UK's TIC adds to runflat advice

London -- The UK's Tyre Industry Council has issued further advice on the use, fitting and repair of runflat tyres. The organisation says, "When a standard tyre is run in a deflated condition there are visible signs which indicate that damage to the tyre's structure has occurred. Because of the reinforced sidewall structure of a run-flat tyre these telltale signs are likely to be masked and not visible even if they are present. Even a fully qualified tyre repairer may not be able to detect run flat damage to a tyre. For these reasons alone and in the interests of safety the British Rubber Manufacturers' Association, the body representing the major tyre manufacturing companies, does not recommend repairs to a run flat tyre. The advice from individual manufacturers of run flat tyres may differ however and motorists are advised to check with the tyre company for any different advice."

The advice continues, "The responsibility for retreading any tyre lies with the retreading company not the tyre manufacturer. To date there is very limited experience of retreading this new type of tyre but in principle there is no reason why a sound run flat tyre may not be retreaded. Given the unique structure of the run flat tyre, as already mentioned, they should not be mixed with traditional tyres and so to avoid this risk a retreaded run flat tyre must be marked and identified by the retreader as a run flat tyre."