The heart of Michelin’s Tweel innovation is its deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires. The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with unimaginable ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to “envelope” road hazards. Continue for images/video.
Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment. Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.
39 Responses to “Michelin Tweel is the Airless Tire”
Dan Says:
Good to see some innovation in this field. Can’t see boy-racers going for these in a hurry, though - they look a bit like bicycle tyres. Also - wouldn’t there be significantly more noise from these with their open face? Something like a cross between the noise of the air going through the voids between the tire and road surface, plus the spokes whirring, like a propellor…
The first reports on this about 2 years ago mentioned that noise was a factor, such that above 50 mph, the tweels were unacceptably noisy. Any updates on this?
And what about snow? When it gets packed into the space between the spokes, instant unbalanced wheel. Unbalanced wheels damage front suspension components and destroy control, causing accidents.
this is so retarded. They’ve spent millions developing something that works almost as well as what we have. How do you change tires? get a new wheel? how much are these tires? (or the tire wheel combo)? This is a prime example of what happens when you leave engineer’s alone in the kitchen. Maybe the product is more thought out, but this article doesn’t seem to address practical concerns.
Ever had a flat tire? Ever been “dead in the water” due to a faulty valve stem? Blowouts due to wearing out aren’t the only cause of tire failure, although retards who fail to maintain tire pressure do suffer from poor MPG.
Several considerations are not mentioned in relation to this invention. One is scrub. Another is traction. Yet another is cost relative to what is currently available and in use, which this appears to be advocated as a replacement for. Tires are wear items— they wear out… When the tread is gone, they get replaced; and, this “TWEEL” is a complete assembly— not a tire… When its tread is gone, then all the engineering in the world will not restore it— it’s junk. Its service life is over. In the current marketplace, it would be insane to advocate the need to replace such a thing due to the absence of usable remaining tread at the same intervals as one now replaces tires; and, depending upon damage to road surfaces where used, these may never be a viable, legal option for the general public to use on their vehicles— much less if adapted to semi-tractor/trailer rigs and heavy trucks. Nice toys… More yet to do, fellas…
Yes the engineering applications are great but what no one but a few are getting is COST I mean you can go down to Wal-Mart and get a full set of tires new , balance and rotated with a warranty for $400-$500 and demand how many people are going to say “i don’t trust that new fangled things” i could go on but the but just think about it its hard to build a better mouse trap than one that is cheep, reliable, readily available, and time tested for a for a hundred years
Those photos and videos are of demonstration models, so you can see what’s going on in them. Production models would certainly have rubber sidewalls and tread, just no air. I’d imagine these are likely to be over 100% more expensive than traditional tires, but the benefits you pay for are never ever getting a flat again, much better performance, and probably longer life since it is impossible to over- or under-inflate them. I would certainly buy a set if they cost $500-$800 per wheel and lasted more than 50,000 miles.
You have apparently been confused by the phrase “flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel”. The center wheel appears to be a pretty standard wheel. The ‘tire’ is apparently the black rubber assembly. Close examination shows a flexible outer rim connected by flexible spokes to an interior rim mounted on the traditional wheel. Even with the addition of a rubber shroud to reduce noise, protect from snow, and disguise the appearance to that of a more traditional tire, these might not need to be any more expensive than today’s better quality tires. As for cold weather adversely affecting them, tires get warm fast from the friction with the road, even at relatively low speeds. We might in fact be looking at the future of tires.
would it be possible to add a sidewall? Surely if you do this it would need to be air-tight to ensure no moisture build-up. If moisture did build up and it got cold you’d have ice inside the wheel!
It will have to be open or else pressurised?
[…] we saw the Michelin Tweel Airless Tires, we thought we seen the crazy tire concept ever. Well, at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, we were presented with these clear D’Vinci Forgiato Radurrawhich definitely bring the tire industry to another dimension. They are made of two inch thick polycarbonate, and are available in 20, 22 and 24 inch sizes for around $2,000 each. Via CarDomainand CrunchGear Technorati Tags:Transportation […]
Hey Everyone, I’ve read some good and bad comments here. It seems like most everyone is trying to figure out how to make it NOT work as opposed to what we can do to make it work. That is why engineers bring up stuff like this; so they can get useful critques not invention-bashing. Of course, cost, wear, replacement, etc., etc. are all VALID concerns however let’s be a little bit more constructive! I agree with everyone here: this is a great idea, i’m concerned about price as well, replacement, again, etc., etc. But let’s see how we can make it work! I like the sidewall idea and in the south where snow is not a factor, this won’t be a concern but I can see mud and water possible being a factor. The point I’m trying to make here is that let’s be constructive. To the engineers: this is a GREAT idea, but how can we possible resolve these other issues?
