Tires without air cannot go flat either. It sounds like a nice excuse from an intern who forgot to put valves in the rim, but in reality this is Michelin’s biggest selling point. The tire farmer has been working on tires without air for quite some time and last week the first cars with airless tires hit the road.
Michelin calls the tires Uptis, which stands for Unique Puncture-proof Tire System. Indeed, the tire that cannot go flat. Last week, the French La Poste sent the first three delivery vans on the road with the Uptis tyres. At the end of 2024, forty vans must be driving around with Michelin airless tires.
The tires therefore have no air, but a structure that takes over the damping effect. We expected the sidewall of the tire to be open only on demonstration tires, but apparently the structure remains visible. We are curious what it does to the balance and damping when mud or snow gets into the tires.
Who is the band for?
The tires without air are primarily intended for light commercial vehicles and delivery services in particular. A flat tire costs these companies a lot of money, and in this way the fleet keeps moving more. In Singapore, fifty vans must run on the airless tire by the end of this year.
With all the knowledge and data, the Uptis belt is made ready for production. It is not yet known whether the band will ever come to the private market. There are also no known prices of what the tire without air from Michelin should cost.
2023-07-05 16:05:03
#Michelins #airless #tires #hit #road #Europe
