Magazine for the professional tire industry
Issue link: https://mtd.epubxp.com/i/714120
MTD August 2016 Run-flat tires larger industry is focusing more on efficiency and less on performance. at emphasis is in large part due to CAFE standards. "It's really pushing tire manufacturers even further to come up with lighter, more efficient run-flat tires because this standard is not going away. It might change. It potentially could be lessened. But at the end of the day it's not going away. "We're at the point now where we're one of the grandfathers in OEM for run-flat technology. We truly stand up for run-flat technol- ogy. We do believe in the safety and benefits of being a premium solution for tire damage with run- flats, so we want to expand that," Guerrero says. "We cannot un-train the desire for run-flats," he says. "It's prey simple for us. We know the custom- ers appreciate it and we want to continue offering run-flat tires. We don't want to mess with something that's working." 15 years of run-flat tires The 2001 Lexus SC430 was the first vehicle by Toyota Motor North America Inc. equipped with run-flat tires. Fifteen years later, the vehicle manufacturer says roughly 8% to 10% of all of its vehicles come with run-flat tires. And with continual improvements to the tires, Toyota says it plans to keep using run-flat technology in the future. At this point, Toyota only fits run-flat tires on coupes and sedans. "Currently many suppliers are researching application of run-flat tires in larger aspect ratio (55 and higher) as used by competitors. Toyota is closely monitoring this segment and evaluating its feasibility," says Brian Watkins, advanced technology com- munications analyst for Toyota. But those large aspect ratios "present a challenge to run-flat tires. As such, imple- mentation for large SUVs and trucks will most likely be limited in the near future." Quik-Link: 800-687-1557 ext. 19112 30