Janey Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 Just been reading about these Any comments ? (Polite ones only please ) In 2005, Michelin unveiled their "Tweel" concept - a word made up of the combination of Tyre and Wheel. After decades of riding around on air-filled tyres, Michelin would like to convince us that there is a better way. They're working on a totally air-less tyre. Airless = puncture proof. The Tweel is the creation of Michelin's American technology centre - no doubt working with the sound of the Ford Explorer / Bridgestone Firestone lawsuit still ringing in their ears. The Tweel is a combined single-piece tyre and wheel combination, hence the name, though it actually begins as an assembly of four pieces bonded together: the hub, a polyurethane spoke section, a "shear band" surrounding the spokes, and the tread band - the rubber layer that wraps around the circumference and touches the road. The Tweel's hub functions just like your everyday wheel right now - a rigid attachment point to the axle. The polyurethane spokes are flexible to help absorb road impacts. These act sort of like the sidewall in a current tyre. But turn a tweel side-on and you can see right through it. The shear band surrounding the spokes effectively takes the place of the air pressure, distributing the load. Finally, the tread is similar in appearance to a conventional tyre. The image on the right is my own rendering based on the teeny tiny images I found from the Michelin press release. It gives you some idea what the new Tweel could look like. Bum..piccy won't come up Saved it to my page instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discount tyres dan Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 i wonder how they cope with hard corniering, braking and acceleration. pot-holes, curbs and stingers. i dont think i would want to have to replace a whole wheel at a time either. it's an interesting idea but i dont think it will catch on because i imajine it will be very expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark H. Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 It would be annoying having to check all your wheels every time you go somewhere to make sure kids haven't shoved a stick or metal bar through the spokes . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted June 14, 2006 Report Share Posted June 14, 2006 think of the money you would save at the air pump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discount tyres dan Posted June 15, 2006 Report Share Posted June 15, 2006 more here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 15, 2006 Report Share Posted June 15, 2006 Apart from the fact it looks 'pants' i cannot see this catching on.... The cost must be enormous verses the benefits, sabotage by someone cutting the spokes would be an issue.... And i fail to see how this unit could possibly retain the sort of drive offered by the pneumatic...... Oh and i don't like the name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janey Posted June 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2006 Oh and i don't like the name I thought the name was the best bit There is talk of them being used on planes as blow outs wouldn't occur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 16, 2006 Report Share Posted June 16, 2006 Oh and i don't like the name I thought the name was the best bit There is talk of them being used on planes as blow outs wouldn't occur Now that makes sense since the demands are very different than the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter026 Posted June 16, 2006 Report Share Posted June 16, 2006 They look like Lego wheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discount tyres dan Posted June 16, 2006 Report Share Posted June 16, 2006 i keep imajining them as the developer made the first set, bolted them onto a car, then when he twists the handle to let the jack down the tweel just collapses like it is made of sponge. i just have this picture of the blokes face all blank and he just says "ahh" maybe my mind is a wierd place full of odd stuff (how many other people transfer dvd's to betamax) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted June 16, 2006 Report Share Posted June 16, 2006 i keep imagining them as the developer made the first set, bolted them onto a car, then when he twists the handle to let the jack down the tweel just collapses like it is made of sponge. i just have this picture of the blokes face all blank and he just says "ahh" maybe my mind is a weird place full of odd stuff (how many other people transfer dvd's to betamax) only ones that prefer better quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Some more information at http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html (a good bookmark) One of the basic shortcomings of a tyre filled with air is that the inflation pressure is distributed equally around the tire, both up and down (vertically) as well as side-to side (laterally). That property keeps the tire round, but it also means that raising the pressure to improve cornering - increasing lateral stiffness - also adds up-down stiffness, making the ride harsher. With the Tweel's injection-molded spokes, those characteristics are no longer linked. Only the spokes toward the bottom of the tyre at any point in its rotation are determining the grip / ride quality. Those spokes rotating around the top of the tyre are free to flex to full extension without affecting the grip or ride quality. I'm sure if they went into production they'd put sidewalls on and you'd not notice the difference. Not sure how they'd handle ultra low profiles though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discount tyres dan Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 i had a thought about a new tyre a while ago but it wouldn't be cost effectife. take a normal tyre- one valve inflates the whole tyre. what if that tyre were to be in sections, say an eighth of the tyre. ok so it means having eight valves per wheel each having to be set to the same presure but a puncture would only deflate the one section and instead of loosing control you would just get a vibration for the deflated 'cell' you could even have the tyre seperate around the whole circumfrance so there is still eight sections but instead of eight all round you have 4 on each side so 1 deflated section would produce a lot less vibration... but then someone else invented the run on flat tyre and my invention seems poo in comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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