Why Cars Don't Have Airless Tires Yet

Airless tires have been used on everything from NASA space rovers to John Deere mowers. In recent years, there have even been prototypes made to work on everyday cars. But major tire manufacturers like Michelin and Goodyear are saying it might not be until 2024 or even 2030 until they’re available to buy. We explore the engineering challenges that are keeping car owners from ever having to worry about a tire blowout again.
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Why Cars Don't Have Airless Tires Yet

[@user-yx7dp2pl8t]

I know its just air, but seeing the inside of that tyre compress and rebound is amazing, like its an invisible solid

[@jo9432]

I am counting the days for these to become publicly available. A popped tire ruins my whole week. In most cases I have had to get the car re aligned, so the cost is not just getting a replacement tire.

[@ramadhiantoagung5086]

Yeah not to mention if its happening in the middle of urgent things. Once i just opt to park my car in public parking and get taxy just because of tight deadline. Replaced it later

[@FS7kills]

Maybe FIA should make airless tyres mandatory in F1 & endurance racing, I'm sure the engineers in those racing categories would figure something out. :)

[@albertooc7787]

No

[@guip3r3z18]

no because in these categories they have the tyre management wich improved more racing and strategies ✨

[@mattcee7113]

You want to see crashes more?

[@bazzhm1447]

U just type something that u didnt even care. F1 ? 😅 😅 😅 😅 i dont thing euforia such a honest thing

[@TheAdnanmajor]

Look at all these hapless morons commenting above me. Guys, Relax! He's just sharing an idea. Who knows? Maybe someday that might become a reality. Don't just dismiss his opinions and then proceed to insult him. So, please... train and educate yourselves on proper decorum when it comes to interacting with people...even on the internet, yes? 🤔

[@SamAndrew27]

Just having these for off-roading would be AMAZING! When you're at 13k ft in the Rockies with no level ground to jack up the Jeep and no cell service, let me tell you a flat is a nightmare situation.

[@Theneweastwood]

We need these now!

[@Ken-tc3nq]

this episode is sponsored by Goodyear

[@EveningOfficer]

If these airless tires don’t last at least as long as pneumatic tires (60k miles) when they come out, I ain’t buying. If that means I have to wait till 2030, that’s fine by me.

[@kato3000]

I’ve never had a tire last for 60k miles

[@dragondaniel0574]

On the website it says they are designed to last 2-3X as long, But we'll see...

[@IIExhibitAII]

pretty cool and interesting video.. learned something from the CTO of Goodyear..

[@badmiyagi]

Sounds like a long time coming. With all the blowouts, flats, hydroplaning and on and on. My whole concern is pliability and sheer strength. Technology available today could very well come up with design and materials engineering that can be a game changer. Otherwise these new fangled tire designs may fall ‘flat’, pardon the pun on their face. Tensile and torsion strength mixed with pliability for high speed cornering. Centrifugal and centripetal forces can be a huge factor for secure seating if the tire bead on the rim edge. It will all vary when translating in to cost for extra heavy vehicles like semi tractor trailers too.

[@boowiebear]

The point about the need for a more reliable tire and autonomous vehicles is interesting. Seems both are many years away from mainstream.

[@maclokal]

They are big company, they know what they doing, unlike us guessing "what if...", 2030 is not long, cant wait the next future of tire, especially for EV

[@justintime41776]

There are videos of these from 10 years ago. I don't know what is taking so long.

[@justintime41776]

Car sits outside in cold weather. It snows 2 feet. Snow gets in the tire and freezes. Melts, freezes. When you go to drive the ice breaks the tire or you have a really bad wobble. I want to like these tires because you never have to worry about a flat in the middle of nowhere.

[@Beast9894]

That camera shot in the tire was awesome.

[@vitamind2387]

The problem is that these tires will kill the industry because they will actually work and new tires won’t be purchased nearly as often.

[@remix4098]

Have you read the other comments on this video. Apparently these tires might have huge issues.

[@streetassasinGSR96]

@@remix4098 especially since modern tires will last 100k miles with minimal issues. The rubber they’re using can take the heat, speed, debris and wear and run off of lower air pressures. They’re absurd. Michelins makes tweels and they are awesome on lawn mowers because the skeletonized design acts as suspension as well as airless system but they are ungodly expensive and need tons of work to be even considered over tires today

[@kuro758]

why is heat an issue when it's literally open from the sides?

[@rtsjunk1417]

It's the heat on the treads. The tires will melt at high speeds.

[@DougGrinbergs]

3:57 low-speed, low-load applications for starters: mower, autonomous shuttle and delivery cart 4:21 Goodyear airless maybe by 2030

[@markw235]

Wasn't sure if human narrator or robot

[@vicentetiu235]

For sure of my travel in a long distance for my sake of travel just for wanted if possible, how can i negociate the the tire size 265 x R70 Rim 16

[@wassiswallylokhankin191]

What is a rock gets stuck in the shear band? Will it damage the rim and then get catapulted outside, possibly killing someone or inflicting more damage?

