Michelin Tweel

[aspera]

Tire+Wheel=Tweel

The crazy French have invented an airless wheel. No more flats. No tires coming off the beads.

http://www.michelinman.com/difference/releases/pressrelease01102005a.html

[XJBill]

What happens when it fills up with snow, ice, or mud? I think they suck.....Their tires do to.

[aspera]

What happens when it fills up with snow, ice, or mud? I think they suck.....Their tires do to.

The wheel will explode and it will void your warranty. :lecture:

[Inisadow]

What happens when it fills up with snow, ice, or mud? I think they suck.....Their tires do to.

I'd imagine on production versions there would be a lite rubber cover over it making look almost identical to a normal tire, which would also prevent things from getting inside the "spokes"

[XJEEPER]

...how do you air down for the trail?
Anyone beside me want to unload on the man in the suit......

[OT]

These look like they have pretty good side(?)wall flex.

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_010.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_007.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_006.JPG

These guys all deserve a beating just for looking stupid.

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_005.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_004.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_003.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_002.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_001.JPG

[jeeppowermj]

i want some of those in the 33" mud terrain flavor. and maybe with blue rubber to match my truck if were gonna get technical.

[XJEEPER]

wonder if tri-chrome spinners are an option......

[Geepfreak]

wonder if tri-chrome spinners are an option...... :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :D

[96XJCLASSIC]

Are they only good for doing wheelies??


But seriously I see them being suitable for certain uses and applications. But passenger cars?? I doubt it.

[hpi_jeep]

what about a side load? if i were to put them on my 900hp+ supra and attempt a drift i think the results would be bad :D

(so maybe i dont have a supra, and maybe i wouldnt attempt a drift :D)

what kind of prices are they talking and what about longevity?

[Beej]

They have been sneak-a-peeking those for a couple of years, but they are just starting to get to the point of beta-testing now. They still have a ways to go but it doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. And why would you need to air down? Airing down is about increasing contact patch and therefore traction, but these already deflect better than pneumatic tires, so airing down is irrelevant if you are running these. History shows that the first pneumatic tires were also laughed at and complained about. Now, we can't imagine running without them. Innovations take time, money and vision. Michelin has ample access to all three and will undoubtedly only improve this design. I can see how they would be of great use to mining trucks if they can make them apply in that situation. Why nay-say that which is brand new? Afraid of change?

[Timber]

I agree with you, Beej. No reason it can't work as long as any bugs are solved. As someone else also mentioned, as long as there're some sort of sidewalls to prevent ice/snow/mud buildup, I think it's an awesome idea. I can see them being sold using wheel diameter and vehicle weight (along with different tread patterns) as the criteria for different models.

[hackedxj]

Could you imagine how much 37 inch tire would weigh when it's full of those spokes that are the width of the tire? what about a 44"?

[Ramsey]

those things are pretty cool, they almost seem practical. and of course...


how much shipped to 71115

[Inisadow]

Could you imagine how much 37 inch tire would weigh when it's full of those spokes that are the width of the tire? what about a 44"?

they said somewhere on the article that they are within 5% of the weight of a normal tire and rim combo. Plus I doubt you're going to be seeing them as an off road truck tire anytime soon it sounds like they are going for the small vehical and construction equipment areas first. I'll be keeping my eye on this will love to see if they are able to get it to work better than radials or not.

[XJEEPER]

They have been sneak-a-peeking those for a couple of years, but they are just starting to get to the point of beta-testing now. They still have a ways to go but it doesn't seem like a bad idea to me. And why would you need to air down? Airing down is about increasing contact patch and therefore traction, but these already deflect better than pneumatic tires, so airing down is irrelevant if you are running these. History shows that the first pneumatic tires were also laughed at and complained about. Now, we can't imagine running without them. Innovations take time, money and vision. Michelin has ample access to all three and will undoubtedly only improve this design. I can see how they would be of great use to mining trucks if they can make them apply in that situation. Why nay-say that which is brand new? Afraid of change?

sarcasm: oft times delivered in a manner that creates the corners of one's mouth to point upward........do a Google search.........

[tchase]

Geez, somebody likes to stay on top of tire technology. This is the first I've heard of these. There's always tons of info on the PAX system lying around at work but not these. Seems like promising technology but the initial cost would be astronomical as it would require a completely different manufacturing process than anything currently in production. I'd expect the industrial version to be the development focus as they're getting kind of peeved about the fact that we run goodyear tires on our forklifts.

[aspera]

"what about a side load? if i were to put them on my 900hp+ supra and attempt a drift i think the results would be bad :D"


Side load would be controlled by the flexy-spoke thingies*. Laterally they would be VERY stiff. Your 900hp+ Supra would still have a cushy ride because that is now SEPARATE from lateral stiffness.

Your Supra would also have larger contact patches with the tweels. If the tweels had holes through the tread (instead of grooves) you could almost have slicks on your daily driver. Water goes THROUGH the tire.

Those 900hp+ make a lot of heat. Good thing the tweel has all of those flexy-spoke thingies* to conduct the heat away. If you have tweels with vented rims, then you can suck out the air from your brakes through the rims and fan it away with those flexy-spoke thingies*.

Since your Supra has so much power, we'd better opt for directional flexy-spoke thingies*. They are twisted just enough to soften under acceleration and stiffen under braking. :wave:

[a_hiatt]

aspera...
dare i say, infuego

[2xtreme]

Similar products have been used for years in industrial equipment (forklifts, etc) and ground support equipment (bagage handlers, carts, etc). The primary benefits is lack of maintenance for equipment that sees alot of use in varying conditions (left outside, changing temperatures, etc) and they get huge amounts of tread life out of them.

I am sure that eventually we will start to see them in more applications as they get better technology and development. But they will have to be DOT approved to be used on the road and that will not happen any time soon.

many similar products also have a sideway so no mud or snow can get into the tire.
Michael

[Lawn Cher']

These guys all deserve a beating just for looking stupid.

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_005.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_004.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_003.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_002.JPG

http://www.michelinman.com/images/promo/2005_tweel_gallery/tweel_001.JPG

How distinctly French. Is this the special Cirque du Soleil?

[casm]

Okay, here's an off-base question: how would you stop a speeding vehicle fitted with these tires?

It looks like spike strips would be more or less useless... Shooting out the sidewalls may slow them down, but not necessarily take them out. Ideas?

[xjj33p3r]

Okay, here's an off-base question: how would you stop a speeding vehicle fitted with these tires?

It looks like spike strips would be more or less useless... Shooting out the sidewalls may slow them down, but not necessarily take them out. Ideas?
Molten steal splashed in front of the vehicle might work :P Wouldn't exactly be practical, but it would melt those spoles like no one's business.

[y2kxj]

Okay, here's an off-base question: how would you stop a speeding vehicle fitted with these tires?

It looks like spike strips would be more or less useless... Shooting out the sidewalls may slow them down, but not necessarily take them out. Ideas?
ever heard of a stick?

friggin' sweet!