Run Flat Tyres

Here is a time when technologically sophisticated thinking rules every facet of our world. There was a time when tyres were always kept under a constant threat of meeting an inflation. However, off late, companies have employed the use of high-end technology to bring a new edge to the tyre models they make.

Known as a 'run flat tyre', this is a very specific type of tyre that has arisen from decades of innovation and evolution put together by various companies. The purpose of this tyre format is to ensure that when punctured, the tyre is still able to keep driving at reduced speeds for limited distances.

The origins of this design innovation came somewhere in the early 1900s. It was at this time when a particular tyre model was invented. It had a special sealing on the inside, a fabric coating the inside. Subsequently, it came to known as a tyre protected against blowouts, something that was feared in the 1930s for it was common and dangerous.

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In 1934, Michelin introduced a tyre model that was technologically superior, developed specially for local trails and trolleys. The specialty of this tyre lay in the fact that it had a safety rim inside of which. This enabled it to run on a special foam lining if the situation arose where it met with a puncture. This was advertised and marketed as a 'semi bullet proof' tyre. Although it was a revolutionary design engineering, it was far too expensive for ordinary automobiles, and ended up being suited for military and specialized vehicles like armored cars.

Today, run flat tyre models are available, and commonly found on light trucks and passenger cars. They allow the vehicle to drive for about 80km at moderate speeds of around 80kmph or less.

Some of these tyre models are made with a 'self sealing' technology. In other words, if they undergo a small scale puncture, such as a hole met by a nail or a screw, the tyres are conditioned for a self repairing mechanism that ensures that the loss of air is minimal.

There is another system employed, known as the 'auxiliary supported' tyres. Here, there is an additional ring or insert attached to the wheel, meant to sustain the weight of the vehicle in case of loss of pressure.

The benefit of using run flat tyres is the continued mobility in case of situations where the tyre meets some kind of damage, or even a puncture. In other words, the basic necessity of ensuring that the vehicle is in a continued motion, and that it can withstand its motion for a substantial distance at a decent speed after the puncture, is ensured with these run flat tyres.