An Introduction to the Tweel: A Tire Without Air

A tire without air, previously a device that only James Bond could own, but in the next few years such tires may become the normal way to drive around. Imagine never having to pump up your tire again because you a get a flat or drove over a nail. Enter the world of the tweel.

Just recently, at the Philadelphia car show, a very interesting new tire design was being showcased by Michelin. This design used flexible spokes that would bend as the car drove to replicate the feeling of driving on a cushion of air. The design improves up on a design that was previously made for the military.

This military design was never thought to be viable for civilian use because it created excessive noise as the tire spun, but after many years of research and development, the Michelin Company was able to completely redesign the tweel. The new tire consists of an inner "deformable wheel" that is not as rigid as most rims are. Flexible spokes are then wrapped around this, as they protrude like small pyramid shaped teeth to the next level. This is then encapsulated in a sort of elastic band that helps hold everything together. The final stage of the flexible tire is the only part that may come familiar to someone that is used to normal tires, the tread.

This almost honeycomb design is impervious to nails, thorns, and any other nuisance that may litter the streets. If the driver of a vehicle equipped with the new tires were to drive over a spike strip there would only be small physical damage to the tread and the sheer band, which would likely be replaced or repaired at a later date.

Some people may be concerned about what would happen if this car were to be driven off-road or over a curb, they should forget their concern because if the car were to go over a curb or off of the road the spokes will simply flex with the obstacle that the car is going over. This flexing motion is the key concept to the entire process because the spokes will flex to adjust to any obstacle, and the elastic band will help evenly distribute the pressure among all of the flexible spokes.

There is no word yet on the pricing of the new tweel, but most agree that it will probably be slightly more expensive than a traditional tire.