Twenty years after Michelin introduced the Tweel in 2005, airless tires remain absent from passenger vehicles despite their promise to „eliminate nearly 200 million scrap tires a year caused by flats and underinflation,“ according to Michelin’s internal testing cited in a Jalopnik report. Current prototypes „tend to transfer more road noise and vibration into the cabin than traditional radials — making the ride harsher, especially at highway speeds.“ Heat dissipation poses additional challenges as „airless designs — particularly those with internal webbing or solid cores — have fewer ways to shed thermal load.“ The added structural mass „can affect fuel economy and increase unsprung weight — bad news for handling and suspension tuning.“ Federal regulations compound these technical barriers since vehicle tires are subject to rigorous performance standards, many of which assume air pressure as a baseline.
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