Here at Tyre Reviews, we receive many different questions about tyres, but one question that comes up more than most asks if modern retreaded tyres, sometimes called "retread" or "remoulds", any good?
While we've not been able to test ourselves, tests from many years ago indicate that retreaded tyres don't perform as well as even a budget tyre. Car tyres typically aren't designed to be retreaded (commercial bus and lorry tyres are), so the retreading process can leave you with not only poor performance, but a product that could be classified as unsafe.
Naturally in the past few years there have been improvements in the car retreading process, and one brand in particular, King Meiler, has established a name for itself as "the" retreading brand.
To find out whether a modern retread can match a premium, or even a budget tyre, the Polish magazine "Motor" have tested the King Meiler HPZ against the premium Continental PremiumContact 6, and a much cheaper Debica Presto HP.
The results speak for themselves.
Dry
It's been a while since we've seen such huge differences in the dry between a premium tyre and a brand like Debica, which indicates that this version of the Presto HP certainly isn't the grippiest tyre on test, so for the retreaded tyre to be so far behind in both dry braking and dry handling, indicates a serious lack of grip!
Dry Braking
Spread: 7.00 M (19.7%)|Avg: 39.07 M
Dry braking in meters (Lower is better)
Dry Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
Dry Handling
Spread: 2.40 s (4.6%)|Avg: 53.63 s
Dry handling time in seconds (Lower is better)
Continental Premium Contact 6
52.60 s
Debica Presto HP
53.30 s
King Meiler HPZ
55.00 s
Subj. Dry Handling
Spread: 2.90 Points (39.2%)|Avg: 5.77 Points
Subjective Dry Handling Score (Higher is better)
Continental Premium Contact 6
7.40 Points
Debica Presto HP
5.40 Points
King Meiler HPZ
4.50 Points
Wet
Wet was a similar story to dry, except with larger margins. While the Debica stopped the car a pretty sizable 6.3 meters after the premium Continental, the King Meiler took a HUGE extra 24.3 meters to stop the car, again from 100 km/h. This means, where the car on the Debica stops, the car fitted with the King-Meiler tyres will still be doing more than 48 km/h!
Wet Braking
Spread: 24.30 M (46.9%)|Avg: 62.00 M
Wet braking in meters (Lower is better)
Wet Braking: Safety Impact: Best vs Worst Tyre
Wet Handling
Spread: 13.80 s (15.9%)|Avg: 93.07 s
Wet handling time in seconds (Lower is better)
Continental Premium Contact 6
86.70 s
Debica Presto HP
92.00 s
King Meiler HPZ
100.50 s
The retread tyre also performed poorly in straight aquaplaning.
Straight Aqua
Spread: 11.20 Km/H (13.6%)|Avg: 78.50 Km/H
Float Speed in Km/H (Higher is better)
Debica Presto HP
82.30 Km/H
Continental Premium Contact 6
82.10 Km/H
King Meiler HPZ
71.10 Km/H
Environment
With the retreaded tyre both noiser, and less comfortable than the premium and budget tyres, its only positive quality was price. However, with the longevity of the tyre untested, is a 100 euro saving really worth all the negative qualities?
For an interesting comparison heres a Finnish tyre test of studded winter tyres comparing retreaded Ässä tyres to Goodyears, where the results for the retread were actually decent (in Finnish):
Well, this is exactly, what we have seen over years. In MotorTalk i've been fired after writing bad things about KingMeiler. :) MotorTalk ist in the tyre forum absolutely silly because of a Moderator, who don't likes critical words about KingMeiler an chinese KungFu-Tyres. Critics are only allowed on premium tires..... The best was, the owner of the King-Meiler-Factory places loads of promotion there as posts.... if you try to ask for the truth, you'll get kicked off... I think, when she sees the wet-brake-results, she says you used oil instead of water when King-Meiler was on the track :D
My personal result: King-Meiler is dangerous rubberwaste, it should be prohibited in the EC, better in the whole world on passenger cars
Thanks, it´s what I expected after the Autobild Braking-Test.
At Motor-Talk, the biggest car-forum in Germany Kingmeiler-tyres have a real fight-topic with some ultrahard Retreaded-worshipper and some ppl who have worse experiences with it.
