Owning a vehicle is often an expensive endeavour, with the hefty up-front investment giving way to yearly maintenance fees.
Of these, replacing tyres is one of the most expensive, but necessary, maintenance costs that arise every five or six years.
Drivers are tired of spending hundreds of pounds every few years, and the vehicle manufacturing industry is working on a solution in the form of new and improving airless tyres.
Airless tyres are not a new idea, but those currently available on the market are less than ideal, with problems such as increased noise and subpar grip preventing them from moving too far into the consumer market.
Tyre manufacturer Goodyear has been developing airless tyre technology since 1982, and has recently equipped a Tesla with the puncture-proof tyres.
To showcase the sturdier and more stable design, the vehicle was tested on Goodyear’s Luxembourg test track.
The tyres had no problem withstanding the stress of tight turns and are designed for use in both extreme high and low temperatures, according to Michael Rachita, head of Goodyear’s airless tyres initiative.
Airless tyres allow drivers to use their vehicles without worrying about tyre wear and tear
The biggest advantage that airless tyres offer users is their high-tech, puncture-proof design.
While traditional tyres must be replaced every few years, the airless variety can last the lifetime of the vehicle in question.
The model available in Luxembourg had been tested for about 120,000 kilometres, for example, at speeds as high as 160 kph.
Rachita said that because airless tyres are puncture-proof, drivers can run over a nail without experiencing any performance loss – and because they do not run low on air, drivers also never need to worry about regularly testing air tyre pressure, further cutting down on maintenance time and cost.
Not everyone is convinced that airless tyres are the future of driving, however, with some manufacturers sceptical that they will ever fully replace traditional options.
However, the biggest names in the industry disagree, with Goodyear leading the charge along with respected manufacturers Bridgestone, Michelin and General Motors.
Some experts also see airless tyres as an environmentally friendly option, with Ulf Sandberg, an independent researcher at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, pointing out that they not only last longer than traditional tyres, but they can also be retreaded for another chance at life or easily recycled.
Today’s news was brought to you by TD SYNNEX – the UK’s number one solutions distributor.
