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A tire should be inspected several times to ensure it is capable of being retread. Many tire manufacturers have field representatives who work with local tire dealers to provide an initial on-site evaluation to determine the retreadability of a tire used in a particular application.

Application is a primary consideration, since tires used in off-road situations can go through a wide variety of operating conditions, even on the same machine. "You have to look at each tire individually," says Tolman. "Consider where the tire has been used and under what conditions it has been operated. Consider if it is operated in extreme cold or heat, which may have caused more stress to the casing. Also consider if it has had more exposure to hitting and maneuvering around objects that may have caused internal damage that isn't easily visible from the outside."

Once application has been considered, and the tire has been through an initial inspection by the manufacturer/dealer, it goes through a second inspection at the retreading facility. In recent years, there have been many enhancements in technology to improve the retreading process. One of the main ones is nondestructive testing to ensure a casing is up to the challenge.

"About 10 to 12 years ago, the best testing procedures retreaders had was an inspector," says Brodsky. "He wore magnifying glasses and had good light, but he couldn't look through the tire and see if there was any damage that wasn't visible to the eye. Now, we have shearography machines, laser devices and x-rays that are being used and are becoming commonplace. We are able to give a worn tire the equivalent of a CAT-scan or MRI. We can look through to see if there are any steel cords that are damaged that would prevent the tire from enjoying the next life trouble-free.

"Because of that," he adds, "we are able to say that retreads have an adjustment rate (tire loss due to manufacturer defects) that is lower than new tires."