I wrote even a 3rd-brand of a leading manufacturer (hope the translation for Drittmarke is correct?) is much better than a Kingmeiler, but you show even a 4th-brand beat it easy.
In Germany retreaded tyres for cars have a very very small marketshare, dunno how it is in UK
It's certainly an interesting topic! I'm going to try and get a set of retreads into a test sometime, I'm not sure what brands I can get in the UK though.
Thanks, this is what folks suspected all along! It would be interesting to know if the EU tyre label wet and noise markings are a true reflection of these results too.
Thanks also for the youtube vid showing the Conti above compared to the Goodyear and Michelin. I have a MX5 NC with BBR turbo and used to have Michelin supersport in 17 inch, but as you mentioned the top tyres now only appear made for 19 inch wheels on 1,2 litre Corsas...
:(
So that video very useful. The Goodyear seems a real no-brainer, nice compromise and a lot cheaper , you almost get a free tyre if you buy a set of 4 !
Interesting the Conti wear .. I was in that camp that thought they made them really soft just to win the tests by the German car magazines.... :)
All the best, cracking website, hope it goes from strength to strength.
For an interesting comparison heres a Finnish tyre test of studded winter tyres comparing retreaded Ässä tyres to Goodyears, where the results for the retread were actually decent (in Finnish):
https://www.is.fi/autot/art...
Granted it is already from a few years back but does paint a different picture. Maybe you cant put all retreads in the same basket?
Thanks, I'll check it out!
Well, this is exactly, what we have seen over years. In MotorTalk i've been fired after writing bad things about KingMeiler. :) MotorTalk ist in the tyre forum absolutely silly because of a Moderator, who don't likes critical words about KingMeiler an chinese KungFu-Tyres. Critics are only allowed on premium tires..... The best was, the owner of the King-Meiler-Factory places loads of promotion there as posts.... if you try to ask for the truth, you'll get kicked off... I think, when she sees the wet-brake-results, she says you used oil instead of water when King-Meiler was on the track :D
My personal result: King-Meiler is dangerous rubberwaste, it should be prohibited in the EC, better in the whole world on passenger cars
Thanks, it´s what I expected after the Autobild Braking-Test.
At Motor-Talk, the biggest car-forum in Germany Kingmeiler-tyres have a real fight-topic with some ultrahard Retreaded-worshipper and some ppl who have worse experiences with it.
I wrote even a 3rd-brand of a leading manufacturer (hope the translation for Drittmarke is correct?) is much better than a Kingmeiler, but you show even a 4th-brand beat it easy.
In Germany retreaded tyres for cars have a very very small marketshare, dunno how it is in UK
It's certainly an interesting topic! I'm going to try and get a set of retreads into a test sometime, I'm not sure what brands I can get in the UK though.
A typo? You
mean the Conti instead of Debica?
“This
means, where the car on the Debica stops, the car fitted with the King-Meiler
tyres will still be doing more than 48 km/h!”
And if I take a look at all summer tyres test I
read the retreated tyres are 195-65
I believe that was not a typo, braking speeds are often terrifying!
Could be, 18m difference is a lot. I think a normal car don´t need 18m to stop from 48km/h
Thanks, this is what folks suspected all along! It would be interesting to know if the EU tyre label wet and noise markings are a true reflection of these results too.
Thanks for that, so still as bad as ever.
Thanks also for the youtube vid showing the Conti above compared to the Goodyear and Michelin. I have a MX5 NC with BBR turbo and used to have Michelin supersport in 17 inch, but as you mentioned the top tyres now only appear made for 19 inch wheels on 1,2 litre Corsas...
:(
So that video very useful. The Goodyear seems a real no-brainer, nice compromise and a lot cheaper , you almost get a free tyre if you buy a set of 4 !
Interesting the Conti wear .. I was in that camp that thought they made them really soft just to win the tests by the German car magazines.... :)
All the best, cracking website, hope it goes from strength to strength.
Thanks, let me know if you make the switch and how you find it!
Auto Bild also tested King Meiler sport 3 this year in 245/45R18 size. Also last place.
https://www.tyrereviews.co....
I guess it's maybe safer to buy any Chinese brand, even the price may be the same.
A logical assumption to make
The results were even worst than I expected! In which tyre size were they tested?
Sorry, article updated. It was 205/55 R16