Tyron tyre bands

[tonyishuk]

Anyone got them fitted ?

 

Anyone been unfortunate enough to have tried them out ?

 

Any problems with tyre repairs in UK or EU ?

 

Thaks

[graham]

I had some experience with these when I was working. We did some extensive testing and they work well. Bit of a pig to fit but any good tyre fitter should be ok. As they do not interfere with the tyre repairs are no problem but if you use them in anger during a blow out the tyre will not be much good by the time you stop. They enable you to maintain control with a flat tyre but do not stop it going down.

[Mike Chapman]

Hello Tony,

 

To answer your questions, YES, YES, CAN BE.

 

Had them fitted to every Motor Home I have owned since experiencing a blow out on a loaded commercial van rear tyre with Tyron Bands fitted. Also seen the results of blow outs on several vans without them, not good. The tyre failed at about 60 mph but the van remained controllable because the tyre stayed on the rim and did not shred. Don't take my word for their safety advantages ask the emergency services who use them extensively.

 

Not all tyre dealers have the correct equipment for installing removing Tyron Bands and the band has to be removed to get the tyre off/on the rim. To do the job properly they need a hoop to push the tyre down to get access to the band and a special socket spanner to remove/fit the band.

The band can be removed using levers and any spanner that will fit but it can take time and this will often be charged extra.

 

See the Tyron Website for additional information.

 

Hope this answers your questions.

 

Regards,

 

Mike.

 

[Mel E]

Had a very similar system fitted to our Daewoo (now Chevrolet) Matiz when we towed it behind the motorhome. The Tyron band - just like the SmartTyre we had - can also be fitted with temp and presure monitors which radio continuously to a dashboard display and give loud warning of any decompression.

 

Worked like a dream and saved us when the car's brakes started binding.

 

Mel E

====

[peterjl]

Hi

 

Yesterday i would have replied positively to this as i had them fitted with snow and mud tyres at a size that would take snow chains for the alps this winter.

 

Now I need to get tyres hanged back for the summer and have run into difficulties getting someone to change the tyres with Tyron in place. As soon as i mention them nobody wants to know - not even the agents featured on the gaslow/tyron website - they do caravans but not motorhomes because of wheel size and weight.

 

Has anybody else had this experioence or how did they resolve getting tyres changed.

 

Getting them fitted seemed a good idea at the time - famous last words?

 

Peter

[Clive]

I am afraid I would not bother. Tyon are seldom used commercially and I know I can handle a blow out at speed as I have done so on two occasions, once when driving a coach and also on a Morris 1100. Most important lesson learnt here is never use remoulds on the front axle!

 

Save your money and get quality tyres in stead.

 

 

 

[Mike Chapman]

Hello Peter,

 

Try Kwik-fit Mobile they fit Tyron and carry the correct equipment. Some Kwik-fit depots have the equipment but not all.

 

Maybe worth contacting your local emergency services, Ambulance, Fire or Breakdown Services for information.

 

Clive,

 

Tyron bands are not just about keeping control after a blow-out but also keeping the tyre on the rim and avoiding several kilos of thrashing tyre carcass wrecking the wheel arch, bodywork and perhaps even suspension or brake lines. Particularly important to Coachbuilt motor caravans with fragile bodywork. If a tyre comes off the wheel at speed I think it was Dave Newell that said "Put your head between your legs and kiss your rear end goodbye".

 

Regards,

 

Mike.

[peterjl]

Hi

 

Tried kwik fit mobile but they would only come out if i was buying a new tyre - i already have summer tyres soooo.

 

Eventually local ford garage did the deed - at a price

 

Peter

[Basil]

Mike Chapman - 2007-03-08 11:36 AM

 

Clive,

 

Tyron bands are not just about keeping control after a blow-out but also keeping the tyre on the rim and avoiding several kilos of thrashing tyre carcass wrecking the wheel arch, bodywork and perhaps even suspension or brake lines. Particularly important to Coachbuilt motor caravans with fragile bodywork. If a tyre comes off the wheel at speed I think it was Dave Newell that said "Put your head between your legs and kiss your rear end goodbye".

 

Regards,

 

Mike.

 

I'm afraid that information is not fully accurate, if you have a blow out Tyron bands will NOT stop flailing steel bracing bands from wrecking your wheelarch, GRP side fairing, flooring and insulation, electric step or the wiring or any other pipe cable mudflap or anythig else that happens to be in range, I know from bitter experience at 70 mph, got the pictures to prove it!!

 

Bas

[Mike Chapman]

Hello Basil,

 

You are quite right, Tyron Bands will not by themselves stop damage if their is a major blow out of the tyre which causes it to break up/shred on the rim.

 

Just a thought, what would have happened if the tyre had come off the rim at 70 mph, that is assuming that it did not?

 

Regards,

 

Mike.

[Brian Kirby]

Does anyone know what caused their blowouts?  In asking, I'm assuming we are all talking about sudden, rather than slow, losses of tyre pressure?  I ask because I can only remember experiencing three such in over 40 years of driving.  None of those was a classic explosive  blowout either. 

