[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Tire Chunks in the Road (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 6/2/2009 3:52:35 AM EDT
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This morning on my way into work I noticed a denser than usual distribution of cast-off tire tread along the roadway. There was even a State Trooper pulled over and out of his rig dragging a big hunk of it out of the number one lane.
It seems that the lion's share of this detritus comes from commercial vehicles. I have had a tread come off a truck in front of me and it can be disconcerting when twenty pounds or so of rubber heads straight for your windshield. Is there something about the greater weight of tractor trailers that degrades their tires to the point where they disintegrate on the road? |
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It's getting warmer, i see more tire carnage on the road during the summer. oh, and: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqw4ZooBzLw#t=4m25 |
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Quoted: Some of the truckers use retreads and try to put something like 1million miles on them. This. Add to that the sign on the back on the rock hauler traveling at 75 mph in front of you hurling chunks of glass breaking debris all over the highway that reads: "Not reponsible for damage from flying debris" and you see why I can't stand some of those assholes. Don't get me wrong - we need the trucking industry. It's just that maybe - just maybe - a little government regulation (GASP! What did he just say?) is a good thing when it comes to highway safety. |
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If retreads are more likely to detonate at speed than original manufacture tires, why are they legal? It also has to with the increasing temps due to summer. Eta: To the poster above, if you don't follow the truck so closely then you would have nothing to worry about. I'm a truck driver and idiots try to draft off me everyday. |
| I freakin' hate those damn things. All retreads should be stamped with serial numbers tracable back to the trucking company. DOT has to clean up your shitty retreads, you get a fine. Retreads (or at least irresponsible use of them) would lose their appeal pretty damn quick. |
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I freakin' hate those damn things. All retreads should be stamped with serial numbers tracable back to the trucking company. DOT has to clean up your shitty retreads, you get a fine. Retreads (or at least irresponsible use of them) would lose their appeal pretty damn quick. I agree 100%. The trucking company can pay for the damages to my vehicle as well if they don't get that shit off the road. Driving my brand new Lexus IS300 down the interstate. I was a safe distance behind 2 tractor trailers on a 4 lane interstate. One of their tires blew out and sent a chunk of rubber right into my front bumper. 500 bucks worth of paint later my car was almost back to brand new. |
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Quoted: I freakin' hate those damn things. All retreads ammunition should be stamped with serial numbers tracable back to the trucking company owner . DOT gov has to clean up your shitty retreads dead bodies, you get a fine jail. Retreads guns (or at least irresponsible use of them) would lose their appeal pretty damn quick. |
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I freakin' hate those damn things. All retreads ammunition should be stamped with serial numbers tracable back to the trucking company owner . DOT gov has to clean up your shitty retreads dead bodies, you get a fine jail. Retreads guns (or at least irresponsible use of them) would lose their appeal pretty damn quick. That's right. There is a Constitutional amendment protecting vehicles, so unregulated tires are directly related to unregulated ammunition. 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I freakin' hate those damn things. All retreads ammunition should be stamped with serial numbers tracable back to the trucking company owner . DOT gov has to clean up your shitty retreads dead bodies, you get a fine jail. Retreads guns (or at least irresponsible use of them) would lose their appeal pretty damn quick. Oh for fucks sake. Really???? |
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Eta: To the poster above, if you don't follow the truck so closely then you would have nothing to worry about. That's not exactly true. I try to stay back because of this issue, but while trying to follow a safe distance behind one truck, another truck will pass me and cut in front of me. Happens all the time. |
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Quoted:
If retreads are more likely to detonate at speed than original manufacture tires, why are they legal? Because a lot of people wouldn't make any money. The trucking industry would degrade, no goods would be delivered, people would starve, mass chaos would ensue. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Eta: To the poster above, if you don't follow the truck so closely then you would have nothing to worry about. That's not exactly true. I try to stay back because of this issue, but while trying to follow a safe distance behind one truck, another truck will pass me and cut in front of me. Happens all the time. And how many times do the cars cut in front of the trucks ??? We all share the road. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I freakin' hate those damn things. All retreads ammunition should be stamped with serial numbers tracable back to the trucking company owner . DOT gov has to clean up your shitty retreads dead bodies, you get a fine jail. Retreads guns (or at least irresponsible use of them) would lose their appeal pretty damn quick. Apples. Oranges. Please tell me which Amendment in the Bill of Rights guarantees the right to use retreads and put a million miles on them on a public highway? |
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Underinflation, It doesn't matter if it is a retread or a brand new tire if it is underinflated and gets too hot it will throw the tread. this is the number 1 cause . I run a shop for a fleet we have had 1 failure of a retread in 7 years. underinflation and overloading are the 2 causes of 95% of all tire failures. The drivers generally do not do a good job of detecting a flat before failure. I do agree owners should be liable it would reduce guys driving on flats . You see it a lot with guys pulling trailers they do not own or have to pay for. Like containers, |
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It seems that the lion's share of this detritus comes from commercial vehicles. Interesting. I have always used the word detritus to refer to fish shit. I didn't know that term universally applied to "shit" of any sort. I've never heard it refer specifically to fish shit. I always thought it meant refuse from grinding something...chunks of stuff leftover and thrown away afterward. |
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If retreads are more likely to detonate at speed than original manufacture tires, why are they legal? Because a lot of people wouldn't make any money. The trucking industry would degrade, no goods would be delivered, people would starve, mass chaos would ensue. Chaos... 
