Oct 25, 2006 01:15 AM
13319 Views
(Updated Oct 25, 2006 01:16 AM)
They have been around since the 1950's however we Indians have a nag for not accepting things on face value .and that to an extent is helpful . However what is tragic is that we are not the hardiest of adventurous souls, who experiment and adopt new ways to spice up our lives, and also to make things easier on us, because that is exactly what Tubeless Tyres do .
WHY TUBELESS:
TUBELESS TYRES( after air bags) have proved their worth as the safest piece of equipment for cars . In place of the tube in a normal tyre, the tyre and the rim of the wheel form an air container in a tubeless tyre. To'seal in the air', in this tyre-rim compartment, the inner wall of the tyre is thoroughly lined with an impermeable, air-tight membrane. The inner liner of the tubeless tyre is constructed of halo-butyl/chlorobutyl and other materials. This performs, in essence, the important chore of substantially reducing the permeation of air, as compared to the natural rubber inner liner, a function of which is why we use a butyl tube in a tubed tyre.
*A tubeless tyre also comes with a soft rubber chaffer, distinct from a rubberized fabric chaffer in a tubed tyre. This works as an all-round air seal between the tyre and rim. What this prevents are sudden tyre explosions at high speeds . In a tubeless tyre penetrations into the tyre are sealed off by the rubber itself. As a result, leakage of air does not take place and if it does, it is minimal. Over-inflation can still cause grievous harm but the hazards from punctures in a tubeless tyre are greatly reduced. In case of a total loss of air inside the tyre, it is likely that the bead will collapse inside the rim-well rather than come off it.
As there is no tube, and, hence, no tube valve, a specialized valve is employed for increasing/reducing the air pressure in a tubeless tyre. The valve sits on the tyre rim and is ingeniously sealed by a large high quality rubber seal which is easy to mount.
*The tube is integrated in the tyre construction, so to spread, you also have less weight, for us it simply means better handling and enhanced overall performance .
A tubed tyre is vulnerable to friction and heat generated between the tube and the inner surface of the tube which reduces life of the tube. In a tubeless tyre the inner layer of the tyre is the tube itself.
Other tube troubles include ballooning, open splice, spurious tubes, pinholes, tube mounting damage and finally the cost of a tube and its maintenance, all of which are avoided with tubeless tyres.
COST:
Compared to your life's worth " NOTHING " . A set( 4 nos .) of good tubeless tyres and rims can set you back by around 25-30 thousand( 1 Tubeless tyre costs around 2500-3000) . Some of the best brands available in the market are Goodyear, Bridgestone and Dunlop . Expensive brands such as Micheline and Pirelli are also available( 3500 - 4500 a piece) .
What is convenient these days is that tyre dealers are willing to upgrade( at an exchange price) your existing tyres to tubeless ones with rims or alloys.
STRONGLY RECOMMENDED GUYS .GO FOR THEM