If you put a sidewall on the wheel wouldn’t it have to be pressurized? keep in mind the spokes need to be able to flex, and move around. Once its pressurized doesn’t it kick the “airless” point out the door? And if it is pressurized, then what happens when it is punctured? sure you won’t get a flat, but it allows liquid in, dirt in, and whatever else in. This wheel will be great as long as they get things straight. It has potential to be a great creation. however, it also has potential to be a flop. Especially for high speed, sports car enthusiasts.
Here’s an idea, what about filling the space between the spokes with some semi-solid material; it would have to be some super light material, like polystyrene? But much more elastic so it could deform with the tire and spokes without breaking all to pieces. It would obviously need to be independantly strong or perhaps laminated with something to hold it together.
Okay so instead of spending research money on a new rubber that will last 10x longer then what is currently available, they spent millions on this?
As far as flats go, I carry a small Walmart inflater and a tire repair kit, I have never spent more then 5 - 10 minutes fixing a flat, while the tire is on the car! Not a big deal.
What would really be better to spend millions on research on are the rims, not tires.
If they make a rim material that is 10 pounds lighter each and still strong, each of us would save gas money (less rotational weight - where it really matters!) Have less stress/wear and tear on the wheel bearings, steering components, shocks, steering shaft…..and on down the line.
But I am only using common sense…………
You people are retarded. I mean honestly..none of you are even in the tire business. You do not know what you need. You go in a tire store (or wal-mart) and statistically, 90% of you buy what is recommended. And guess what people….this is usually a tire that the business owner is obtaining the highest profit margin on. The only problems with tires are this….they wear out, blow out, run out of air, and slide when they are stressed via braking or cornering. Michelin is an innovator of a product that is eliminating, or rather taking steps to eliminate these issues. Leave tires to the tire people, and keep buying what is recommened. This is a 100 billion dollar business in the United States alone, and the demand you create will keep us all looking for different way to gain an edge on the competition. The Tweel is proof of that.
The Wright Brothers heard a lot of critisism too but they plugged on with their far out idea and look what became of that.
Hats off to you guys for your hard work
and sticktoitivness. It is nice to see someone try something knew instead of being negative and throwing your hands up and saying it can’t be done.
Keep at it and Good Luck.I will be your first customer.
I see most of you don’t want these to work they’ve tested most of the problems you come up with and you don’t have to replace the whole thing just the rubber band with tread hopefuly these will replace the stander tyre because stander tyre is out dated by like 50 years but cars havent avanced very much in the past 10 years
After reading all the notes about this new tire and hearing the word “Retard” thrown around like a bag of jelly beans… oh pleaaaase! Give me a break! Can’t we use better language?
Hope these tires work. They sound very interesting. Good luck Michelin.
I think the tweel is a great invention. I give my hats of to Michelin.
As for some of the comments:
1) Why do we need sidewalls? I don’t see any purpose of them.
The way the tire is designed I believe the mud, water and snow will just run off when the rotates. You know they would consider that first of all in their designs.
Remember when the rubber tire was first thought of most people thought it was stupid.
2) The temperature factures shouldn’t matter they are made in the same concept as traditional tires. On good thing you won’t have to worry about your tire expanding and contracting because of air.
I am so glad to see such creativity. This sounds so cool .. Michelin keep up the good work. Bmpwe gave a really nice idea. To be very honest even i was fascinated to develop something of this kind. Get going guys.
All new technology is going to be naturally expensive before enough common purchase of it warrants a price decrease. I think it’s a good idea. I agree that some type of flexible filler material should go between, to prevent junk from getting inside it and making it imbalanced. Imagine if a big enough rock got stuck inside. I’m all for pursuing this technology — eliminating the possibility of a flat is the reason I got solid tubes on my mountain bike.
Great idea maybe not for all applications such as winter conditions or trucks that can have highly variable mass (loaded vs. unloaded) but for all those nice cars rollin on 17’s they should work just fine. I bet they can be manufactured to be re-treaded easily as well. Although why would a tire manufacturer want to do that.
look its simple the idea throw some rubber on the sides is great!and to answer everyones question about tread wearing down its called recaping (placing a new tread on the tire) it was all explained on future car on the science channel!