[@rpinarreta]

I can't see the industry really promoting a tire that does not need replacing if punctured. I've had punctures too close to the outside wall requiring a complete replacement which would not be required if the tires were airless. Still think we need these even if for environmental reasons.

[@andrewoh2612]

Well rotations are still useless in the fact the front end will endure more load than the back, especially for drivers in constant stop and go traffic.

[@TigerOscar78]

How much would they cost?

[@michaelwaiwood5629]

What about snow, ice, and mud getting into the web of that tire? It won't be able to compress properly and will through the car severely out of balance. Also when I'm towing a trailer with my pick-up truck I can raise air pressure with the load and lower it for better ride when trailer is off. This tire doesn't give you that option and if it needs a special wheel on top of that it sounds very expensive and not worth it to me. Not saying it doesn't have a use case but seems limited.

[@JohnS-ki2zf]

I was concerned about that too but I saw a video of one of these tires full of mud and as the car drove it crushed all of the mud and dirt and it ejected. I saw a video that did the same with ice.

[@funnyWOMAB7048]

I've seen a demo where a bike tire was made out of a nitinol mesh (nitinol retains its shape under stress and can "remember" the shape it was forged into) that was encased in a small rubber sleeve, it was able to run over nails because the nitinol kept the structure instead of air pressure, so you could probably do something similar

[@ajk1616]

Only benefit I can think of is that you cannot puncture airless tire. Beyond that, there's only downsides. These tire are heavy to start with, which mean less efficient suspension, more fuel consumption etc. For special purposes only (like moon rover), no need to re-invent the wheel so to speak. Especially when (as of 2024) air does not cost anything.

[@navyboymommygramma]

Seems like a long way of saying , we'd lose a crap load of money if tires didn't blow out and go flat all the time.

[@concaveeruption8266]

The airless tires are phenomenal! But think about it . Imagine airless tires on every car every vehicle. Tire company’s would all go out of business. What is taking so long is that there still trying to produce an airless tire that will deteriorate, break, expire, run flat til no grip or til it’s integrity will last less not last a lifetime! Once they figure that out then tire company’s can stay in business auto shops won’t lose money an nothing will change prices will continue to go up! Once airless tires are ready for sale there will be a lot of disappointing customers!

[@RealGalaxyGamers]

The main reason you replace tires is do to wear. Airless tires will still wear down over time.

[@concaveeruption8266]

Yah we won’t hav a choice to replace airless tires cus they will wear out also. your right.

[@luked2767]

That's stupid they can just control the amount of tread on the product to run down faster than a standard one.

[@jayschafer1760]

If the tire manufacturers can make an ultra long lasting tire, even if it costs a lot more, I think they'd find a market for it in fleets. Roadside service calls and lost productivity for big trucks, tractor trailers, city buses, and delivery trucks aren't cheap. Show an organization with 1,000 fleet vehicles that the cost per tire mile will be the same with the high-tech tires but that their maintenance and service calls (not to mention lost vehicle/driver productivity) to replace/repair tires will be much less, and the companies will bite. If they don't, get your lobbyists to play the environmental argument and convince laws to be passed mandating longer lasting, "more environmentally friendly" tires. If the concern is that long lasting tires will cost too much upfront or won't live up to the longevity claims, the tire manufacturers could lease the tires to fleet users on a $/1k miles/tire or $/month/tire basis, thus basically guaranteeing vehicle owners a set tire cost per month or per mile. That's done with some expensive aircraft components, and even with things like contracts for copier maintenance and supplies at big offices (companies pay X per page printed).

[@rickyay26]

You have zero understanding of how marketing and consumer science works.

[@MIKUIEL]

This saves money so it won’t be pushed out yet

[@Citizen-of-theworld]

Replacing air with polymer material is going to add a lot of rotating mass, and increase air resistance as that sprung connecting layer is basically a fan. They will be far less efficient than existing tyre and likely much more expensive - as the construction is likely much more complicated. Don’t really see many advantages other than puncture avoidance.

[@heyman5525]

A tire that never goes flat is a huge factor. Farm trucks, tractors, construction vehicles, lawn mowers, etc. These tweels are the future in vehicles operating 55mph and below.

[@Tanfo77]

Wait till snow gets in and becomes compacted. The weight it adds.

[@--gmoney5572]

They should put foam in the spaces in-between. That way it looks, or doesn't get looked through as a normal tire!

[@kuro758]

more heat. less compression. additional material. increased maintenance. bad.

[@jaydee-acts238]

They only last as long as a normal tyre without a puncture... Once the tread wears you will need to replace them for warrant of fitness

[@aggabus]

2:51 1 tread 2:56 2 shear band 3:05 web 3 3:10 hub 4

[@aggabus]

2:27 Road . No robo breath

[@brucewayne2773]

can you imagine all the rocks , mud, debris that will wreak havoc on your car. this would work on slow moving equipment , definitely not on anything going faster 20 mph

[@brucewayne2773]

@Roger Vieira tires changes in shape as it treads over rocks and different terrains etc. So a cover would not work. This idea is really for vehicles used for construction where speed is not a factor

[@remix4098]

@@brucewayne2773 a cover would work of it were designed around the idea of constant shape shifting or size variations.

