Airless tyres? That seems absurd. After all, virtually every tyre you see on the road these days has air in it. That is why if you get a nail or some kind of scarring in the tyre, you lose air and you are off the road.
This seems illogical to think that you can have tyres without air in them, but there is a new technology that enables you to safely drive on these new tyres. No doubt this will likely create a lot of questions in your mind, and this article will help to answer those questions.
So, What Exactly Are Airless Tyres?
The most obvious place to begin is to ask what exactly are airless tyres? First, it is important to state that this is not the same thing as a run-flat tyres. Those type of tyres are strengthened on the sidewalls, enabling you to drive as much as 80 km at 80 km/h. Those tyres still have air in them.
However, the tyres are completely different, as no air is needed to fill the tyres whatsoever. This means that it can never suffer some type of severe puncture that would cause the tyre to deflate. After all, there is no air in the tyre.
These types of tyres are also known as non-pneumatic tyres, and are made with a revolutionary new design. These tyres have actually been around since J-V-Martin first designed them back in 1938, but are finding greater use. Instead of being filled with air, the tyre is designed with dozens of spokes, providing support.
What Are the Benefits?
You may be looking at this and wondering if airless tyres are a good idea. After all, everyone has come across a situation where they were driving down the road and suddenly noticed that their tyre was going flat. This leads to the necessity of replacing the tyre, which can be costly if you don’t have a good spare. While you can save a lot of money by choosing to try to repair small leaks and scars, not all tyres can be so easily fixed in this way.
What has been found is that drivers are far less likely to have issues related to punctures or other types of damage to the tyre. Goodyear, for example, has already performed a rigorous testing on several models and have revealed that even after the spokes were broken or deformed, but tyre still functioned safely.
What this means is that you do not need a spare tyre. Should you have a problem with your current tyre, you would still be able to drive on it for a considerable amount of time until you need it to have the tyre physically replaced. This keeps you from needing to pay for that extra tyre, giving you more space in your vehicle and saving you money at the same time.
One other major benefit to these tyres is that they can easily be recycled. This is likely to primarily be the reason why these become the standard for future vehicles.
With a growing concern about the environment and the impact that waste is having on the earth, consumers and manufacturers are looking for better ways to help save the planet. Because these tyres have a greater viability for recycling, they are going to be the tyre of choice in the future. You absolutely can count on that.