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TIRE BASIC TIPS:

• TIRE PRESSURE: WHAT DO I HAVE TO KNOW?
• TIRE EXPIRATION DATE
• TIRE STORAGE
• TIRE TREAD WARE & CAUSES
• THE IMPORTANCE OF PERIODIC CHECKS
• TIRE TIPS: TIRE REPLACEMENT
• THE IMPORTANCE OF TIRE ROTATION
• TREAD DESIGN
• FIVE CASES WHERE YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT CHANGING YOUR TIRES
• TIPS BEFORE BUYING WHEELS
• WHEN TO CHANGE ONE, TWO OR ALL FOUR TIRES TOGETHER?
• RUN FLAT TIRES
• RUN FLAT TIRES VS SELF SEALING TIRES
• HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST OFF-ROAD TYRE (I)
• HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST OFF-ROAD TYRE (II)
• TIRE TREAD DEPTH
• CHINESE TIRES: THE TRUTH ABOUT THEIR QUALITY

TIRE DATA 

• HOW TO READ THE TIRE SIZE
• EUROPEAN TIRE LABEL
• UTQG UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADE (UTQG) STANDARDS
• HOW TO IDENTIFY RUN FLAT TIRES

TIPS ON TIRE USES

• AVOID HYDROPLANNING THROUGH TIRE & DRIVER EDUCATION
• DRIVING WINTER TIPS
• WET DRIVING TIPS
• SAFETY DISTANCE WHEN DRIVING MOTORCYCLES
• BEST MUD TIRES

TIRE TIPS: ICE AND SNOW TIRES

• THE IMPORTANCE OF USING WINTER TIRES
• WHEN IS IT TIME FOR WINTER TIRES?
• CAN YOU DRIVE WINTER TIRES ALL YEAR ROUND?
• SUMMER TIRES VS ALL-SEASONS TIRES
• WHAT KIND OF SNOW CHAINS TO CHOOSE?

BENEFITS OF RUN FLAT TIRES

• You don’t have to change your tire in dangerous or uncomfortable conditions. This is perhaps the biggest benefit of run flat tires and is the one of the reasons why they were designed. With conventional tires, you have to replace a flat on the spot or have your car towed.

• In a puncture situation, run flats are more stable than conventional tires. Since they’re made to support your vehicle even when they contain no air, run flat tires will help you maintain better control in a complete air loss situation than conventional tires.

As consumers continue rating safety high on the list of features they look for in a vehicle, the popularity of run flat tires is expected to grow. Since run flat tires work reliably with interconnected technologies like TPMS, it may only be a matter of time before they become the norm rather than the exception in new vehicles.

PROS:

• You can drive on a flat tire: The primary benefit of a self-supporting tire is that it allows you to keep driving on a flat about 100 miles after all the air has gone. You don't have to get out of the car in the cold, or the rain, or onto a busy highway or on the street in a sketchy part of town. Drivers will usually have to reduce speed to about 50 mph to get the maximum range. The owner's manual will have exact figures for each tire/vehicle application.
• Better stability after a blowout: Because this tire can support the vehicle for miles without air, a sudden deflation results in less weight transfer and tread destabilization. Steering and handling will remain near normal.
• Lower vehicle weight: With the spare wheel and tire repair tools eliminated, vehicle weight should theoretically go down. But it's not as much as you might expect since run-flats weigh more than regular tires due to the added sidewall reinforcement.

CONS:

