Tyre waste arguments seem like absolute nonsense.
Michelin Airless
291–300 of 316 posts
Re: Michelin Airless
#292Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nah...americans like big cars and manufacturers followed the sales! Even worse, europeans started to like big cars too...I just don't get why people like to drive big SUVs in the city.
> europeans started to like big cars too I saw a documentary on this once where they interviewed some psych guy who was advising the car industry. He said that it took him some time to convince them to make everything ridiculously big. Not just the car, but the lights etc. It was based on his theory that when we first see something we evaluate it using the bit of our brain that has been there since we were lizards. A…
> His theory was that it overrides everything. Most people will pick the bigger thing. He was right.
Wouldn't that mean that most people---regardless of culture, education, etc.---would pick SUV over sedans? Is that true?
Granted there are plenty of SUVs in the US, but as far as I can see on the road and parking lots, sedans are still quite popular. I even see a lot of Minis and Beetles, which are even smaller than a regular sedan.
Re: Michelin Airless
#293Former automotive engineer chiming in. "Tweels" have been around a long time, but have always failed in terms of "NVH" (noise, vibration, harshness). Michelin is claiming that this generation of tweels are appropriate for passenger cars, which means that they think they've solved the NVH problem. They seem to be marketing these alongside EVs, I wonder if they're only really intended for lighter, compact-style cars. (…
EVs are usually much heavier than gas cars.
Last time I tried estimating; EV's are about 25% heavier. Improvements in battery energy density will probably erase that inside 5-10 years.
Re: Michelin Airless
#294Earlier quoted context omitted.
I also want to add, since this is more of a deep auto-industry thing, that NVH testing is almost like longitudinal health studies. NVH engineers actually have charts of which specific frequencies our internal organs resonate at . For a layperson it's easy to imagine that NVH testing is just a matter of setting up a dB meter and some accelerometers to make sure things aren't bouncing around too much, but it's actually…
And this stuff is exactly why it's a million times less fatiguing to drive a vehicle from 2020 over one from 1990, even if you control for almost every other variable by picking one that has changed minimally (i.e. a few panel vans and many medium duty trucks)
That's a wild over exaggeration.
Re: Michelin Airless
#295Earlier quoted context omitted.
There’s some truth to that – remember the surveys where parents said that they could imagine driving an SUV but not a minivan if they divorced & were dating again? – but they were also subsidized. If the price of gas wasn’t artificially low, or they had to meet the same safety and pollution standards as everything else, they’d be less popular. We did at least close the Hummer tax write-off, but we should be doing mor…
It doesn't work like that anymore. 99% of the "SUVs" you see today are CUVs, which in turn are barely more than a lifted sedan. So the difference is gas milage is miniscule, to the point gas prices will no longer affect the sales of the most successful SUVs
I used to drive a sedan and it felt like I was dropping down on entry and climbing out on exit. Along came kids and I've been driving a mini-van instead ever since.
One thing I really like about the van (Honda Odyssey) is that you step slightly up to enter and step down to exit. Very comfortable. And this is on a car that's so low to the ground (good for little kids and old dogs) that it's like a snow plow if there's more than a few inches of snow.
I want something lifted more than a sedan so I step up to enter and also has more ground clearance for snow, potholes, rough roads, etc. But that doesn't mean 44" tires with a lift kit.
Re: Michelin Airless
#296Earlier quoted context omitted.
Air-less tires have been working fine for decades: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/wheels/ You'll also find industrial equipment examples like https://www.sourceproequipment.com.au/crocodile-skid-steer-b... As the person you're replying to said, though, the problem for passenger cars is NVH. They aren't quiet. Even with that downside, though, they are still used in consumer-facing applications like some bike sharing pr…
What the hell, I've been looking for something like this for the past few months. Only ones I could find were Tannus (too soft) and Schwalbe (garbage). Don't care about weight, noise, ride quality, just need unbreakable tires because riding through neighborhoods where people break glass bottles on the bike paths will make me smash someone's head with one someday.
Schwalbe Marathon Mondial are incredibly durable tyres. Never had a single flat in at least 20,000 km on them.
Re: Michelin Airless
#297Getting 404 now
Re: Michelin Airless
#298Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nah...americans like big cars and manufacturers followed the sales! Even worse, europeans started to like big cars too...I just don't get why people like to drive big SUVs in the city.
I'm not trying to defend myself or anything since I don't even have a car, but when I did, it was always an SUV. It wasn't so much a matter of preference as necessity. I'm not exactly huge, only 6'2", but if I try to drive my wife's GTI, I'm hunched over and hitting my head on the ceiling. Only way to do it is leaning severely back with the seat reclined. Trying to be a backseat passenger in an average sedan is compl…
This problem with sedans sounds so surreal to me.
I'm 6'4" and my car is 2005 Toyota Yaris hatchback. And that cars feels comfortable without any special adjustments.
Re: Michelin Airless
#299What I like about companies like Apple is when they release something, they explicitly say: "This product will be available in stores starting Oct 15". On Oct 15, you go to apple.com and buy the product online. Done. I can't even count how many years I've heard about airless tires being developed.
You don't like to open R&D status but like secret?
Re: Michelin Airless
#300Earlier quoted context omitted.
What the hell, I've been looking for something like this for the past few months. Only ones I could find were Tannus (too soft) and Schwalbe (garbage). Don't care about weight, noise, ride quality, just need unbreakable tires because riding through neighborhoods where people break glass bottles on the bike paths will make me smash someone's head with one someday.
Continental Gatorskin brand tires have worked really well in my experience, easily many thousands of miles. They usually age out (2 years or so) before I've had any flat. I have had snakebite flats though which is usually just due to low air pressure or bad tubes. Tubes can just suck. I've combined them with puncture resistant tubes (thicker tubes) and never had a flat, using 700x25 or 700x28 versions. https://www.co…
I was put onto Gatorskins by a friend around ten years ago, and have never looked back. Great tyre with fantastic grip and lifespan.