Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/714120
MTD August 2016 Run-flat tires BMW gets the best possible customer experience. Over time, we've seen those types of complaints reduced." At the same time, that's a reason non-run-flat tires remain an option at BMW. "But that's the minority of people who are puing spare tires in their cars." e next evolution of run-flat tires ere's plenty of room for more advancement, Guerrero says. Performance-oriented run-flat tires, options designed for electric and hybrid vehicles, and fitments for the larger wheel sizes all need to be in the mix. e ongoing push for more efficient vehicles, and thus the need for more efficient tires, extends to run-flat tire options, too. Eliminating the spare tire isn't enough. "e run-flat performance for performance cars is something that we're eyeing," Guerrero says, even while acknowledging the Flat tires and no spare A record number of 32 million motorists called on AAA for help with roadside emergencies in 2015, with vehicles less than five years old experiencing a higher propor- tion of tire issues than older vehicles. The club says the elimination of the spare tire "may have unintended consequences." (Keyless ignition systems are another modern advancement creating problems for drivers.) Of the millions who called for roadside help in 2015, more than 360,000 of those calls were from drivers who didn't have spare tires, says Mariam Ali, public relations manager for AAA. Tire problems, along with dead batteries and keys locked inside a vehicle, remain the top prompts for service calls. Tire emergencies typically require putting air in tires or installing the spare tire, Ali says. In November 2015 AAA called on auto manufacturers to reverse course and bring back the spare tire. At the time John Nielsen, managing director of automotive engineering and repair for AAA, said, "Flat tires are not a disappearing problem, but spare tires are. AAA responds to more than four million calls for flat tire assistance annually and, despite advances in vehicle technology, we have not seen a decline in tire-related calls over the last five years." Quik-Link: 800-687-1557 ext. 19110 28