I think it’s great if it gives the same level of comfort yet better handling. Anyway they first appeared in 2005, does anyone have an update with what is happening at the moment with them with regards to production? It would be a shame if nothing became of this idea.
though when you talk of walls for it why if it gets muddy its called wash your car more if a rock gets stuck in it you will fell it when your driving and you can just go kick it out when it gets snow in it it will fall out or you can push it out and it will melt
As a car enthuiast I think this a great idea and everyones trying to knock it too soon. What idea is perfect right away.It’s really funny that everyone’s trying to put their two cents, especially when you have a professional development team made up of engineers, and other people who ONLY examine things that would possibly go wrong. To think that they haven’t tought of these things would be insulting. I’m looking forward to purchasing these wheels in nebraska where it snows and rains plenty. Michelin great job
I wonder what the pessimist said regarding the invention of the shock absorber. This is a work in progress, give it time. You like the time tested traditions, go back to the horse and buggy.
As a Professional Tire Installer, I can see a lot of the benefits and drawbacks of these tires. The biggest benefits are the ability to control ride and performance separately, and the lack of flat tires. Run-flats wont go flat, but once they are punctured, the sidewall is only designed to travel at most 50 miles, then when you get there, you find out how much run-flats cost. Not to mention they are HEAVY which means they kill your gas mileage. The weight of the tire effects gas mileage more than the rim because it is further from the center of rotation, requiring more force to get it moving. The biggest drawback is the 1-piece assembly. If they could find a way to replace the tread only (and safely) this would actually cut the cost of tires drastically. If this is not possible in their eyes, then you can expect to pay at least double or triple per tire, which will demand that the good old radial tire sticks around. Also, I have no idea how you would balance this tire, sticky weights would be vulnerable to road debris, and there are not really many places you could clip a weight. Leaving your tire out of balance will only increase the risk of scalloping it, and rendering it useless. What if you hit one too many bumps and one side became more flexible than the other? This could cause an unrepairable balance issue, as well as a simulated flat tire “thump-thump” with every rotation. All said, this is still a phenomenal idea, but i still needs some thinking, and has great potential.
The heart of Michelin’s Tweel innovation is its deceptively simple looking hub and spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available from pneumatic tires. The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with unimaginable ease. Without the air needed by conventional tires, Tweel still delivers pneumatic-like performance in weight-carrying capacity, ride comfort, and the ability to “envelope” road hazards. Continue for images/video.
Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment. Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.
39 Responses to “Michelin Tweel is the Airless Tire”
Dan Says:
Good to see some innovation in this field. Can’t see boy-racers going for these in a hurry, though - they look a bit like bicycle tyres. Also - wouldn’t there be significantly more noise from these with their open face? Something like a cross between the noise of the air going through the voids between the tire and road surface, plus the spokes whirring, like a propellor…
The first reports on this about 2 years ago mentioned that noise was a factor, such that above 50 mph, the tweels were unacceptably noisy. Any updates on this?
And what about snow? When it gets packed into the space between the spokes, instant unbalanced wheel. Unbalanced wheels damage front suspension components and destroy control, causing accidents.
this is so retarded. They’ve spent millions developing something that works almost as well as what we have. How do you change tires? get a new wheel? how much are these tires? (or the tire wheel combo)? This is a prime example of what happens when you leave engineer’s alone in the kitchen. Maybe the product is more thought out, but this article doesn’t seem to address practical concerns.
Ever had a flat tire? Ever been “dead in the water” due to a faulty valve stem? Blowouts due to wearing out aren’t the only cause of tire failure, although retards who fail to maintain tire pressure do suffer from poor MPG.