[@SaadNabil]

Airless tires should be here by now.

[@MainMatrix]

Michelin wants to sell all their air tires first before they put that on the market they have to sell all of their inventory to profit before they release this. If they try before they will have people with new airless tires and they will sell their current tires. However the new tires could be defective which could be smart for Michelin if other companies can’t compete. Because they would have people buying new air tires after selling their old ones. however this will not be the case because they can and they can’t afford error which is why there still being tested.

[@nereanim]

Just use electromagnetic levitation duh! Replace the need for an air cushion by a powerful magnet.

[@montanamountainmen6104]

Uh huh, heres my thoughts. I live in Montana, mud , snow, ice are the norm. Will these tides shed mud, ice, snow from the inner open spokes , or will the tire be off balance. 2nd if they won't last 45-60 thousand miles, forget it not worth the hassle.. I own a Jeep Wrangler, Ford Diesel F-250 and a 4door Optima. if you can't haul heavy weight , per say my diesel or off road as with my Jeep or drive distance as per the sedan, don't bother I'll stick with the tried and proven pneumatic tires..

[@alexjackson4077]

The narrator is very unenthusiastic 🙁

[@yobouske]

Go watch the Disney channel then. She provided info without any distracting fluff. Well done

[@Tylerpierre99]

She may well sound unenthusiastic but at least she wasn't waffling and giving cringing anecdotes like some narrator's

[@bazzhm1447]

This kind of tyre had been hyped for years , its time to tell the truth , its not for regular street car (X )or even school BUS (X)

[@alwallace7371]

You can and could buy airless tires for a while now and they have been used in construction and heavy machinery for a while now too

[@Director-M]

yes but in those applications, the vehicles move at relatively low speeds, therefore the airless tires won't heat up. won't work for a daily driver, at least not yet. also, I quite like the ability to control how much air is in my tire to increase the contact patch and traction.

[@bazzhm1447]

Yess , i had been saw that tyre for heavy lifted non street vehicle .

[@sleddingfarmer8692]

It was at least 7 years ago I used a skid steer with these tires at work. They work amazing. They ride really smooth... Much smoother than a standard tire. But they didn't last long. The tread would delaminate off much sooner than a standard tire would wear out. Once they fix that issue, they'll be great, for skid steers at least. They'll be far too expensive for cars, in my opinion.

[@tomh225]

Just make solid rubber tyre

[@kuro758]

expensive. very inflexible. low af compression. bad.

[@invidatauro8922]

Hope you dont' hit a bump at anything over 15 miles per hour.

[@Very_Angry_Citizen]

Big Rubber industry conspiracy.

[@John-tx5or]

Should make them more solid... Even A Big CORE w/ Solid Rubber Around it. Forget the Air.

[@Richard-lg2lz]

If there is no air in the tire to cool it off it will get hot melt and deformed at high speed

[@sizzlechest1110]

Money... simple as that

[@Aminmotors]

The contact patch will undoubtedly be too large due to the inherent soft nature of the tyre. This will make it less efficient and wear faster.

[@tengisdashmunkh3734]

Paul Einstein?

[@ThatBugBehindYou]

It doesn't help that Making tires that don't need to be inflated runs contrary to making the most money possible.

[@danblauwal4524]

I am the king of tires

[@drewidrie2396]

LET'S HAVE SOME TRUTH HERE! Tires we need to keep replacing make the scumbags more money!

[@InfinitismYT]

Ask AI to improve the tire and see what happens.

[@dancingcaulk2656]

the narrator really doesnt like her job....

[@nickname_somewhat]

Beacause of no air pressure mechanic imitation Why is 3d airless tyres such a mess

[@aggabus]

1,000 rev per mile X 1m mile 1 b rev pr

[@fosforus1588]

2:47 - COM-po-nents?? lol, dude says everything else very normal middle-American... then says COM-po-nent instead of cəm-PO-nent like normal.

[@IvanOoze1990]

These tires are a rip off, 1k per tire... no thankyou.

[@markvendley9789]

1k?

[@jalsr.speak2379]

Let's just stick with pneumatic tires.

[@mikeedelstein3845]

We should have just stuck with horses.

[@Wargasm54]

Replace the air with a magnetic cushion geniuses. Send me the royalty check when you get it figured out.

[@greenearth9945]

So what I heard was a lot of BS excuses masking the real reason which is that corporations now a days are getting lazy and don't want to take any risks to not upset the shareholders.

[@hugdeez]

AI & 3d printing should solve most issues.

[@Xenon-4300]

Eliminating the need for a wheel? NO THANKS.

[@freydsonventura6323]

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 KJV

[@joshmontes524]

Hail Satan

[@freydsonventura6323]

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV

[@paulburns1522]

Extra weight. No options for tyre pressure between different vehicles. Extra cost. Why please?

[@Hiphopdatruthnohate]

Im sure they can make 🛞 better .!!! Its a Matter of making profit .!!