Check out these New Tires !!!

Idaho Jarhead

Idaho Jarhead

Joined
Nov 2, 2007
Messages
1,415
You guys seen this yet?

These tires are made in South Carolina, USA.

SEE THROUGH TIRES.
Radical new tire design by Michelin.
The next generation of tires.
They had a pair at the Philadelphia car show.

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Probably run real nice on snow, gravel- anything that they can launch in those support ribs?....Seemsk to be an interesting problem to overcome with that design...
 
Called "Tweels" and they have been around for about 5-6 years now starting with the original designer, Segway-inventor Dean Kamen. Performce at low speeds is good but they have not been able to resolve vibration problems at speeds over 50 mph. Currently they are looking at low speed applications rather than passenger cars.
 
The idea isn't new (you can see patents going back to the '30s with similar ideas).

But, due to modern materials and manufacturing methods we may be able to see streetable versions. As Absintheur alluded, some sidewall will be needed.
 
Psychopomp said:
Are they really "see-through" or have the sidewalls just been removed to show the interior?
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Looks like a demonstration set to show off their run-flat technology or airless tires. I imagine they'd come with sidewalls.
 
Do a google search for "michelin tweel" and you find videos of cars zipping around on these tire (without sidewalls.)
 
They're being used in some military Hummers since they're virtually indestructible and airless.
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This 37-inch tire can take the explosion of an IED along with a few rounds of rife fire and still haul an armored Humvee out of a battle at 50mph. Completely airless and supported by a honeycomb-inspired series of hexagons, the tire's structure can distribute weight loads evenly while taunting the enemy that it doesn't even require a hubcap (unlike Michelin's Tweel). The tires are expected to teach the military by 2011 when they're promised to carry comparable costs to current models. [CNET]
Click to expand...
 
well, i sure wont be putting any of those on my vette any time soon, they are just fugly lol.
 
Aww man, that's cool. I'd get that for one of those ATVs with the bars over it, the ones that beds in the back.
 
Regardless of the fact that the wheels/tires need no air, they really should have some sort of sidewall. All manner of debris from rocks to sticks to small creatures could very easily get stuck in the wheel matrix and affect handling. This is particularly true in off road situations where the vehicle is moving relatively slowly over uncleared paths. I live in the northeast and can't stand how my car vibrates on the highway when snow gets packed into the wheel spokes. I would imagine the tweel would be much worse considering how much packed snow could get stuck in there. A simple rubber cover would do the trick.
 
I saw this article a while back, and just kind of assumed they'd have sidewalls when actually released to the public.

The sides off thing is just to show off the internals, right? Otherwise, they'd just look like normal tires!
 
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