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The
Mumbai-Pune Expressway has come as a boon to many who make the trip between
these two cities. Unfortunately the lure of wide and well paved roads
with fast sweeping corners and the like has also turned into a death trap
of sorts for the foolhardy and the ignoramuses, as also for those who
are just out of their depth in using ill maintained cars to go faster
than is sensible.
Many accidents have been caused and the simple answer for 90 per cent
of all such accidents is a tyre or tyres bursting. While in certain cases
tyres may rightly have been at fault, the majority of the times it is
anything but tyres. And on an expressway like situation the usage of tubeless
tyres is spot on.
Why is this, you may well ask and we would like to shed light on some
misconceptions about tubeless tyres and their restricted acceptance to
date. In fact, barring Mercedes-Benz who fit their range of C-, E-, M-
and S-class cars with tubeless tyres, the only other car maker who offers
tubeless tyres is Toyota for its petrol-engined Qualis MUV? Manufacturer
acceptance, or the lack of it, is the key reason behind the lack of proliferation
of tubeless tyres and maybe this has got to do with a lack of education
as well. I just cannot see why a performance oriented manufacturer like
Honda cannot fit its City and Accord super saloons with tubeless radials?
The advantages far outweigh any foremost from the handling point of view
it has been established that the less the unsprung weight, the better
are the dynamics of the vehicle all throughout its performance spectrum.
Thanks to there being no inner tube, the unsprung weight of a tubeless
tyre plus wheel (alloy or steel is irrespective) is less than that of
an equivalent tubed tyre. Now I think it should strike you why racing
cars use tubeless tyres.
The tubeless tyres are safer than tubed tyres when it comes to punctures
in the tread region. In the event of a nail hole or other small penetrations
in the tread region, the air leakage is very slow and sometimes, not at
all, as the rubber may make a seal around the penetrating object. In fact,
on many occasions we have had nails and other foreign objects lodged in
the tubeless tyres of our own personal cars and bikes and we have motored
to safety and on to the tyrewallah to get it repaired in comfort.
If it had been a tubed tyre the lack of control would have been disastrous
because on penetration of the inner tube, the sudden tyre deflation makes
air escape from all around the rim as well as from the tube valve hole,
catching even expert drivers unawares.
Then there is another safety aspect for which tubeless tyres are considered
superior vis-à-vis the tubed tyres. In the case of a total loss
of air pressure, the tyre beads are more likely to dislodge into the well
of the rim rather than off the rim because they are somewhat stiffer in
design than tubed tyres.
Then there is the matter of cost. Adding a tube means adding a cost component
to the assembly. While this may be negligible, multiply that by five (which
is the number of tyres you have on your car) and you are looking at a
four-figure amount.
And crucially balancing a tubed tyre normally means adding a good deal
of weight to counter any radial run out and also imbalances. Getting a
tubeless tyre balanced is far more easier and accurate.
Tests have proved that thanks to the lesser weight and the more optimised
air retention, tubeless tyres also help keep fuel efficiency levels consistent.
While many will not have had a chance to experience this as yet, take
our word for it.
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April 2002
