What are the Benefits of Installing Tubeless Tires in Your Vehicle?
Tubeless tires for cars were introduced into the market quite some time ago. Owing to their many advantages, car owners preferred tubeless tires over tube tires. Now, the same shift is being noticed in the bike industry, with the introduction of tubeless tires for motorcycles. As implied by the name, tubeless tires, unlike traditional tires, do not contain a tube inside. The air is kept from leaking out between the tire wall and the rim of the wheel, by the use of an airtight seal. A tubeless tire is designed by locking the tire bead properly onto the rim of the wheel. Furthermore, the wheel rim needs to be perfectly seated on the valve stem to make the whole arrangement completely airtight. A special sealant is used to make the whole design airtight.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Tubeless Tires
Here are the main advantages of incorporating tubeless tires in your car:
1. Minimum Number of Silly Punctures:
Did you know that tube tires can get punctured even if your tire wall remains undamaged? Apparently, tube tires can get punctured when it gets pinched between the wheel rim and the outer tire wall. Therefore, people who are inexperienced in vehicular matters might find it quite difficult to understand why their tire is losing air, even without any damage on the outer surface or in plain sight. Tubeless tires have no such issues, as there is no tube present in between to get pinched.
2. Offers Better Traction:
Compared to tube tires, tubeless tires for motorcycles and cars offer far better traction when riding or driving through rough and rugged terrain. In any vehicle, two factors must be considered to get superior traction – the suspension of the vehicle and the tire pressure. While the suspension absorbs the shocks and keeps the tire grounded as much as possible, the tire pressure also plays a very important role in maintaining traction.
Tubeless tires for cars and motorcycles come with the ability to run well at a lower tire pressure, hence maintaining more ground contact. Moreover, this also gives the tire the ability to partially wrap around rocks and other objects on a rugged terrain, offering better traction.
3. Usage of a Liquid Sealant:
As mentioned earlier, a specially crafted liquid sealant is filled into the tubeless tires, making them airtight. So, whenever a sharp object punctures a hole in a tubeless tire, the sealant oozes out, fills the hole, and dries up, effectively sealing the puncture. While this might not be a permanent solution to the puncture, it will enable you to call for roadside assistance or drive down to the nearest auto repair shop to get the tire fixed.
4. Reduces Weight:
It is hard to quantify the net weight you can reduce, as there are an array of ways to go tubeless. For example, ditching an average sized tube will help you get rid of 200 gms of weight. However, all tubeless tires come with a sealant and inflation valve packed in it, which can weight 400 gms each, therefore offsetting the weight savings. However, the net result is always a little less when compared to tube tires. A lower weight means greater fuel economy for the vehicle.
5. Air Escapes Slowly:
Although the chances of encountering a puncture in tubeless tires are quite minimum, tubeless tires won’t leave you helpless in the middle of the road even if it does happen. If a tubeless tire sustains a puncture that cannot be patched with the liquid sealant, the air leaks very slowly out of the tire, giving the driver adequate time to drive to the side of the road. A tube tire, on getting a puncture, will let out the air all at once, leaving you stranded and helpless on the middle of the road. In case you are driving on a busy highway, coming to an absolute standstill suddenly can be quite dangerous for you as well as for other drivers on the road.
For every pro, there is always a con. Here are the disadvantages of owning a tubeless tire:
1. Difficult to Fix Punctures of Tubeless Tires:
Fixing a punctured tubeless tire is not easy and not everybody will be able to do it. Sealing the puncture in a tubeless tire requires special equipment and not all auto and roadside assistance shops stock these supplies. However, after spending more than a decade in the towing industry, Knight Towing Service knows better and can offer you mobile tire repair services at your location.
2. Tubeless Tire Price:
Tubeless tires are not cheap as they use different and more premium tools and components as compared to tube tires. However, when you take stock of the high-quality components and the advanced features this tire offers, the high price is completely justified.
3. Difficult ad Time-Consuming to Mount on the Wheel Rim:
It is a little tricky and a time-consuming affair to fit the tubeless tire to the wheel rim. The biggest challenge in installing tubeless tires is to seat them correctly on the wheel rim, so that the seal is absolutely airtight. Unless it is fitted properly, the rims might get damaged and might leak air. The correct way is to add the sealant carefully and add lots of air quickly.
In Conclusion:
Tubeless tires are now widely used in almost all modern cars, thanks to their numerous benefits. However, in case you face any difficulties with your bike or car tires, contact Knight Towing Service for professional, affordable, and high-quality mobile tire repair service.