In one case the tyre just deflated as I rounded a bend and the car ran wide into an almost empty pub car park.  Being a believer in the symbolism of events, I had a pint and then changed the wheel!  Dirty big nail right through.  Two others were the result of commuting down Kent lanes, meeting oncoming traffic going too fast to stop, and taking avoiding action up the bank.  Surprising how big a hole a well placed flint can make in your sidewall on a wet day!

However, my point is, that that is the sum total of my experience.  I reckon I must have driven nearly half a million miles, down all kinds of roads, both in UK and in Europe, in that time, and that's the lot (yes, I know, I know, so far so good!!). 

I'm sure Tyrons work, but I don't really see that the actual risk they address justifies their cost.  Surely, good tyres, maintained at the right pressure, driven with reasonable care, just don't "blow out".  True you might strike an object on the road that destroys your tyre, but is that really so likely in reality? 

So, do you know why your tyres failed, and was it totally unavoidable?

[Clive]

The Coach blowout I had in mind was one of the twin rears of a Bedford Duple Vista coach that I owned. It was a DIY MH conversion I did. I heard this BANG and only felt a small jolt, glanced in the wing mirror to see a puff of dust down the road behind me. I stopped, walked back, found a little of the shreaded tyre still around the rim of the outer wheel on the near side but the rest was a fair wander down the road where I also recovered the flattened inner steel wheel arch that had been blown clean off.

From my perspective Tyon bands sound a good idea in theory but in practice are seldom used by anyone. As I said, never trust remoulds on a front axle. With twin rears its not so critical.

 

Thinking about it I also had a front blow out on the same coach entering a busy roundabout in a big town in France many years back as well. The steering got a tad heavy but we stoppned in an orderly manner. What was fortunate is that my father in law who was following us with his VW camper took us for a ride round town to find a length of scaffold tubing to extend the bar of the wheel brace so we could undo the wheel nuts. Then we used the VW to take the knackered wheel to a tyre centre to get it blown up as I had already replaced the tyre and tube with another I carried on board as spares. Split rims do have some advantages.

 

Nostalgia!

 

 

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

Hello Clive: but did you ever discover why they popped?

[Basil]

In answer to Mike, yes the tyre still came off the rim, not even a Tyron band will stop an exploded tyre coming off trust me. The van handled to an exemplary standard considering (glad it was a rear though) but luck was on my side in that I was able to decelerate in a straight line without braking onto the hard shoulder of the M20 with very little traffic around me.

 

In answer to Brian, the tyres were new (within three months), with correct pressures but in my opinion were faulty. Cannot prove that but suffice to say I was paid a 'without liability' payment for the cost of two tyres (I had had two fitted at the same time) and some of the expenses. I accepted this as the cost of a litigation battle in the circumstances was not a sensible move.

 

Bas

[Mel E]

I would suggest that what people often refer to as 'blowouts' are, in fact, slow to fast punctures that they don't notice until the tyre is flat and the suspension screams it at them.

 

In over 45 years of driving, I've had two of those - on a Merc and a hydraulic suspension Citroen. Neither were actually blowouts, but, in both cases, the tyre was wrecked by the time I realised I had a problem.

 

Tyron and the like are especially useful for trailers - and are targeted at caravanners - since you don't even get the 'suspension' warning. I repeat my earlier post that, coupled with the tyre pressure and temperature monitors on the trailer/caravan wheels, they are a major contributor to towing safety.

 

 

[Clive]

Both re-moulds Brian. We were even more strapped for cash in those days and I used the tyres until you could see the steel bracing in places!! You never know how many miles a remould has travelled or kerbs knocked before its gets a new overcoat. . We replaced the remoulds with new very cheap Portugese tyres afterwards and never had another problem.

Given a choice and no cash constraints I would always use Michelin. Tried both Avon and Goodyear previously and some oriental cheapies which are OK but the Michelin tyres outlive them all hands down.

 

C.

 

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

Mel

I respect of trailers I wholeheartedly agree.  No feed back through your hands and your nether end, which is why I've never been happy towing.  Tyrons, by keeping the tyre on the rim, also keep the trailer stable, which is a great advantage to all around!

[Basil]

Clive,

 

After my experience with my blow described earlier the M word is dirty!!

 

Bas

[Mike Chapman]

Hello Brian, Basil and other interested parties,

 

In many cases, as has already been mentioned, by the time you get round to looking at the tyre or having it inspected by the manufacturer, the original reason for the blow out has been lost in the damage. Even the manufacturers with their specialised equipment cannot always be sure of the exact cause of failure.

 

In my incident with the van, the tyre rapidly deflated stayed on the rim and little damage was caused. The failure appeared to have been caused by a small blow out (a hole about 2.5 inches long) on the inner sidewall probably caused by an earlier collision with some object in the road.

 

I suppose that the use of the terminology "Blow Out" is often used incorrectly to describe exactly what Mel E reffered to ie. A puncture that then causes the tyre to fail. In the case that Basil reports it seems that there was a catastrophic failure of the tyre sidewall and carcass leading to the tyre breaking up to a stage where even the use of Tyron Bands was not going to keep the tyre on the rim.

