Wheels, Tires & Parts

A run-flat tire is a pneumatic vehicle tire that is designed to resist the effects of deflation and to enable the vehicle to continue to be driven, although depending on the type of tire, at reduced speeds (e.g. 80 km/h or 50 mph) and for limited distances. more...

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They were originally developed for two-seat sports cars with little room for spare tires and jacks, but are growing in popularity for other vehicles because of their safety and convenience.

Technologies

There are three basic technologies currently available, described below.

Self-supporting

The tire is built with stiffer side-walls that can bear the weight of the vehicle even when the pressure within the tire is greatly reduced. The side-walls are typically constructed of layers of rubber and a heat-resistant cord that prevent the side-walls from folding or creasing. The bead around the edge of the tire is also specialized to grip the wheel rim such as to avoid becoming detached from the rim.

Self-supporting run flat tires are fairly common on light trucks and passenger cars and typically provide for the vehicle to drive for 50 miles at around 50 miles per hour. However, if the tires are treated to this kind of punishment, they may still be irreparably damaged in the process. In addition, if the tire is punctured in the sidewall or at the edge of the tread, repair may be impossible or unsafe.

The first vehicle ever to be sold with run-flat tires was the Mini 1275GT in July 1974. It used the Dunlop Total Mobility Tyre (abbreviated to TMT, later known as Denovo) system which required special wheels and featured ultra-low profile side-walls.

In recent versions of the Chevrolet Corvette (C5 and C6), run flat tires are required as there is no accommodation made for a spare tire. As a spare wheel is optional on the MINI One and Cooper and non-existent on the Cooper S and One Diesel, the new MINI also makes use of run flat tires for certain wheel sizes, as do many BMW models.

Self-supporting run flat tires typically carry a 15% - 27% weight penalty over similar standard tires, or additional 2-3 kg (4-7 lb) (samples based on 225/45-17 tires). The additional mass concentrated on the outer edge of the wheels can impose a significant performance penalty due to greater rotational and unsprung mass.

Read more at Wikipedia.org