The Tweel Thing
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 3.06
This one has been doing the rounds since it was launched by Michelin a couple of years ago, but we’ve neglected it until now. The Tweel is a non-pneumatic wheel that does everything a traditional wheel does, except go flat. Flexible polyurethane spokes connect to an equally deformable hub. Rubber tread is bonded to the exterior of the Tweel for traction. As used in the test Audi shown here, Michelin suggest it comes within 5% of the rolling resistance (or 1% of fuel economy) of a standard inflatable wheel/tyre combination. Plus it is thought the Tweel should last at least a couple times longer than an ordinary pneumatic tyre, and remarkably cost less to purchase. This year the Tweel won an international Gold Medal Award for Innovation, to stick on the mantlepiece with the previous awards from Time and Popular Science magazines. But don’t expect to see it at your local tyre dealer anytime soon. (Maybe the cheaper price, and longevity had Michelin thinking twice.) Apparently it is still being tested on lower mass vehicles like the equally innovative balancing iBOT wheelchair and the Segway Centaur, which coincidently was my first TH post two years ago. Pics of the these two vehicles after the fold. ::Tweel, via Hugg (Matthew).
Silly Aussies, it's tire. :) I wonder how these things handle corners.
LOL yes i saw these months ago. they're wicked, yes they smooth out the ride and supposedly work beautifully... BUT WHEN ARE THEY GOING RETAIL!?!?!?! I want them but a year later and we still dont have them on the market???
I wonder what happens when they fail. Tires usually fail slowly by leaking which gives you time to fix it. When they do blow out you still have a rim to keep the vehicle off the ground.
Also, a problem for early adopters, I suspect these are not legal on USA roads. Most (all?) of the states have bans on solid rubber tires left over from the early days of automobiles. These laws stopped solid rims with rubber edges which were too hard on the roads, but they now interfere with some run-flat technologies.
** wonders how easy it would be to bootleg my own version instead of waiting **
These might be of great benefit to standard electric wheelchairs. They often have great trouble getting over tiny steps because the front tyres stubbornly jar rather than form over a sudden incline.
this beautiful piece of tech is said to be released in about ten years. So if u want it u gotta wait awhile
Polyurethane? What solid can match the physical springiness of a compressed gas?
I have low confidence. I rode on polyurethane bicycle tires.
They have high rolling resistance; feels like slogging through sand. Without air to press the bead into the rim, the tire rode
right off rim when it hit an oblique angled bump.