Self-repairing tyres: When the wheels patch themselves

By dpa | 21 March 2018


BERLIN: A flat tyre always comes as a surprise. But it can also go completely unnoticed if drivers are using tyres that can practically repair themselves with highly elastic polymers on the interior.

This viscous mass immediately seals up smaller punctures up to 5mm in size, according to the leading technical inspection association Tuv.

Drivers don’t even realise that the tyre was damaged at all, and manufacturers promise driving characteristics will be unaffected.

As a result, tyre changes are totally unnecessary. But whoever finds entrenched foreign objects should still have these removed from the tread of the wheel by a tyre specialist, the testing organisation says. A tyre-pressure monitoring system is generally advisable for self-repairing tyres.

Another type are so-called run-flat tyres, which boast strengthened walls that make it possible to continue a journey even with a flat tyre — but only for up to another 80km at a maximum speed of up to 80kph.

Drivers can almost always make it to the next repair shop on their own in this case. Tyre-pressure monitoring systems are even a requirement for run-flat tyres.

What’s also practical for drivers is that they can completely do without a spare tyre or a repair kit for both types of tyres. That saves weight as well as space and increases the usable size of the trunk compartment.

Self-repairing and run-flat tyres are more expensive than conventional tyres, and they are not available for all tyre sizes and every kind of profile, according to experts. The market supply tends towards luxury class vehicles.

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