Diablo Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Forget See-Through rims, its all about see through tires now These tires are made in South Carolina , USA .. SEE THROUGH TIRES Radical new tire design by Michelin. The next generation of tires. They had a pair at the Philadelphia car show. These tires are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soon.The bad news for law enforcement is that spike strips will not work on these. Just think of the impact on existing technology: A. no more air valves... B. no more air compressors at gas stations... C. no more repair kits... D. no more flats... These are actual pictures taken in the South Carolina plant of Michelin. Hope its not a re-post, I did a search and didn't find a thread on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austenp405 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=133229&highlight=tweel http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=107469&highlight=tweel Posted over 2 years ago, but still a cool idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Been waiting patiently for these to come out. I don't really care about the convenience factors so much as the 10x increase in lateral traction that they are claiming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxjoeyxxeb Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 They will have side walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrariferg Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I've been seeing these on TV for years. I hope they come out some time soon. I've never heard any mention of a sidewall before. The idea is for them to be light weight and use less rubber so a sidewall is not necessary to keep its shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 The sidewall would just be to lessen the odds they are rejected for looking wierd. The biggest problem they have been having is vibration and noise. I sincerely hope they solve at least the vibration part, I can handle the noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rturbo 930 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I've been seeing these on TV for years. I hope they come out some time soon. I've never heard any mention of a sidewall before. The idea is for them to be light weight and use less rubber so a sidewall is not necessary to keep its shape. How many people do you think would buy them if they didn't have sidewalls? My guess would be "not a lot." Not to mention, the way it is now, dirt and whatnot can get stuck in there... Granted they ARE street tires, but some of us like to go "offroading" once in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris556452 Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 Looks really neat but... How are they stuck on the rims? With a conventional tire and wheel, say you hit a curb and un-seat the bead, big whoop, you just re-seat and fill with air. What if you break the "bead" on one of these? Would you have to buy a whole wheel and tire combo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrariferg Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I'm not saying they won't. Just that I hadn't heard anything about it. I can think of a list of reasons as to why they should, and probably will have them. I personally like the look or them without sidewalls but I don't think I would buy any because I think the cool factor would wear off after they start to get filled with dirt and grime. Having to clean them out all the time would get old really quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 They will need sidewalls. I can image assholes sticking bottles in the gaps while your car is parked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted March 10, 2009 Share Posted March 10, 2009 Looks really neat but... How are they stuck on the rims? With a conventional tire and wheel, say you hit a curb and un-seat the bead, big whoop, you just re-seat and fill with air. What if you break the "bead" on one of these? Would you have to buy a whole wheel and tire combo? It is constructed as a one piece tire and wheel together (hence TWEEL.) You buy a new "combo" every time you replace them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK-Z Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 been talked about on here before. search tweel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArnZ Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I have been waiting for something to circumvent spike strips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc052685 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Yeah, been seeing these for maybe 4-5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I have been waiting for something to circumvent spike strips. LOL! Too funny! I wouldn't buy them just for the fact that they are hidious! Function over looks for me most of the but not this time! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unofootball43 Posted March 13, 2009 Share Posted March 13, 2009 I see some issues with these tires and driving in the winter. Ice chunks and compressed snow in the tire wouldn't be a good thing. They definately will need sidewalls but as long as they are not extreamly heavy I would buy a set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I remembered this post as I was rambling my way through one of my favorite blogs, shorpy.com. Its a historical photograph archive, and I recently discovered that these "new" wheels are in fact a very old idea. Click the link to see the Trublpruf tire from 1920: http://www.shorpy.com/node/5270?size=_original Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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