Future Gear: The Truck Trend Top 15
A few tire companies have developed run-flat tires, the most recent production example being the Michelin PAX on the Honda Odyssey. This system uses a support ring inside the tire and a bead that won't come off, even with a total loss of air pressure. It also has a monitoring unit to alert the driver in the event of pressure loss. At the NAIAS in Detroit, Michelin showed two newer designs currently being tested that could throw the whole idea of a tire into question. The Tweel is essentially a rubber tread separated from the rim by what looks like thick rubber spokes--it can absorb bumps like a regular tire, but is much stiffer laterally for better cornering and response, allowing the tire to be designed as an integral suspension unit. The airless Tweel has sidewalls, but the flexible characteristics are three-dimensional so the car doesn't have to stop, even if a radial band is compromised.
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