Advantages and Disadvantages of Installing Run Flat Tyres

Advantages and Disadvantages of Installing Run Flat Tyres

Some renowned car manufacturers, who have installed these tyres in some of their new models, have recently introduced run flat tyres. By installing these tyres, one is able to drive the car to drive to the nearest service station even after a puncture has taken place, so that the car can be back on the road after completing repairs.

Just like there are two sides to a coin, there are advantages and disadvantages of installing run flat tyres to your motor vehicle.

Advantages

– A blowout can prove to be very dangerous, if it happens when you are out on the highway and driving at a very high speed. By fitting these tyres to your vehicle, you will be able to head for the nearest service station, which could be about 100 km approximately so that you can service the tyre safely.

– If you possess run flat tyres, you do not have to carry a spare tyre so you save on costs as well as get more luggage space in your car. Due to newer technologies, we may be able to purchase these tyres, encounter further savings, as the life of the tyres improves, and more mileage is achieved.

Disadvantages

Drivers of vehicles fitted with run flat tyres have made several observations regarding the weak points. Here are a few of them:

– They have found that they have been unable to repair the tyres after a blowout and they have had to invest in a new tyre. This might happen after only 50 km of driving.

– When the car runs on a run flat tyre for nearly 100 km, as per the manufacturers recommendation, the wheel rim gets damaged, so this results in additional expense, as both the tyre, as well as the wheel, needs replacement. This excessive expense has been severely criticized by the various motoring associations.

– A few drivers found that the driving distance of 100 km was insufficient to reach a service station after a blowout, so they had to get their car towed at an incredible expense, which increased the overall expense of tyres fitting. Drivers have not been able to benefit, as the lifespan of the tyres has shortened by about 20,000 to 40,000 km, resulting in higher expenses with less returns.

The decision to buy or not to fit run flat tyres on your motor vehicle, therefore, is a difficult one to make. Repairs and servicing may work out expensive, but investing in this kind of tyres may increase the overall maintenance expenditure of your vehicle.