Several considerations are not mentioned in relation to this invention. One is scrub. Another is traction. Yet another is cost relative to what is currently available and in use, which this appears to be advocated as a replacement for. Tires are wear items— they wear out… When the tread is gone, they get replaced; and, this “TWEEL” is a complete assembly— not a tire… When its tread is gone, then all the engineering in the world will not restore it— it’s junk. Its service life is over. In the current marketplace, it would be insane to advocate the need to replace such a thing due to the absence of usable remaining tread at the same intervals as one now replaces tires; and, depending upon damage to road surfaces where used, these may never be a viable, legal option for the general public to use on their vehicles— much less if adapted to semi-tractor/trailer rigs and heavy trucks. Nice toys… More yet to do, fellas…
Yes the engineering applications are great but what no one but a few are getting is COST I mean you can go down to Wal-Mart and get a full set of tires new , balance and rotated with a warranty for $400-$500 and demand how many people are going to say “i don’t trust that new fangled things” i could go on but the but just think about it its hard to build a better mouse trap than one that is cheep, reliable, readily available, and time tested for a for a hundred years
Those photos and videos are of demonstration models, so you can see what’s going on in them. Production models would certainly have rubber sidewalls and tread, just no air. I’d imagine these are likely to be over 100% more expensive than traditional tires, but the benefits you pay for are never ever getting a flat again, much better performance, and probably longer life since it is impossible to over- or under-inflate them. I would certainly buy a set if they cost $500-$800 per wheel and lasted more than 50,000 miles.
You have apparently been confused by the phrase “flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel”. The center wheel appears to be a pretty standard wheel. The ‘tire’ is apparently the black rubber assembly. Close examination shows a flexible outer rim connected by flexible spokes to an interior rim mounted on the traditional wheel. Even with the addition of a rubber shroud to reduce noise, protect from snow, and disguise the appearance to that of a more traditional tire, these might not need to be any more expensive than today’s better quality tires. As for cold weather adversely affecting them, tires get warm fast from the friction with the road, even at relatively low speeds. We might in fact be looking at the future of tires.
would it be possible to add a sidewall? Surely if you do this it would need to be air-tight to ensure no moisture build-up. If moisture did build up and it got cold you’d have ice inside the wheel!
It will have to be open or else pressurised?
[…] we saw the Michelin Tweel Airless Tires, we thought we seen the crazy tire concept ever. Well, at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, we were presented with these clear D’Vinci Forgiato Radurrawhich definitely bring the tire industry to another dimension. They are made of two inch thick polycarbonate, and are available in 20, 22 and 24 inch sizes for around $2,000 each. Via CarDomainand CrunchGear Technorati Tags:Transportation […]
Hey Everyone, I’ve read some good and bad comments here. It seems like most everyone is trying to figure out how to make it NOT work as opposed to what we can do to make it work. That is why engineers bring up stuff like this; so they can get useful critques not invention-bashing. Of course, cost, wear, replacement, etc., etc. are all VALID concerns however let’s be a little bit more constructive! I agree with everyone here: this is a great idea, i’m concerned about price as well, replacement, again, etc., etc. But let’s see how we can make it work! I like the sidewall idea and in the south where snow is not a factor, this won’t be a concern but I can see mud and water possible being a factor. The point I’m trying to make here is that let’s be constructive. To the engineers: this is a GREAT idea, but how can we possible resolve these other issues?
If you put a sidewall on the wheel wouldn’t it have to be pressurized? keep in mind the spokes need to be able to flex, and move around. Once its pressurized doesn’t it kick the “airless” point out the door? And if it is pressurized, then what happens when it is punctured? sure you won’t get a flat, but it allows liquid in, dirt in, and whatever else in. This wheel will be great as long as they get things straight. It has potential to be a great creation. however, it also has potential to be a flop. Especially for high speed, sports car enthusiasts.
Here’s an idea, what about filling the space between the spokes with some semi-solid material; it would have to be some super light material, like polystyrene? But much more elastic so it could deform with the tire and spokes without breaking all to pieces. It would obviously need to be independantly strong or perhaps laminated with something to hold it together.
Okay so instead of spending research money on a new rubber that will last 10x longer then what is currently available, they spent millions on this?
As far as flats go, I carry a small Walmart inflater and a tire repair kit, I have never spent more then 5 - 10 minutes fixing a flat, while the tire is on the car! Not a big deal.
What would really be better to spend millions on research on are the rims, not tires.
If they make a rim material that is 10 pounds lighter each and still strong, each of us would save gas money (less rotational weight - where it really matters!) Have less stress/wear and tear on the wheel bearings, steering components, shocks, steering shaft…..and on down the line.
But I am only using common sense…………
You people are retarded. I mean honestly..none of you are even in the tire business. You do not know what you need. You go in a tire store (or wal-mart) and statistically, 90% of you buy what is recommended. And guess what people….this is usually a tire that the business owner is obtaining the highest profit margin on. The only problems with tires are this….they wear out, blow out, run out of air, and slide when they are stressed via braking or cornering. Michelin is an innovator of a product that is eliminating, or rather taking steps to eliminate these issues. Leave tires to the tire people, and keep buying what is recommened. This is a 100 billion dollar business in the United States alone, and the demand you create will keep us all looking for different way to gain an edge on the competition. The Tweel is proof of that.
