Tires Without Air: The Tweel
I came across this article while looking at a post on The Gadget Guy - Reinventing the Wheel. It appears that Michelin has come out with an ingenious idea. It appears that they use spokes from the rim that give the same resistance as pneumatic tires. They call it The Tweel.
Actually, it gets even better. The spokes can be adjusted and tailored for each individual car. Both the lateral and vertical siffness can be tailored. They can be adjusted for easier comfort while riding, “and” better performance while handling and cornering.
Think of it … Never having to fill your tires with air. Buying a tire for comfort or handling will not be a choice - you will get both. Never checking the tire pressure. No worries about flat tires. I can’t wait for the future.
February 27th, 2005 at 4:53 pm
That is indeed cool stuff! The only people I can think of being against this kind of invention are airpump manufacturers and police - those spikemats on the road wouldn’t really help anymore
February 28th, 2005 at 1:07 am
Police can always find a way around it. How do you think these tires handle mud? It looks like they might have problems with materials getting caught in the wheel such as fallen branches.