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Michelin Airless Tire (for cars)
"Michelin unwrapped an early prototype
of an airless tire, a product that could change the face of an industry it helped found. With a maximum safe speed of 170 miles per hour, the prototype performs similarly to inflatable tires — with important differences. 'No more pressure checks, no more flats, no more spare wheels,' said Daniel Laurent, Michelin director of conception and development. The tire is made from 115 rings of tough resin laced with glass fiber and remains roadworthy even when shot with a rifle. Tests show it will outlast the average car, Laurent said, leaving just the outer treads to be replaced periodically. No date has yet been set for its commercial launch." http://snipurl.com/9dwx |
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#2
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Will we see them on the road before the two hundred mpg carburetor.
"Richard Tack" wrote in message news:WN96d.4143$2t5.1174@trnddc07... "Michelin unwrapped an early prototype of an airless tire, a product that could change the face of an industry it helped found. With a maximum safe speed of 170 miles per hour, the prototype performs similarly to inflatable tires — with important differences. 'No more pressure checks, no more flats, no more spare wheels,' said Daniel Laurent, Michelin director of conception and development. The tire is made from 115 rings of tough resin laced with glass fiber and remains roadworthy even when shot with a rifle. Tests show it will outlast the average car, Laurent said, leaving just the outer treads to be replaced periodically. No date has yet been set for its commercial launch." http://snipurl.com/9dwx |
#3
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In article ,
"Doug Huffman" wrote: "Richard Tack" wrote in message news:WN96d.4143$2t5.1174@trnddc07... "Michelin unwrapped an early prototype of an airless tire, a product that could change the face of an industry it helped found. With a maximum safe speed of 170 miles per hour, the prototype performs similarly to inflatable tires — with important differences. Note that a wide variety of cars, especially those with no good place to put a spare tire (Chevrolet Corvette) use run-flat tires now. The run-flats have very stiff sidewalls, and are usually rated for reduced speed and short distances (the relatively CYA 55 mph and 50 miles are typical) while uninflated. Not sure how the deflated tire is retained on the rim. The tire is made from 115 rings of tough resin laced with glass fiber and remains roadworthy even when shot with a rifle. Tests show it will outlast the average car, Laurent said, leaving just the outer treads to be replaced periodically. No date has yet been set for its commercial launch." Retreads are not a new concept; big truck tires are routinely re-capped. I don't know exactly why car tires are generally not retreaded, though I have some speculative guesses. http://snipurl.com/9dwx I found Michelin's press release, which shows a small picture, two other tire concepts, gives some structural details, and notes this concept is suitable for two-wheeled vehicles as well, which surprises me: http://tinyurl.com/4ydsu Will we see them on the road before the two hundred mpg carburetor. The 200 mpg carburetor exists. You can find them attached to 50 cc scooters. I was going to make a snarky comment about how the popularity of scooters indicates how much people really care about fuel economy, but at least in Canada, scooters are hot sellers. BC also has a a growing (though not booming) market for electric bicycles, as the rules were relaxed to allow electric bicycles with a maximum assisted level-ground speed of 32 km/h to be ridden on the roads without a license or insurance. -- Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com Verus de parvis; verus de magnis. |
#4
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Richard Tack wrote:
"Michelin unwrapped an early prototype of an airless tire, a product that could change the face of an industry it helped found. With a maximum safe speed of 170 miles per hour, the prototype performs similarly to inflatable tires — with important differences. 'No more pressure checks, no more flats, no more spare wheels,' said Daniel Laurent, Michelin director of conception and development. The tire is made from 115 rings of tough resin laced with glass fiber and remains roadworthy even when shot with a rifle. Tests show it will outlast the average car, Laurent said, leaving just the outer treads to be replaced periodically. No date has yet been set for its commercial launch." http://snipurl.com/9dwx Are they heavy? That wouldn't be good for economy. Wayne |
#5
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On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:05:06 -0400, "Doug Huffman"
wrote: Will we see them on the road before the two hundred mpg carburetor. Since the 200mpg carburetor was a myth anyway, if the Michelin airless tire ever gets launched at all, it will be on the road first. Chances are that it will get a limited run on exotic vehicles if it gets produced at all. Michelin has announced radical tire designs previously without their becoming commonplace. It usually turns out that the tech is jusr too pricey, even with economies of scale, to get to the mainstream. -- Typoes are a feature, not a bug. Some gardening required to reply via email. Words processed in a facility that contains nuts. |
#6
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On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:35:23 -0700, Ryan Cousineau
