This was actually developed many, many years ago by another company.

It was inferior to the pneumatic tire back then and still is today.

These will be perfect for bank robbers - nothing like a flat tire to buzz kill your heist getaway.

I wonder what the ride is like? I mean, for after the robbery and it's time to go have dinner.

Thanks for covering this!

~Steve

The design shown does not look like it will not work on existing wheels and thus limit the up-take to only new cars with the new tweel wheels. The design should be modified so that the tweel can be retrofitted onto exisiting pnuematic wheels. It might also be more accepted if there were cosmetic sidewalls.

Video of Tweels...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqRJ9GfIJtI

I wonder how the centrifigal force at speed would expand the tire versus conventional radials. Or for that matter, the torque at initial acceleration.

That looks pretty good, but what if a "prankster" cuts two or three of those spokes? I figure the retail version will have the sides covered, just like the regular ones we use now.

The original press release from Jan 2005 http://www.michelinman.com/difference/releases/pressrelease01102005a.html

And the first time you drive through mud and get some inside of the tread, it throws the entire "tweel" off balance.

Ever been in a car with unbalanced tires? Not fun.

I thought I had an original idea. There goes my pattent.

a little dated : DETROIT, M.I. (January 9, 2005) – Today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Michelin showcased a potential future for mobility, an integrated tire and wheel combination missing one ingredient that is vital for traditional tire performance...air. The company unveiled the first real-world fitments for its revolutionary "Tweel" – which operates entirely without air. View the photo gallery.

Um... What happens with tire tread? I mean wear and tear? You have to buy a whole new tweel?

*redneck* If it aint broke don't fix it.

I'm sure the rappers will be very excited...

I think these have the potential to be really useful for a number of reasons. If the noise can be managed (and it probably can) then you've got thousands of different uses here. It would be cool to not have to worry if my wife it going to blow a tire on our truck, besides, I think it would be very cool to look at.

Y'all with the 20 inch rims already give up a tremendous amount of ride quality with the low profile tires so you can look properly "gangsta", I don't imagine that this would stop you at all. Just add a little bling into the spoke, and you're hooked up.

Hurray! I'd be willing to invest in these, and sleep well knowing I wont have to wake up to a slashed tire ever again.

This was first shown at detroit 2005. It was never put into production because they did not want to spend all that money just to make a tire that only the military would buy. But then the Army armored its Humvees and they became too heavy for the tweel. think about it, the air pressure inside a tire allows it to support a lot of weight.

Someone anonymous made the comment about snow - I've got to agree that these would be, as they are, a bad idea in the snow. They'de probably work if they were covered. But being from Coastal Maine, can't say that I'd want em' in our winters.

Great concept but up here in Canada (and many parts of the USA) the snow will drift into the openings or worse road-dirt and mud. This will cause a major imbalance issue unless the sides are covered in.

agreed. dumbasses.

of course the final product would have a sidewall.

Mandating tire pressure gauges on truck tires is feasible as the technology is already available . Running at the correct pressure gets greater mileage and wear. It also avoids blow-outs.

A guy was killed in the last couple on months near here after being caught up in a blow out situation

The concept is cool but there are downsides you have to look at like changing tire preassure for when your hauling a heavy load or if you want a smooth ride with no load how are they going to hold up against time and are they backwards compatible with old rims there's still a lot to look at.

good idea which have to keep on going. nothing was perfect from the first time.remember first cars, computers, watches, trains, internet, etc. it has to start with something, and experience/usage is the only way to improve it.