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Important information relating to fitting and removing Run-Flat Tyres (RFTs)

The Run-Flat Tyre, also known as RFT and SST (Self-Supporting Tyre), is a common feature in todays car park, and its effect on the garage equipment manufacturing industry has been one of huge influence. You don’t have to be in the tyre business to have heard of RFTs, they are now a reference most consumers will be familiar with, even if it is not always fully understood. What we will discuss here is the effect they have had on the tyre changer market, having forced a total change of direction on the product and people’s buying habits over the last 2 or 3 decades. When considering a new tyre changing machine the ability to handle RFTs should represent a large part of the decision, but all too often it isn’t. Here we will attempt to shed some light on this and provoke some thought on the crucial aspects of a tyre changer in this day and age.

Despite having a huge presence in the UK market for several decades, Giuliano Automotive, an Italian manufacturer of premium quality garage equipment since 1976, now has a ‘daughter’ company in the UK to provide even greater customer support. Based near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, the company has extensive premises to house administration, showroom and warehousing. The team are no strangers to the product or the customers, having worked with Giuliano products for many years.

Over the years, tyre fitting and removal technology (I.e. the common Tyre Changer, Tyre Machine, or Tyre Fitting Machine – depending on your chosen terminology), has evolved incredibly, in line with the rims and tyres upon which they operate, and the vehicles to which those wheel assemblies are fitted. Giuliano Tyre Machines have been at the forefront of this development, with our parent manufacturing company, Giuliano Automotive, being responsible for a large array of ground-breaking and patented technological breakthroughs during the last 50 years.

Undoubtedly one of the most commonly asked questions put to us, the ‘how do I look after my Giuliano Tyre Machine’ request is one we actually love to answer. In any garage, it is a very real but very unfortunate fact that the tyre fitting machine can be the least considered item of equipment when it comes to love and care.

Lifts are a bit more ‘in your face’; you are working under them, there is more of an onus in terms of insurance and Health and Safety, and people just seem more conscious of the need to service vehicle lifts. Similarly, diagnostics products often have to be routinely looked at because maybe they are an MOT item like a gas analyser, or need regular updates and/or calibration. A tyre machine, however, can all too often be neglected.

Over the years, we have seen a zillion articles advising how best to determine the ‘right type of tyre changer for you’. These articles can range from semi-useful, to just a re-hashed montage of product leaflets blurb that verges on embarrassing to anyone who is on so much as nodding terms with tyre and wheel service equipment. Our approach to this is completely different. We could write about the various types of style of tyre machine; such as swing arm, tilt back or, the latest generation, Par-Move. Or we could discuss the obvious ones such as clamping capability (does anyone actually need to be told that if they want to change 22” rims, then they will need a tyre fitting machine capable of handling 22” rims?? Come on….).