wrote: Retreads are not a new concept; big truck tires are routinely re-capped. I don't know exactly why car tires are generally not retreaded, though I have some speculative guesses. From several sources in the industry, the reason is simple; used belted radials are not a reliable source of carcasses because the common flaws that make them unsuitable are not readily detectable by economically feasible inspection methods. The 200 mpg carburetor exists. You can find them attached to 50 cc scooters. From what I've seen, the Chinese-made scooters sold in this area wouldn't crack 150mpg coasting downhill without a rider. The tech they use is *crude*; they're at the level of toys, not serious hardware. 200mpg may be claimed, but I sincerely doubt that anything close is actually achieved. The people I know who have had one state that 60mpg is more like the real figure. I was going to make a snarky comment about how the popularity of scooters indicates how much people really care about fuel economy, but at least in Canada, scooters are hot sellers. BC also has a a growing (though not booming) market for electric bicycles, as the rules were relaxed to allow electric bicycles with a maximum assisted level-ground speed of 32 km/h to be ridden on the roads without a license or insurance. In the US, in past years, interest in scooters and other low-power personal transport devics has usually been stifled by application of regulations. In the early '70s, mopeds managed to get a toehold due to the gas crunch, but the reports I am hearing currently lead me to believe that the present crop of scooters will not make a lasting impression. Most of them are, quite frankly, crap, and existing laws make their use on streets and highways questionable or illegal, depending on where you are and who you ask. That's not the way to build an alternate transportation structure. -- Typoes are a feature, not a bug. Some gardening required to reply via email. Words processed in a facility that contains nuts. |
#7
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"Ryan Cousineau" wrote: (clip)I don't know exactly why car tires are generally not retreaded, (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It used to be very common to recap car tires also. I was told be a local recapper that the manufacturers save a little bit on the cost of a new tire by using rubber that does not bond well to the new tread, and that is why it's no longer done. We had a recapper here in the SF East Bay who provided recaps all the sports car and performance car buffs. I even heard of people who liked his work so much they would buy new tires, and then have him grind off the treads and recap them. |
#8
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In article ,
Werehatrack wrote: On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:35:23 -0700, Ryan Cousineau wrote: Retreads are not a new concept; big truck tires are routinely re-capped. I don't know exactly why car tires are generally not retreaded, though I have some speculative guesses. From several sources in the industry, the reason is simple; used belted radials are not a reliable source of carcasses because the common flaws that make them unsuitable are not readily detectable by economically feasible inspection methods. The 200 mpg carburetor exists. You can find them attached to 50 cc scooters. From what I've seen, the Chinese-made scooters sold in this area wouldn't crack 150mpg coasting downhill without a rider. The tech they use is *crude*; they're at the level of toys, not serious hardware. 200mpg may be claimed, but I sincerely doubt that anything close is actually achieved. The people I know who have had one state that 60mpg is more like the real figure. I wasn't even thinking about the various unlicensed motorized kick-scoots and mini-motorcycles that are currently rolling around; I was referring to real live normal, licensed scootes like the Honda Jazz/Metro, Yamaha BWs 50, etc. But having looked them up, I have overstated the real-world claimed mileage for these. The most optimistic site I could find quotes a top of 130 mpg. I extrapolated from the performance of the Suzuki GN125, a very small motorcycle which tested out at over 100 mpg. I was going to make a snarky comment about how the popularity of scooters indicates how much people really care about fuel economy, but at least in Canada, scooters are hot sellers. BC also has a a growing (though not booming) market for electric bicycles, as the rules were relaxed to allow electric bicycles with a maximum assisted level-ground speed of 32 km/h to be ridden on the roads without a license or insurance. In the US, in past years, interest in scooters and other low-power personal transport devics has usually been stifled by application of regulations. In the early '70s, mopeds managed to get a toehold due to the gas crunch, but the reports I am hearing currently lead me to believe that the present crop of scooters will not make a lasting impression. Most of them are, quite frankly, crap, and existing laws make their use on streets and highways questionable or illegal, depending on where you are and who you ask. That's not the way to build an alternate transportation structure. Again, I'm not talking about the mini-scoots and other silliness; I mean real live scooters with lights, license plates, and non-dubious legality. As for my self-imposed 200 mpg challenge, I could probably manage it on a scooter, as the basic tendency with those poor things is to wring their necks at every stoplight to get max acceleration. That's not crazy, since max acceleration is still pretty tepid. Rode a pretty cool Benelli in Greece, -- Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com Verus de parvis; verus de magnis. |
#9
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Ryan Cousineau wrote in
: As for my self-imposed 200 mpg challenge, I could probably manage it on a scooter, as the basic tendency with those poor things is to wring their necks at every stoplight to get max acceleration. That's not crazy, since max acceleration is still pretty tepid. You know, a hybrid scooter/motorbike would probably get 200mpg quite easily. All you need is regenerative braking. -- to email me, run my email address through /usr/bin/caesar (or rotate by -4) |
#10
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Ryan Cousineau wrote in
: As for my self-imposed 200 mpg challenge, I could probably manage it on a scooter, as the basic tendency with those poor things is to wring their necks at every stoplight to get max acceleration. That's not crazy, since max acceleration is still pretty tepid. You know, a hybrid scooter/motorbike would probably get 200mpg quite easily. All you need is regenerative braking. -- to email me, run my email address through /usr/bin/caesar (or rotate by -4) |
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