I have just got this blinding new Mini Cooper - like in the Italian Job, all red and stripey. It brings a smile to everyones face, even my daughter is converted. She is at that stage in life where everything has to be 'cool'. Ideal for whizzing around town and great for my countless sprints between Grantham and Newark.
Mini is made by BMW and they use run-flat tyres which I had never heard of until Jez at Tread Rite Tyres in Newark gave a few of us a little lecture on run-flats. A lot of manufacturers have now bought in to run-flats as a safety system on new vehicles. If you have a puncture the system, subject to distance limitations, allows the motorist to continue their journey without having to stop and replace the tyre. Sounds ideal to me - no blow-out, no getting drenched in the rain and staring at a collapsed tyre wishing you had learnt how to change a tyre if you are inept like me or jacking up the vehicle, removing the tyre, emptying the boot which is bound to be full, removing the spare and changing over. Uh Oh! Seems I do know how to change a tyre.
Of course the biggest plus of the run-flat system is the safety aspect, there are inherent dangers with changing a wheel at the roadside or on the A1 and the dangers of tyre failure at high speed can be serious.
Tread Rite Tyres near Grantham specialise in run-flat tyres and the run-flat system so if you need any advice or help contact Mark or Jez. They are really competitive on price and their service is second to none
