Radical new tyre design by Michelin.The next generation of tyres.
They had a pair at the Philadelphia car show.
These tyres are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soon.This is what great R& D will do, and just think of the impact on existing technology:
A. no more air valves...
B. no more air compressors at gas stations...
C. no more repair kits...
D. no more flats...
These pictures are taken at the South Carolina plant of Michelin.
11 comments:
Sir,
It's a nice reading for Monday morning. Thank you. I have been waiting for these kind of tyres for ages.
That Friday reading on the "Uphold Rule of Law" article really turn me off!
"News" of 2005.
The tyres seems to be safer than normal tyre.
But there is flaw need to be weeded out.
"Above 50 mph, the Tweel vibrates considerably. That in itself might not be a problem, but it causes two other things: noise and heat. A fast moving Tweel is unpleasantly loud"
saw this ad in a forwarded mail in 2005 actually.... not available in the local market yet i think.
"First large scale applications may be in the military where a flat-proof tire would be advantageous. Military testing has indicated that the Tweel deflects mine blasts away from the vehicle better than standard tires, and that Tweel remains mobile even with some of the spokes damaged or missing." from Wikipedia
Nope,not anytime soon.
These are not new tyres, but new wheels.. When worn off, you have to change the whole wheel. What does economics have to say to that??
its been on R&D for sometime now. i dont think it will hit the market anytime soon. Apperently from the test done.There is an increase on wear and tear compared with normal tyres. Increase in fuel consumption and also add extra wear on the absorbers. There are few prototype done by indivuduals. i hope someday it will on all cars in the future.
Yan
U are right; I should write more on technology and innovation.
Moo_t,
I observed that there should have been improvement since its introduction in 2005. However, I have not read about it from the auto-guys.
Zewt,
I think it has not been commercialized. It probably is still under testing.
Jefus,
I think you could be right if it is applied to military vehicles.
Gukita,
I thought the tyres can be removed from the wheels?
Nesh's Brru,
I suppose so from observation and logic. But I believed Michelin should know and have made improvements.
I just wonder what would happen IF an IRON ROD or something similar got inbetween the flexible spokes at high speed? Safety could be an issue, I think? Should be interesting to see the commercial success of this new design in the next few years.
Dhahran Sea,
Even with the current wheel, if there is an iron rod that gets in between the spokes, at high speed it would be dangerous.
Sir, I apologise for critizing your article. Actually, I mean the STORY of that article pissed me off. Judging from most of the disapproval comments & the many numbers of Anonymous entries, many people are unhappy about it. Due to the risk of Seditious Act, many chose to remain anonymous.
It's good to have such political stuffs as we don't want to be apolitical & let those Mongolian political animals running loose without people's awareness. And I do regularly visit other political blogsites.
Yan,
Thanks and truly appreciate your support.
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