• No spare: Vehicles equipped with run-flats do not carry a spare wheel and tire, which means they don't have a jack or tools either. In fact, eliminating the spare tire and reallocating that space to some other purpose (styling, a third-row seat, interior room, etc.) is a big reason why carmakers offer run-flats.
• Reduced tread wear: A 2013 study by J.D. Power found that people replaced their run-flat tires an average of 6,000 miles sooner than owners using conventional tires. Opinions differ on the reason, but one theory is that tiremakers put a soft tread compound on a run-flat tire to counter the hard ride. A side effect of the softer compound is a shorter tread life. Actual data on the longevity of run-flat tires have been hard to find. But according to a 2018 J.D. Power owner survey, owners reported higher overall satisfaction with run-flat tires. They did not lag behind conventional tires in the survey.
• Blowouts are still possible: If a driver fails to heed or notice the warnings and drives beyond the zero-pressure range or above the speed limitation, the tire can begin to disintegrate, with the same destabilizing effects. Additionally, if the puncture occurred on the sidewall or if the tire hits a large object, the driver would have to call a tow truck. The J.D. Power study found that "customers with vehicles equipped with run-flat tires are nearly twice as likely as those with vehicles equipped with conventional tires to have to replace a tire due to a flat or blowout."
• Hard to tell if it is low on air: A side effect of the stiffer construction is that the sidewalls do not bulge if the air pressure is low. Therefore, it is critical to have a tire pressure monitoring system and check your tire pressure frequently. Otherwise, you'd never know you had a flat.
• Harsher ride: The stiff sidewalls that make a run-flat work also result in a harsher ride. If the vehicle came with run-flat tires from the factory, the automaker usually tunes the suspension to offset the harsher ride.
• Cost: Run-flat tires are more expensive to replace. Prices will vary by tire type and purchase location, but it's not uncommon to pay a $40-$65 premium for a run-flat tire. Also, many run-flats cannot be repaired and often need to be replaced in pairs.
• Less on-shelf availability: Because run-flats aren't a big-selling tire, drivers shouldn't expect to roll into just any tire shop and buy one. It may be easier to do so in larger cities, but if you're a run-flat user on a road trip and get a flat near a small town, you'll probably have to make a detour to find a suitable new tire. Or worse, you may have to stay there overnight, waiting for the tire to be shipped.

DIFFERENCES WITH A CONVENTIONAL TIRE

The following diagram shows very well the differences in tire behavior in the face of abrupt loss of air. This behavior is what allows you to continue driving at reduced speeds and for a certain limited time.

When changing vehicle tires, some parameters of the original tires must be respected. Although, on many occasions the vehicle manufacturer leaves a margin of variation.

You can mount tires that are not exactly the same, they are equivalent. A standard size such as 225 / 40R18 cannot be replaced by a 185 / 80R13 because the 18 ”tires are fitted with brake discs that are too large for these measurements. But we can look for an alternative measure that guarantees security.

In order for tires to be equivalent, they must meet a series of requirements that we explain below. We also offer a tool to help the driver find alternative tires in relation to the original homologated tires. You can find it at this link.

ATTENTION TO THE SPEEDOMETER

In addition to differences in handling, changing the wheel size can alter the speedometer gauge. Fitting an equivalent tire with a larger diameter will cause the speedometer to show lower than actual speed. When mounting a wheel smaller than the original, the speedometer will show a higher speed than the real one.

IMPORTANCE OF RESPECTING THE APPROVED SIZES

All these parameters must be respected when modifying tires. Otherwise, it may impair your driving safety and you will not pass the technical inspection of the ITV.

ALTERNATIVE TIRES - GLOSSARY

Tire size: is a series of symbols and signs found on the side of the tire, eg 205/55 R16. The first number (205) indicates the width of the tire in millimeters. The second (55) is the height of the profile which is a percentage in relation to the width of the tire, eg 55 is 55% of 205, which is 112.75 mm. The third number is the diameter of the rim on which a tire is mounted (here 16 inches) and the type of tire construction (R - radial).

Speed ​​index: determines the maximum speed with which a vehicle can travel with a certain type of tires. The equivalent tire must have a speed rating equal to the original. Using a tire with speed codes other than the one suggested by the manufacturer is dangerous.

Load index: determines the maximum load with which a tire can circulate at the maximum speed stipulated by the manufacturer. The equivalent tire must have a load index equal to or greater than the original.

Tire Outside Diameter: Overall height of the tire, measured from the ground to the top of the tread.

EXTERNAL DIAMETER

The difference in the measurement of the external diameter of an equivalent tire must not be greater than 1.5% of the original, nor less than 2%.

WIDTH AND PROFILE

The width of the equivalent tire cannot be more than 30mm compared to the original tire. Profile is the distance a tire has from the tread to the rim. In this case, the size of the profile cannot be changed and must be identical to the original. These are the first two parameters that you must indicate in our tire equivalency configurator.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CHANGING A TIRE FOR A WIDER ONE

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF CHANGING FOR A NARROWER TIRE

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