Why a fundamental change in Runflat Design was considered necessary.

Runflat inserts for single piece wheels have long been a compromise between function and design, as the wheel’s ‘well’ has had to be left unobstructed so the tyre could be fitted or removed. Incorporating beadlock has been considered technically impossible or at least commercially unfeasible.

Without beadlock runflat performance is always limited and this is why two-piece, multi-piece and specialist wheels are used, so that beadlock can be incorporated with the runflat support.

Performance for the single piece wheel and runflat insert to date has never been satisfactory in extreme situations or with more than one tyre deflated.

Another drawback is that single piece wheel runflat inserts have been designed to sit in the centre area of the wheel, which is not designed to take loadings when running flat – one of the reasons heavier duty wheels are often required.

Runflats that include beadlock have to be fitted to two-piece or specialist wheels and are mostly based on old technology, with many associated drawbacks, for example:

– Heavy in comparison to single piece wheel types and combined with two-piece wheels weight is further increased, reducing vehicle performance and load carrying capacity.
– Without anti-friction technology these systems are best employed in fairly low speed applications.
– Those that use grease/lubricants make for unsatisfactory servicing and tyre changing/repair and most require replacement of lubricant.
– Tyre changing can take longer than for normal single piece wheels and tyres.
– Capital and ongoing servicing costs are greater than when using single piece wheels.

Taking into account the very real limitations of both types of wheel and runflat insert Run Flat Systems invested in development to create a new concept to overcome the known drawbacks and provide a superior performance, lighter weight, faster fitting and cost saving servicing – while using the normal single piece wheel