# Ran over a large truck tire fragment, what damage to look for?



## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

I hit a large chunk of truck tire on the highway today, nothing I could do, the guy in front of me swerved last minute to avoid it but I had someone in either lane beside me so I had no choice but to hit it dead on. It damaged my spoiler and bottom of the grille which really stinks, I can't even pop it back into place. Going to take it to a body shop but the biggest concern I have now is potential damage under the car since I ran over it ... my guess would be it broke up or flipped when my spoiler hit it and was kind of flat for the rest of the runover because there are barely any scuffs anywhere under the car. What else should I look for? Is there any serious protection of the oil pan or anything or is it just that kind of cardboardy cover that I assume is for aerodynamics? I'm going to have an actual shop look at it Monday but I was hoping to jack it up and look myself yesterday just because it's really bothering me, plus I want to know if I can drive it to the body shop. I drove it about 8 miles home after the incident, drove fine, no lights, no leaks, or anything. Only thing out of sorts I can see underneath is the fastener in the photo ... it looks like it holds the cover panels together but it's loose and just wobbling there.


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Torn CV Boots always a possibility. If you drove it 8 miles with no problems that is always a good sign. However it should be thoroughly inspected, take it to the Dealer and have them prepare an estimate for an insurance claim if needed


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Torn CV Boots always a possibility. If you drove it 8 miles with no problems that is always a good sign. However it should be thoroughly inspected, take it to the Dealer and have them prepare an estimate for an insurance claim if needed


So I could get an estimate and then file a claim? I've been debating whether to file a claim since if it's only the bumper it may be under my deductible anyway. But I'd hate to find out it's more and then have it be too late to file. Either way I'm definitely getting it inspected ... hoping they can do it at the dealer that's right by me.


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## Rivergoer (Mar 30, 2017)

FWIW, once heard this from an insurance agent...no claim as to veracity:

If you strike an object sitting in your lane, there’s no claim. If the object you struck _moved into_ your lane from either side you’re covered.


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

Rivergoer said:


> FWIW, once heard this from an insurance agent...no claim as to veracity:
> 
> If you strike an object sitting in your lane, there’s no claim. If the object you struck _moved into_ your lane from either side you’re covered.


Well that sucks. Bigtime. There was nothing I could do to avoid it. This has been a horrible week for me and this sounds just about right. Though to be honest I don't even know if it was already there or moved into the lane, the car ahead impeded my view until it suddenly swerved.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

Suggest that you choose your words carefully to avoid the risk of facing an accusation that you were following too closely or exceeding the posted maximum speed limit. 

FWIW I suspect that your car is just fine. These cars are designed to take snow and ice at sub-freezing temperatures. But there’s no harm in getting it checked by someone you trust.


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## DECruzer (Jul 19, 2015)

I did this exact thing and found quite a bit of damage. Hopefully you came out better. In my case, it hit the drivers side underbody panel and gouged it very heavy. Going to leave it for now. Plastic panel in front of the gas tank was ripped in half and the metal shield covering the gas tank had a big tear in it along with the tank itself. Replaced the plastic panel and used metal tape to repair the shield. Tank looked OK, so leaving that alone. Good luck and remember to do a good inspection of everything.


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

Tomko said:


> Suggest that you choose your words carefully to avoid the risk of facing an accusation that you were following too closely or exceeding the posted maximum speed limit.
> 
> FWIW I suspect that your car is just fine. These cars are designed to take snow and ice at sub-freezing temperatures. But there’s no harm in getting it checked by someone you trust.


I honestly wasn't following closely or speeding ... I was probably going under the speed limit. Technically I had the distance to stop or nearly stop, but it would have caused a much bigger accident. It was heavy traffic on the interstate, cars and trucks everywhere and you can't slam on the brakes when there are cars going 60 behind you, it would have caused a pile-up. It just really frustrates me because I'm a careful driver who's obsessed with my cars and no matter how I tell it someone's going to tell me obviously I was doing something wrong ... at least as far as the insurance company goes. I just wish I had happened to be driving in the other lane. I love my car and I'd just spent the day bragging about it at the museum where I volunteer ... it was one of few really positive things I had going and this just seems like ... really? I guess I shouldn't complain, it could have been worse, and at least I have two other cars to drive while I get it taken care of. I really hope the only damage is the bumper and maybe I can afford to just do it out of pocket.


