RunFlat technology: what is it? Car tires with RunFlat technology: marking, characteristics, reviews
Must be, every car owner at least onceAll plans collapsed because of the broken bus. The lost time to install a spare tire or call the tow truck is not returned, but such situations can be prevented in the future. For this purpose, experienced motorists use tires in which RunFlat technology is implemented. What is this, and what are the advantages of it, now try to understand.
You have to be harder
RunFlat is a patented technology, in whichwhich is based on the principle of strengthening the lateral faces of the tires. When the usual tire is quickly blown out during the puncture formation, the disc under the weight of the whole car "chews" it for several kilometers. The reinforced sides of the new tire keep the weight of the car, allowing you to get to the nearest car service normally.
There is also a modernized Runflat technology. What is it and what are their differences? The difference between them is one - in addition to a powerful cord around the rim, polyurethane inserts-semirings are mounted, which increase the rigidity of the structure.
History of occurrence
The first car that I used in the baseThe configuration of safety tires was the Mini 1275GT, released in 1974. The technology of historical tires was somewhat different from the modern one - it required special wheels and was equipped with an ultra-low profile. The progenitor is Denovo, which named its Dunlop system.
In mass production of non-inflatable tiresarrived in the late 80-ies of the 20th century. The development of the idea of safety tires was pushed by persons with disabilities. It was they who needed more than others to get to the service station with a broken wheel, because they could not leave the car for repair.
Not everything is so smooth
The advantage of using the technology RunFlatObviously - increased safety while driving and the ability to overcome any route, regardless of road conditions. The disadvantages of these tires are more. First, it's price. The cost of blown tires is 15-25% higher than standard options. It is for this reason that they are more equipped with premium cars.
What to do?
Because of the above cons addSuch tires are only for owners of cars with a reinforced suspension, which is adapted for domestic road conditions. In combination with an independent or pneumatic chassis, passengers will feel comfortable enough.
Rubber-free rubber is extremely non-repairable, andTo cope with its installation or replacement on a standard variant only the prepared tire service center can. Moreover, not every service center will repair tires in which RunFlat technology is implemented - what it is, some masters simply do not know! For this reason, and the design features in the case of a puncture, it is necessary to change the tire - to patch up the hole is almost impossible.
Therefore, if you are a wealthy car owner with an adaptive suspension system, then such rubber with RunFlat technology can become for you a real rescue from Russian roads.
The necessary conditions
Despite all the restrictions, high cost,You can install tires on a rigid cord on any car, regardless of the type of disc. But, being the owner of a car of the middle class, even the manufacturer does not recommend to "wear" such rubber tires - special sensors are required:
- TPMS, RDC, RPA and other indicators, in a mode of constant time informing the driver about the level of pressure in the wheels.
- ESP - system of dynamic stabilization of the car or exchange rate stability.
Install RunFlat car tires withoutThe presence of such structures in the car is extremely risky. In the case of a puncture, you will not notice any changes and continue driving at high speed, which is fraught with drifts, a decrease in the effectiveness of the brakes, and ultimately lead to an accident.
Famous producers
Since the advent of the technology of unreleased tiresit was used all the world's tire production for cars and even trucks: Michelin, Continental, Pirelli, Kumho, Toyo - these are just some of those who decided to make life easier for motorists.
- presence or absence of possibility of elimination of a hole;
- use of heat-resistant rubber as a raw material;
- the introduction of polyurethane half-rings around the rim;
- distance that can be overcome after a puncture.
Regardless of whether you use tires"Nokian", Michelin, Continental and other manufacturers, especially important advice is one - do not impose patches on models with V / W / Y speed indexes. In addition, in the event of damage to the sidewall or shoulder area, repairs are not possible under any circumstances.
Confusion in the marking
Despite the fact that all manufacturers usethe same technology, all label it in different ways. It is believed that this is the advertising course of companies. But this does not make life easier for motorists, who are forced to deal with the peculiarities of tires.
We will present the most popular and widespread variants of designation of tires manufactured using the RunFlat technology:
- RSC - RunFlat System Component - uniform designation of all models intended for BMW, Mini or Rolls-Royce.
- MOE - the so-called tires designed for representatives of the German concern Mercedes-Benz.
- AOE is rubber used in Audi cars.
There are other options, according to which marks are placed on tires with RunFlat technology. The marking mainly varies depending on the tire manufacturer. Deal with it, too, is not easy.
Marking from manufacturers
Almost every manufacturer is not onlyproduces tires with its own designation of non-blowing technology, but also produces various tire variants used in a variety of conditions. The biggest confusion was created by Michelin, which uses markings:
- ZP (Zéro Pression) - on rubber with the presented abbreviation it is possible to move at a speed of up to 80 km / h for 80 km;
- ZP SR - the speed with these tires should be reduced to 32 km / h, but you can overcome the same distance;
- PAX - this technology requires the presence of specialized discs inside which a supporting rim is mounted (used in armored vehicles).
Other manufacturers are limited to a more modest number of tires that do not. The most common abbreviation used by Bridgestone, Nokian is RFT (Run Flat Tires).
Let's sum up the results
Going to use the technology of non-inflatable tiresin your car, you will protect yourself from traffic accidents, get the opportunity to get to the planned point. But along with this, the level of comfort, controllability, and the cost of servicing the car will be significantly reduced.