 

You did well Basil to drive the vehicle to safety, too often the result is collision with other vehicles and worse. I am still assisting someone with this very issue where an over-inflated tyre was thought to be the cause of tyre failure and the resulting accident in which two other vehicles were involved. Michelin have reported that they do not consider that the over-inflation on it's own was the cause of the failure which appears to have been caused by damage to the sidewall resulting from overheating due to possible earlier under-inflation. Not good news for the owner.

 

Personally I see Tyron Bands as good insurance at £230 for 5 wheels supplied and fitted compared with the cost of the vehicle. Not everyone will share this view, fair enough.

 

A trawl through the internet on the search "Vehicle Tyre Failure Reasons and Statistics" will bring up many sites giving the main reasons for tyre failure.

 

Regards,

 

Mike.

[Basil]

Hi Mike,

 

I am certainly not condemning Tyron Bands, just making the point that damage to the vehicle was severe contrary to what had been implied, I niether blame or believe the Tyrons had any effect, it was just unfortunate circumstances. I will never know whether the same would have occured without though!

My belief that the tyres were faulty was as you have implied the centre three patterns of tread seperated from the carcass causing a massive 'explosion', these were brand new (not remoulds) some three months earlier and the second tyre fitted at the same time was clearly distorted and bulging in the same area. I had inspected them before starting the journey and checked the pressures (the remaining one was still showing the correct pressure), I had not seen any form of distortion at that time and had travelled only about 90 miles.

I am not sure I would take all the credit for the safe arrival to the hard shoulder but equal portions of luck, due to clear road, a well designed van that was able to cope with the irregular handling which to be fair did not give me too much difficulty in controlling it to a standstill i.e. I did not have to wrestle with the steering just felt a bit heavy and pulling to the nearside so i had to compensate. It may well have been different if I had been travelling too fast for the conditions, in other than the nearside lane and it had been a full and busy road or I had been under braking or carrying out some other manouvre.

 

Bas

[Brian Kirby]

Basil

Yes, I remember your earlier report of the incident.  As a matter of interest, who eventually paid you - Michelin or the fitter?

What you describe could have been a faulty tyre, but two faulty new tyres??

It could, however, equally be the consequence of incorrectly rated tyres having been fitted, leading to overinflation if the pressures used were correct for the higher rated tyre, or underinflation if the tyres were correctly inflated for their rating, but insufficient for their actual load. 

I carry no especial banner for Michelin, but unless there was a batch defect I'd be a bit inclined to suspect the wrong tyres were actually fitted, and then wrongly inflated.

However, I'm glad the eventual outcome was relatively satisfactory and not too much harm done.

[Brian Kirby]

Mike

I'm not knocking Tyrons, I just don't feel the risk justifies the cost.

Having said that, what does look good value to me is the sealant Mel E had injected into his tyres, which reduces the likelihood of the puncture in the first place, and improves the air seal of the tyre and valve into the bargain.  I wouldn't go so far as Mel though, and dispense with the spare, I'm too much the fatalist for that!

[Mike Chapman]

Hello Basil and Brian,

 

I did not think that either of you are against Tyron Bands I fully understand and agree with your comments. Some of us prefer to use them and others prefer to spend their money on other things both totally acceptable positions in my book.

 

It is actually nice to be able to hold a sensible and adult conversation without the bickering and name calling that seems to have invaded this forum recently.

 

Regards,

 

Mike.

[Basil]

Brian Kirby - 2007-03-10 4:54 PM

Basil

Yes, I remember your earlier report of the incident.  As a matter of interest, who eventually paid you - Michelin or the fitter?

What you describe could have been a faulty tyre, but two faulty new tyres??

It could, however, equally be the consequence of incorrectly rated tyres having been fitted, leading to overinflation if the pressures used were correct for the higher rated tyre, or underinflation if the tyres were correctly inflated for their rating, but insufficient for their actual load. 

I carry no especial banner for Michelin, but unless there was a batch defect I'd be a bit inclined to suspect the wrong tyres were actually fitted, and then wrongly inflated.

However, I'm glad the eventual outcome was relatively satisfactory and not too much harm done.

Hello Brian,The offer was made through the tyre fitters from the manufacturer but with no acceptance of liability. However it is the fitters belief that the two tyres were part of a faulty batch that should have been destroyed but somehow got into the marketplace (he had four more instock that were returned) I was not in a position to take the matter further as, if you remember the origional post I no longer was in possession of the offending tyres.I can assure you they were the correct tyres, correctly rated and were inflated to the recomended pressure as specified in the handbook, though I accept that it was not a defined pressure from the tyre manufacturer, but the tyre fitter was happy that the pressure matched his data for the application.I was not actually out of pocket financialy in the end but they would not pay me for work I had carried out myself, should have had a dealer do it and it would have cost them more, I suppose I did myself no favours there so that is why I look upon it that I did not get everything back my time is still worth money to me.BasEdit P.S. I use the sealant in my motorcycle and it has been fine so far, but would I know?

[Brian Kirby]

Thanks Basil.  Must have been the batch.  Very nasty for you though, and it's interesting Michelin shouldered the financial responsibility.  Speaks volumes, that!