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

DECruzer said:


> I did this exact thing and found quite a bit of damage. Hopefully you came out better. In my case, it hit the drivers side underbody panel and gouged it very heavy. Going to leave it for now. Plastic panel in front of the gas tank was ripped in half and the metal shield covering the gas tank had a big tear in it along with the tank itself. Replaced the plastic panel and used metal tape to repair the shield. Tank looked OK, so leaving that alone. Good luck and remember to do a good inspection of everything.


I didn't get a chance to jack it up today to really look (all my jackstands are under other cars and the Cruze is too low for ramps), but I didn't see anything that stood out. The underbody panel up front doesn't seem all that hefty though so I don't know if there was damage under it. I can't see any suspension/steering damage but there could be some I can't detect so I guess I need the alignment checked. I don't really understand where the tire went because I couldn't see any dents or much of anything farther back. Not even a single scuff in the back half of the car. A couple scuffs on the frame rails up front but the fuel and brakes lines look untouched.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

You’re golden. Seriously, don’t make your crappy day worse. Your car is tougher than you think. 

Now channel some of your energy into looking at Race Ramps to find ones that will work with your Cruze.

https://raceramps.com/


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

If you file a claim. Could make your rates up. 

BTW. Those tire pieces are called gators.


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

Tomko said:


> You’re golden. Seriously, don’t make your crappy day worse. Your car is tougher than you think.
> 
> Now channel some of your energy into looking at Race Ramps to find ones that will work with your Cruze.
> 
> https://raceramps.com/


Thanks, those ramps are awesome! ... and the prices aren't that bad considering I need an extra set of ramps anyway. I'll try not to worry too much. I know I should at least wait until I have the full info on damage, insurance, etc. before I start worrying, but it's so hard ... chronic overthinker.


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

snowwy66 said:


> If you file a claim. Could make your rates up.
> 
> BTW. Those tire pieces are called gators.


I thought I'd heard that term before but wasn't sure. I'm surprised it's taken me this long to hit one considering how often I see them. Though they were not usually much of a concern in my Jeep!


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## Eddy Cruze (Jan 10, 2014)

Rivergoer said:


> FWIW, once heard this from an insurance agent...no claim as to veracity:
> 
> If you strike an object sitting in your lane, there’s no claim. If the object you struck _moved into_ your lane from either side you’re covered.


Oh come on, that's silly? A Road Hazard causing damage to your insured property doesn't have to exhibit movement to be covered under your Collision or Comprehensive policy.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

BodhiBenz1987 said:


> I thought I'd heard that term before but wasn't sure. I'm surprised it's taken me this long to hit one considering how often I see them. Though they were not usually much of a concern in my Jeep!


You only have to worry about gators in the summer time. Companies that haven't realized the smarter side finances yet. Will still use recap tires. They only save a few dollars but in the end actually cost more because they blow quite often. Hot summer roads are hard on recap tires. Causing glue to fail causing an air leak to the point pressure gets low enough that the pressure heats up and blows the tire. 

Gators usually aren't an issue in the winter. 

This year. I bet has set a record. Can't drive on the freeway anywhere without seeing blown up rubber.


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Oh come on, that's silly? A Road Hazard causing damage to your insured property doesn't have to exhibit movement to be covered under your Collision or Comprehensive policy.


I did a quick google and it appears a stationary object is covered as a collision. But that means your rates could go up. Apparently, you're supposed to be able to avoid stationary objects. And those cars behind you? They're supposed to maintain a following distance to allow them to react to whatever you do. If they hit you, then it's their fault.

I'm not saying that's what you should do, I'm just explaining "insurance theory" which doesn't have all that much in common with what's safest.

Bottom line. I wouldn't make a claim unless it's either quite expensive or something you can't handle yourself. If it's not much above the deductible, don't bother.


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## Diesel4Ever (May 30, 2018)

Happened to me in 2016 with my TDI.

A semi tire took out my condenser, lower spoiler, skid plate, grille and cracked the bumper while doing 85 mph on the grapevine.

