The automobile industry is advancing constantly and we don’t see any signs it will stop in the near future. We all know what that means for cars. They will become more and more automated until we achieve fully automatic cars. But what will happen with the tyres? Surely, they won’t stay the same.
Frankly, we haven’t seen any major changes in the tyre industry for a long time. Sure, the technology has improved a lot and tyres have become drastically better and safer, but the principle behind their use has remained the same.
Well, until today. Recently, a couple of major tyre manufacturers have come out with their new designs, which show us what they plan for the tyres in the future. Some of them are still prototypes and concepts, and we won’t see them in use anytime soon, but some of them are already in use. So without further ado, let’s dive right into the new tyre technologies.
The Tweel
Let’s start with the tyre technology that is already in use, the Tweel. This funny-sounding tyre is practically a combination of a tyre and a wheel, hence the name. Its developer, Michelin, has stated that this type of tyre will boost a car’s overall performance. Initially, they used them on small vehicles like the Segway, golf cart, etc. But they slowly started to apply them to construction and commercial vehicles.
This design brings some innovative solutions for tyres. For example, because of how it is designed the Tweel doesn’t need any air pressure, so there is no risk of your tyre going flat. Also, it absorbs shock much better, allowing for a much smoother ride. This technology has a lot more to go, but it’s headed in the right direction.
Intelligrip
The second on our list is an Intelligrip tyre. This design comes from Goodyear and they are pretty optimistic about it. They first showcased it on the 86th Geneva International Motor show in the prototype stage. This tyre is a bit more traditional because it retains the traditional cylindrical shape, but what makes it superior than the regular tyre are the sensors in it.
Intelligrip uses sensors to track data both inside and outside of the car. It assesses the weather, conditions on the road, grip, wear and tear on the tyre, temperature and the pressure of it, and much, much more and uses that data to improve control. Sure, unlike the Tweel, Intelligrip uses air pressure and the wheel can be damaged, but luckily, we have highly-qualified wheel repair specialists in Sydney that offer repair services.
Eagle-360
Lastly, we have a concept tyre that Goodyear also showcased on the 86th Geneva International Motor show. We won’t see this tyre we won’t see on the roads in the next couple of years, but still, it could be the future of the tyre industry. At first glance, eagle-360 seems like something from a sci-fi movie. It has a spherical shape and has no way to attach to the car physically. That is because the manufacturer envisioned tyre held in place with magnetic levitation. This way it will be able to move full 360 degrees in every direction.
A car with these tyres will be able to avoid obstacles without any trouble and most importantly passengers won’t feel a thing. Because the car floats on top of the tyres, bumps and cracks on the road won’t be a threat. This is very, very early in design, so it might not become commercially available at all, but it is an interesting insight into what tyre manufacturers are creating.
And that’s it from us. We hope that you found this article interesting and that you learned something new about the world of tyres. For now, we can just watch and wait until they release some of these prototypes.
