Michelin Airless Tires For Elio? Tweel?

[CrimsonEclipse]

Does firefly have something to do with the tweel? The thread says Michelin Airless Tires for Elio? Tweel? As I said, I am definitely missing something here. Z

Nah, merely thread drift.
and since it changed to Firefly, I ain't even mad!

 

[Ol' Blue]

Shucks Ol' Blue,
iffen you like that you'll love my hat...

why I think it's the sweetest hat ever.

 

[Snick]

PTB,
The Tweel is a cool concept to be sure, but I doubt we'll see them on vehicles traveling at highway speeds anytime soon... At least according to this article that quotes their Vice President Ralph Dimenna of Tweel Technologies... http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/michelin-finally-commits-to-mass-producing-the-tweel-ai-1661116195
Looks like the focus of their new manufacturing facility will be for off road lower speed applications where downtime due to flats is a problem... The Tweel first came to be in 2005, and initially they had vibration problems on cars traveling at speed, but supposedly they had solved that problem... My thinking is the Tweel is probably very expensive compared to a conventional tire which maybe the reason for their focus on commercial applications. I also wonder how they keep debris (dirt, brake dust, mud, slush, etc...) out of the openings between the spines of the Tweel. It would seem to me that this could be a real problem on a street car operating on a daily basis in all weather conditions... Still it's a pretty neat looking wheel/tire, and I read that they are mine resistant as well! So they have that going for it too! Time will tell...

h_r

A fleet operator of yard equipment (forklifts and such) over at Tdiclub.com said that they outlive the standard tires, such that in his evaluation, the Tweel was paying for itself and that they also clear mud and debris remarkably well. Those spines flex a lot. Have you watched the videos of them in action yet?

 

[wheaters]

I would put money on Elio fitting the most inexpensive tires that will do the job. At this stage, they are looking for ways to keep the base price down to the remarkably low one they presently quote.

I would put a bit more money down by saying that "Tweels" won't fit into that category.

By the way, judging by the name, I think they must have been invented by a Yorkshireman .

 

[hawg_ryder]

Do you know what it says and means? Z

Hey z,
I checked with a friend of mine in Zibo, China for a translation... As is often the case when going from one language to another there can be more than one meaning... peaceful, tranquil, quiet, Serenity, tranquility... she believes the meaning was "peaceful"... However, the name of the ship in the show is Serenity (see my avatar) so I think the producer's intent was that... I think wheater's translation was the funniest tho!

h_r

 

[hawg_ryder]

A fleet operator of yard equipment (forklifts and such) over at Tdiclub.com said that they outlive the standard tires, such that in his evaluation, the Tweel was paying for itself and that they also clear mud and debris remarkably well. Those spines flex a lot. Have you watched the videos of them in action yet?

Hidy Snick,

Sounds like your friend's evaluation confirms the position and direction of the Tweel Technologies/Michelin co. I have seen videos of them in action and the spines do flex quite a bit... However, industrial vehicles that these are being installed on are generally fairly low speed (30 mph or less) where debris would not be much of a problem (balance wise). I wonder how they fair on any of the luxo sedans at 80 mph... I think it wouldn't take much to affect balance... It's a moot point since Michelin hasn't any plans currently to produce them for passenger cars... Hey, it might not even be an engineering problem but marketing instead... A big part of personalizing a vehicle is tire/wheels... That wouldn't be possible with the Tweel... Everyone's wheels, er I mean Tweels would look the same (except for size differences)... If you run across anything on why they aren't going into the passenger car market I'd be interested to read it...
Meanwhile... I'm jus' waitin' for my E!

h_r

 

[W. WIllie]

As far as tires....I believe Elio has a supplier identified as "Cooper" tires. Cooper does make a LRR tire. a must if you are looking for great mileage, as in mpg.
Not using LRR tires on my G1 INSIGHT means a drop of at least 5 mpg.

Willie

 

[Folks]

By the way, judging by the name, I think they must have been invented by a Yorkshireman .

Please expound?

 

[Lil4X]

There's been a lot of interest since Michelin deputed the "tweel" some months ago, but the only real customers seem to be some ATV constructors and the military is looking at the technology for "bulletproof" tires on big ATVs and assumedly other wheeled armored vehicles. I would think a major disadvantage for use at speeds over 20-30 mph would be mud getting stuck between the ribs. Centrifugal force would push moderate-sized clods out to the rim where they would flatten against the back of the "tread" and throw the entire wheel out of balance.

This could be at least partially mitigated by dynamic wheel balancers. I've used these on boat trailers for years (especially when dip-galvanized rims make retaining conventional wheel weights nearly impossible), and have found them very effective, even with big gobs of muck adhering to the rim, they chatter a bit for a second or two, then smooth out nicely.

 

[Dooltd]

I've been interested in run flat tires but they do have some disadvantages. This attached article is quite enlightening. I think I'll just stick with the tires that come with my Elio and carry an inflator can of sealant.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/05/run-flat-tires-why-you-should-or-shouldnt-buy-them.html