Most truck and auto tires these days are made of rubber and steel.  They start out as a loop, called a bead, that is constructed with a rubber coated cable made from steel.  This is the inner armature that gives the tire the necessary strength to stay firmly affixed to the rim of the wheel.  This inner skeleton also allows the tire to withstand the impact of the machines which mount the tires to the rims. The body of the tire is then constructed by applying layers of various fabrics, the most c [...more]

This week, according to an article from the Associated Press, a Chinese trade official said the complaint from the United States about Chinese tire exports is protectionism and could harm relations between the United States and China. “The government of President Barack Obama is deciding what action to take after the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in June that increased imports of Chinese tires were harming American tire producers.” The back story on this is that United States tire [...more]

According to a news article in the Beaverton Valley Times out of Oregon, Portland has decided to reroof a historic building using recycled rubber shingles, as part of a Conservation effort. The recycled rubber tire shingles do cost more money; however, they last up to fifty years. About ten percent of the tires thrown out each year get recycled, and this is just another way they are being recycled these days.  The price for this type of roof is usually $25,000 to $28,000, but can last upwards o [...more]

A tire retread is when you do not replace the entire tire on a vehicle and instead just replace the tread, hence retreading. This method is used on everything from school buses to emergency response vehicles. It is a viable option to simply replacing your tires outright. An article from amoz.com states this: “Retreads are also used by thousands of owner/operators, small package delivery services such as FED EX, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. There is even a U.S. Federal Executive Order (1314 [...more]

According to a news article from Reuters, the Goodyear tire company posted a loss for the quarter, but did much better than the industry thought it would.  Their loss was much smaller than analysts had predicted according to the article. The loss equated to this, from the article by David Bailey: “The net loss amounted to $221 million, or 92 cents per share, for the second quarter, compared with a profit of $75 million, or 31 cents per share, a year earlier.” The tire companies have been feel [...more]