It is a question that more and more fleets are going to have to address over the next few years. And it is not an easy decision to make. Tyres make up a large slice of a car’s maintenance budget so should fleet managers be advising their employers that these new tyres are a necessary extra cost?
Manufacturers have been keen to introduce run-flat systems for many years to avoid paying for a spare tyre for cars, but fleets have been slow to adopt them. Research has shown that take-up of run-flats on new cars where they are offered as an option is negligible and it was only when supplied as standard fit that drivers used them.
They work normally as a traditional pneumatic tyre but, using special strengthening for the sidewall, they can still operate after a puncture.
After a puncture, their use is limited to about 50 miles and there are speed restrictions of about 50mph, but it means drivers can complete their journeys without the hassle and risk of attempting to change a tyre at the side of the road.
Freeing up the spare wheel well creates opportunities for car design as the space can be used for something else, such as storage.
However, the cost of this convenience can be £50 more than a ‘standard’ tyre, excluding maintenance costs.
Other problems include the lack of availability of run-flats at some fast-fit companies and costs of replacing the tyres as some groups claim they could wear faster than standard tyres.
Losing your spare is just one advantage
ALTHOUGH run-flats are more expensive initially, they can save on fuel costs in the long run. As vehicles do not require a spare tyre, overall vehicle weight is reduced and this can lead to an improvement in fuel consumption and also lower CO2 emissions.
Drivers are safer because there is less chance of an accident caused through a blow-out at speed and also time lost through waiting for recovery is eliminated.
Martin Barber, group product manager, passenger car and van at ATS Euromaster, said: ‘In the event of a puncture the vehicle can still be driven to a safe location to get it changed, which is better for health and safety and convenience factors such as if the driver is late for a meeting or it is late at night.
‘The driver may also never have to change a tyre themselves again as a tyre dealer would always do it, which is another plus point.’
Goodyear recently launched a campaign to promote the benefits of its run-flat tyre technology, the RunOnFlat, to the major fleet companies it supplies.
The group is currently arranging meetings with its fleet customers to explain how reinforced sidewall inserts made from high density rubber with metal beading allow the new tyres to bear the weight of a vehicle even when they are totally deflated.
Rim guards and tensioning devices on the outside of the sidewall help maintain rigidity in the event of a puncture.
Mike Roney, European business unit president at Goodyear said: ‘The greatest advantage is that RunOnFlat covers can be fitted to normal rims, eliminating the need for special tools and any extra costs linked to their use.
‘This is making it an increasingly popular option on new cars, but an extra benefit is it is now unnecessary to carry a spare tyre.
‘This technology is being driven by the carmakers and now BMW has taken the lead in making the switch on the 1-series and 3-series as standard. We expect many others to adopt our latest tyres as original equipment over the next 18 months.’
Safety will improve – but fleets will find costs rising too
ON average, manufacturer run-flat tyres are between 20% and 30% more expensive than standard tyres and these extra SMR costs could even push up the contract hire rate of the vehicle. George Reid, head of technical services at Lloyds TSB Autolease, said: ‘Any increase in cost will add to the maintenance budget and tyres make up 40% to 60% of that budget.
‘If there is an increase in the maintenance budget it could push a vehicle up to the next contract hire bracket.’
A fleet driver covering 20,000 miles a year would have a new set at least once a year, so are run-flats worth the extra cost?
Rachel Fisher, marketing manager at tyre sealant firm Protex UK Sales, which collects statistics on the number of punctures cars have in their lifetime, said: ‘Each vehicle will only be supplied with four tyres so therefore any puncture will result in the need for a new run-flat tyre to be fitted, which is likely during the lifetime of the vehicle.
‘These additional costs will need to be factored into the tyre maintenance budgets by fleet managers.’
Industry groups believe the price of run-flat tyres will decrease as the technology improves and they become more popular.
A spokesman from Bridgestone Tyres said: ‘Run-flat technology will be the norm in the future. It will be like airbags are now. In time, all local garages will stock them.’
In the meantime, relatively few drivers are using run-flats which means dealers don’t stock as many brands as standard tyres.
It might be fair to say you can do 50 miles on a run-flat tyre but an executive with a long day of driving ahead, who can’t get the tyre replaced that day, is going to have their business seriously compromised.
