What are buffed tires?
5 Answers
Buffed tires refer to tires with removed markings, which are non-warranty products. Tires are ring-shaped elastic rubber products installed on metal rims, designed to roll on the ground for various vehicles or machinery. They support the vehicle body, cushion external impacts, maintain contact with the road surface, and ensure driving performance. Functions of tires: 1. Ensure good ride comfort and driving smoothness; 2. Provide excellent adhesion between wheels and road surface, improving traction, braking, and off-road capability; 3. Transmit driving force, braking force, and steering force for vehicle control; 4. Support vehicle load; 5. Reduce and absorb vibrations and impact forces during driving.
I've been into car modifications for ten years. Buffed tires are those where manufacturers erase important information from the tire. Why buff them? Usually, they're defective products that have been disposed of, or smuggled goods meant to leave no trace. The DOT code on the tire sidewall is like an ID—once buffed, you can't check the production date or batch. Never buy these tires; they're either retreads with altered dates or test tires that don't meet road standards. Some unscrupulous sellers market them as new tires at ridiculously low prices. I've seen buffed tires blow out on the highway, with the steel wires in the sidewall exposed. Saving a few hundred bucks just isn't worth it!
Having been in the tire wholesale business at an auto parts mall for fifteen years, I'm all too familiar with the tricks of buffed-off DOT tires. These tires may look brand new at first glance, but if you carefully feel the inner sidewall, you can distinctly detect grinding marks. Substandard products returned through formal channels or water-damaged tires from sea shipments get 'laundered' this way domestically. Some people buy them for cheap and install them, only to end up with bent rims while driving—caused by insufficient sidewall strength. Just last week, I saw a car with buffed-off DOT tires that had a bulging blowout, deforming the wheel arch. Always check the integrity of the DOT code when changing tires, especially the last four digits indicating the production week—make sure they're not blurred.
Last year's Double 11, I bought four buffed tires online to save money, and now I'm utterly regretting it! The tire noise is as loud as driving a tractor, and they skid when braking in the rain. Later, an expert inspection revealed that even the production date was altered with scratch marks. The seller had forcibly ground off the raised lettering on the tire sidewall, leaving the rubber texture blurred. What's worse, there's no way to claim compensation—the tire manufacturer doesn't recognize such unmarked, unverified products. A friend pointed out knife marks on the inner airtight layer, clearly indicating they were refurbished retread tires. This purchase turned out to be more costly than buying original factory tires!
Professionals in automotive safety inspections know that the most challenging aspect to check on buffed tires is the speed rating. Legitimate tires have a yellow-circled number on the sidewall, such as 91W, indicating the load index and speed rating code. However, buffed tires often have this section removed, and their actual speed rating may not even meet H-grade (210 km/h). Last week, during an inspection of an accident vehicle, the culprit tire had its surface deeply buffed by 0.8mm, downgrading it from the original 91V rating to 87S, causing it to detach during high-speed sharp turns. A report from the General Administration of Quality Supervision stated that buffed tires require an average of 7.3 meters more braking distance compared to genuine ones, so always maintain extra distance when following another vehicle.
