T he Tyron Safety Band is designed to prevent the tyre
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from leaving the wheel after a blow-out. It can be retrofitted by Iveco Ford dealers. The Tyron band is a steel ring that fills the wheel well, providing a surface for the tyre's beads to run on. Normally deflation would cause the tyre to roll into the well of the wheel and the wheel rim would touch the road: the immediate loss of grip and control could be catastrophic. By stopping the tyre from flailing the 'Byron band prevents it from breaking up, damaging wheelarches and spray suppression equipment.
The band is matched to the size of the wheel, and can be fitted or removed in a few minutes using a single Allen key. The components are of passivated steel, adding around Tyron: 2kg to the weight of a typical 22.5in wheel, and it should last the life of the wheel. Iveco dealers can supply and fit a pair for between £66.25 (16in rims) and £137.25 (22.51n rims).
Tyron is specified on many military and emergency vehicles; the passenger car version has TiiV approval for 4Icm of high-speed run-flat use in Germany.
The system started life as the Avon Safety Band, developed by Avon Rubber in the seventies to protect MoD vehicles in Northern Ireland; the Tyron company was founded in 1979.
The Tyron band was recently demonstrated at MIRA, fitted to the front wheels of an Iveco EuroTech 4x2 tractive unit, pulling a laden tri-axle trailer. At around 80km/h the offside front wheel was burst with a small explosive charge. The vehicle was apparently unaffected: it carried on in a straight line and was brought to a halt with no problems. The artic then made a circuit with its flat tyre, followed by U-turns and a slalom around some cones, again with no drama. The safety band certainly kept the vehicle under control. The tyre was reduced to a smoking wreck, but the wheel and the safety band were undamaged.