forget run flat tires - it’s time for air-less ones
December 9th, 2005Given the number of accidents or blowouts are caused by underinflated tires, we can’t wait for Michelin’s ‘Tweel’ ito hit the streets… (Production versions would have sidewalls, giving them the appearance of a regular tire).
Michelin has… 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… Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.