I put it back together with zip-ties until it gets turned in for the Dieselgate buyback. Not worth fixing. Haven’t had A/C for over two years though.

Consider yourself lucky it could’ve been a lot worse.


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

snowwy66 said:


> BTW. Those tire pieces are called gators.


 @Gator


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## BadBowtie (Apr 18, 2015)

"Comprehensive" should take care of it if you included it in your insurance. That's what it's for. 
I hit a dead deer late one night on the interstate, it took out my brake lines, I used my emergency brake to get home and then the next day took it to the repair shop. They said it was covered under my "Comprehensive" just like a when a rock "chips" the windshield. Be sure to check for all possible damage. Good thing no one got hurt.


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## Snipesy (Dec 7, 2015)

I hit a stop sign before and got that covered by insurance. Not really sure how much more stationary it gets.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Rivergoer said:


> FWIW, once heard this from an insurance agent...no claim as to veracity:
> 
> If you strike an object sitting in your lane, there’s no claim. If the object you struck _moved into_ your lane from either side you’re covered.





Eddy Cruze said:


> Oh come on, that's silly? A Road Hazard causing damage to your insured property doesn't have to exhibit movement to be covered under your Collision or Comprehensive policy.





BodhiBenz1987 said:


> I hit a large chunk of truck tire on the highway today, nothing I could do, the guy in front of me swerved last minute to avoid it but I had someone in either lane beside me so I had no choice but to hit it dead on. It damaged my spoiler and bottom of the grille which really stinks, I can't even pop it back into place. Going to take it to a body shop but the biggest concern I have now is potential damage under the car since I ran over it ... my guess would be it broke up or flipped when my spoiler hit it and was kind of flat for the rest of the runover because there are barely any scuffs anywhere under the car. What else should I look for? Is there any serious protection of the oil pan or anything or is it just that kind of cardboardy cover that I assume is for aerodynamics? I'm going to have an actual shop look at it Monday but I was hoping to jack it up and look myself yesterday just because it's really bothering me, plus I want to know if I can drive it to the body shop. I drove it about 8 miles home after the incident, drove fine, no lights, no leaks, or anything. Only thing out of sorts I can see underneath is the fastener in the photo ... it looks like it holds the cover panels together but it's loose and just wobbling there.


Most of the things that end up in the road are from passenger vehicles, Hill says, but sometimes the roadway junk comes from commercial trucks, such as tire treads from big rigs. Some commercial truck owners retread tires instead of replacing them, and occasionally the new treads separate from the tires. Often the truck driver doesn't realize what's happened until later. With 18 wheels, the loss of tread on one isn't noticeable while driving.
The pieces of tread look harmless, but the rubber is imbedded with metal.
"They're affectionately referred to as 'gators' because if you try to grab one, you'll get cut up," Hill says.
Kristin Luehrs, a traffic reporter for WTVR CBS Channel 6 in Richmond, Va., tells of one driver whose pickup was hit by a whole wheel -- not just the tread -- that flew off a big rig. The wheel hit the hood and smashed the windshield. Amazingly, the pickup driver was able to pull off the road unscathed.
"He looked like the fear of God was put in him," Luehrs says.
[h=2]*How insurance works*[/h]Car insurance will come to the rescue in such instances. If your vehicle is damaged from running into or running over an object in the road, then your collision coverage will pay for repairs, says Insure.com consumer analyst Penny Gusner. If the object flies through the air and hits your car, then your comprehensive coverage will come into play. You pay a deductible when you make a collision or comprehensive claim. Personal injury protection or medical payments would pay for treatment of injuries.
You might be able to make a claim against another driver's liability insurance if the accident was the result of someone failing to secure a load.
"It's one reason to have a dash cam," Gusner says.
The camera would capture the accident and the license plate number of the car or truck that lost the object.
Regardless, Gusner advises making a police report, which will help establish the facts for the insurance claim.
Drivers who carry items in or atop their cars are required by law in most states to secure them properly; penalties range from $50 under littering statutes in a few states to as much as $5,000 in Washington - plus jail time - if another person is injured.
Tickets for failing to secure a load typically do not appear on a driver's motor vehicle record and thus do not affect car insurance rates.
[h=2]https://www.insurance.com/auto-insurance/claims/things-in-the-road-mattresses-ladders-bowling-balls.html[/h]
Whatever the damage, if the cost of repairs is minimal, it might not be worth filing a claim with your auto insurance provider, either because it doesn’t reach your deductible amount or is barely above it.


