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tyres
thepest - 27/5/08 at 07:21 PM

What is the point of tubeless tyres? I mean, what is the advantage over the tube type?

mr henderson - 27/5/08 at 07:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by thepest
What is the point of tubeless tyres? I mean, what is the advantage over the tube type?


Tubeless tires are pneumatic tires that do not require a separate butyl rubber inner tube.

Traditional designs of pneumatic tires required a separate inner tube which could fail for a number of reasons, such as: incorrect tire fitment, or friction between the tire wall and inner tube generating excess heat causing a blowout.

Tubeless tire technology does away with the need for an inner tube thereby increasing safety.

In a tubeless tire, the tire, which has an inner lining of impermeable halobutyl, and the rim of the wheel form an airtight seal, with the valve being directly mounted on the rim.

If a tubeless tire gets punctured, air escapes only through the hole, leading to a gentle deflation of the tire. Conversely, an inner tube could potentially burst like a balloon, leading to a rapid deflation of the tire which could result in sudden loss of control of the vehicle. A liquid tire sealant can be added to tubeless tires to prevent deflation.

With thanks to wikipedia!

John

eccsmk - 27/5/08 at 07:35 PM

i was just about to say your knowledge is amazing then i saw the wikipedia bit

PAUL FISHER - 27/5/08 at 07:39 PM

I supose the main reasons are.
A tubed tyre is vulnerable to friction and heat generated between the tube and the inner surface of the tube,this can make them more prone to blow out.
Also,the weight of the tube inside a tyre adds to the unsprung weight.

GeoffT - 27/5/08 at 07:48 PM

One of the tyres I recently replaced on my tintop had three nails embedded in the tread (what was left of it) and hardly ever lost a single PSI. I reckon all three would have caused a rapid deflation had it been tubed........

Michael - 27/5/08 at 08:49 PM

Also from college days, tubeless tyres, innner wall if a nail goes in will kind of seal around the nail to prevent sudden loss of pressure.

Chippy - 27/5/08 at 10:39 PM

The actual answer is it's all down to cost, and the different way that wheels are made. Safety had little to do with it, as with most things where money is concerned. If you have a car with wire wheels, and some old type split rims then even today you will require tubes, and rim tapes, I think, but not sure, that most motor bikes still have tubed tyres. It proved much cheaper for the motor manufactureres to have wheels without tubes, less labour = less cost = more profit. Or at least thats how I see it. :-) Cheers Ray

thepest - 28/5/08 at 03:45 PM

thanks guys, good info