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2019 Dune Silver Metallic E-450 Mercedes Cabriolet NEW Mercedes 2020 GLC300 graphite gray SUV
Originally Posted by as.thompson
They don't look very nice for starters.
But how would you clean the road grime, etc. out of the small cavities.
A rubber sidewall would fix the appearance and the cleaning challenge but would add weight.
Who cares about weight of the sidewall? Probably no more than a conventional tire. Looks don't bother me at all. I've seen uglier wheels that people spend thousands on. My only question is how they would survive sharp metal objects like debris on a road? Didn't see an example of that. Plus, I wonder how comfortable it rides?
Michelin has been experimenting with airless tires for decades now. Their most recent effort before this was the TWEEL. Its used on some heavy commercial equipment. This latest iteration looks very similar. One thing it obviates is snow. In snowy climes a tire of such design would be chronically unbalanced since snow would accumulate unevenly within the tire structure. Furthermore, dealers would be very reluctant or refuse to again buy new equipment as they did with the now defunct, and short lived, pax system.