I’d recommend that you pay out-of-pocket for your minor repairs and leave car insurance claims for expensive damage you can’t afford to fix on your own.


While comprehensive claims don’t typically raise your rates, collision claims can, and either type of claim may get you surcharged by your insurer if you have accumulated several claims (of any type) within a short period of time.

https://www.carinsurance.com/kb/road-debris-insurance-claim

Can you hold the truck driver responsible for this tire tread hitting your car or causing a truck accident? Was it the driver’s fault, or simply bad luck? After all, you cannot control when you get flat tires—can you really expect more from truck drivers?
*You absolutely can (and should) expect more from these experienced commercial drivers.* Truck drivers are held to a higher standard than other drivers on the road, which means that they must be aware of their driving performance and rig conditions at all times, including:


Proper rate of speed
Proper tire maintenance and inflation
Overloaded/overweight trailer
By following these guidelines, tires—both in original condition and retreaded tires—can remain safe for both the truck driver and the other drivers on the road.

https://www.chrishudsonlaw.com/faqs/truck-accidents-involving-tire-tread-debris.cfm


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Tomko said:


> You’re golden. Seriously, don’t make your crappy day worse. Your car is tougher than you think.
> 
> Now channel some of your energy into looking at Race Ramps to find ones that will work with your Cruze.
> 
> https://raceramps.com/




Lowered Cruze Ramps...


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## johnmo (Mar 2, 2017)

Diesel4Ever said:


> Happened to me in 2016 with my TDI.
> 
> A semi tire took out my condenser, lower spoiler, skid plate, grille and cracked the bumper while doing 85 mph on the grapevine.


I hit a gator in my 2009 TDI. My fuel gauge immediately went to empty and I was sure I'd ruptured the fuel tank or broken a fuel line, but the car kept running like nothing happened. I was only a mile or two from my exit and was planning to fuel-up at that exit anyway, so I got to the gas station and filled up. No fuel leaks, so I kept driving. Gauge didn't come all the way up to full so I figured I'd just borked the sending unit.

So... the sending unit is integrated into the fuel pump. I drove for a week before it died. The fuel pump was shattered. It's amazing that it continued running at all.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

As an experienced truck driver. I'll have to disagree with that article. 

Drivers DOOOOO know when they lose their tread. Think. Shotgun sound. 

As for Tire Maint. All the proper inflation in the world won't keep the glue from breaking apart in the summer heat. ON recaps. Recaps could also blow if the sidewalls are old or not in the best shape. 
Virgin tires can run pretty low before they blow. IF they blow. 

Recaps are pretty safe in the winter. For the most part. 
Virgins are recommended in the summer but some companies are just too darned cheap and think it's smarter to buy 10 recaps over buying 1 virgin. Recaps only save a few dollars over virgins per tire but don't last. So in the long run they end up costing more money.


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## IndyDiesel (May 24, 2015)

BodhiBenz1987 said:


> Thanks, those ramps are awesome! ... and the prices aren't that bad considering I need an extra set of ramps anyway. I'll try not to worry too much. I know I should at least wait until I have the full info on damage, insurance, etc. before I start worrying, but it's so hard ... chronic overthinker.


I use to have a RV and I had these plastic things I used to level my RV at a campsite, would just pull up on them and you could stack them, that’s what I use when I change my oil, then no jack in the way, they store easily in a bag. I don’t think they are very expensive. Obviously anytime the car is elevated the emergency brake and something to chalk the rear wheel should be used.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Blasirl said:


> Can you hold the truck driver responsible for this tire tread hitting your car or causing a truck accident? Was it the driver’s fault, or simply bad luck? After all, you cannot control when you get flat tires—can you really expect more from truck drivers?
> *You absolutely can (and should) expect more from these experienced commercial drivers.* Truck drivers are held to a higher standard than other drivers on the road, which means that they must be aware of their driving performance and rig conditions at all times, including:
> 
> 
> ...





snowwy66 said:


> As an experienced truck driver. I'll have to disagree with that article.
> 
> Drivers DOOOOO know when they lose their tread. Think. Shotgun sound.
> 
> ...



