A tire retread is also known as recap or a remold. Retreading is a re-manufacturing process that replaces the tread on worn tires. New tread is applied to the casings of used tires that are first thoroughly inspected and then repaired. This process reuses a large amount of the parts of a used tire, so your cost is far lower than compared to manufacturing a new one.

The market for retreaded tires continue to increase due to their environmental benefits and lower cost. At Jireh, Inc., we begin the process of retreading by barcoding your tire to ensure that it can be uniquely identified throughout the process. Secondly, and possibly most importantly, each tire is thoroughly visually inspected in a seven-step process.

After the visual inspection, the tire is ready for the electrical inspection. During this step, invisible punctures or other imperfections are discovered and marked for repair. If at any time a tire is deemed unworthy to be retreaded, it is removed from the production line.

The next step of the retread process is shearography. A vacuum and laser process adds stress to the tire, so that the casing can be scanned from bead to bead so that flaws in any part of the casing can be detected.

After all of this is complete, the tire is ready to be buffed. The buffer removes old tread rubber, leaving a clean and smooth surface for the new uncured material to adhere to.

The fifth step in the process is skiving. During skiving, the technician removes any exposed steel cord material or rusted steel to prevent a possible retread failure.

Next, the repair process addresses any other tire injuries are addressed, including bead damage, crown injury, shoulder and sidewall injury and sidewall splits.

During step seven, applying cushion, a thin layer of rubber called cushion gum is applied to the buffed surface of the casing. It fills in any skive-outs created earlier in the process and prepares the surface for the new tread to be applied. Once cured in the curing chamber, it forms an unbreakable bond between the tire and the new tread.

In the building step, a pre-cured tread is applied to the tire casing. The tread is stitched to the casing to eliminate any trapped air. Next, the tire is enveloped tightly inside a piece of flexible rubber that applies uniform pressure to the outer surface. Rubber arc rings seal the envelope at the beads and the prepared tire is put into a curing chamber at a very specific temperature and pressure for a very specific amount of time.

After a final inspection and a little paint, the retread is ready to use.

Jireh, Inc. manufactures Bandag Retreads in our state-of-the-art production facility on site in Barry, IL. Please contact us for more information.