Engineering:Avon Safety Wheel
The Avon Safety Wheel was a new type of wheel for cars, invented by the Avon Tyre Company of Britain in the early 1970s. With the advent of radial tyres, taking over from the older crossply type, it was found that in the event of a puncture or blowout, the tyre would be much more prone to detach from the rim, which would make a bad situation somewhat worse.[1][2]
Overview
The Avon Safety Wheel prevents the detachment of a deflated tyre by having a much shallower central recess inside the wheel. The recess is so shallow that the tyre cannot twist to an angle allowing it to slip over the rim, so it is retained. Such a shallow recess would normally prevent fitting new tyres, but a deep channel is included to let the bead enter during fitting. This channel is then covered by a metal band, tightened around the wheel after the tyre is fitted but before inflation.[1][3][4]
Fitting
Recognition
The wheel design was also used on British Leyland's Morris Marina Safety Research Vehicle, though featuring very different styling from the version employed by Vauxhall. It was also used on the Bristol 411 series 4, Minis and Jaguars,[3][additional citation(s) needed] though reportedly it could be fitted on any car or light van.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "From the Archives". Classic Marque (South Australia: JDCSA): 34. March 2023.
- ↑ "Reifendruck-Symbol leuchtet immer wieder auf und geht nicht weg". https://www.autodoc.de/info/reifendruck-symbol-leuchtet-immer-wieder-und-geht-nicht-weg-was-tun.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "If you're buying an alloy wheel, doesn't it make sense to buy the one that could save your life?". Motor Sport 1 (10): 1066-1067. October 1974. https://porschecarshistory.com/wp-content/old/lib/magazines/ms/1974/10.1974.PDF. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
- ↑ "Tyre repair must meet UK safety standards" (in en-gb). https://www.tyremend.co.uk/tyre-repair/.
- ↑ "Motor Show 1973". Felix (Imperial College Union) (345). 1973-11-06. https://f001.backblazeb2.com/file/felixonlinearchive/issues/pdfs/felix_345.pdf.
External links
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