I agree and that is why I included the last article


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

The dealer had a look at it today and the good news is everything underneath looks good ... just a couple scuff marks and the one loose screw that holds the access panel in, which we got back in place. I will go to the body shop they recommended tomorrow for an estimate on the spoiler and lower grille. It doesn't look like the damage goes all the way back to the active grille shutters and they said I'd have a code if they were damaged. So I'm hoping it won't be as much as I fear to fix the cosmetic damage. But at least I was lucky once it got past the front of the car.


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## crunch21 (Jul 16, 2018)

Eddy Cruze said:


> Oh come on, that's silly? A Road Hazard causing damage to your insured property doesn't have to exhibit movement to be covered under your Collision or Comprehensive policy.


Hitting any stationary object is considered a collision and covered under you collision insurance if you have it, if it is in motion and not a vehicle its considered a "missile" in insurance terms and comprehensive. Many people have comprehensive and not collision to save money, which might be why an agent said no claim.

Otherwise speaking, and damage done to your vehicle can usually be considered covered under auto insurance if you carry both collision and comp. There are loopholes, typically mold/fungal related damages are not covered. Oddly enough detonating a nuclear device (intentionally or unintentionally) would not be covered.

Hope that clears it up a bit.


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## Z71 (Jan 1, 2019)

snowwy66 said:


> You only have to worry about gators in the summer time. Companies that haven't realized the smarter side finances yet. Will still use recap tires. They only save a few dollars but in the end actually cost more because they blow quite often. Hot summer roads are hard on recap tires. Causing glue to fail causing an air leak to the point pressure gets low enough that the pressure heats up and blows the tire.
> 
> Gators usually aren't an issue in the winter.
> 
> This year. I bet has set a record. Can't drive on the freeway anywhere without seeing blown up rubber.


Those recapped tires have a speed limit of 60 MPH I believe. In reality trucks equipped with them run 80+ MPH all day long and in warm weather the tires just fall apart. I bet none of those trucks use recapped tires on the tractor front wheels.


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## Z71 (Jan 1, 2019)

Some time ago my brother ran over big tire carcass with his Nissan Maxima and this threw the front end way out of alignment. So I would recommend checking the alignment as well. 

I am also sick and tired of people out there who cannot secure their load properly. Today I watched a guy in a Nissan pickup full of PVC long pipes lose half of his load in a turn and he did not even notice and kept going. Fortunately, the loose pipes tumbled to the roadside, or else a few of us would have had no choice but to run over them.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

Z71 said:


> Those recapped tires have a speed limit of 60 MPH I believe. In reality trucks equipped with them run 80+ MPH all day long and in warm weather the tires just fall apart. I bet none of those trucks use recapped tires on the tractor front wheels.


No. They don't have a 60 mph limit. They blow because of the hot summer sun on the ground and the fact they don't hold air sometimes. They get low enough and BOOM. Drivers don't take the time to thump their tires. And Most companies are too cheap to buy new. For whatever reason it's cheaper to keep buying recaps every week then virgins which will last a year or more. 

And it's illegal to have recapped steers. Not a shop in the country will install recaps on steers.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

snowwy66 said:


> As an experienced truck driver. I'll have to disagree with that article.
> 
> Drivers DOOOOO know when they lose their tread. Think. Shotgun sound.
> 
> ...


crazy talk

ive had tires that were recapped 5x

thats called savings.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Z71 said:


> Those recapped tires have a speed limit of 60 MPH I believe. In reality trucks equipped with them run 80+ MPH all day long and in warm weather the tires just fall apart. I bet none of those trucks use recapped tires on the tractor front wheels.


you believe wrong

theres not a 60mph limit on recaps

and yes recaps are used on steer tires


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

snowwy66 said:


> No. They don't have a 60 mph limit. They blow because of the hot summer sun on the ground and the fact they don't hold air sometimes. They get low enough and BOOM. Drivers don't take the time to thump their tires. And Most companies are too cheap to buy new. For whatever reason it's cheaper to keep buying recaps every week then virgins which will last a year or more.
> 
> And it's illegal to have recapped steers. Not a shop in the country will install recaps on steers.


