Big.Mike Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/non-pneumatic_tires_finally_hit_the_commercial_sector_will_polaris_roll_over_the_competition_25948.asp?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+core77%2Fblog+%28Core77.com%29&utm_content=Netvibes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Imagine how heavy they would be once all those holes fill up with mud! The square edges may not be ideal for sand either where a rounded profile would be preferred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I think for our uses(and some street uses), there are a few issues: You can't air them down for differing terrain Not possible to add side-lugs as it would stop the tyre from flexing Aerodynamically they can't be as good as a regular tyre with that sidewall Cost, most likely Need to run really small rims(which you'd need to buy) that may not cover brake systems But I am sure for some uses they are great, but a bit specific Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 My take in these is that tyres, as they stand, are simply the most vulnerable part of any vehicle. Anything that moves us away from a bladder of air has got to be of interest. Also this is a first off of the technology, I can see that once this is adopted by the general populous all sorts of modifications would be possible to improve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I see no reason why we need a bladder of air at all, I do believe though that there must be a better solution than that For example, the magnetorheological fluid from expensive damper technology could be used to 'inflate' or 'deflate' a tyre by turning on or off an electrical current inside an otherwise flexible rubber tyre, when the current is on, the tyre is 'hard', off it is flexible Hmm, may go patent that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 You mean a tweel? Its been around for years, but I never seen them catch on. Tried by military and others: http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?start=104&sa=X&hl=en&biw=977&bih=343&tbm=isch&tbnid=Xkqjc0TLQvv6CM:&imgrefurl=http://www.savevid.com/video/the-tweel-airless-car-tire-video.html&docid=fQC4To77I_BpRM&imgurl=http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/4jYcX_D09ig/0.jpg&w=480&h=360&ei=meiNUqPhCIrDhAeb-oDIAg&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:4,s:100,i:16&iact=rc&page=15&tbnh=184&tbnw=242&ndsp=8&tx=143&ty=73 I'd say, we stick with our normal tyres for reasons mentioned above, but use them as an insert, with split rims so you have double beadlock at the same time (like the hummer picture). air them down and you drive on the insert. Daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Remember the Pirelli BS3 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Certainly Polaris are not afraid of being inventive. These are very agile. Takes about two hours to swap back to tyres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 I see no reason why we need a bladder of air at all, I do believe though that there must be a better solution than that For example, the magnetorheological fluid from expensive damper technology could be used to 'inflate' or 'deflate' a tyre by turning on or off an electrical current inside an otherwise flexible rubber tyre, when the current is on, the tyre is 'hard', off it is flexible Hmm, may go patent that Magnetorheological fluid is horrendous stuff, got some on my shirt once and it wouldn't come off for ages, then went through an airport scanner in that shirt and it went nuts. It took me ages to 1. think why it was going nuts and 2. tell them why my shirt was slightly magnetic. I wouldn't want to fill a tyre with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 The 'tyre' would be MUCH thicker than existing tyres, but with a hollow core say 2" round, which would allow you to adjust the amount of flex in it. Not unpuncturable, but pretty close if the 'rubber'(it wouldn't have to be rubber) is 3"+ thick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Wouldn't do much for the unsprung weight, might be moot with a beam axle but to be commercially viable it would need a wider application market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 The 'tyre' would be MUCH thicker than existing tyres, but with a hollow core say 2" round, which would allow you to adjust the amount of flex in it. Not unpuncturable, but pretty close if the 'rubber'(it wouldn't have to be rubber) is 3"+ thick. I think the whole concept of tyres need throwing out of the window and starting again, blank sheet. Trouble is liability, we've had technology for self driving cars for a couple of years now, they won't allow any changes to the norm as the first accident would be blamed on the new tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 Wouldn't do much for the unsprung weight, might be moot with a beam axle but to be commercially viable it would need a wider application market. magnetorheological fluid is a bit heavier than you'd think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GW8IZR Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 magnetorheological fluid is a bit heavier than you'd think! I'd need to google it ;-) it was the 3" thick rubber that I meant.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Not meaning to think that the rubber would be the same density as a regular car tyre, could be much lighter, and synthetic of course, basically the possibility for puncturing it would move right to the core of the tyre, and not rely on the outer skin, or a tube right under the outer skin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boris113 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I'm curious how they make the tyre pliable enough to distort over rocks, yet corner properly without deforming. Would it also distort or wrap up under hard acceleration from standstill? - bad description but the pic demonstrates what I mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 I'm curious how they make the tyre pliable enough to distort over rocks, yet corner properly without deforming. Would it also distort or wrap up under hard acceleration from standstill? - bad description but the pic demonstrates what I mean My guess would be that it acts like a spoked wheel, the hub is hanging rather than being pushed up from below. because the combs are under tension this tearing is unlikely to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big.Mike Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 It just looks wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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