Fleet NewsNet called several local garages requesting a run-flat tyre for a BMW 1-series. Only one group said they could fit it the same day, with all the others taking one to two days to order the tyre and two companies not offering them at all.
Martin Barber, group product manager, passenger car and van at ATS Euromaster, explained: ‘Current low demand will mean fewer tyre dealers have the original products in stock so choice will be limited and may take time to source and fit.
‘With few brand suppliers, there is a greater risk of non-availability of products in times of shortage, especially if vehicle manufacturer demand is high as they always get priority from the tyre manufacturers.’
Mileage is also another consideration.
An average tyre should last for approximately 20,000 miles but some groups believe run-flat tyres will not last as long because the stiffer side walls make the tyre work harder, with likelihood of a greater heat build-up.
Mike Wise, sales director at Kwik-Fit Fleet, said: ‘We believe run-flat tyres are likely to do fewer miles because of the way they are constructed, which would be another added cost.
‘We cannot prove this at the moment but we are looking into it and we are anticipating significantly less mileage from them.’
However, Wise does believe that safety and convenience outweigh the costs. He said: ‘If a fleet driver has a puncture at 2am it is more convenient with a run-flat on.’
Users of run-flats dismiss the added cost disadvantages in favour of the benefit of safety implications.
Nigel Davies, director of corporate accounts at Kwik Fit Fleet, said: ‘As the technology becomes more popular the price of run-flats should stabilise.
‘They are a benefit from a safety point of view but for a 1,000-strong fleet, the cost of adding the equipment and tyres is cost-restrictive.
‘But anything which makes a vehicle safer is something which should be considered by fleets.’
Run-flat reality
Fleet NewsNet called several local garages to see how much it would cost for a regular tyre and a run-flat tyre to be fitted to a BMW 1-series. We compared prices and looked at whether each garage had the tyre in stock. The tyre we asked for was a Continental 205/55 R16 91H
| Company | Run-flat | Price | Standard tyre | Price | ||||
| ATS Euromaster | Not in stock, can get next day | £103.32 | In stock | £95.46 | ||||
| Tyres Direct | Do not supply | n/a | In stock | £85 | ||||
| Kwik-Fit | Not in stock, can get next day | £159 | Not in stock, can get next day | £91 | ||||
| Kingsway Tyres | Do not supply | n/a | In stock | £82.19 | ||||
| HiQ | Can get within two days | £127 | In stock | £105.82 | ||||
| World of Tyres | Can get by this afternoon | £92 | Can get by this afternoon | £80 | ||||
How the safer tyre technology works
WHEN a Goodyear RunOnFlat tyre encounters a road hazard and loses air pressure the vehicle remains supported by stiff inserts in the sidewalls of the tyre, and it can continue to travel with minimal impact on handling.
Drivers should not notice sudden pressure loss after a puncture.
Special sensors monitor the tyre pressure in all four tyres and notify the driver of any loss of air pressure detected. Some vehicles are already equipped with tyre pressure monitoring systems.
When the tyre is punctured or deflates, Goodyear RunOnFlat tyres are designed to continue running safely for a minimum of 50 miles at a maximum speed of 50 miles per hour, allowing drivers to continue until they reach home or the nearest tyre or car dealer.
Manufacturers claim there is none of the loss of control or grip that drivers would experience with a flat in a regular tyre.
RunOnFlat’s reinforced sidewall inserts create greater stiffness and enable the tyre to bear the weight of the whole vehicle, even when the tyre is totally deflated.
Fleet NewsNet has tried various systems and found that if you push the car too hard the sidewalls will struggle to contain the pressure exerted on them, and the car will understeer, but driven in a controlled, sensible manner, apart from a little extra vagueness in the steering, the journey continues as normal.
An advantage of RunOnFlat tyres is that they can be fitted straight onto normal rims, with no need for special tools and extra costs.
Thousands could benefit from run-flats
RESEARCH by the BMW Emergency Service has looked at the safety value of run-flat tyres.
The manufacturer compared tyre-related roadside calls throughout 2003 and 2004 from BMW owners with models available with run-flat tyres to those calls from owners whose BMWs were not fitted with run-flat technology. The research showed that 12,327 UK drivers would have been able to continue their journeys if their car tyres had been run-flats.
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