Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Reinventing the wheel. Tweel

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Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. The Tweel prototype, demonstrated on the Audi A4, is within five percent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current pneumatic tires. That translates to within one percent of the fuel economy of the OE fitment. Additionally, Michelin has increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.

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Comfortable tires that have five times the lateral stiffness!

Now if they can make them so they will fit wheels that are currently on the market.

Originally posted by Kokopellian:

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Dang, those are fugly! Even if they are so stiff, once one of the spokes or whatever you call it are damaged, the tire is ruind and can't be replaced.

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Originally posted by PlatoSVT:

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Oh, I am all over this one.... Repost!

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Oops.

I would see the production version having a sidewall to cover the spokes. Without it the tires would have the possibility of filling with mud/snow/ice and not being able to self clean.

On the bright side, from the looks of it, the inside of the wheel is flat, not stepped like current wheels. That in itself would allow a larger brake then what would fit with current size wheels of the same diameter.