No matter how good your tyres or pothole-avoidance skills, blowouts can happen at any time – here’s how to make them less dangerous.
No matter how good your tyres or pothole-avoidance skills, blowouts can happen at any time – here’s how to make them less dangerous.
A new system – Flats Over – has been developed, which enables you to keep control of your vehicle in the event of a blowout, and still drive up to 100km further. Even if the tyre comes off the wheel, the Flats Over system will remain attached to the rim and protect the wheel.
The stress inherent to being stranded thanks to a blow-out can be eased by fitting the Flats Over Wheel and Tyre Protection System. In the event of a vehicle’s tyres being compromised in any way, the Flats Over system offers:
• Controlled driving from stand-still to high-speed;
• Controlled braking; and
• More than 100 kilometres of safe driving.
Flats Over has been ballistics tested, and also tested off-road at over 100km/h with no pressure in the tyres at all.
How does Flats Over work?
Solid rubber inserts are fitted to the hub of the wheel, inside the normal tyre. These heavy-duty rubber belts have high-tensile steel cables, which are positioned on the wheels and tightened by a ratchet. The normal tyre is then fitted and inflated. Then, the gap between the ends of the two belts is aligned with the air valve. Should the tyre deflate, the weight of the vehicle is carried on the Flats Over system’s solid rubber layer. Even if the tyre comes off the wheel, the Flats Over system will remain attached to the rim and protect the wheel.
The Flats Over system also protects vehicles’ rims by absorbing 90% of the impact of pot holes, thereby also saving the tyres from sidewall damage.
The system is used by governments in many countries, including South Africa, Brazil, the United States of America and Jordan, as well as on armoured cars in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, and by the national guard of Kuwait. In South Africa, ArmourMax, an armouring company, recently started recommending Flats Over for all of the vehicles it fortifies.
The Flats Over system is also trusted by multinationals around the globe, including the likes of Coca Cola, Sony, GM, ABN Bank, Bradesco Bank, Lab Pfeiser, Basf, the Furukawa Company, Nestle and Johnson & Johnson.
Flats Over has a 12-month warranty and is available for 14- to 24-inch wheels (any profile and width).
