I already knew they had been working on this exact project for the Military and law enforcement, but didn't know they had gotten this far for the commercial market. We'll see if it rides OK, handles OK and is accepted by the public. I guess it depends on the price and the longevity too. That said - a great concept if it is cost efficient. It will be nice to never have to get a flat - lol.

Looks like it is flat already.

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"Don't Give Up the Ship"

Lawn equipment and such been using that design for a few years. Looks weird but works well, apparently. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

Hope they can make it work but heavy vehicles will take some pretty good engineering I believe.

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

Pretty much nullify spike strips I suppose, not that I would have to worry about such things.

Add a ton or more weight and drive at 70+. Will it still work well?

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“Look life in its iron face”

If they work well, I bet the cost will be prohibitive, plus I don't see them cornering on par with conventional tires.

It’ll probably cost double that of a normal tire.

Oh great...now the vehicle manufacturers can dream up a new annoying warning to replace the low tire pressure alarm.

The wheel is integral to the tire. Conventional tires are made in a variety of heights, widths and depths. These will have to also be made to accommodate various lug patterns. Tooling costs would be really high if they plan on offering them for a number of different vehicles.

It might prevent premature failure due to a cut in the tread or sidewall, but I don’t see how the tread will last any longer than a conventional tire. It sounds really expensive, since you’re basically buying new wheels each time you need new tires.

I also wonder how it will perform when the “spokes” get packed with mud, snow or ice. That would have to throw the balance way off.

I don’t see a set of those in my future.

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"I also cook."

And I’ll bet it’s two different tires in summer/winter.

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“Look life in its iron face”

Park that tractor for about six months and then see if the flat spot goes away.

They would have to put sidewalls on them. Good point!

In high performance cars, unsprung weight is a big deal. Going from steel wheels to alloy wheels and saving even just a half dozen pounds per wheel for example can make a lot of difference in handling. I wonder how those tires compare in weight to a conventional steel belted high performance radial tire of the same dimensions ? If they are hogs they may have limited application to only certain types of vehicles.

The Lunar Rovers had mesh tires with traction bars.

There isn't much rain on the moon to cause mud!

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Bill

I had to read up on it. The original Lunar Rover cost 10 million dollars back in the 60’s and it’s abandon on the moon with only 22 miles on it. The battery is probably shot, but it’s yours for the taking!

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"I also cook."

Crunched up on a curb.

The Michelin tire engineer I talked to at the track during a recent race said the retail version will have sidewalls not left open like the demo tires.

I'd be really interested in seeing how those do. Modern tires are already excellent for what they do, I think I've got 3 flats in the past decade, two from them coming apart after using tires waaaaay past where they should have been (I know, I know), and one from a loose bolt on the road that was able to be repaired. For most of us, additional flat protection really doesn't matter much so I'd be curious to see if they ever make it mainstream, but I can definitely see it for .mil uses and 4x4 brappin' if they hold up.

Solid tires have been around for a long time. They were never successful because they ride like ****

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Common sense isn't so common.

I've always advocated for rubber roads and concrete tires.

I'd like to see a slow motion video of them driving 75 MPH on them and locking up the brakes.

Looks like an exandable rubber drum for a belt sander.

Great minds....LOL.

I wonder how they will handle HEAT. The air is a homogenous substance. All that internal fan-blade fin array might be a nightmare in that regard.

Fred is that you?

Yabba Dabba Doo!

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

I saw, some time back, testing these type tires and they were very noisy.

It’s an interesting idea,but I wonder how they would handle with a load of mud or wet snow packed into those sidewalls?

Drove a small WWII era style crane at work. Solid rubber tires. My kidneys remember every dip, hole, chunk in the roadways. Only thing it was good for was that it was a fixed jib boom. No adjustments for height or angle. You could swivel the boom and that was it. Frank

Those tires have been used on construction equipment for years.

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John

The last time I fixed or had a flat tire was in 1992. My wife's Ford Explorer.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

One thing for sure the tire of the future will be different from today. The fact that Michelin is sharing this info is a big deal. It is historically a very secret company.

They may not need to. When the tread wears out, you'll hear a sound like this:

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What, me worry?