New tire concept form Michelin

[Zef]

A friend sent me these pics via e-mail...Is it a fake or it's real...?

[frogger]

That's been around for a while. A couple of years, I think.

[FastCarFan]

Originally Posted by frogger

That's been around for a while. A couple of years, I think.

I agree. May even be more than a couple of years. I remember reading about is a couple of places, quite awhile ago.

It is interesting...but strange looking.

[speedracing944]

I can only imagine how unbalanced they would be when those fins get packed full of good old Wisconsin snow.

Speedy

[oldE]

I was speaking to a couple of Michelin reps the other day at a career fair. They had a smaller version at their booth, designed for motorized wheelchairs. Other current applications include all terrain vehicles.

They referred to it as a Twheel, as it combines the tire and wheel function together. Their presentation had a few clips of that Audi with the prototype Twheel. They laughed and said one of the biggest complaints from testing was the whistling which came from the spokes which had been designed for energy absorption/and stability without much consideration for their accoustic properties.

Les

[kstar]

For those who didn't know, the street versions do have a sidewall. The pictures show a demonstration version.

Best,

Kurt

[speedracing944]

so much for adjusting your tire pressure to fine tune handling.

Speedy

[Zef]

Originally Posted by speedracing944

I can only imagine how unbalanced they would be when those fins get packed full of good old Wisconsin snow.

Speedy

No problem there...the fins are heated....