The Wright Brothers heard a lot of critisism too but they plugged on with their far out idea and look what became of that.
Hats off to you guys for your hard work
and sticktoitivness. It is nice to see someone try something knew instead of being negative and throwing your hands up and saying it can’t be done.
Keep at it and Good Luck.I will be your first customer.
I see most of you don’t want these to work they’ve tested most of the problems you come up with and you don’t have to replace the whole thing just the rubber band with tread hopefuly these will replace the stander tyre because stander tyre is out dated by like 50 years but cars havent avanced very much in the past 10 years
After reading all the notes about this new tire and hearing the word “Retard” thrown around like a bag of jelly beans… oh pleaaaase! Give me a break! Can’t we use better language?
Hope these tires work. They sound very interesting. Good luck Michelin.
I think the tweel is a great invention. I give my hats of to Michelin.
As for some of the comments:
1) Why do we need sidewalls? I don’t see any purpose of them.
The way the tire is designed I believe the mud, water and snow will just run off when the rotates. You know they would consider that first of all in their designs.
Remember when the rubber tire was first thought of most people thought it was stupid.
2) The temperature factures shouldn’t matter they are made in the same concept as traditional tires. On good thing you won’t have to worry about your tire expanding and contracting because of air.
I am so glad to see such creativity. This sounds so cool .. Michelin keep up the good work. Bmpwe gave a really nice idea. To be very honest even i was fascinated to develop something of this kind. Get going guys.
All new technology is going to be naturally expensive before enough common purchase of it warrants a price decrease. I think it’s a good idea. I agree that some type of flexible filler material should go between, to prevent junk from getting inside it and making it imbalanced. Imagine if a big enough rock got stuck inside. I’m all for pursuing this technology — eliminating the possibility of a flat is the reason I got solid tubes on my mountain bike.
Great idea maybe not for all applications such as winter conditions or trucks that can have highly variable mass (loaded vs. unloaded) but for all those nice cars rollin on 17’s they should work just fine. I bet they can be manufactured to be re-treaded easily as well. Although why would a tire manufacturer want to do that.
look its simple the idea throw some rubber on the sides is great!and to answer everyones question about tread wearing down its called recaping (placing a new tread on the tire) it was all explained on future car on the science channel!
I think it’s great if it gives the same level of comfort yet better handling. Anyway they first appeared in 2005, does anyone have an update with what is happening at the moment with them with regards to production? It would be a shame if nothing became of this idea.
though when you talk of walls for it why if it gets muddy its called wash your car more if a rock gets stuck in it you will fell it when your driving and you can just go kick it out when it gets snow in it it will fall out or you can push it out and it will melt
As a car enthuiast I think this a great idea and everyones trying to knock it too soon. What idea is perfect right away.It’s really funny that everyone’s trying to put their two cents, especially when you have a professional development team made up of engineers, and other people who ONLY examine things that would possibly go wrong. To think that they haven’t tought of these things would be insulting. I’m looking forward to purchasing these wheels in nebraska where it snows and rains plenty. Michelin great job
I wonder what the pessimist said regarding the invention of the shock absorber. This is a work in progress, give it time. You like the time tested traditions, go back to the horse and buggy.
As a Professional Tire Installer, I can see a lot of the benefits and drawbacks of these tires. The biggest benefits are the ability to control ride and performance separately, and the lack of flat tires. Run-flats wont go flat, but once they are punctured, the sidewall is only designed to travel at most 50 miles, then when you get there, you find out how much run-flats cost. Not to mention they are HEAVY which means they kill your gas mileage. The weight of the tire effects gas mileage more than the rim because it is further from the center of rotation, requiring more force to get it moving. The biggest drawback is the 1-piece assembly. If they could find a way to replace the tread only (and safely) this would actually cut the cost of tires drastically. If this is not possible in their eyes, then you can expect to pay at least double or triple per tire, which will demand that the good old radial tire sticks around. Also, I have no idea how you would balance this tire, sticky weights would be vulnerable to road debris, and there are not really many places you could clip a weight. Leaving your tire out of balance will only increase the risk of scalloping it, and rendering it useless. What if you hit one too many bumps and one side became more flexible than the other? This could cause an unrepairable balance issue, as well as a simulated flat tire “thump-thump” with every rotation. All said, this is still a phenomenal idea, but i still needs some thinking, and has great potential.
