Not for the truck, but funky new car tires

[mudhound72]

I got this in a e-mail from a buddy, check this out:

Subject: Take a look at these tires


Can you believe this???

Attached are pictures of the new Michelin tires. These tires are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soonThis is what great R&D will do and just think of the impact on existing technology:
.no more air valves
.no more air compressors at gas stations
.no more repair kits

 

[ryan22re]

do they come in 40 inch plus sizes?

if they could make it flex, that would be great, but we wont see any "off road" friendly version soon.

 

[PhoenixZorn]

They are already talking about offroad use in the R&D department...

only issue we can think of at the shop is how you seat the bead on that sob...

and what do you do when it fills up with snow and ice?

 

[DieselDan]

Aahh, can't air-down, can you? I think for (real) off road use these would suck. By design they have a set foot print, where as a pneumatic tire the footprint is changed based on the load/air pressure.

For car tires they might be on to something... If you could just get over the hideous looks

 

[ntsqd]

Wonder what the LEO's are gonna do for spike strips?

 

[1985_K5_Silverado]

Wonder what the LEO's are gonna do for spike strips?

Probably some 00 buck through the windshield would work well.

 

[1985_K5_Silverado]

I'd bet it's a publicity photo to show how the tire is built (and can operate without air) and that the actual tire, while being "airless", has sidewalls that were sliced off for this photo session.

 

[goldwing2000]

It's not a publicity photo. They're calling it a Tweel. It was introduced at the 2005 Detroit auto show. It's in production now and it has all sorts of applications from cars to wheel chairs to construction equipment.

Right from the horse's mouth:
http://www.michelinman.com/difference/releases/pressrelease01102005a.html

Includes a link to a photo gallery.

 

[1985_K5_Silverado]

Of course they're publicity photos for a publicity article/press release, they are from Michelin's site and are of an R&D product. It will surely have a sidewall if it ever makes it to market It'd go out of balance so rapidly from small road debris getting in there. Mud. Snow. Gravel. Park the car for a while and small rodents and birds will build nests in the tires, just like they do in tailpipes ans under the hood of abandoned and rarely used outdoor vehicles.

 

[djsblaze]

I read a tech article somewhere on these, and they are real...they intend to bring them into production without sidewalls. I think they could be very easily adapted to offroad use, but I do think lateral stability would be an issue if the footprint itself cant bend, that said, i think it COULD work.

 

[goldwing2000]

*shrug* I guess we'll see (if it ever actually makes it to the market).

I saw some videos of a car running them around a road course and lateral stability was SO not an issue. They were planted. The contact patch does change with load, as the spokes will stretch and compress as necessary.

edit: found the video

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2005/tweel-p1.php
another format:
http://www.audivideos.com/Videos/Media-Videos/Med-Audi_Michelin_Tweel.mov
News story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?channel=i_video&clip=/media/2005/01/27/video669906.rm&sec=3420&vidId=3420&title=Reinventing$@$The$@$Wheel&hitboxMLC=eveningnews

 

[TexasA&Mblazer]

I saw these used on small construction equipment about 2 weeks ago.

 

[muddybuddy]

wow i thought this was a joke thread. those are very funky. i duno if id trust those.

 

[jarheadk5]

It's not a publicity photo. They're calling it a Tweel. <snip> It's in production now and it has all sorts of applications from cars to wheel chairs to construction equipment.

Bingo.

 

[atlantak-5er]

Just cover the sides with rubber for a more traditional look. They have those tires for bobcats already.

 

[fabjunkie]

We were talking about these at school in '02. I guess they are finally making it to market. Then, they were said to have a sidewall to cover the "spokes" in actual production, that these were just for promo purposes. Those are the same pics from then iirc. They do handle very well, and would shouldn't have any problems other than tread wear. It's going to be interesting to see where these go.

 

[diesel4me]

Just what we needed...

I wish they made them for the Trojan forklader we had at the junkyard!...we spent more time fixing flats on it than we did using it most days!..nothing sucks more than taking 12 lugs off and lifting a 600 lb tire and rim off the hub,after jacking it up with a 25 ton railroad jack in mud!.. ....if they make them for loaders,and they will handle the weight,I bet every junkyard will buy them..

But yeah,what about "stop sticks"!!??...they'll have to put a giant razor blade on the road or something instead that will cut it right in two!..or maybe they'll just SHOOT drivers who refuse to stop?...