Community Forums

Keith55 · 10-13-2021, 09:12 PM

Sure I am skeptical. I kinda the idea though. Tires have gotten better but all RVers and truckers know there is still large room for improvement.

https://www.startengine.com/gacw

Unless they license the patented technology, I think we would be a long way off.

I imagine this design would be stiff for trailer tires making them less likely to sway.

I saw a very similar design for bicycles. It did not take off but bikes are very weight restrictive.

TexasJeff · 10-13-2021, 09:30 PM

I know im past the age where i want to lift a 100 lb tire. Plus the overall savings of replacement when the tread wears out would be a huge thing. The ride should be able to be adjusted with focus on the suspension so i presume this would kick off a big redesign of the chassis before we get the benefit of no more roadside tire assist. Why do i feel i wont live long enough to see this? Great next step however. Id be more interested in this than going all electric.

Keith55 · 10-13-2021, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasJeff

I know im past the age where i want to lift a 100 lb tire. Plus the overall savings of replacement when the tread wears out would be a huge thing. The ride should be able to be adjusted with focus on the suspension so i presume this would kick off a big redesign of the chassis before we get the benefit of no more roadside tire assist. Why do i feel i wont live long enough to see this? Great next step however. Id be more interested in this than going all electric.

It sounds like the two (these tires and going all electric) go hand in hand. These tires have less rolling resistance so they may really increase the range of BEV's.

Donskiman · 10-13-2021, 10:21 PM

The ride is already harsh with a properly inflated rubber tire. A steel tire doesn't sound like it will lessen the harshness. How would they impact the already horrible roads? The mining application sounds promising, but not much was said about on the road use.

Keith55 · 10-14-2021, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donskiman

The ride is already harsh with a properly inflated rubber tire. A steel tire doesn't sound like it will lessen the harshness. How would they impact the already horrible roads? The mining application sounds promising, but not much was said about on the road use.

Thats what's really interesting. The wheel actually has suspension built into it. It looks like they are planning 3 suspension units per wheel.

bentjm · 10-14-2021, 12:47 PM

I think DOT approval will be an uphill battle.

JohnBike · 10-15-2021, 10:42 AM

These tires still have rubber treads. Much of the pollution attributed to tires comes from the constant pulverizing of the rubber treads. Then this washes off of roads and ends up in waterways.

The company promoting this scheme is being very disingenuous by calling their product “the end of rubber.”

Keith55 · 10-15-2021, 07:01 PM

I am skeptical but open minded.

Not a day goes by when there isn't a new thread about tire blow outs either on a trailer or MoHo.

I can see where if they get the first stage suspension the tire provides down then there are possibilities.

If they pull it off in mining, it is highly probably that they will learn enough to branch into other markets.

Given the choice of having to check and worry about tire pressures, deal with blowouts or try a new technology, I would be open minded about a new technology.

We have seen what happens when a front MoHo blows

slickest1 · 10-15-2021, 07:58 PM

Fred Flintstone was a man of vision !!!

atreis · 10-16-2021, 07:40 AM

There's a big difference between very low speed travel (mining) and high speed travel... That said, it seems promising and I hope they can make it work. As others have said, it's not "green"... That's disingenuous. But it has the potential to stop blowouts, which is always good.

Keith55 · 10-16-2021, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atreis

There's a big difference between very low speed travel (mining) and high speed travel... That said, it seems promising and I hope they can make it work. As others have said, it's not "green"... That's disingenuous. But it has the potential to stop blowouts, which is always good.

Yes I would agree it is not at all green. It is possible less bad than tires though if the wheel/tire combo lasts the life of the vehicle.

The thing that would concern me is that as you adjust the air pressure in your tires you are changing the contact patch. I would imagine these have one contact patch which is pretty much round.

Also, since the contact patch appears to be rubber, I am not sure I understand how they are getting it to last the life of the vehicle. Wouldn't the rubber on steel combination wear down just like a normal tire.

Nonetheless, even modern tires could use improvement and I would like to see a new iteration come about.

Ray,IN · 10-16-2021, 10:37 PM

I wonder if they are completely waterproof? If not, only low-speed applications are viable. The polyurethane(don't we already have a problem with minute plastic particles in water?) or steel tread is replaceable by sections per the website.

GypsyR · 10-17-2021, 07:48 PM

I find this a bit interesting: "Customized polyurethane or steel tread configurations" I don't think I'd much care to drive a vehicle capable of speeds touching on 200 mph on wet asphalt with steel treads. Might be a bit hard on the track when dry too.
When I see high performance tires made of polyurethane or with polyurethane treads winning some road races then I might be more sold on that version.
I don't think the heavy equipment stuff translates too well to passenger vehicle use just yet. It may come but I suspect they will to have to walk back some of that bad-mouthing of rubber.

geordi · 10-18-2021, 08:10 PM

From that website, it seems very few of the failure modes experienced by the mining trucks are with the tread simply wearing down. Clearly, mileage wear is going to be an issue with the road tires as well, but with the loads that the trucks are carrying and the harsh conditions they have to drive through, sidewall damage and heat transfer are easy to see as the primary reasons those huge wheels need replacement.

On the road however, we don't have as much of an issue with tires catching fire from overheating (they tend to just blow out or have a casing failure).... I don't see this being a solution for the main problem on the road: Wearing down of the contact surface tread! RVs are unique in that we age-out the rubber LONG before they mileage-out.... So perhaps there is a market use for RVs, IF the ride quality can be addressed to our satisfaction.

Air-filled tires deflect on impacts, these clearly will NOT. Even the Michelin "Tweel" is riding on a WIDE contact patch b/c of weight deflection from the vehicle above. That much flex means HEAT being developed in the structure of the wheel, which is why rubber air tires experience casing failure - they can't deal with that heat. This is interesting... But I don't think the applications are anywhere close to a marketable product yet - there's a reason you can't go into a shop and buy a Tweel for your car either. That's been at least 15 years since I first heard of them, and they are STILL very much a niche product only for skid steers.