Can you use retreads on your bus conversion? Yes.

[@binnsbrian]

Thanks for the education. Almost choked on my coffee when Greta popped on my screen.

[@RollingLiving]

Sorry to startle you... :-)

[@jeffbyrd7976]

I have used retreads on the rear, but not steer. I have not had any issues. But I am glad you put this up. It does help in the argument corner.

[@RollingLiving]

Thank you for watching, Jeff. As you said, having data does help counter the alarming claims. :-)

[@dwjr5129]

I drive a school bus and work part time in our bus shop. We run re-treads on the back and, of course, new tires on the front. Also, we have a bunch of rough, rural roads in the district. Out of 40 buses, we have surprisingly few issues. I think one blowout in two years. Now ruined tires due to drivers climbing curbs… another topic altogether…🙄. I’ve become a believer in the caps.

[@RollingLiving]

Thanks for your thoughts...and for watching. Be safe!

[@LacroixCruiser]

Excellent information as always, all backed, not hearsay!

[@RollingLiving]

Thank you, Yvan!

[@bmxican1023]

Ah yes, stickocity, forgot about that lol Great video, thanks for having actual real references and sources!

[@RollingLiving]

Haha! Thanks for "sticking" with my sense of humor. :-) And yes, my whole goal is to help dispel some of the misconceptions with references. Everyone has, and should have, their own opinion and preferences...but it's amazing how many folks make assertions that aren't supported by any data.

[@davidjones8680]

Twice, on seperate occasions I've had a brand new virgin tyre's fail on me, one on its their first trip out after being fitted. I didn't even get that far with the second. In the first incident I started to get slight vibrations through the steering wheel after doing only ten miles at 50mph, i suspected that the wheel was insecure so stopped and checked, it wasn't that, So after checking the pressure was okay, I cautiously proceeded on my journey. After just another few miles the vibration got a lot worse, so I stopped and inspected the tyre again. This time it was plain to see the problem, a good 15" of the outer tread had delaminated from the carcass and was bulged up a good inch higher than it should have been. The second incident was a lot more spectaclar, I was at the tyre shop having two brand new steer tyres fitted, the first had been done and was back on the truck. While I stood watching the second wheel being fitted, I could hear some creaking and banging which appeared to be coming from the other side of the truck so I walked around to have a look. I was astonished to see that about two thirds of the brand new tyre had ballooned out spectacularly and now filled the whole wheel arch. Very very thankfully it didn't explode until both the fitter and I had ran out of the building. The truck sustained serious damage, only the drivers window remained un broken, probably because it had been rolled down in the door at the time. After much debate between insurance companies it ended up getting a brand new cab fitted. The tyre shop didn't fair much better. The workbench which was six feet away from the exploding tyre was totally destroyed, a fair percentage of the tools that had sat on top of it exited the shop through the roof. I'm now recently retired after 50 plus years of mainly fixing all manner of car's plant and trucks, and also being a relief driver when required. In all that time I have personally known three people who have been killed while fitting tyres, and several more who have received some severe injuries. Basically tyre's are just mobile pressure vessels, new or old, retreaded or not, they all have the wonderful potential to kill and injure and at any time, moving or not. Stay safe out there, especially so if you're doing stuff with tyres. David in the UK.

[@RollingLiving]

Wow! Thanks for sharing, David.

[@davidjones8680]

@@RollingLiving Somewhere I have pictures of the damage done after that tyre exploded, i will try and find them out for you.

[@RollingLiving]

@@davidjones8680 I'm glad you weren't hurt. It's a good thing we don't have tyres here...only tires. 🙂 I couldn't resist! (For a time I worked for a U.K. company and they used to give me good-natured grief over my English. We had some fun...) If you find those, you could email them to me at [e-mail]

[@thetslabus]

Another great video! By the way, love the "front towards enemy" on your laptop's power supply!!! Having run a commerical passenger fleet for several years our DOT inspectors, mechanics, and just about everyone made sure we were well aware of the prohibition of recaps on steers. However, I was surprised to learn just now that non-passenger commercial vehicles like semis don't have that prohibition. Makes me wonder why they regulation still exists for passenger buses?

[@RollingLiving]

Thank you, sir. I was having fun with the laser engraver on the battery...I don't take that one through TSA, though. 🙂 When I started researching this, I was surprised too. I think if NHTSA or the FMCSA had serious concerns about the safety of retreads, they'd not allow them on any commercial vehicle. Interesting, indeed.

[@macelius]

I love how worn the keyboard is too.

[@caveone-365]

There's nothing better than finding out the real truth based on the available data, that debunks the common conception that a retread is any less reliable than a virgin one. Very informative and interesting. Thank you for taking the time to research, and share this information! This type of stuff is such valuable knowledge. Keep up the excellent videos 👍😎

[@RollingLiving]

You must get a kickback on recap sales from the Retread Tire Industrial Complex. 😁 I think I've been accused of that already... Haha! It's amazing how personal some of the attacks have been on Facebook just from sharing this information. Thank you for your comment and for your open mind.

