[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/2024-year-of-the-airless-tyre\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/2024-year-of-the-airless-tyre\/","headline":"2024: Year Of The Airless Tyre?","name":"2024: Year Of The Airless Tyre?","description":"Could punctures become a thing of the past? Is Michelin\u2019s airless tyre really more than just a marketing stunt? You may have seen that last year, Michelin\u2019s airless tyre gained a lot of exposure. Basically going viral, their airless tyre design took the internet by storm with people getting very excited at the thought of never having to worry about getting a puncture or filling your tyres with air ever again. Funnily enough, this concept is not new at all, […]","datePublished":"2020-01-17","dateModified":"2020-02-04","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/#Person","name":"Isabelle Lawrence","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/author\/isabelle-lawrence\/","identifier":30,"description":"Max Wheeler is a leading motoring journalist and classic car specialist at Smart Motoring, renowned for his sharp insight and infectious passion for all things automotive. With years of experience covering motoring news, supercars, and the enduring legacy of classic cars, Max brings stories to life with style and authority. Whether it\u2019s the roar of a Lamborghini, the elegance of an Aston Martin DB5, or the cultural impact of vintage motoring icons, he delivers expert commentary that inspires enthusiasts and collectors alike. Dedicated to celebrating the heritage and future of driving, Max Wheeler is your trusted voice for classic car news and beyond.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8d331506e3c530b5ec4930c30a01ed8cc29b0537227573ae5da98f559e681401?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Smart Motoring","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/smart-motoring_news_logo_g-e1765846726493.webp","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2024-Year-Of-The-Airless-Tyre-feature.jpg","url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2024-Year-Of-The-Airless-Tyre-feature.jpg","height":520,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/2024-year-of-the-airless-tyre\/","about":["BLOG","Cars","LATEST CAR NEWS"],"wordCount":655,"keywords":["Airless Tyres","Michelin","Tyres"],"articleBody":"Could punctures become a thing of the past? Is Michelin\u2019s airless tyre really more than just a marketing stunt?You may have seen that last year, Michelin\u2019sairless tyre gained a lot of exposure. Basically going viral, their airlesstyre design took the internet by storm with people getting very excited at thethought of never having to worry about getting a puncture or filling your tyreswith air ever again. Funnily enough, this concept is not new at all, with Michelin showing off this odd technology way back in 2005. Back then, it was called the \u2018Tweel\u2019 – assumedly a play on the words \u2018tyre\u2019 and \u2018wheel\u2019. Back then, the \u2018Tweel\u2019 didn\u2019t gain much traction at all and this weird innovation has been dormant until recently, where once again it has made its way around the news. In 2005, Michelin\u2019s Tweel was a workingconcept, with the tyre manufacturer even offering journalists a free ride in anAudi A4 that was rocking the Tweels. Said journalists described the ride asmore coarse than the experience of a car with regular tyres, but also describedthe steering response as sharper and large bumps were suppressed with greatersuccess.Since then, Michelin has had 15 years to work on their Tweel. Now it seems they\u2019ve come out of hiding and are ready to, once again, present their innovation to the public. One change that you\u2019ll notice straight away isthat they\u2019re no longer calling it the \u2018Tweel\u2019, which seems like a step in theright direction as far as I\u2019m concerned. Instead, it is now officially referredto as UPTIS airless technology, which stands for Unique Puncture-proof TireSystem. Not quite as catchy as \u2018Tweel\u2019 but not as ridiculous either. Their main marketing focus seems to be on advertising it as a tyre that is \u2018impervious to flats and blowouts\u2019 and as a solution that can make drivers feel safer and also make business owners improve productivity thanks to reduced downtime created by punctures. In their short promo video which has beenshared by various sites and news outlets and has collectively gained tens ofmillions of views, Michelin show off the tyre driving over some nails withoutany fuss. They\u2019re suggesting that with this airless technology, tyres can nowget punctures from nails, glass and other sharp objects and continue drivingwithout a fuss. Not only is this great for the driver, saving them time and money, but also reducing waste. Tyres will no longer have to be disposed of just because of a single nail, which will apparently save 2 million tons of wasted material each year. This could also be a problem for the Police, rendering their spike traps useless!One disadvantage of this new, reinvented wheelis that the contact between the \u2018tyre\u2019 and the road surface is greater, meaningmore friction, meaning greater fuel consumption. Also, we\u2019re all wondering justhow much these things will cost? Are they due to be released for sale soon, orever?Although it may seem like nothing more than a marketing stunt, Michelin and General Motors have gone on record to say they aim to begin introducing the UPTIS tyre to the public by 2024. Will the UPTIS tyre make its way to our localauto centres this year, or will it go into hiding for another 15 years? Our honest opinion: the tyre design simply hastoo many things wrong with it to work. The age-old saying of reinventing thewheel suggests that the wheel is an age-old invention that is perfect as it is.This new airless design has the potential to reduce fuel economy, get mud andother debris stuck inside of it, make it impossible to adjust tyre air pressurefor varying load weight and many other problematic things. Let us know your thoughts on this \u2018innovation\u2019. Is it the future of motoring or just a marketing stunt? "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"2024: Year Of The Airless Tyre?","item":"https:\/\/smart-motoring.com\/blog\/2024-year-of-the-airless-tyre\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]