are the big pieces of black rubber you see on the highway...
- Thread starter Lifer
- Start date
why don't they go back and pick up the remains?
littering bastards. they could cause an accident with those things :|
littering bastards. they could cause an accident with those things :|
It's when they have new tread affixed to an old tire...it's cheaper than a new tire, but you see the results...Originally posted by: Lifer
wuz dat?
blurredvision
Lifer
- Oct 19, 2000
- 17,860
- 4
- 81
Well, I worked for about 7 months for Ryder's breakdown line, and basically what happens is that most of the time, one of these tires blows out, and the driver is able to keep on truckin'. One wheel going kaput isn't a big deal if the trailer isn't loaded down, so basically it's not worth their time to stop (which would take atleast a half a mile depending on how fast they are going and how big their load is), go back out into the interstate to drag off a big piece of tire.
There's no way (or not worth it) to track the shredded tire back to the trailer, so they leave it. In the trucker world, they are called gators, due to the tread on the tire looking something like an alligator's back (you understand).
There's no way (or not worth it) to track the shredded tire back to the trailer, so they leave it. In the trucker world, they are called gators, due to the tread on the tire looking something like an alligator's back (you understand).
blurredvision
Lifer
- Oct 19, 2000
- 17,860
- 4
- 81
every so often i hear that there are new laws trying to be passed requiring drivers to clean up after an occurance but i never hear anything coming of them
Evadman
Administrator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
- Feb 18, 2001
- 30,990
- 5
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Background:
Tires are really a few pieces, but lets concern ourselves with 2. The tread, and the casing. The tread is the part that has the designs in it. The casing is the rest of the tire. It contains the belts, the rim mount, etc. Basicly all but the tread.
Big rig tires are manufactured slightly differently than a passenger tire; to be stronger, with a different sidewall and more belts. (the part the tire gets most of its strength from) This of course makes them expensive.
What happens is that the tread wears out well before the casing does. (The tire goes bald) So, the remaining part of the tread is removed (usualy via a mechanical buffer) and more tread is bonded onto the casing. this is called Retreading. (The casing is also checked for abnormal wear, holes, patches, or anything else. Some even get xrayed.)
Sooner or later the casing will fail, or sometimes, the retread will fail. If the casing fails, it is usually because the driver did not check/perform PM on his vehic, or didn't catch a warning sign. What happens when the casing fails is the tire literaly desintegrates. The steel belts holding the tire snap, and the tire just comes apart at the seams. Usually, the sidewall will shear, so the entire circumference from about 4" from the rim fill be loose. Sometimes, you will see these on the side of the road. It looks like an entire tire missing the center.
If the retread fails, the tread just comes off the casing. This can be from overheating, or from a bad retread. It is very similar to what Firestone tires did on Explorers.
You can tell the difference from the 2, as a failed casing will have pieces of the belts hanging out from the pieces. The pieces are also pretty large (usually the tire will stay in one piece with a single failure point) They stand out real well. A failed retread will usually just be big blocks of rubber all over, and are usually smaller.
Tires are really a few pieces, but lets concern ourselves with 2. The tread, and the casing. The tread is the part that has the designs in it. The casing is the rest of the tire. It contains the belts, the rim mount, etc. Basicly all but the tread.
Big rig tires are manufactured slightly differently than a passenger tire; to be stronger, with a different sidewall and more belts. (the part the tire gets most of its strength from) This of course makes them expensive.
What happens is that the tread wears out well before the casing does. (The tire goes bald) So, the remaining part of the tread is removed (usualy via a mechanical buffer) and more tread is bonded onto the casing. this is called Retreading. (The casing is also checked for abnormal wear, holes, patches, or anything else. Some even get xrayed.)
Sooner or later the casing will fail, or sometimes, the retread will fail. If the casing fails, it is usually because the driver did not check/perform PM on his vehic, or didn't catch a warning sign. What happens when the casing fails is the tire literaly desintegrates. The steel belts holding the tire snap, and the tire just comes apart at the seams. Usually, the sidewall will shear, so the entire circumference from about 4" from the rim fill be loose. Sometimes, you will see these on the side of the road. It looks like an entire tire missing the center.
If the retread fails, the tread just comes off the casing. This can be from overheating, or from a bad retread. It is very similar to what Firestone tires did on Explorers.
You can tell the difference from the 2, as a failed casing will have pieces of the belts hanging out from the pieces. The pieces are also pretty large (usually the tire will stay in one piece with a single failure point) They stand out real well. A failed retread will usually just be big blocks of rubber all over, and are usually smaller.
Yep, it's from re-treading the tires rather than buying new expensive ones.
It should be outlawed in my opinion. I once had the unfortunate experience of the whole tread come loose from and 18-wheeler in front of me and nail my car. My passengers were sleeping (It was a long snowboarding trip to VT) but awoke quickly when I screamed, "Oh sh!t" and the tire tred hit us dead center at 75mph. Besides scaring the sh!t out of me, there was not much damage to the car, except it bent the license plate, which hung 1/2 below the bumper, at a 90-degree angle. The car was a beater anyway.
It should be outlawed in my opinion. I once had the unfortunate experience of the whole tread come loose from and 18-wheeler in front of me and nail my car. My passengers were sleeping (It was a long snowboarding trip to VT) but awoke quickly when I screamed, "Oh sh!t" and the tire tred hit us dead center at 75mph. Besides scaring the sh!t out of me, there was not much damage to the car, except it bent the license plate, which hung 1/2 below the bumper, at a 90-degree angle. The car was a beater anyway.
I doubt the drivers even notice if it's on the trailer. Might not even on the truck. I've heard they don't run retreads on the front tires.
Anybody remember when you could get retreads for passenger cars? My dad used to run em on our old '69 dodge van. No interior ... just bare metal. When one of those things starts separating and slapping against the fender well at 60MPH on the highway, it sounded like a goddamn machine gun.
Anybody remember when you could get retreads for passenger cars? My dad used to run em on our old '69 dodge van. No interior ... just bare metal. When one of those things starts separating and slapping against the fender well at 60MPH on the highway, it sounded like a goddamn machine gun.
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