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Retreads aren't being done right. The cheaper retreads are prone to self-destruct. There are 2 methods of retreading. One uses a preformed, partially vulcanized tread which already has the tread pattern embossed into a fully vulcanized surface, underlaid with an unvulcanized bonding layer. This is wrapped over a buffed carcass. No good. These can be identified by the mating seam of the tread and uniform tread pattern pitch. The acceptable retreads are those which start out with buffed carcasses which are then wrapped with multiple layers of virgin rubber, then are REMOLDED, just like when originally formed. Because the new tread is composed pf multiple layers of overlapping rubber, they are much less likely to delaminate in huge layers. |
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Eta: To the poster above, if you don't follow the truck so closely then you would have nothing to worry about. I'm a truck driver and idiots try to draft off me everyday. I've taken rock damage from trucks going the opposite direction (two lane rural highways) so it's not quite that easy. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
If retreads are more likely to detonate at speed than original manufacture tires, why are they legal? Because a lot of people wouldn't make any money. The trucking industry would degrade, no goods would be delivered, people would starve, mass chaos would ensue. Dogs and cats living together... |
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Eta: To the poster above, if you don't follow the truck so closely then you would have nothing to worry about. I'm a truck driver and idiots try to draft off me everyday. I've taken rock damage from trucks going the opposite direction (two lane rural highways) so it's not quite that easy. Me too. Two cracked windshields and countless dents and chips. |
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I remember riding (motorcycle) through Winston -Salem NC on I-40 a few years ago, scared shitless.
Seemed like re-treads exploding around me everywhere, tractor- trailers all around, surrounded. I've never seen so much shit and debris in and around the highway, just everywhere. Side of the road was everything from alligators to fenders and glass and metal trash/debris and soforth. My Uncle picked up a giant bolt and a huge staple in his rear tire in a matter of minutes. |
| The trucking industry is far too busy demonizing Mexican trucking companies to police itself. Heck, every positive change has only come through the force of Big Brother government. They are an example of an industry than cannot be allowed to self-regulate, because the costs incurred on society by their inaction do not effect their bottom line. |
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Underinflation, It doesn't matter if it is a retread or a brand new tire if it is underinflated and gets too hot it will throw the tread. THIS. Retreads are held to the same standards as new tires, and are NOT more likely to grenade when underinflated. Most likely those are used tires, near the end of their useful service lives, and were run UNDERINFLATED. Commercial vehicles are more susceptible to this because of the heavy loads they carry: Heavy Weight + Underinflated Tire = HEAT. Heat is a killer of tires. Summertime always makes it more visible, since the higher road surface temperatures and ambient air temps just add to the heat attacking the underinflated tires. Some drivers just get lazy and/or complacent and don't always check their tires for proper inflation. Not to mention that the safest speed for big rigs is really between 55-65mph....it keeps wear & tear down and truck tires aren't really designed to travel faster than 65mph for sustained distances. In before some know-it-all (aka GD Lifer) posts how he can drive his 80,000-lb big rig at 85mph sustained and get 12mpg and 1.5million miles from his brand-new tires. As well as 25K between oil changes and nothing else really matters... 
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If retreads are more likely to detonate at speed than original manufacture tires, why are they legal? well besides the fact that government controls the legality of too much already. retreads cost about 1/3 less than a new tire. truckers "by law" must run new tires on the steer wheels. and with so many tires supporting the weight on the rest of the truck one tire is not going to make much of a safety issue for the truck. uncle sugar can't possibly protect you from everything, but Americans still demand cradle to grave feeling (false sense) of security. just pay attention while driving, don't get too close to trucks and everything will be fine. 
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If it comes off your vehicle, you ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT. The truckers will whine and claim it was road debris kicked up. Virginia has a covered load law, and it is not usually very hard to get them to pay, especially when you can say you saw the debris fall off but could not avoid it. |
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Not all retreads are created the same. See my post above.
Retreading is a highly labor intensive operation. I would suspect most is done in other countries. You would then suspect wrong. Can you imagine the cost of shipping a used tire to another country to be capped and the sent back!? They would cost way more then a new tire. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Not all retreads are created the same. See my post above. Retreading is a highly labor intensive operation. I would suspect most is done in other countries. You would then suspect wrong. Can you imagine the cost of shipping a used tire to another country to be capped and the sent back!? They would cost way more then a new tire. Well, if you are in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.... For you, Canada, eh? |
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Eta: To the poster above, if you don't follow the truck so closely then you would have nothing to worry about. That's not exactly true. I try to stay back because of this issue, but while trying to follow a safe distance behind one truck, another truck will pass me and cut in front of me. Happens all the time. And how many times do the cars cut in front of the trucks ??? We all share the road. I'm not looking for a pissing match. I'm merely saying you aren't safe from the threat mentioned merely because you try to keep your distance from them. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
If retreads are more likely to detonate at speed than original manufacture tires, why are they legal? well besides the fact that government controls the legality of too much already. retreads cost about 1/3 less than a new tire. truckers "by law" must run new tires on the steer wheels. and with so many tires supporting the weight on the rest of the truck one tire is not going to make much of a safety issue for the truck. uncle sugar can't possibly protect you from everything, but Americans still demand cradle to grave feeling (false sense) of security. just pay attention while driving, don't get too close to trucks and everything will be fine. Are you a trucker? |