Are Airless Tires a Good Idea?

Everybody knows how the story goes 一 dealing with a punctured tire is arguably one of the most frustrating things to happen while you’re driving.

Imagine you’re on the road headed to your favorite destination for the weekend. However, as you get closer, the drive becomes rougher because of all the rocks and twigs on the road.

Suddenly, you find your steering wheel pulling to your right, and it becomes harder as you go.

You hop out of the driver’s seat, and you find out exactly what’s going on 一 the right front tire is sagging and there’s a huge nail sticking out of it.

A Quick Look Into Tire Tech

A punctured tire is one of the most common issues drivers have to deal with in any part of the world. Never underestimate this safety hazard.

Loss of air is arguably the greatest setback of pneumatic tires, which are the tires you currently have on your vehicle.

Pneumatic tires are designed with an airtight inner core and a reinforced tread. These tires need proper inflation to provide resistance and create a cushioning effect while the vehicle is moving.

To cut the long story short, loss of air will render these tires useless.

Airless Tire Revolution

To prevent tires from losing air, manufacturers have sought to develop airless ones.

An airless tire isn’t actually unheard of. In fact, this is the type of tire you’ll find in many golf carts, lawnmowers, military vehicles, and bicycles.

The idea of airless tires has been around since 2005 when Michelin began to design a prototype.

Michelin sought to develop airless tires to combat the risks of punctured tires and blowouts. The company created a “tweel” design, a wordplay on tires and wheels.

Michelin’s tweel closely resembles a modern bicycle wheel because of its spokes. These spokes are arranged in a wedge pattern, which helps the tire absorb impact. As the vehicle moves, the spokes will simply bend and spring back.

Bridgestone is another manufacturer that hopped on the bandwagon for airless tires.

In 2013, the company introduced its second-generation air-free concept for tires, which was designed with improved load-bearing capacities, environmental design, and driving performance in mind.

Should Airless Tires Make Their Debut Soon?

Airless tires are definitely a great alternative to pneumatic tires, but there are also a couple of reasons why they’re not offered in the market yet.

Advantages of Airless Tires

Here are some of the benefits of using airless tires.

Say Goodbye to Flat Tires

Airless tires will never leak air for obvious reasons, which means they won’t sag. Running over sharp objects on the road won’t be as dangerous as before.

Save Some Space

Having airless tires eliminates the need to carry around a spare, helping you save some space in your trunk. Without a spare, you’re essentially making your vehicle lighter, which can improve fuel economy.

Help the Environment

The durability of airless tires helps reduce waste unlike pneumatic tires, which go directly to landfills when they’re damaged.

Bridgestone, for example, aims to produce airless tires that will fall under the cradle-to-cradle system. This means that all factory-produced tires will come from recycled materials, and the old ones will be refashioned into new ones.

Aside from being sustainable, airless tires can also help reduce CO2 emissions. Plus, the low-maintenance airless tires won’t suffer energy loss as much as pneumatic tires because of their design.

Pneumatic tires, on the other hand, suffer about 90% of energy loss.

Disadvantages of Airless Tires

Here are some of the reasons why airless tires might not be a good idea.

Higher cost

Airless tires still need replacing when the tread is worn, and are more expensive than pneumatic tires, which can increase the initial purchase and ownership cost of a vehicle.

Harsher ride and reduced high-speed stability

Airless tires are stiffer and noisier than pneumatic tires, which can affect the ride comfort and performance of a vehicle, especially at higher speeds.

You can expect more drag when your vehicle has airless tires. The stiffness of these tires tends to transmit more irregularities to the suspension system, resulting in excessive vibration.

Lack of adjustability

Airless tires cannot be adjusted for different driving conditions, such as tire pressure and temperature, which can limit their versatility and adaptability.

Heat dissipation

Airless tires can trap more heat than pneumatic tires, which can affect their durability and performance.

Not Much Room for Personalization

With airless tires, there won’t be room for customization because they eliminate the need for an actual wheel.

What’s Going On Right Now?

If the concept of airless tires was introduced in 2005, how come these tires haven’t debuted in the market yet?

Well, the process of making airless tires will be entirely different from how pneumatic tires are produced. Until manufacturers resolve issues like drag and increased rolling resistance for airless tires, these tires will remain in the development stage.

What to Expect In the Future

Some manufacturers are aiming to fast-track the production of airless tires. Michelin, for example, is slated to release its lineup of airless tires in 2024.

The manufacturer paired up with General Motors to produce a tweel model called “Uptis,” which stands for “unique puncture-proof tire system.”

Meanwhile, Goodyear plans to release its own line of airless tires in 2030.

What’s the Verdict?

It’s hard to tell whether or not airless tires are a good idea, mainly because they aren’t offered in the market yet.

And while it’s true that some prototypes are being used in some vehicles as part of research and development strategies, mass production of these tires is an entirely different case.

Airless tires are expected to be better than pneumatic tires. This means that they should be able to deliver high load-carrying capabilities, low stiffness, low rolling resistance, good handling, and precision assembly, among others.

It’s a pretty tall order for airless tires, and it might take a while for manufacturers to tick everything off the checklist.