Kiwi~SPARTA~ Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 These tires are made in South Carolina , USA . SEE-THROUGH TIRES. Radical new tire design by Michelin. The next generation of tires. They had a pair at the Philadelphia car show. Yes, those are 'spoke' like connections to the inner part of the tire from the outside tread 'wrap!' The next picture shows how odd it looks in motion.... Makes you wonder how the ride feels doesn't it? These tires are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soon. The bad news for law enforcement is that spike strips will not work on these. Just think of the impact on existing technology: A. no more air valves... B. no more air compressors at gas stations... C. no more repair kits... D. no more flats... These are actual pictures taken in the South Carolina plant of Michelin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PANiC Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 (edited) never heard of them before, but no updates on these from michelin since 2006 :/ http://www.michelinmedia.com/default/kw=MCHtweel Edited March 8, 2009 by PANiC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeno~SPARTA~ Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 I think I saw these in 2005 the idea sounds good but I'm sure these will generate their own unique problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlon64~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 (edited) I have seen these before and they are GREAT!!!!! Can't wait untill they are released. Don't know what the cornering is like. But they claim there is no ride difference. Edited March 9, 2009 by Athlon64~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNo~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 like run flats minus the side wall. look cool. I bet they fling mud real nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlon64~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 (edited) Emagin how many lives could have been saved due to the wrong tire pressure stickers on the ford and outher SUVs causeing them to roll over after a evaceive manunver. Edited March 9, 2009 by Athlon64~SPARTA~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrNo~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I wonder what hold them to the rim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krambo Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 blu-tac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zathrus~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I think it is good to see technology finally making this idea possible. I am a bit skeptical on how durable they will be at this point. That is alot of continuous shear load spikes on the "spokes". Being exposed to sunlight and chemicals cause rubber to deteriorate over time. Extreme loads accelerate that deterioration. In addition, I think no air valve, no air and no money in the pocket book is going to be the rule for awhile. I am sure they are going to be really expensive. However they might help the problem I had with my "GN Buick". It would actually rotate my tires on the wheels when I was doing 0 - 60mph runs on warm days. (3800 lbs. sedan would go 0-60 in 5.9 seconds consistently). This always made the tire go out of balance. Perhaps these will stay in balance even if they move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I wonder what hold them to the rim. The rims are developed in conjunction with the tyre and the two are bonded together, shipped as complete units. I spent a lot of time talking to Michelin about these in mid 2006. They were interested in supplying conventional tyres to Aston Martin and pushed this as some of their emerging technology. Almost 3 years on and they are not "to market" and I for one will be genuinely amazed if they ever make it, as there are numerous issues to overcome: 1: Style - they look crap 2: limited wheel choice - doesn't sit well with many OEM's 3: Aftermarket availability - specialist equipment needed to fit, so your average tyre dealer will have to stump up cash to be capable. 4. Ride comfort - at the time they suggested the ride was similar to run-flats and even current run-flats are a poor ride feel in comparison to a standard tyre. 5. Cost - bloody expensive!!! In a world where bigger is best and people often spec the option, larger rims for their cars, these things don't fit the choice. Plus they don't look robust, you typically expect to see a nice, air filled tyre on your wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watchman~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 However they might help the problem I had with my "GN Buick". It would actually rotate my tires on the wheels when I was doing 0 - 60mph runs on warm days. (3800 lbs. sedan would go 0-60 in 5.9 seconds consistently). This always made the tire go out of balance. Perhaps these will stay in balance even if they move. Typical cause for this is over application / wrong type of tyre lube. It took us almost two months of solid testing to cure this problem on the DB9. Eventually, with the help of our tyre fitter, identifying a non-silicone based, high performance lubricant, that could be applied in relatively small amounts when fitting the tyres. With 450 bhp and in excess of 450Nm torque, we could spin the tyres on the rims fairly easily. Over the course of our standard high speed braking test, we could see the tyres rotating through at least 200 degrees, on the rim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athlon64~SPARTA~ Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Need bead locks to stop that. Like on thre rock crawler tires. I think the flexible part is spring steel or a flexible composit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeno~SPARTA~ Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Heres a March 14 CNN report on the TWEEL http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/....tweel.tech.cnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xross Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Wonderful....now we get to buy new wheels every time we get tires. I..1) Don't like the looks.....2) Don't like the concept......and 3) Hope they never see the light of day. This is typical of a solution for which there is no problem. But that's just me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeno~SPARTA~ Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 you're right, but I do like the space and military applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maj3stic~SPARTA~ Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Wow thats crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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