tyron bands good or bad?????

[ger_5040435]

Hi All,

can anyone advise me regarding the use of tyron bands,read the article in the club magazine was going to fit but now in limbo dont know whether to go ahead or not any advice would be greatly appreciated.

regards GER

 

[Lutz]

As I said it in another thread a little while back, I consider Tyron bands to be a rather crude solution. They are relatively difficult to fit and require care in the process. If not installed by a competent fitter, they can do more harm than good. Besides, they only give you protection until you come to a stop but they would not let you continue your journey even for just a few miles in the event of an emergency. A run-flat tyre is therefore a much better option and probably cheaper, too. However, the selection of run-flat tyres on the market is still rather limited and there may not yet be one available in the size and load carrying capacity that you need. Until such time, Tyron bands are perhaps a "second best" alternative for those who feel that such a measure would put their minds more at ease. Personally I wouldn't bother, though.

 

[JoannaLesley]

I've seen these threads from time to time and I, too, read the CC mag article. However, I have to plead ignorance - what are tyron bands and what do they do?

Jo

 

[rob_jax]

Hi Jo,

Air pressure inside a tyre holds the edge of the tyre (tyre bead) against the wheel rim - and this seals the tyre onto the wheel

If you suffer a sudden catastrophic tyre failure then the tyre bead can slip off the rim - and then the tyre can be lost completely and there is a good chance of damage or accident.

Tyron bands are fitted around the centre of the wheel and stop the tyre bead from slipping off the rim - after catastrophic failure - and help to prevent an accident.

This problem is more of an issue with steel wheels - which have a deeper well in the centre compared to alloy wheels - and as Lutz said is rather crude solution. Run flat tyres are designed to stay "on the rim" and resolve this issue.

It appears that the cause of catastrophic tyre failure is under inflation - either through failure to check the tyre pressure before setting off, or a slow puncture that goes unnoticed, or damage to the tyre through storage or driving.

So check those tyres before you set off.

Robert

 

[spj]

Hi all,

the best solution is not to have a puncture, keep an eye on your tyres and check the pressures on a regular basis, this will reduce the risk but it can still happen. Tyron bands are crude as said but if fitted correctly, they will reduce the risk of the unit going out of control which cant be a bad thing, and they are used on ambulances and some police vehicles.

I did have them on my last caravan which was a 1400kg single axle, even though I have never had a puncture on a caravan they gave me peace of mind, my current caravan is a twin axle and so I have not bothered with them.

Run flat tyres seem to be mainly low profile and I doubt the load index will meet that needed for a single axle caravan, a higher sidewall is needed with current caravan suspension as it performs some of the suspensions work, personally I dont like run flats as a puncture is not always noticable, maybe in the future caravans will have better suspension, run flat tyres, a tyre pressure monitoring system and abs, all is available but no manufacturer has put it all together yet.

spj.

 

[mcghee]

Lutz, I understood that run flat tyres were not permitted on trailers in the UK. I believe its because you have no way of knowing that you have a flat. I could be wrong, perhaps you know?

 

[whitetop]

If you have a puncture at speed, the tyre will run into the wheel well and thats when the trouble really starts. The tyre can shred and damage the van and cause major handling problems.

I have had this fright at about 50 mph and it no fun. Result was shredded tyre, wrecked wheel, damage to floor caused by shredded tyre.

I now have Tyrons fitted. They do away with the chance of the tyre running into the well and can save the other grief above as I found out in the summer of 2006. A puncture and the end result was a new tyre, at

 

[Icemaker]

Was there not an article in the motoring press a while back stating that run flat tyres where not suitable for any vehicle used for towing due to theire inability to take the extra loading when flat ?. sure i read about it somewhere could even have been on this forum.

Tyrons ? well i have never had them but my dad has and feels a lot safer with them, to me they are just another gimmick to put a false sense of security in you. check your tyres before every trip and at every 100 miles and you should have no problems. there is no excuse for poor maintenance.

 

[Lutz]

Except in isolated cases involving a very small puncture in a non-critical area of the tread (not the sidewall), it will always be safer not to attempt a repair.

If you don't or are unable to stop quickly enough, especially in the case of a blow out instead of a puncture, the tyre will be torn to shreads anyway, whether Tyron bands are fitted or not. Even if the tyre stays on the rim, it is unlikely that the rim will not have touched the ground. If that happens, the edge of the rim will inevitably suffer some damage. To be safe, the wheel should then be replaced, too, even if the damage appears to be minor.

I go along with what Spj wrote that it's about time caravan manufacturers offered tyre pressure monitoring systems, if not as standard then at least as a factory fitted option.

 

[Lutz]

Was there not an article in the motoring press a while back stating that run flat tyres where not suitable for any vehicle used for towing due to theire inability to take the extra loading when flat ?. sure i read about it somewhere could even have been on this forum.

Tyrons ? well i have never had them but my dad has and feels a lot safer with them, to me they are just another gimmick to put a false sense of security in you. check your tyres before every trip and at every 100 miles and you should have no problems. there is no excuse for poor maintenance.

Yes, in my earlier reply I also said that it may be difficult to get a run flat tyre of adequate load carrying capacity. However, they are relatively new on the market so it will inevitably take a bit of time before all sizes and load ratings become available.

 

[Rich]

Tyre pressure sensors which transmit real time tyre presures are available. These have an alarm which will let you know if the tyre has lost pressure and will always let you know the actual tyre pressure at all times. This solution although more expensive than Tyron bands is better as you can see if the pressure is too low and this will prevent the biggest cause of catastrophic tyre failure. A normal puncture will usually in over 90% of cases go down slow enough for you to slow an find a place to change your tyre in safety if you know it is happening. This is where the pressure monitor come into it's own. You will not run on a flat tyre or ruin your rims because you did not know you had a puncture. catastrophic tyre failure can still happen but if you have the correct pressures and can see a difference in pressure happening you can react before it gets serious and in 99% of cases you should not have the tyre blow.

 

[ger_5040435]

hi all,

thanks for all your advice and comments appreciated.

regards Ger

 

[Robert_374242026]

I read your comments about having steel wheels with tyron bands and as I have alloy ones did i really need them? not that i would change them now.

 

[Rodger Dodger]

Ive had Tyron bands fitted to the wheels of all three vans I have owned and will be fitting them to the new van when I collect it in July. The van which has them fitted at the moment will be sold with them.

I have nver had a punture yet (touch wood), but the "piece of mind" factor comes into the equation should this ever occur.

 

[Rodger Dodger]

Apologies for the awful spelling, it has been a long, hard day. Need a glass on wine.