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Good to see some innovation in this field. Can’t see boy-racers going for these in a hurry, though - they look a bit like bicycle tyres. Also - wouldn’t there be significantly more noise from these with their open face? Something like a cross between the noise of the air going through the voids between the tire and road surface, plus the spokes whirring, like a propellor…
October 15th, 2006 at 6:41 am
[…] Sources : Wall Street Fighter, Ministry of Tech, Michelin. […]
October 15th, 2006 at 8:04 am
The first reports on this about 2 years ago mentioned that noise was a factor, such that above 50 mph, the tweels were unacceptably noisy. Any updates on this?
October 15th, 2006 at 8:14 am
And what about snow? When it gets packed into the space between the spokes, instant unbalanced wheel. Unbalanced wheels damage front suspension components and destroy control, causing accidents.
October 15th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Simply cover the sidewalls with rubber - like conventional tires… all the added benefits, not drawbacks.
October 15th, 2006 at 10:30 pm
Great solution “bmpwe”!
October 15th, 2006 at 10:51 pm
this is so retarded. They’ve spent millions developing something that works almost as well as what we have. How do you change tires? get a new wheel? how much are these tires? (or the tire wheel combo)? This is a prime example of what happens when you leave engineer’s alone in the kitchen. Maybe the product is more thought out, but this article doesn’t seem to address practical concerns.
October 16th, 2006 at 8:09 am
Ever had a flat tire? Ever been “dead in the water” due to a faulty valve stem? Blowouts due to wearing out aren’t the only cause of tire failure, although retards who fail to maintain tire pressure do suffer from poor MPG.
October 17th, 2006 at 1:32 am
How flexible is it in MN wintertime, 30 below and a high wind? I’d hate to have one shatter in a pothole at speed.
October 19th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
Several considerations are not mentioned in relation to this invention. One is scrub. Another is traction. Yet another is cost relative to what is currently available and in use, which this appears to be advocated as a replacement for. Tires are wear items— they wear out… When the tread is gone, they get replaced; and, this “TWEEL” is a complete assembly— not a tire… When its tread is gone, then all the engineering in the world will not restore it— it’s junk. Its service life is over. In the current marketplace, it would be insane to advocate the need to replace such a thing due to the absence of usable remaining tread at the same intervals as one now replaces tires; and, depending upon damage to road surfaces where used, these may never be a viable, legal option for the general public to use on their vehicles— much less if adapted to semi-tractor/trailer rigs and heavy trucks. Nice toys… More yet to do, fellas…
October 19th, 2006 at 5:36 pm
Quit being so negative! This is great, and it is the future for tires.
October 19th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Yes the engineering applications are great but what no one but a few are getting is COST I mean you can go down to Wal-Mart and get a full set of tires new , balance and rotated with a warranty for $400-$500 and demand how many people are going to say “i don’t trust that new fangled things” i could go on but the but just think about it its hard to build a better mouse trap than one that is cheep, reliable, readily available, and time tested for a for a hundred years
October 22nd, 2006 at 2:55 am
Those photos and videos are of demonstration models, so you can see what’s going on in them. Production models would certainly have rubber sidewalls and tread, just no air. I’d imagine these are likely to be over 100% more expensive than traditional tires, but the benefits you pay for are never ever getting a flat again, much better performance, and probably longer life since it is impossible to over- or under-inflate them. I would certainly buy a set if they cost $500-$800 per wheel and lasted more than 50,000 miles.
October 23rd, 2006 at 6:54 pm
You have apparently been confused by the phrase “flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel”. The center wheel appears to be a pretty standard wheel. The ‘tire’ is apparently the black rubber assembly. Close examination shows a flexible outer rim connected by flexible spokes to an interior rim mounted on the traditional wheel. Even with the addition of a rubber shroud to reduce noise, protect from snow, and disguise the appearance to that of a more traditional tire, these might not need to be any more expensive than today’s better quality tires. As for cold weather adversely affecting them, tires get warm fast from the friction with the road, even at relatively low speeds. We might in fact be looking at the future of tires.
October 25th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
would it be possible to add a sidewall? Surely if you do this it would need to be air-tight to ensure no moisture build-up. If moisture did build up and it got cold you’d have ice inside the wheel!
