Next Gen Tires About To Hit The Road - Airless

Well they are a bit odd looking, I will say that having tires blow can be scary I have had them blow on me while riding motorcycles, cars and driving transport that one was a freaking close call the front passenger side blew out and took part of the fender with a full load, though there are foam filled tires in the transport industries it is not common.

Michelin Announces Two Fitments For Its Revolutionary Non-pneumatic Tweel
Link

DETROIT, M.I. (January 9, 2005) ­ Today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Michelin showcased a potential future for mobility, an integrated tire and wheel combination missing one ingredient that is vital for traditional tire performance...air. The company unveiled the first real-world fitments for its revolutionary "Tweel" ­ which operates entirely without air. View the photo gallery.

"Major revolutions in mobility may come along only once in a hundred years," said Terry Gettys, president of Michelin Americas Research and Development Center in Greenville, S.C. "But a new century has dawned and Tweel has proven its potential to transform mobility. Tweel enables us to reach levels of performance that quite simply aren't possible with today's conventional pneumatic technology."

Man that's some freaky looking a-tire right there!

I remember having 'solids' on a bike I had as a kid, they where called hedgehogs.

But these things are strange, I can't see them being on the road for a long while! I like the big cat ones, very cool.

These press releases came out in 2005 and here we are two years later and Michelin still hasn't marketed the tweel.

It looks like good technology on the surface, but I'm skeptical that this will ever become commonplace on US highways.

I've lost a lot of faith in Michelin of late, due to the fact that the Michelin tires that came on my Honda Accord were probably the worst performing tires I have ever owned and the horrible way Michelin conducted themselves in Formula One before they finally pulled out completely.

[edit on 2007/6/9 by GradyPhilpott]

I heard about this years ago. And the last news I read is that they got rid of the idea. That was what my corporate news said in our office awhile back ago at least.

No application, as you see the design relies on 1 bolt hole, not 4,5,6,8, or 10. I guess you could buy re manufactured hubs if you wanted. Also, think of the price of replacement. You don't replace the rubber, you replace the whole deal. Simpler I guess. More wasteful, more expensive.

But theres always "special" applications somewhere to find use for stuff like this.


And Grady, I finally got the money to buy good tires recently, I bought Michelin Hydroedges and they are the best tires I've ever had. Im curious what you got on your accord as I'm in the tire/mechanic business and would hate to sell them to my customers when I get into sales =)

Interesting stuff, thanx for posting Sauron.

Not sure I like the look of them though. Also, there would be dangers involved with having so called "spokes" instead of a "side-wall". (Ever had a stick shoved in your spokes on your bike as a kid?) A flexible wall on the outside face would solve that one, and stop them looking so odd, although this is more for aesthetics and safety rather than performance.

And the idea of having the tyre and wheel as one unit wouldn't go down too well with all the flashy "rim" manufacturers and street racers.

I wish they would spend more time developing a system that works with the current tyres on the market......"fill and forget", like the "puncture repair foam" but one that didn't mess up the wheel with the "goo" it leaves behind.

Some of my old motorcycle courier friends would squirt their new tyres with that stuff just to be on the safe side, but a version that would semi-solidify would be great. Almost like the old solid tyres but hi-tech.

Love the name...."tweel"......just rolls of the tongue. I can see these being very useful for lightweight and slow vehicles for now, and who knows, maybe special racing applications or some of the new breed of "smart-cars".

Can't wait to see where this goes. By the way, I wonder how much they will cost and could they be "re-treaded" (remoulds).

Cool

I'm pretty certain that the production tire would have side walls. I can't imagine that they'd be marketed without them.