I just saw some pics of these new airless Michelin tires.. anyone heard anything about these. They are a really radical design.. very out of the box thinking going on there. Any thoughts comments ideas on the future of this technology ??

Joseph

 

This was posted before, it's called a tweel. Seems like a good idea if they fully develop, don't charge an arm and a leg for it and make them more eye pleasing.

 

Yea they are rather fugly looking... but it seems like a really cool concept. Does Michelin have the patent on these ? anyone know ? and damn I thought I was bringing something new to the table here. but oh well.. thanks again.

 

Thats pretty awesome!

Where can i buy them

That'd be awesome to drive around with something like that, i mean you can barely see it when the cars moving (from the side)... its like flying :banana:

Not to mention that, according to michelin's press release, they are w/in 4% of stock tires ride comfort/fuel economy/compression stiffnes while improving cornering (lateral) stiffness by 5x!!!!! I mean thats pretty insane!

Well, it was news to me

 

Would the final product be "uncovered" like the pics, or are those purely for demonstration purposes? It would be nice not to ever worry about blow outs.

 

no they would put a sidewall on it for better looks.

 

Here is a link to my post in the video section:

https://www.i-club.com/forums/videos-142/michelins-new-airless-tire-87887/

 

No sale here. I value the ability to vary my tire pressure too much.

 

Why?

If theres a tire w/ the same comfort as your inflated to reccomended pressure, yet with 5x the lateral stability (thats a lot more than your tire would provide if inflated for the track (+5-10psi from manufacturers rec.)

Thinking about it, i guess for offroad use it migh be nice? since you can reduce pressure for traction? thats all i can think of... Please edify me

 

Reccommended pressure is for n00bs

Yes, being able to reduce the pressure for off-road driving is just one use. You can also run very high pressures (38-40lbs) for highway and track driving and get better response and gas mileage, and drop down to normal pressure (32-34) for everyday streets.

There is also the issue of expense; I'm certain these "tweels" will be 3-5 times as much as a normal tire, and for different conditions, you'd have to buy multiple sets. When all I need is an air pump to change the handling characteristics of my car, why go to multiple sets of expensive wheels? Certainly the no-flat aspect is tempting, but I think in 18 years I have had three flat tires, and two of them (knock on wood) were in my own driveway, after a slow leaker ran out overnight.

 

hehe, stock recommended pressure is more comfortable

But yea, i run my summer tires at like 40 psi, and my totally worn all seasons at about 40 psi as well... I just leave them there since thats what i used for track (summer) and rally-x (all seasons). I'm not skilled enough to tune my handling by changing the pressure, so yea, i'm a n00b... so, aside from the price, i think these tires are perfect for me

 

i work for wabash national (a top tier semi-trailer manufacturer) and talked to the michelan rep about these and he said that they do well in heavy duty and military applications, but for everyday oem tire use, the noise levels are currently too high. Just a concept, not a product.