It will have to be open or else pressurised?
October 27th, 2006 at 4:50 am
[…] we saw the Michelin Tweel Airless Tires, we thought we seen the crazy tire concept ever. Well, at the SEMA show in Las Vegas, we were presented with these clear D’Vinci Forgiato Radurrawhich definitely bring the tire industry to another dimension. They are made of two inch thick polycarbonate, and are available in 20, 22 and 24 inch sizes for around $2,000 each. Via CarDomainand CrunchGear Technorati Tags:Transportation […]
November 2nd, 2006 at 5:26 pm
Hey Everyone, I’ve read some good and bad comments here. It seems like most everyone is trying to figure out how to make it NOT work as opposed to what we can do to make it work. That is why engineers bring up stuff like this; so they can get useful critques not invention-bashing. Of course, cost, wear, replacement, etc., etc. are all VALID concerns however let’s be a little bit more constructive! I agree with everyone here: this is a great idea, i’m concerned about price as well, replacement, again, etc., etc. But let’s see how we can make it work! I like the sidewall idea and in the south where snow is not a factor, this won’t be a concern but I can see mud and water possible being a factor. The point I’m trying to make here is that let’s be constructive. To the engineers: this is a GREAT idea, but how can we possible resolve these other issues?
November 3rd, 2006 at 5:07 pm
If you put a sidewall on the wheel wouldn’t it have to be pressurized? keep in mind the spokes need to be able to flex, and move around. Once its pressurized doesn’t it kick the “airless” point out the door? And if it is pressurized, then what happens when it is punctured? sure you won’t get a flat, but it allows liquid in, dirt in, and whatever else in. This wheel will be great as long as they get things straight. It has potential to be a great creation. however, it also has potential to be a flop. Especially for high speed, sports car enthusiasts.
November 25th, 2006 at 3:35 pm
Here’s an idea, what about filling the space between the spokes with some semi-solid material; it would have to be some super light material, like polystyrene? But much more elastic so it could deform with the tire and spokes without breaking all to pieces. It would obviously need to be independantly strong or perhaps laminated with something to hold it together.
December 13th, 2006 at 7:16 pm
Okay so instead of spending research money on a new rubber that will last 10x longer then what is currently available, they spent millions on this?
As far as flats go, I carry a small Walmart inflater and a tire repair kit, I have never spent more then 5 - 10 minutes fixing a flat, while the tire is on the car! Not a big deal.
What would really be better to spend millions on research on are the rims, not tires.
If they make a rim material that is 10 pounds lighter each and still strong, each of us would save gas money (less rotational weight - where it really matters!) Have less stress/wear and tear on the wheel bearings, steering components, shocks, steering shaft…..and on down the line.
But I am only using common sense…………
December 15th, 2006 at 11:34 am
You people are retarded. I mean honestly..none of you are even in the tire business. You do not know what you need. You go in a tire store (or wal-mart) and statistically, 90% of you buy what is recommended. And guess what people….this is usually a tire that the business owner is obtaining the highest profit margin on. The only problems with tires are this….they wear out, blow out, run out of air, and slide when they are stressed via braking or cornering. Michelin is an innovator of a product that is eliminating, or rather taking steps to eliminate these issues. Leave tires to the tire people, and keep buying what is recommened. This is a 100 billion dollar business in the United States alone, and the demand you create will keep us all looking for different way to gain an edge on the competition. The Tweel is proof of that.
February 7th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
this is interesting, and cool
March 14th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
The Wright Brothers heard a lot of critisism too but they plugged on with their far out idea and look what became of that.
Hats off to you guys for your hard work
and sticktoitivness. It is nice to see someone try something knew instead of being negative and throwing your hands up and saying it can’t be done.
Keep at it and Good Luck.I will be your first customer.
Brent
March 14th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
Fantastic! Glad to see new technology in development.
Where are we at today with R&D, testing and production?
May 17th, 2007 at 9:55 am
I see most of you don’t want these to work they’ve tested most of the problems you come up with and you don’t have to replace the whole thing just the rubber band with tread hopefuly these will replace the stander tyre because stander tyre is out dated by like 50 years but cars havent avanced very much in the past 10 years
May 24th, 2007 at 9:01 am
After reading all the notes about this new tire and hearing the word “Retard” thrown around like a bag of jelly beans… oh pleaaaase! Give me a break! Can’t we use better language?
