mikeoxlong
05-03-2005, 10:17 PM
www.high-tec-retreading.com . I have no connection with them whatsoever, but I can't sleep so I thought I'd post a review because all in all I think they're a pretty good deal.
I needed some mid-size mudders to carry me over until I add 3 more inches to my 2wd 99 Silverado NBS. I have a 3 inch body lift and 2" spacers on there right now, so I figured a 285/75/16 would do okay on my stocks. I stumbled across the web site. The price was too good to pass up -- mud treads for $360 shipped? I know, retreads, right? But I figured, hell, worse comes to worse maybe they'll last a few thousand miles and then I'll be ready to upgrade to 315s by then. Actually, I guess if worse came to worse, the tread would fly off at 70 mph and I'd slam into the front of a Peterbilt. But, I probably wouldn't feel a thing.
So, I ordered the D-Muds. You can't order directly off their site, you have to call and give your credit card info. If you want matching casings, you should tell the guy that when you order -- no extra charge, but if you don't speak up you could get different corpses, which may or may not matter to you. The tires came shipped via UPS in three days. The tires looked nice, couldn't really tell they were retreads unless you looked up close, and even then I'm not sure if I would have known had I not known, you know?
I went to a little alignment shop in Pflugerville to have them put on. The guy there was one of these tire connoisseur types who inspect each damn tire like he was assembling a superconductor. I didn't tell him at first they were retreads, and he didn't pick up on it, though he did mention that there were imperfections on the casings. "That's strange." he said. So then I told him, and he said that nowadays retreads are pretty much as dependable as new, so long as you keep them properly aired. I have no idea if he knew what the hell he was talking about, but he seemed to.
Two of the tires wobbled a bit on the spinner, to the point that it couldn't be corrected with weights. He said that ain't great, but it wasn't so bad that it should be a big deal. He mounted them, and they looked awesome.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/mikeb9999/truck2.jpg
How do they drive? Well, they're loud as hell on the highway. Sort of a whine, not so high-pitched that it would drive you crazy, but if you like a quiet ride these aren't for you. They grip the pavement really well, no squealing on quick starts, very little on fast sharp turns. No more squealing than the Wrangler or Dueler A/Ts I've had before. I haven't had occasion to slam on the brakes with them yet, but I have no reason to believe they won't do fine. I don't do any serious off-roading - it is a 2wd, after all - but I have taken them on the dirt roads at the deer lease after a decent rain, and they do as well as the other tires I've had. I've got about 1000 miles on them now, can't see any signs of wear yet.
All in all, I'm happy with them. For the price, they rock. If they last I might even consider them when I get 315s. They've got a bunch of sizes available. I guess I'll see what my money situation is like when the time comes.
I needed some mid-size mudders to carry me over until I add 3 more inches to my 2wd 99 Silverado NBS. I have a 3 inch body lift and 2" spacers on there right now, so I figured a 285/75/16 would do okay on my stocks. I stumbled across the web site. The price was too good to pass up -- mud treads for $360 shipped? I know, retreads, right? But I figured, hell, worse comes to worse maybe they'll last a few thousand miles and then I'll be ready to upgrade to 315s by then. Actually, I guess if worse came to worse, the tread would fly off at 70 mph and I'd slam into the front of a Peterbilt. But, I probably wouldn't feel a thing.
So, I ordered the D-Muds. You can't order directly off their site, you have to call and give your credit card info. If you want matching casings, you should tell the guy that when you order -- no extra charge, but if you don't speak up you could get different corpses, which may or may not matter to you. The tires came shipped via UPS in three days. The tires looked nice, couldn't really tell they were retreads unless you looked up close, and even then I'm not sure if I would have known had I not known, you know?
I went to a little alignment shop in Pflugerville to have them put on. The guy there was one of these tire connoisseur types who inspect each damn tire like he was assembling a superconductor. I didn't tell him at first they were retreads, and he didn't pick up on it, though he did mention that there were imperfections on the casings. "That's strange." he said. So then I told him, and he said that nowadays retreads are pretty much as dependable as new, so long as you keep them properly aired. I have no idea if he knew what the hell he was talking about, but he seemed to.
Two of the tires wobbled a bit on the spinner, to the point that it couldn't be corrected with weights. He said that ain't great, but it wasn't so bad that it should be a big deal. He mounted them, and they looked awesome.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/mikeb9999/truck2.jpg
How do they drive? Well, they're loud as hell on the highway. Sort of a whine, not so high-pitched that it would drive you crazy, but if you like a quiet ride these aren't for you. They grip the pavement really well, no squealing on quick starts, very little on fast sharp turns. No more squealing than the Wrangler or Dueler A/Ts I've had before. I haven't had occasion to slam on the brakes with them yet, but I have no reason to believe they won't do fine. I don't do any serious off-roading - it is a 2wd, after all - but I have taken them on the dirt roads at the deer lease after a decent rain, and they do as well as the other tires I've had. I've got about 1000 miles on them now, can't see any signs of wear yet.
All in all, I'm happy with them. For the price, they rock. If they last I might even consider them when I get 315s. They've got a bunch of sizes available. I guess I'll see what my money situation is like when the time comes.