wrong again

not illegal to recap steers


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

Excerpts taken from: https://www.todaystrucking.com/retread-tires-faq/



[FONT=&quot]*Q. Once the tread design is worn off the radial truck tire casing with a maximum 55 mph rating, is it legal to operate it at a higher speed after it has been retreaded with light, high speed tread designs?*[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A. I do not know of any law that addresses this, but it is not a good idea. The heavy-duty casing would likely become overheated and fail, if driven at high speeds.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

*Q.** How old a tire can be and still be retreaded or repaired.*[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A. There is no simple answer to you question, as in most cases a tire is rejected for retreading or repairing not because of its age, but because of its condition. Many tires may be unacceptable for
retreading when they are only a year old, while others may be perfectly acceptable for retreading when they are close to 10 years old. It all depends on how well the tire is maintained and how and where the tire is used. Some environmental and operating conditions can destroy even the
best new tires very quickly.

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]*Q. Can regrooved tires be used on the steer axle of a dump truck?*[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A. Yes, by law. The only type of vehicle with restrictions on steer tires is a bus. A bus cannot be operated with regrooved or retreaded tires on the front axle, but other vehicles can. However, TRIB does NOT recommend the use of regrooved tires on steer axle of any vehicle.

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]*Q. How many times can a steel radial truck tire be retreaded?*[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]A. That depends on the condition of the tire and how much damage it has accumulated. Long haul, high-speed operations usually retread their tires two or three times. While fleets, such as garbage hauler and other local service operations that wear tires out very quickly,
can sometimes retread their tires five or more times if they are properly maintained.










[/FONT]


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

boraz said:


> crazy talk
> 
> ive had tires that were recapped 5x
> 
> thats called savings.


I didn't say anything about number of times a tire could be recapped. And it's highly unlikely you went in and waited for however long it takes to recap and throw tire back on. Probably over a day. 

And NO. Recaps are not used on steers. They're illegal and recaps are generally a traction type tread.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

I'd like to see the federal regulation for commercial vehicles. Not a standard regulation for all vehicles.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

Blasirl said:


> Excerpts taken from: https://www.todaystrucking.com/retread-tires-faq/
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you guys just like being wrong.

different tires have different speed ratings, just like a cruze.

vocational/short haul tires have different demands on them, some of them have lower speed ratings

the speed rating is from the casing and that speed rating is there when the tire is new and still there when recapped.

buy a highway tire with a 75mph speed rating, recap it, its still a 75 mph speed rated tire

recapping the tire doesnt change the speed rating.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

snowwy66 said:


> I didn't say anything about number of times a tire could be recapped. And it's highly unlikely you went in and waited for however long it takes to recap and throw tire back on. Probably over a day.
> 
> And NO. Recaps are not used on steers. They're illegal and recaps are generally a traction type tread.


you said its cheaper to buy new

no its not

yes, ive been nowhere near a recapping facililty...but when i had a blowout changed in utah, the carcass had the stamps/brands inside it from each time it was recapped.

and yes recaps are used on steers and its LEGAL

and no theyre not generally used with traction tread, theyre used with w/e tread the customer desires.

we take our drives, recap them as trailer tires because we are heavy haul, theres lots of scrubbing, and a drive tire has the lateral strength for that, throw a trailer tread on it cuz we dont need traction from it

when i was straight highway, the company recapped the drives to use as drives.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

snowwy66 said:


> I'd like to see the federal regulation for commercial vehicles. Not a standard regulation for all vehicles.


youre on the internet, look it up for yourself.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Title 49 S393.75 tires...Applicable regulations.

(d) No bus shall be operated with regrooved, recapped or retreaded tires on the front wheels.

(e) A regrooved tire with a load-carrying capacity equal to or greater than 2,232 kg (4,920 pounds) shall not be used on the front wheels of any truck or truck tractor.

It's not illegal in broad strokes to run recaps. There's not a 60mph speed limit on recaps either. 