Hope these tires work. They sound very interesting. Good luck Michelin.
June 28th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I think the tweel is a great invention. I give my hats of to Michelin.
As for some of the comments:
1) Why do we need sidewalls? I don’t see any purpose of them.
The way the tire is designed I believe the mud, water and snow will just run off when the rotates. You know they would consider that first of all in their designs.
Remember when the rubber tire was first thought of most people thought it was stupid.
2) The temperature factures shouldn’t matter they are made in the same concept as traditional tires. On good thing you won’t have to worry about your tire expanding and contracting because of air.
July 3rd, 2007 at 11:15 am
I am so glad to see such creativity. This sounds so cool .. Michelin keep up the good work. Bmpwe gave a really nice idea. To be very honest even i was fascinated to develop something of this kind. Get going guys.
September 20th, 2007 at 9:02 am
All new technology is going to be naturally expensive before enough common purchase of it warrants a price decrease. I think it’s a good idea. I agree that some type of flexible filler material should go between, to prevent junk from getting inside it and making it imbalanced. Imagine if a big enough rock got stuck inside. I’m all for pursuing this technology — eliminating the possibility of a flat is the reason I got solid tubes on my mountain bike.
October 1st, 2007 at 12:11 pm
how would you determine the tire pressure for each individual vehicle
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:12 am
Great idea maybe not for all applications such as winter conditions or trucks that can have highly variable mass (loaded vs. unloaded) but for all those nice cars rollin on 17’s they should work just fine. I bet they can be manufactured to be re-treaded easily as well. Although why would a tire manufacturer want to do that.
October 16th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
look its simple the idea throw some rubber on the sides is great!and to answer everyones question about tread wearing down its called recaping (placing a new tread on the tire) it was all explained on future car on the science channel!
October 26th, 2007 at 1:24 am
I think it’s great if it gives the same level of comfort yet better handling. Anyway they first appeared in 2005, does anyone have an update with what is happening at the moment with them with regards to production? It would be a shame if nothing became of this idea.
November 1st, 2007 at 8:18 am
wat keep them hard like that and not from bending a lot?
November 7th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
wow this is a great idea
though when you talk of walls for it why if it gets muddy its called wash your car more if a rock gets stuck in it you will fell it when your driving and you can just go kick it out when it gets snow in it it will fall out or you can push it out and it will melt
good job michlin get them out soon
November 9th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Really interesting concept. Go Michelin, always a step ahead. Beats runflats on corvettes !!!! I’d be willing to try it on mine.
Just curious how they would handle potholes, RR tracks etc. Would it create a flatspot that would thump for a while until it evens out?
December 14th, 2007 at 12:12 am
As a car enthuiast I think this a great idea and everyones trying to knock it too soon. What idea is perfect right away.It’s really funny that everyone’s trying to put their two cents, especially when you have a professional development team made up of engineers, and other people who ONLY examine things that would possibly go wrong. To think that they haven’t tought of these things would be insulting. I’m looking forward to purchasing these wheels in nebraska where it snows and rains plenty. Michelin great job
February 9th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I wonder what the pessimist said regarding the invention of the shock absorber. This is a work in progress, give it time. You like the time tested traditions, go back to the horse and buggy.
February 14th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
As a Professional Tire Installer, I can see a lot of the benefits and drawbacks of these tires. The biggest benefits are the ability to control ride and performance separately, and the lack of flat tires. Run-flats wont go flat, but once they are punctured, the sidewall is only designed to travel at most 50 miles, then when you get there, you find out how much run-flats cost. Not to mention they are HEAVY which means they kill your gas mileage. The weight of the tire effects gas mileage more than the rim because it is further from the center of rotation, requiring more force to get it moving. The biggest drawback is the 1-piece assembly. If they could find a way to replace the tread only (and safely) this would actually cut the cost of tires drastically. If this is not possible in their eyes, then you can expect to pay at least double or triple per tire, which will demand that the good old radial tire sticks around. Also, I have no idea how you would balance this tire, sticky weights would be vulnerable to road debris, and there are not really many places you could clip a weight. Leaving your tire out of balance will only increase the risk of scalloping it, and rendering it useless. What if you hit one too many bumps and one side became more flexible than the other? This could cause an unrepairable balance issue, as well as a simulated flat tire “thump-thump” with every rotation. All said, this is still a phenomenal idea, but i still needs some thinking, and has great potential.
March 3rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm