Airless Tires

Airless Tires

By, Matthew Penkala

What is it?

Michelin has developed the 'Tweel' which is the airless tire. This tire has been in the process of being developed for the past ten years and it has finally been released. This tire is design so you will never get another flat tire again. 

The Tweel is constructed with a spoke system made of rubber pieces as shown in the picture to the left. The tire is constructed with a special traction system that allows for the tire to work better for off-roading. Based of the construction of the tire it actually deforms when used on an actual asphalt surface or any paved roadway surface.

Detailed Look

This tire despite its good design and compatibility with vehicles is still a very fragile tire. This tire has been tested to have a maximum speed of 37 mph. Due to the tire being good for off-road driving, the tire has been made so it is compatible with UTV's. As of right now, Michelin has designed their tweel to fit 4x137 and 4x156 bolt patterns. These bolt patterns fit vehicles made by Can-Am, Kawasaki, and Polaris perfectly. In an effort to make airless tires compatible with other off-road vehicles, Michelin is currently designing more hub configurations so John Deere, Honda, Kubota, and Argo can use airless tires as well. These new hub designs are projected to be done by late 2018 or early 2019. The only downfall to these tires is the price. They cost a whopping $750 per tire!

This tire design could be the future of tires for all vehicles, not just off roading ones. Although these tires are expense at first, the maintenance required for them is non existent. This could also save people everywhere thousands of dollars. This is because due to how durable these tires are, people won't have to pay for flat tires costs, or even new tires for a while. This cost-benefit ratio is really good in the customers favor.