These look like they will quickly collect debris, become unbalanced, and vibrate horribly at highway speeds.
What would stop them from putting on sidewalls in production?
Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
111–120 of 196 posts
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#112If you want one for your mower, etc: https://tweel.michelinman.com/michelin-tweel-family-of-produ...
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#113There have been a number of reports of components of rubber tiers being harmful to humans[1] or the broader environment[2] beyond the waste issue, would be interesting to know if these manage to improve on that. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/11/pollutin... [2] https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/04/scientists-point-to-c...
If it's biodegradable, that would help. Only what remains of the tires ends up in landfills/recycled. The rest is a major contributor to microplastics in our oceans. The tires don't just erode into nothing. Those particles (mixed with particles from the road service) become dust that ends up in sewers when it rains, which drain to rivers, which drain to oceans. By the time the tire is used up, we're talking a sizable…
Can vulcanized rubber be broken down by something like Hydrous pyrolysis?
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#114There have been a number of reports of components of rubber tiers being harmful to humans[1] or the broader environment[2] beyond the waste issue, would be interesting to know if these manage to improve on that. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/11/pollutin... [2] https://www.opb.org/article/2020/12/04/scientists-point-to-c...
If it's biodegradable, that would help. Only what remains of the tires ends up in landfills/recycled. The rest is a major contributor to microplastics in our oceans. The tires don't just erode into nothing. Those particles (mixed with particles from the road service) become dust that ends up in sewers when it rains, which drain to rivers, which drain to oceans. By the time the tire is used up, we're talking a sizable…
I have biodegradable tires in a pile next to my screen doors designed for submarines.
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#115Earlier quoted context omitted.
Rechargeable: Adding tread. Connected: Reports tread status and configuration, e.g. to inform the driver that he should change to a winter tire tread. Sustainable: Recycled and recyclable.
>Connected: Reports tread status and configuration, e.g. to inform the driver that he should change to a winter tire tread. That sounds like everything that's terrible about printer ink but with the decimal moved once to the right. I can imagine a world where your tires stop working because you had them re-treaded with a tread pattern or the OEM won't honor a warranty item because you didn't use an approved brand of…
Plain old TPMS is finnicky enough, I can imagine this would have plenty more problems.
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
Truck tires are retreaded all the time. It’s why you see bits of tread on the highway. They do fall off now and then. Apparently saves a lot of money.
Surely it saves a lot of rubber waste too? Like 90%+ of the rubber mass of a typical tire must be in the parts that never contact the road and therefore should be good forever?
Unfortunately not the case. Tires go through lots of heat and stress cycles. I think most of the heat a tire generates isn't from friction with the road, even. It's internal friction within the tire itself. The carcasses are made of wires/meshes/layers of aramids/steel/aluminum and aren't indestructible, even if durable.
And the rubber on the sidewalls gets degraded by sun/dirt/sand/etc, too.
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#117Even if these tires aren't good enough for the snobs who want everything to be silent and handle perfectly they'll be great for trailers, yard trucks and other rarely used vehicles that rack up few miles and run run old-ish tires (which tend to be more plagued by slow leaks and whatnot) but still need to go highway speed.
> snobs who want everything to be silent and handle perfectly
Ugh, handling == safety, my friend
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
If it's biodegradable, that would help. Only what remains of the tires ends up in landfills/recycled. The rest is a major contributor to microplastics in our oceans. The tires don't just erode into nothing. Those particles (mixed with particles from the road service) become dust that ends up in sewers when it rains, which drain to rivers, which drain to oceans. By the time the tire is used up, we're talking a sizable…
Has anyone done analysis on microplastics to figure out what percentage are from vulcanized rubber? It's probably a high percentage, but would be nice to have an actual scientific study on the figure.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/tires...
Several studies apparently. 10-30 percent depending on the study.
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
Truck tires are retreaded all the time. It’s why you see bits of tread on the highway. They do fall off now and then. Apparently saves a lot of money.
Tires where purchasing decisions are driven almost exclusively by cost per time or distance are routinely retreaded. But that does not describe the passenger car tire market.
Doesn't it? I mean, I get that some people want to try a different make/model of tire when replacing it for performance/noise/appearance, I've been one of those people at times.
But I also think there are plenty of people who get the tire that's available to them and reducing the cost per year of use would be welcome.
I will say that having an EV, the cost of tires really stands out. In 60K miles the only maintenance expenses I've had have been tires and a windshield. Even the ongoing cost of charging is basically invisible (plug in at home, free on the road), so tires have been about half the money I've put into it, it feels like.
Re: Michelin's airless tires are scheduled for market launch in 2024
#120That "Hit the Streets" is an exaggeration, the actual quote from the article on timeline: -- the company said they were on track for tires to reach the market by 2024. --
I am an engineer working in the tire industry (throwaway is needed here). The Michelin "Tweel" IP was actually acquired when Michelin bought BF Goodrich 31 years ago. Goodrich developed the concept as a replacement for compact spare tires, doing the initial R&D in the 1980s. Every 3--5 years Michelin has a press release like this, and the technology is always 3--5 years away from release. Currently the US DOT and it'…
The video looked like a fancy PR piece and that's it. Sad that this tech has been shelved for 31 years. Maybe there isn't a viable go to market strategy.