Your Viewpoint: Will runflats make a comeback?
When they were launched over a decade ago, runflat tires seemed an attractive offering – enabling cars to run safely for many miles on a puncture. This capability, moreover, could eliminate the need to carry a spare tire – reducing weight and offering new design possibilities for vehicle manufacturers.
Problems with ride comfort, rolling resistance and replacement costs, though, meant runfats never really took off and were generally consigned to some fairly niche segments of the market.
The stands at the recent Reifen 2014 trade show in Essen, Germany, however, featured some interesting innovations and offerings that were said to overcome the cost and technical issues that held back the uptake of runflats.
In the next issue of ERJ, we will be looking at these developments and for our report would welcome your views on runflats and what future if any you see for them in the market.
Email your views on this topic to the editor Patrick Raleigh
(If preferred, please include your name and job/company details, otherwise your comments will be treated completely anonymously.)
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