Interesting. Really the "tire of the future" or a gimmick?
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What do you think of the Michelin Tweel - airless, sideless tire?
May 29, 2007
8 Replies
First reply
This press release is over two years old and we still aren't seeing them on the road. What do you think?
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This press release is over two years old and we still aren't seeing them on the road. What do you think?
I don't know whether it's a concept with the potential to be superior
- and it may not be - but I also don't know that this time frame necessarily leads to a conclusion that it's not viable. I imagine there have been longer time frames than this between working prototype and refined product.
Buy you'd expect to see the occasional updates.
I wonder how they would hold up on high horsepower drivin wheels on take off or on hard cornering.?
They were suposed to be an option on some BMW's, or so I seem to remember from TV show. Ops...showing my education again.
disston
Yes, there was a science show on tv about them. I'd have to test drive them to know.
Airless yes, it substitutes a flexible core of ribs for the baloon of air most tires use for cushioning. But it is hardly sideless. The press release described the automotive application of the tweel as a "concept" which tells me it is a long way from production.
Sounds interesting, although our lingo will have to change from having a tire that is flat to a wheel that is broken when it inevitably becomes no longer round. Wonder if they are repairable or just throwaway wheels?
Yeah, that's a very good point. When the threads wear out, you again change the entire wheel?
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