11–20 of 56 posts
Michelin has been marketing their "Tweel" ( http://www.michelintweel.com/ ) product for industrial applications for a while, and I've read a couple of articles about their trials of the Tweel on passenger vehicles. I suppose that the challenges of higher speed applications have prevented that product from appearing. Personally, I want some Mattracks :) ( https://www.mattracks.com/ )
I am pretty happy with my run flat tires on my bmw, even after a blowout they remain normal and handling is near normal as well, plus you can drive like 100miles and 50mph to a nearest tire shop. The only downside is they are more expensive and sometimes if you cought nail close to a tire sidewall it means you I'll have to replace a tire since it's not fixable
I am pretty happy with my run flat tires on my bmw, even after a blowout they remain normal and handling is near normal as well, plus you can drive like 100miles and 50mph to a nearest tire shop. The only downside is they are more expensive and sometimes if you cought nail close to a tire sidewall it means you I'll have to replace a tire since it's not fixable
That's true of traditional tyres also - internal patch repairs require a minimum distance from the sidewall.
To make a non-pneumatic tire you have to invent something equally as awesome. Normally you end up with something that produces a very rough ride.
> The series of “rigorous tests” that the company is putting its tires through are meant to prove their durability, hardness (efficiency), stability, ability to take high-speed turns (slalom), and ability to maintain their integrity at high speeds (up to 130 kilometers per hour). That's only 80 MPH. I'm interested in the no flats and potential fuel savings but I'd want to be able to travel at freeway speeds on long t…
Even in the metro ATL area which is notorious for thinking the speed limit is a suggestion, the vast majority of traffic is moving under 85 MPH.
Michelin has been marketing their "Tweel" ( http://www.michelintweel.com/ ) product for industrial applications for a while, and I've read a couple of articles about their trials of the Tweel on passenger vehicles. I suppose that the challenges of higher speed applications have prevented that product from appearing. Personally, I want some Mattracks :) ( https://www.mattracks.com/ )
I've seen them on construction equipment, which admittedly moves very slowly.
> The series of “rigorous tests” that the company is putting its tires through are meant to prove their durability, hardness (efficiency), stability, ability to take high-speed turns (slalom), and ability to maintain their integrity at high speeds (up to 130 kilometers per hour). That's only 80 MPH. I'm interested in the no flats and potential fuel savings but I'd want to be able to travel at freeway speeds on long t…
What exactly do you consider freeway speeds? Even in the metro ATL area which is notorious for thinking the speed limit is a suggestion, the vast majority of traffic is moving under 85 MPH.
In many countries, the law requires that tires must be specified, and fitted, to exceed the maximum speed of the vehicle they are mounted on, with regards to their speed rating code (except for "temporary-use" spare tires).
I see it as a safety factor - the speed ratings of most common tires (S or T, 180 or 190 km/h) are far beyond what most people will ever drive at. If this one is only rated to 130km/h, that decreases the safety factor.
The pneumatic tire is an awesome invention. They have the ability to cancel out imperfections in the road surface over a wide range of frequencies and amplitudes. Bicycles have traditionally used no other type of suspension. To make a non-pneumatic tire you have to invent something equally as awesome. Normally you end up with something that produces a very rough ride.