Most big tire suppliers don't offer a steering specific retread simply because they've found their biggest buyers don't want them. Or some will label them as "all position " tires and leave it up to the fleet or O/O to decide how to proceed. I'm general though recapped steers are far more prevalent in day work and restricted area type trucks (street sweepers, garbage trucks, local dump truckls, etc...) Than they are in OTR use. But it's not law, just preference.


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

boraz said:


> you said its cheaper to buy new
> 
> no its not
> 
> ...


$250 for a recap. It blows in a week. $250 for another recap. That's $500 in 7 days. 

$350 for a virgin. Lasts a year. YES. virgins are cheaper then recaps.


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

I worked in a truck shop one summer in college. We operated road rigs in 18 states out of central Kentucky where we saw the full range of hot and cold climates. We used lots of caps on the trucks and trailers. The shop manager told me we would get over 100k miles out of a recap. 

New tires were typically regroove-able, but, after they were worn down, rather than regrooving them, we would usually send them out for re-capping. 

The shop policy was to never put recaps on the steering axles. 

While I wasn't driving the trucks, I was the guy busting and mounting many of those tires  

FWIW.

Doug

.


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## Blasirl (Mar 31, 2015)

boraz said:


> you guys just like being wrong.
> 
> different tires have different speed ratings, just like a cruze.
> 
> ...


I don't particularly like to be wrong, but when it comes to a subject that I am nowhere near an expert on, I use the words of someone who is or in the case of the internet, someone who appears to be. I did not insert any comments at all, unless you call bringing attention to one item a comment. 

So in your haste to make me look daft or whatever your intentions were, you forgot to read the rest of my post, so it seems anyways. All I did was try to civilize the commentary by interjecting what looks like to me, facts. If you don't agree with them, please post some with references as I did.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

plano-doug said:


> I worked in a truck shop one summer in college. We operated road rigs in 18 states out of central Kentucky where we saw the full range of hot and cold climates. We used lots of caps on the trucks and trailers. The shop manager told me we would get over 100k miles out of a recap.
> 
> New tires were typically regroove-able, but, after they were worn down, rather than regrooving them, we would usually send them out for re-capping.
> 
> ...


gold bar or just irons?


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

boraz said:


> gold bar or just irons?


We had a machine for getting the tire off the wheel. I can't imagine doing it without one, but I've seen it done. Still, it took a full four hours to put 8 new tires on a truck. When a lug nut has been on for 100k miles, it often needs lots of coercion to break it loose.

Doug

.


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

plano-doug said:


> We had a machine for getting the tire off the wheel. I can't imagine doing it without one, but I've seen it done. Still, it took a full four hours to put 8 new tires on a truck. When a lug nut has been on for 100k miles, it often needs lots of coercion to break it loose.
> 
> Doug
> 
> .


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-u0Goj6lpI

i cant get the tire off the rim w/o the gold bar

i put the tire back on with two irons

i could do a set of 12 drives in 3hrs, but im old and fat, the young uns do em in 2hrs.

1 inch gun takes care of lugnuts no problem, but we rotate the tires, so they aint on for 100k miles anyways


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## resurgent cineribus (Feb 26, 2019)

Any update on the body repairs? Glad to at least hear everything is ok mechanically. 

Here in Mich especially the roads are abysmal with potholes everywhere wearing out suspension components. Between that and all the road salt cars here have a tough life


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## BodhiBenz1987 (Jan 13, 2018)

resurgent cineribus said:


> Any update on the body repairs? Glad to at least hear everything is ok mechanically.
> 
> Here in Mich especially the roads are abysmal with potholes everywhere wearing out suspension components. Between that and all the road salt cars here have a tough life


I thought I had updated after my body repairs, but I guess I never did! It was a while before I could get it in for them to be done, but I took it to a shop recommended by the salesman from whom I bought the car. They did a really nice job and I think the price was fair ... it was less than my deductible so I paid out of pocket. They had to disassemble the bumper and lower grille to get it all lined up again, and had to "weld" one plastic tab under the bumper that had broken. They fixed a small dent in the spoiler and repainted the area ... the blending it excellent, I can't detect anything in any light. So the car seemed to survive that episode and has moved on to other episodes ... it's not the luckiest car in the world but so far it's been a resilient one.


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