Tired of flats? The Tweel may be for you.

3621 Views 6 Replies 6 Participants Last post by srmarti, Mar 11, 2015

Steverino

Discussion Starter · Mar 10, 2015

We've seen this concept before, even on the NASA moon buggy. Maybe it's getting a bit closer for car use?
I just got an email from my John Deere dealer promoting these:

Here's another application:

And then there is this old promo for car use:

Save

1 - 7 of 7 Posts

I remember hearing about these several years ago. I don't think they've ever really pursued it for road use though.
I would be very worried about dirt and snow building up inside the Tweel. This would likely hinder performance, and throw the wheel out of balance and cause dangerous shaking on the highway.
I even had snow build up inside one of my Volt wheels this winter and it caused my car to shake until I cleaned it out.

Save

mikethebike

· #3 · Mar 10, 2015

Mostly for off road such as Bob-Cats and things that have lots of flats do to where they work.

Save

Raymondjram

· #4 · Mar 10, 2015

emartin00 said:
I remember hearing about these several years ago. I don't think they've ever really pursued it for road use though.
I would be very worried about dirt and snow building up inside the Tweel. This would likely hinder performance, and throw the wheel out of balance and cause dangerous shaking on the highway.
I even had snow build up inside one of my Volt wheels this winter and it caused my car to shake until I cleaned it out.

If the accumulation of dirt, mud, and snow was a problem, Michelin would had tested that already, and maybe will either redesign the Tweel with those opening covered, or sell an aftermarket set of plastic covers to prevent the clogging.

I see this type of wheels perfect for EVs because they are lighter and can absorb road shock and noise better than the air-filled radials, in addition to being non-flats. If I had a BEV and could buy the Tweels for it, I will. And I will never get them clogged!

Save

Billtphotoman

· #5 · Mar 10, 2015

I do hope this or something similar becomes viable. It seems like even 2 inner tubes next to each other would greatly reduce the odds of a flat but air-less is better still.

Save

srmarti

· #6 · Mar 11, 2015

It's something that's been in development for some time now. The promo video is from 2005. Until it's actually available, there's not much more to say about it.

Save

srmarti

· #7 · Mar 11, 2015 (Edited)

Raymondjram said:
If the accumulation of dirt, mud, and snow was a problem, Michelin would had tested that already, and maybe will either redesign the Tweel with those opening covered, or sell an aftermarket set of plastic covers to prevent the clogging.

I see this type of wheels perfect for EVs because they are lighter and can absorb road shock and noise better than the air-filled radials, in addition to being non-flats. If I had a BEV and could buy the Tweels for it, I will. And I will never get them clogged!

Maybe that's why they aren't on cars. I also wonder about the aerodynamic effects of something that probably acts like a fan impeller. Not so sure they're perfect. According to a wiki article, the tweel had 5% MORE friction than a conventional radial tire. We'll just have to see if/when they're offered for cars.

Save

1 - 7 of 7 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month