Drive safely without air

Drive safely without air

The Falken technician pulls out the drill, puts an approximately 4 millimeter hole in the tread of the right front tire of the BMW 535d and says confidently: “Please get in and drive off!” After a few careful corners at walking pace, during which the tires make slight "crunching" noises, the speed is increased to 50 to 60 km/h, and indeed - the Falken engineers didn't promise too much: the sedan, which weighs almost two tons, stays on track without any problems, the steering influences remain low even in curves, and you feel completely safe on the road up to a speed of 80 km/h. According to the Falken technicians, you shouldn't drive faster with a punctured tire, and the maximum distance covered without air should not be more than 80 kilometers. However, this distance should be enough to get to the next workshop.
The Falken engineers have done a lot of development work to achieve this convincing performance without air. The rubber compound was carefully tuned down to the nano range, and the tire's reinforced sidewalls were given an innovative design. The new Falken run-flat tires impress with good rolling comfort even when properly inflated, which is by no means a given as run-flats usually feel significantly harder due to their increased stiffness. The test drives took place on the Ascari race track in southern Spain and on the country roads of Andalusia. Conclusion: Even on bumpy road surfaces, the new Falken Runflats cut a good figure and left nothing to be desired in terms of comfort.

Performance on the tire market
Two of the new Falken runflat models will come onto the market in 2014, they are called ZIEX ZE914 Ecorun Runflat and Azenis FK453 Runflat. The ZIEX ZE914 is available in the sizes 225/50RF17 94W and 225/45RF17 91W, and Falken will bring additional dimensions onto the market in the next few years. Starting this summer, the Azenis FK453 Runflat will be available in sizes 245/45RF18 96Y and 275/40RF18 99Y. Both models have rectangular depressions on the sidewall that prevent the tire from overheating in airless “walking mode”. The new Falken energy-saving tires for small and compact cars also demonstrated their advantages on the artificially rained Ascari race track. The model is called Sincera SN832 Ecorun and is equipped with an innovative silica tread compound. Unusually wide and deep tread grooves significantly increase the aquaplaning limit, which was verified during test drives. The Sincera SN832 will be available from spring 2014 in 19 sizes with a diameter of 13 inches to 15 inches for speeds of up to 190 km/h.

Isamu Ishida, Managing Director of Falken Tire Europe, is optimistic in an interview with the automotive industry that the good performance of the new tire models will also have an impact on the market performance of the entire brand. “In Austria, at five percent, we have the highest market share compared to the other European countries,” says Isamu Ishida, formulating his personal goal of achieving this market share throughout Europe by 2020. At the moment, however, the average is just over two percent, but with innovative products such as the new energy-saving small car tire, the committed project should be possible. The Japanese tire brand has had an excellent reputation among motorsport fans for years. Since the turn of the millennium, various Falken racing cars painted in the CI colors of blue and turquoise have regularly taken part in the 24-hour races at the Nürburgring as well as in spectacular drift competitions.
A film produced by Falken about the 24-hour race in 2013, which captured the drivers' impressions on the infamous Nordschleife, has already been viewed over 135,000 times on YouTube. However, the biggest profits in the tire business are not on the racetrack, but on the commuter roads. “Our next development goal is to further improve the rolling resistance of our energy-saving tires,” reveals the Falken Tire Europe boss and promises the next generation of tires by 2017 at the latest, which will bring even more efficiency to the road.