Americans throw away about 290 million tires each year. Ever since 1989 (when only about ten percent of tires were recycled) there were more efforts for tire reclamation. There are still however, about 55 million tires that are not reclaimed and are dumped or even thrown away illegally.

There are things known as tire graveyards. Here you see several hundreds of tires just laying there. They create a public health hazard. They are the perfect nesting and breeding areas for mosquitoes and rats! Eww! These creatures carry a variety of diseases that are hazardous to the public.

Another problem with these piles of tires is the risk of fire. The fire made from tire piles can go smoldering for weeks and maybe months! The major problem is that when tires burn, they release many toxic air pollutions. They may create serious health problems for people nearby. The rain water will also get contaminated as it runs off. This can lead to another series problem, pollution in the streams and nearby water sources.

This is all very bad news, but there are some good news among the pile. First off the scrap tires are being reclaimed in many ways the statistics say it all. About 130 million tires are used for fuel, and 56 million are recycled/ used in projects for civil engineering. Another 27 million tires were recycled to be used to make some things like roof pads, stall mats for livestock, mats for truck beds, and so forth. Another 9 million were shipped off to other countries where they may be used to make retreads. Another 12 million of these tires are used for rubber-modified asphalt on roads after they are ground up.
You might be wondering why used tires are not used to make new tires. Well, its an issue of safety. The tires need to be made from new rubber, and recycled rubber can only make up about 10 percent of the entire tire.

Some important tire changing tips

So you forgot to rotate the tires, the alignment is out of place, or you have hit something. Whatever he reason, now you need two new tires. Every year thousands of people are left in similar situations, resulting in needing fewer than four new tires. So be an informed consumer, insist that the new tires are mounted onto the rear of the vehicle.

Do not allow the new tires to be mounted on the front, with the rear tires worn out. The rear tires need to be in tip top shape. While it seems like a subtle difference, it is not. The new tires have deeper tread and will grip the road and channel water more effectively than the worn tires. Thus, the tires with the greater traction should be placed in the rear. If there is any loss of traction in the front tires, the driver will feel it in the steering wheel and the driver can make the necessary speed and/or steering corrections to reduce the amount of spinning out of control.

Your tires are the only part of the vehicle that has contact with the road. This contact can be very important, so remember, when replacing only two tires, don’t put your best foot forward, always put the best tires onto the rear.

Some extra tips:

• Always make sure your tires have at least 2/ 32 tread depth and are in good condition
• Always keep your tires inflated in accordance with the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation
• Refer to your vehicle owners manual or applicable tire manufacturers limited warranty booklet for other essential safety and maintenance information.

So you have used tires or one used tire lying around and you want to use it for something. So what do you do? Well, there are many great uses for them, its quite surprising really.

Whatever you do, don’t let your tire just sit outside. They are great harboring grounds for mosquitoes, especially if it rains, and the tire absorbs the water. You should clean them with warm water and soap, Then store them somewhere inside, until you have figured out what you want to do with them.

*** If you wish to make a garden using your used tire, make sure that you do not grow any plants that you wish to eat in them. There is a metal called cadmium within the tires. This is a very poisonous metal and oftentimes becomes absorbed into potatoes, carrots, cabbages, lettuce, carrots, and turnips.

Make a hanging table planter.
Make a hanging table with your tire. By a wood round that is about the size of your tire. Then drill four holes into the wood and the tire. Then use strong chains to hang the tire over a tree branch and then bolt the chains together. You can cut in small holes for cups and you can paint the wood. Its great! You can sit under that tree and use the table as a cup holder or plate holder.

Fishing uses
Fishing fleets use the tires as bumpers for boats. This will prevent the boat from slamming into other tires.

Planting
Fill the tire with dirt and place in your favorite plant or flower. You may then choose to cover the tire with dirt. You may also choose to turn the tire inside out. Cut through the middle and all the way around and turn it inside out, it may take some work!

Remember the old days when you were a kid and played with the tire swing? Well, why not make one for your kids. Tire swings back then used old fashioned rope. This time we will use sturdy chains. Make sure that the tire is in a horizontal position and not vertical, its much better that way!

Instructions on Making a tire Swing:

1. Pick the tire out. Make sure that the tire is not too bum or the kids wont be able to sit on it. Look at the tire and decide on which side looks better. The side that looks best will be used for the top. Then flip it over and drill holes into it around the edges, try to space it out equal.
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3. Then flip the tire again. You are now going to drill three holes, that together, are in the shape of a triangle. Then attach an eyebolt to each side. Thread the eyebolt with a net and fender washer. On the inside of the tire place another fender washer and lock washer with another nut.
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6. Attach the S hook through the eye bolt . Then use a pair of big vice grip pliers to squeeze the attached side of the hook. Do this on all the s hooks.
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8. Attach the chains, to each of the s hooks. Once you have attached the chain, make sure to use the pliers to close it in again.
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10. Then take the three chains and hold them together. Attach the top S hook to the three chains. Then use the pliers to close the bottom part again.
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13. You will need a few items for to attach to the top part of the hook : swivel, connector link for the, clip hook, ratchet
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15. Attach the swivel to the top of the S hook. Then use the pliers to close the s hook again.
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17. Take the connector link and attach it to the swivel, then attach the clip hook to the connector link.
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19. Then take another chain and swing it over the tree branch.
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21. Attach the two sides of the chain to the clip hook. Your done!
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Some wild and crazy ideas for used tire use!

Tire sandals? Who would have thought of it? The soles can be made from old tires. I mean, you look at tires and they have some sort of 70,000 mile warranty, or some other grandiose labeling. Meanwhile your shoes are done after the 100th mile. What gives? Don’t you wish you had a shoe that was as durable as your tire? Well, why not put two and two together and make a tire shoe! No kidding. You can try moccasins, and rubber soles, but nothing is quite like a tire sole.

How to make the tire sandal:

First, Place either your left or right foot on a big piece of paper. Then trace around it. Next, take the pencil and draw a point down from your ankles. On each side. Also make a point from the bone behind your big toe.

Then take your foot off the paper. Then draw a bigger outline around your foot tracing. You should add about 3/8 of an inch for the toes and the sides, but not for the back. Then take out a ruler and draw a line extending 3 inches from the heel. This will help you draw the back tab. Then connect the marks you made for the ankles. Extend the line three inches outside the tracing on each side. Then extend a line from the point you made at the bone behind your big toe and extend the line three inches outside on each side.

Then with the 3 inches as a guide draw tabs. There should be two tabs at each side and one at the back. The tabs should be 1 ¾ of an inch across. For each tab sketch out a hole that will be used to place the thread strapping in. Cut this sketch out, it can be sued for both samples, assuming that your feet are similar.

When you go out and get the tires, the best to use are truck tires. Make sure that the tire does not have some sort of steel cable running through it. This is seen in newer tires. To cut the tire you should use some wood chisels or a bandsaw.

A saw also works well for cutting the tire You should cut out a piece that is at least ½ inch longer than the trace pattern. Then trace the pattern on the inside of the tire. Make one sandal at a time and then try it on. The next step is to thin out the tabs. The tabs should not be as thick as the sandal itself.

Then to make the tabs flexible, take a blade and slice it into the point where the tab is attached. Slice until the plies inside are exposed.

Then use the chisel to cut the holes, where the strapping will be placed. For the straps use nylon harness straps. You can then use a match to secure the end of the thread. For the back tab you will need to connect it to the two side tabs made at the ankle.