing measured?
Q.We perform free air pressure checks for truck drivers on a regular basis. We know that any tire with less than 80% of the recommended inflation pressure must be deflated, demounted and inspected before it can be returned to service. What do we do when a hot tire is underinflated but above the 80% threshold?
Q.Can regrooved tires be used on the steer axle of a dump truck?
Q.How long does a truck have to sit before the cold inflation pressure can be read?
Q.How do you measure dual tire spacing?
Q.What is the maximum air pressure for seating the beads on a truck tire?
Q.We know that temperature changes have a direct effect on inflation pressures. What about altitude?
Q.We know the minimum tread depth allowed on steer axle truck tires is 4/32"(3.2mm) and the minimum for drive axles is 4/32"(3.2mm). What is the minimum tread depth allowed on lift axle tires?
Q.How many repairs are acceptable in a standard tubeless radial truck tire?
Q.I am aware of some new truck tires that have been imported into the United States without a production date code. Can these tires be sold in this country? They have an ISO 9002 marking, the letters "DOT" and a two-letter manufacturing plant designation.
Q.At what point will a truck tire burst from overinflation?
Q.How do I know if my tires are suitable for retreading?
Q."Where Does Tread Rubber Go?" by Peggy J. Fisher
Q.How many times can a steel radial truck tire be retreaded?
Q.Which are affected more by underinflation, radial or bias truck tires?
Q.What are the regulations regarding the use of retreads on steering axles?
Q.Which type of nail hole repair does the best job, one, or two-piece?
Q.I heard that before mounting a commercial truck tire that may have been run low or flat, it must be inflated to 20 psi above the recommended inflation pressure. Is this true?
Q.I am new to the service business. Recently, while deflating a 1200-24 truck tire the stem became clogged and I used a piece of wire to clear it. It was a warm day, but I'm sure I saw ice or frost in the stem. Am I correct?
Q.Can a company operate multiple retread plants under one Department of Transportation (DOT) shop identification code?
Q.We know that underinflation shortens a tire's life. Does overinflation do the same?
Q.Which surface wears a tire faster, a wet or dry surface?
Q.What is the origin of the word rubber?

Some of the questions & answers originally appeared in "The Tire Retreading/Repair Journal" and in "Today's Tire Industry" and are used with permission.


 
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E-Mail: info@retread.org
900 Weldon Grove, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
Phone: 1-888-473-8732 -- Toll-Free 1-888-473-8732 -- Fax: (831) 372-9210



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