Board logo

Recutting tyre tread
craig_007 - 20/11/11 at 07:28 PM

Anyone had any experience with doing this, My Yokohama 048s are about on the barriers and I have access to a regrooving machine.

Is this possible do you think ?

I was going to do this today and thought I would ask the question first ?

adithorp - 20/11/11 at 07:37 PM

There's not enough tread depth to retread worn car tyres and you'd be through to the casing... and it's not legal.

Ben_Copeland - 20/11/11 at 07:49 PM

quote:
Originally posted by adithorp
There's not enough tread depth to retread worn car tyres and you'd be through to the casing... and it's not legal.


Agreed

craig_007 - 20/11/11 at 07:51 PM

Magic guys thanks for that.

I'll just keep them for the track I think, Glad I thought twice about in feet first.

DixieTheKid - 20/11/11 at 07:56 PM

Truck/lorry tyres yes, cars tyres no. As above, thier is simply not enough meat.

[Edited on 20/11/11 by DixieTheKid]

Peteff - 20/11/11 at 09:12 PM

I remember cutting some lorry tyres at a yard my friend ran and I lost my voice for two days after, serious need of a mask for that job.

daviep - 20/11/11 at 09:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
I remember cutting some lorry tyres at a yard my friend ran and I lost my voice for two days after, serious need of a mask for that job.


Were you cutting them with a proper hot wire type tyre cutter?

I've done/do loads of tyres and have never had a problem with smoke or fumes?

Davie

DixieTheKid - 20/11/11 at 09:44 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
I remember cutting some lorry tyres at a yard my friend ran and I lost my voice for two days after, serious need of a mask for that job.


+1, when we have the truck tyres done there is next to no smoke at all? Its just like an angled hot knife.

paulf - 20/11/11 at 10:10 PM

Whilst I agree with the above comments about not doing it I did once work for a cheap skate boss who had a tyre cutter and he regularly used to re-cut car tyres to gain an extra couple of mm, obviously illegally.He used to maintain that as long as the cords weren't exposed then the thickness of the rubber made little difference to the strength of the tyre.
I was never to sure myself but he never had any problems caused by doing so, and I would think it probably ok for track use.
Paul

Peteff - 20/11/11 at 11:16 PM

quote:
Originally posted by DixieTheKid
quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
I remember cutting some lorry tyres at a yard my friend ran and I lost my voice for two days after, serious need of a mask for that job.


+1, when we have the truck tyres done there is next to no smoke at all? Its just like an angled hot knife.


This was like a hot knife but it was over 30 years ago. It had different blades for cut depths and smoked like nobody's business

hillbillyracer - 20/11/11 at 11:58 PM

I've done it a bit on commercial tyres & not had problems with smoke or fumes either, a fair smell but nothing beyond that. I found it quite a satisfying job but wouldn't want to do it all day!
It'd be hard to cut them good enough so that you couldn't tell it had been done, if there was an accident caused by them it'd soon be found out.

skodaman - 21/11/11 at 12:19 AM

Done it on rear motorbike tyre to get through mot. I cringe at the thought of it now but in my defence I was only 17 at the time and it's over 30 years ago. Maybe not even illegal then but a dumb idea nonetheless.

James - 21/11/11 at 11:55 AM

I've often wondered why you see so many shredded lorry tyres along the motorways... including the one I nearly hit in the middle lane of a motorway in torrential rain at about 1am a couple of years ago... (twitchy sphincter moment that was, I can tell you! ) I guess this is one of the reasons!!!

[Edited on 21/11/11 by James]

hillbillyracer - 21/11/11 at 08:23 PM

I would reckon the most likely reason for all the lorry blowouts you see on the motorway is the driver being unable to know he's got a puncture, with plenty other wheels around the soft tyre the feel of things from the seat will be unchanged but the tyre will still heat up & let go after a while. The first thing they'll know is when it tears the mudguard off!

daviep - 21/11/11 at 08:27 PM

quote:
Originally posted by James
I've often wondered why you see so many shredded lorry tyres along the motorways... including the one I nearly hit in the middle lane of a motorway in torrential rain at about 1am a couple of years ago... (twitchy sphincter moment that was, I can tell you! ) I guess this is one of the reasons!!!

[Edited on 21/11/11 by James]


Nearly all of the lorry tyres you see on the central reservation (or the middle lane ) are the tread layer from a remoulded tyre, where the new tread layer has de-laminated from the carcass.

Re-treading or re-moulding (the same thing) are not the same as re-cutting. Most new (as in not remoulded) lorry tyres are designed to be re-cut, there are special measurement holes moulded into the tyre to enable accurate measurement of how deep the cutter should be set.

Davie

britishtrident - 21/11/11 at 08:50 PM

With car tyres the rubber is built up in layers , the compound of first layer of rubber nearest the tread belt is not intended to provide grip.

Interesting story regarding remoulds, back in the year dot (1950s) the great WDC Denny Hulme started out racing an MG TF he used to race on freshly remoulded tyres from a local tyre remoulding company because he realised they were extra sticky.