recaps opinion

[Busted Knuckle]

RJ,
Your right I had to go back and re-watch it (not that I wanted too ) and saw what what I was refering to was a plug for a Dodge commercial!

I'm like you I saw the "fleet of Bandag racers" a long time ago and thought I remembered them being powered by 8V92's!

And I just knew that sounded like a Detroit not no Cum=a-part in the video, I saw 6.7 L Cummins and didn't pay close enough attn what it was for!

And I agree Bandag is by far the best in the CAP business! And should be fine for SOMEONE else's RV/conversion. But even when I sneak one out back and convert it while dad ain't look'n there'll be no caps on mine! Just my way! and as FAST FRED say's Do it your way YMMV!
 BK  

[luvrbus]

It your part of the states a cap will last forever I always ran caps on my trucks and trailers the 140 degree pavement temperatures we get in AZ will take toll but it will on a new tire also,I never ran caps on the bus I am sure they would do fine

[NewbeeMC9]

I must confess to putting them on my drives.  Used, refurb, recaps at that.  At the time my date codes were 99 and one was starting to split.  I needed to take a trip and got the 4 installed for less than one new tire.

Maybe not the BEST option but a much better option than not going at all.   My bus sits much more than it rides



I may take Dallas's advice and buy Two new tires every couple or so years and put them on the front and move the set back.

they get pricier around here with the 11R24.5,  22.5's were quite easy to find.


Of course, If I had all BK's money I would just get a new bus with new tires on it.

[Busted Knuckle]

Of course, If I had all BK's money I would just get a new bus with new tires on it.

Bahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha! Bahahahahahahahaha!

Thanks Newbee, I needed a good laugh!
  BK 

[NewbeeMC9]

   

[white-eagle]

i have no experience with recaps.  i have heard/seen the mess a blowout can make, and i "was" under the impression most of the alligators i see on the road were from recaps until tomc posted.

i just spent $1500 to put 4 new goodyear 11r24.5 tires on the drive.  tax, title, balanced, and mounted.  money well spent, i think.  i'd rather not lose a few more hours waiting on the side of the road, or have to fix a fender. 

recaps can't be that much less when you count time, costs and effort.

yes, i know new tires blow, but recaps i thought were more susceptable.  safety comes first.

my 2 cents based on ??

[robertglines1]

I run recaps on drives....during this time period  I have had two blow outs...both were new tires on steer. just a observation...neither blow out was from low air pressure..Bob

[Sam 4106]

I think whether you use recaps is often related to prejudices rather than fact. I had 4 recaps put on the drive axle last fall. Total cost was $936.63 including tires, labor, balancing, new valve stems, disposal of old tires, and tax. I am comfortable with these recaps because the company has been in business a long time, they are warrenteed as long as there is tread on them, and they will fix any damage caused by a blowout. I don't put very many miles on the bus so I know that whether I have new tires or recaps I will be changing them before either kind is worn out. From a purely economic point it makes sense for me to buy recaps. YMMV.
Good luck, Sam MC8

[Busted Knuckle]

I think whether you use recaps is often related to prejudices rather than fact. I had 4 recaps put on the drive axle last fall. Total cost was $936.63 including tires, labor, balancing, new valve stems, disposal of old tires, and tax. I am comfortable with these recaps because the company has been in business a long time, they are warrenteed as long as there is tread on them, and they will fix any damage caused by a blowout. I don't put very many miles on the bus so I know that whether I have new tires or recaps I will be changing them before either kind is worn out. From a purely economic point it makes sense for me to buy recaps. YMMV.
Good luck, Sam MC8

Sam,
Great post, and yes with a good warranty like that from a reputable company that has been around, that will repair damages caused by a blowout I can see using them on a truck, conversion or RV. But I still stand my ground on not having them on my charter buses.
I'm sure if a tire blew, and the damage caused the driver to lose control and wreck I'd be standing in front of the judge by myself saying "but your Honor, they guaranteed me they'd stand behind those recaps, I just didn't realize HOW far behind!"
  BK 

[junkman42]

Something to think about!  The next time You fly on a commercial jet consider that when the capt puts the tires on the runway He most likely just was using recaps!  Blowouts are from bad casings not the cap!  A cap coming off does not leave alligators along the road with wire hanging out of them.  Old prejudices are slow to die!  The military uses recaps on some really demanding aircraft.  And yes I know the military wastes everything.  Thought I would throw that in before the anti military person speaks.  Regards John L

[cody]

I think it's like buying a new tire, do your homework, a good company with a good track record could probably sell a good recap, personally I'm from a timeframe that the recaps may not as been quite so dependable and for that reason I'm scared of them but I realize that times may have changed and with them the quality of the caps. So do the homework.

[Timkar]

Good timing on this post as I have a question.....I am not too familiar with recaps, but can get Michelin ones for about 1/2 the price of virgin tires, so I have a question for those "in the know". Have seen the posts about replacing the tires after 10 years. I have 4 tires (on the drives) that probably have about 20K on them. They look close to new on both the tread and the sidewall. When recaps are made and they use older casings (eg: ten years) would these sidewalls still not be the "ten year old ones" and susceptible to failure???
TIA....Tim

[Busted Knuckle]

When recaps are made and they use older casings (eg: ten years) would these sidewalls still not be the "ten year old ones" and susceptible to failure???
TIA....Tim

Ah good question. I'm not knowledgeable enough to give an educated answer. But I would think their would be an age limit on who old the casings could be.
After all as you said they are still 10 yrs old!
Now some of our more knowledgeable nut will probably have more info than I do!
  BK 

[kyle4501]

I don't have a problem with a recaps per se, I use the same criteria I'd use for a new tire, quality product from a reputable dealer.

Recaps can't be any better than the casing. Most of us will replace out tires because of age, not wear. So, now it comes down to the age of the casing on the recap. If it is 3 years old, it only has 3 years left. (I've had too many tires fail at 7 years to trust any of 'em past 6.)

Let's not forget the issue of tire history - you won't know the extent of past damage inflicted on the tire.

It is for these reasons I prefer new tires over recaps.
(not to say I wouldn't use them, just that my preference is for new.)

[BG6]

I need tires and am thinking of ways to save $$.
What are the opinions on recaps. Are they worth taking a chance on for drive tires?

What "chance" are you taking?  Recaps are running on at least half of the semis in the country.  If there were any risk inherent to recaps, they would be outlawed -- and truckers wouldn't touch them anyway.  The money you save when buying a recap is less than what you lose getting a road service truck out to put on another tire, so sheer economics would have put recaps out of business decades ago if there were a problem.

Consider that the CASING of the tire does the real work, like your leg and foot -- the cap is just the shoe that provides traction and protects the casing from being punctured by rocks and junk.

A brand-new casing is MORE likely to fail than a casing which has been run a few thousand miles -- the heat cycles that the casing takes actually season it.  When they put a new cap on an existing casing, the casing is fully broken in -- and is given an inspection, before and after the trip through the oven.


The real problem is if you let the tire pressure get low -- overheated tires will come apart, whether recaps or first-run.