Buried under a harsh economy, nearly 60% of motorists would now consider buying part-worn or retread tires for their cars, compared to just 35% three years ago, Tyres & Accessories reports.
That’s the conclusion of a study conducted by online tyre retailer Blackcircles.com, published to coincide with Tyre Safety Month. Publicizing the conclusions of the data in an official statement, Blackcircles MD Mike Welch made the expected warnings about part worn quality, but made a surprising comparison with “sub-standard” retreads.
“Buying part worn tires and retreads might seem like a thrifty alternative to new tires but it’s vital that motorists also understand the risks. Part-worns and retreads are effectively second hand – they have already been used for an unspecified number of miles with a different vehicle and so are inherently sub-standard compared to brand new models,” Welch commented.
“They may have been run over or underinflated, and may have sustained irreparable and invisible damage to their structure. Part-worn tires don’t come with a guarantee and buyers have no means of recourse should things go wrong.”
