Well, I guess that means the end of the only automotive part that fit any car. Can you guess what it is???
No it is actually a new tire. This is the only site I found the best pictures of it. How is this??? http://www.michelinmedia.com/imageSingle/ImageID=MCH2005110851271/kw=MCHtweel
I don't doubt its existance. The original posting was by a group that made it sound like a joke. Actually I am kind of excited by this. Possibly less environmental waste, lost gas milage and safer.
With what some of these tire stores charge for flat tire repair, this tire would put them out of business. One particular store charges near $30/tire to remove the tire from the rim, repair a hole and then remount. These tires pictured aren't much to look at, but I sure like the effectiveness of them. No air...no problem! Of course, they're probably $800 a piece.
Yes, but if they come installed on a new car, then you might NEVER have to buy new ones. And if they last like they say they will- you spend $$$ once and never have to buy tires again.............. Kel.
I can't see them lasting forever, I see the tread wearing out just like our current day tires. I wonder if they will make a snow version for the Yankees and what the snow loading up in the "See through" parts will do.
Actually though we don't know the speed I would say based on the second picture we can see how the tire reacts to hard cornering, based on the roll angle of the car being tested and the amount of deflection in the tire itself. Will they ever work for true hard core cornering such as found in autocrossing or road type races doubtfull, but it would appear that due to not having a sidewall that there is no rollover factor but more of a support compression factor which in most cases can be adjusted by the number, size, and material rigidity of the support members. Craig
My thoughts on that would be to inquire as to what the tread life of the tire would be and the materials used in the manufacture compared to the longevity of the materials used to make the supports. To me (without digging into alot of deep physics) that the load on the tire pictured would actually be spread over a larger surface area than a traditional sidewalled tire and thus the forces exerted on each sq.in. of surface area would appear to be less which in turn "should" be less taxing on the tire as a whole. And based on the picture alone this new tire offers along more total ground contact by not offering the sidewall roll, therefore turns should actually be able to be attacked more aggressively while still providing a much improved area of contract and control of said vehicle due to the larger contact area. Assuming of course the vehicle is not prone to a high body roll statistic such as a SUV or an vehicle with worn out suspension components Craig