[@caveone-365]

@@RollingLiving LOL I wish I did, we could split it sir!!! 😁 People are ridiculous these days. 😔 This is one reason why I have ZERO social media accounts. I appreciate you doing what you do by educating folks, and presenting the facts. I don't own a bus personally, I'm just another guy who has been turning wrenches on pretty much anything and everything for more than a couple decades. I enjoy your no-nonsense approach, and top-notch content.👍

[@RollingLiving]

@@caveone-365 Well, those are very kind words and high praise. I appreciate the support.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Great information!! Thanks!

[@RollingLiving]

Why thank you! I half-expected that my first comment on this video was that I was endangering Grandma 😁

[@icenijohn2]

I'm a moderate-distance touring bicyclist, and when I ride (legally) on interstate shoulders in the western USA I have a good opportunity to look at truck tire debris there. As Ross says, there's no indication that retreads are more prone to separation than virgin tires, and I see plenty of the steel-belted carcasses (carci?) there to indicate that total tire disintegration is very common. On last year's little jaunt from Albuquerque NM to Williams AZ I saw plenty of 'alligators' on I-40's shoulder, and most of them were the steel-belted casing variety; I saw very few treads by themselves. I'm obsessive about keeping the correct tire pressures for my bus conversion and car, and I have a TPMS to tell me exactly what the bus's tires are doing while I drive. I wonder how many remnants of tires I've seen on shoulders are there because of under-inflation causing heat build-up?

[@RollingLiving]

"I'm a moderate-distance touring bicyclist..." who just pedaled 1000 miles. :-)

[@icenijohn2]

@@RollingLiving I rode about 7000 miles in 1981 across North America, so in comparison all my other rides aren't that far! Later this year I plan on riding the entire US Pacific Coast, so that will feel more like a real ride. It will be interesting to see if the tire remnants on slower rural roads follow the same pattern as those on interstates. I also wonder if an area's air temperatures affect the quantity and type of its tire debris?

[@hamskoolie9706]

;At 8:30 you say that a skoolie conversion isn't a bus so it can use retreads on the front wheels. However, (e) is a concern for those conversions that are still titled as a TRK if they are running tires over the weight listed in (e). Am I missing something?

[@RollingLiving]

Hey, my friend! Good to see you over here. Thanks for watching. (e) only refers to regrooved tires, not retreads or recapped tires.

[@kaileewasher8944]

Where do you get yours in Phoenix?

[@RollingLiving]

502 E. Broadway, Phoenix. Marty's the owner. It doesn't look like much, but they do lots of work on semis and have a whole lot of recapped tires, used virgin tires, and wheels. I don't want to post his phone number online, but if you email me at [e-mail] I'll send it to you. They don't mount tires, though...just FYI.

[@edsteward7717]

You may have mentioned before that you were a police officer, but I don't recall it. Dude! You've had enough careers for three people! Can't help but wonder what your next one will be. 🤔 Oh, and thanks for the info!

[@RollingLiving]

Haha! Yup, I'm old and have a sordid past. :-) LE from about 1984 to 2004...then went into wind energy and solar, during which time my wife and I started a food business and got into conversions (starting with an ambulance conversion in 2015). We just bought back control of the food business, so that's my final career! Buses are a passion though, and will continue to be so. Oh, and thanks for watching!

[@edsteward7717]

@@RollingLiving You say final, but we'll see...😄 I really enjoy your channel/new career.

[@bruceyoung1343]

If safety is worth more than saving a few dollars, then sure go get your retreads. I drove a big truck (18 wheels) and our safety manager wouldn’t have them

[@RollingLiving]

And that is certainly a valid opinion...and everyone should make their own choices. But if you look at the best available data, then there's no difference in safety.

[@bruceyoung1343]

@@RollingLiving that goes against years of common sense

[@RollingLiving]

@@bruceyoung1343 I know that people hear things and they get passed down. And believe me, I sure didn't know this when I started researching the issue. And it's not like I work for the Retread Tire Industrial Complex and get a kickback. :-) I'm just trying to share the info I've found. If you want to dig more deeply, after watching the video, you ought to read that study...it's pretty well done. But I'm definitely not out to convince anyone to do anything they aren't comfortable with. Be well, Bruce.

[@bruceyoung1343]

@@RollingLiving you too. Be well. And be safe

[@VitiatedsHOWTO]

They’re garbage you see them all over the roads

[@RollingLiving]

Do you think the analysis of the tire casings and tread remnants collected in those six studies were inaccurate? According to NHTSA, those tire parts you see along the road are evenly distributed between retread and virgin tires. I respect everybody's opinion, but if you have any data to support that I would love to read it and share it please. 👍