What Is Tire Regrooving? Know Its Advantages 

Tire regrooving is a process that is applied on old tyres. By regrooving, you can deepen the grooves of a tyre and make it useful again.  

You can only regroove the tires which are regroovable. That means some tire manufacturers design them to undergo the process. Regrooving a tyre may not be the safest idea.  

A regroovable tire has a strong carcass that can stand the process of re-treading and modification.  

Parts of a Tire: 

A tire has four parts, namely- 

• Ribs 
• Tread Blocks 
• Grooves 
• Sipes 

Also read Tyre Construction: Its Parts and Their Function

What Is Tire Regrooving All About? 

By regrooving, you can get the original shape of the tire back. First, you must remove the rubber underneath the tread. This rubber’s thickness is 2 to 4 mm. 

 You can safely restore a tire when the tire’s depth is 2 to 4 mm. At this point, you can easily give it a nice groove. Tire regrooving transforms the old tire into a new one if you can do it properly. 

After using it for many days, the tires lose their deep lines. These lines are pretty essential for a tire to perform well. The tire treads are a necessary element of a tire because- 

• This part meets the road and helps in smooth driving.  
• It helps in low rolling resistance. 
• It gives directional stability. 
• It provides protection against water, snow or mud on the road. 
• It helps in holding the road while you drive a car at high speed. 

Your tire tread should always be in the right condition to maintain your car’s safety and performance. Tire regrooving gives your tires the most necessary thing- the sharp and functional grooves.  

How Is Tire Re-treading Done? 

When you use an old tire after regrooving it, the process of making it new-like is called re-treading. If your tire’s casing has solid structural quality, a groover takes it off. Then the tire gets an entirely new tread and a sidewall rubber.  

But the treading process is elaborate. Many people are required to do this. Inspectors with essential equipment examine the tires. Then a groover removes the tire tread mechanically. This process needs a buffer. The modern buffers are highly accurate. It will remove the rubber from the old tire.  

In the next step, the tire goes through a curing process. Here the tire’s original casing gets a new rubber through vulcanisation. Therefore, you get a completely new tire tread.

Also read: Tips to increase your bike fuel economy  

What to Keep In Mind When You Decide To Regroove a Tire? 

When regrooving a tire, you must keep two things in mind –the right heating strength and permanent grooving procedure.  

The right heating of the cutter is quite important in tire regrooving. If the cutter is too hot, it will badly damage the tire’s rubber. You must consider checking the instruction on the cutter box before starting the process. The person administering the grooving process must follow the instructions on the box.  

Remember to do permanent grooving. When you start the regrooving process, the electric power travels through the regroover. For that, the cutter gets the right cutting temperature. By that, the process of re-treading becomes much more accessible.

Also check out: Encyclopedia of bike engine parts

Is Tire Regrooving Safe?  

In most cases, tire regrooving is safe. The tire manufacturer companies make regroovable tires for this purpose. But multiple times, regrooved tires are more prone to leakages, skidding and tread separation. If maintained properly, a regrooved tire can last long enough. Nowadays, people use regrooved tires in all kinds of vehicles. 

Advantages of Tire Regrooving: 

There are several advantages of regrooving a tire: – 

1. You are doing a favour when you reuse an old tire by regrooving it. Throwing an old tire only adds to the non-biodegradable garbage. Burning or using old tires in landfills is extremely harmful to the environment. When you reuse it, you reduce the carbon-di-oxide emission. 
2. Making a new tire needs a huge quantity of oil. If you reuse an old tire by re-treading it, you save a lot of oil. Thus, you play a significant role in saving natural oil resources.  
3. Re-treading or regrooving is safe for vehicles like school buses, trucks, taxis and other transports. Therefore, people use it without any danger. 
4. If we consider the financial aspect of it, you must admit the advantage of re-treading. These tires are less expensive compared to brand-new tires. If you have a budget constraint, you must opt for re-treading. 
5. You can reuse your old tires several times after regrooving them. It saves a lot of money as new tires cost almost double the price.  
6. Re-treaded tires give you performance like a new tire. After regrooving, your vehicle will run quite a few miles without much expense.  

Problems with Tire Regrooving: – 

1. By regrooving, you can use old worn-out tires. But, after budget tires arrived on the market, people were more inclined to buy them. The cost of the budget tires is lesser than the cost you will pay for regrooved tires.  
2. The regrooved tire’s quality is not as perfect as a new tire. By regrooving the tire’s condition improves a lot but not like the original ones.

Be sure to check out other articles on the Carorbis blog such as World’s Top 10 Fastest Bikes and How to maintain your motorcycle.

Frequently Asked Questions: – 

Q1. When Is Re-treading Not Recommended? 

Answer: Tire re-treading or regrooving is not recommended in cases where- 

• The tire has cuts 
• The rubber of the tire is worn out 
• The tire’s casing is coming out 
• The tire’s sidewall is not in the right condition 
• The tire’s belt edge cushion is coming out of the socket 

Q2. How Do Regrooved Tires Work In Comparison To New Tires? 

Answer: Regrooved tires work quite well. If you can re-tread a tire correctly, it can perform almost as well as a new tire. Modern tire manufacturers use advanced technology so that the tires can last long.  

Q3. Are Regrooved Tires Cost-Effective? 

Answer: Yes, regrooved tires are a lot cheaper than the new tires. You can buy a regrooved tire, and it will perform quite well.  

If you buy a new tire with good quality, strong casing for your vehicle, it is a smart decision. You can re-tread a good quality tire many times, as long as its casing is in good condition. So, you may reuse the tire, and that makes it cost-effective. 

Q4. Are Re-treaded Tires Safe to Use? 

Answer: Yes, re-treaded tires are absolutely safe to use by all vehicles.  

There is a common misconception that using re-treaded tires might be unsafe. But there is much evidence against this concept. People nowadays use re-treaded tires quite a lot. Studies show that using these tires does not cause any problems. 

Q5. Can We Use Re-treaded Tires In Buses? 

Answer: Yes, you can easily use re-treaded tires in buses. Buses and trucks are the primary users of these tires. They do not cause any problems on buses.  

Q6. Does Fleet Size Matter? 

Answer:  Large fleets generally use more re-treaded tires. But that does not mean that only large fleets use re-treaded tires.  

Q7. How Many Times You Can Re-tread A Tire? 

Answer: You can re-tread a tire many times. You have to see whether the tire’s casing is in the right condition or not. With a strong casing, you can re-tread a tire for multiple uses. 

Q8. Why is Tire re-treading Important? 

Answer: Tire re-treading is important because- 

• It saves a lot of money on buying new tires.  
• The re-treading is environment-friendly; it saves oil for making new tires. 
• It helps reduce carbon emission that takes place while the tire is manufactured 
• You get to use your old tire for many more days. 

Q9. What to Consider When Buying a Tire Cutting Machine? 

Answer: Before buying a tire grooving or cutting machine, you must consider its ease of use, durability, and reliability. The machine should cut and trim the tire efficiently without any extra force.  

You should also consider its cost. People use re-treading to save money, so the machines and tools should not be expensive.