http://forums.streetfire.net/showthread.php?s=&t=251

 

those aren't going to work, they were pretty much just an excersize in engineering b/c the road noise above 30 mph is unbearable.

 

Crazy. Might be fun to drive into the local Mr. Tire with those things and tell them to put in a few pounds of air.

 

**repost**

 

I spoke with some Michelin engineers at the last Detroit Auto Show about these tires. They are serious about the technology. The sides wont be open if/when this went into production. I asked about road and wind noise too. They said it was "noticable" when driving, so - to me that means loud. Not to mention in those MI winters the snow would get stuck in the wheels But they said sidewall strength was very strong and traction was similar or better than standard tires. Some interesting stuff there.

 

Old News.

They will be nice for daily commute, ****ty on the track.

 

Not in total agreence with you on that one.
Maybe i'm reaching out on a limb here, but I can see the performance implications.

Think about it, you are now getting increased sidewall stiffness due to the arrangment of the "ribs" inside the tires. Aslo considering that there are various harnesses of rubber, it's not that hard to concieve that they could in effect create a performance version of these tires that are more tuned to sport/race driving. (acutally I see this more practical in Rally racing then street/track)

I guess to me this has some great potential. But the real question is, how affordable is it going to be?

 

My thought is that the sidewalls may get crushed/fold on sharp turns just based on how thick they look. I could be way off, though.

 

saw it about 6 months ago. i wonder if it would act like wrikle wall slicks, large foot print under hard acceleration, good for drag racing.

 

They will be used for fleet cars first. Taxi cabs, delivery vehicles (like the medical lab cars) and municipal vehicles. It'll be a long time before they are seen regularly on the highway. And it won't sell to consumers until they can find a way to bling bling the center from that utilitarian black!

 

those things are ugly.

 

New meaning in run flat tires

 

It would take some serious long term testing to assure the public that the ribs will hold up over time. I would mainly be concerned with deterioration over time and collapsing. And I have to wonder if they would sustain a lapse in structural integrity if you hit a good pothole or bump when cornering? In other words how much lateral deformity can they take before loosing integrity? Pretty interesting concept though, at some point maybe the wheel will be re-invented, or the tire at least!

 

welcome to 6 months ago

 

good luck trying to drop a couple of lbs. out of the rear at the track.