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They have been testing these for several years now. Resilient Tech was developing them for the military application.
 
 
 Amazing new tires.........................
 
Michelin Tires... Absolutely SCARY looking... Look for 'em in August.
These tires are made in South Carolina, USA .
SEE THROUGH TIRES
Radical new tire design by Michelin.
The next generation of tires.
They had a pair at the Philadelphia car show.
 
 
Yes, those are 'spoke' like connections to the inner part of the tire from the outside tread 'wrap!' The next picture shows how odd it looks in motion...
 
 
Makes you wonder how the ride feels doesn't it?
 
 
 
 
These tires are airless and are scheduled to be out on the market very soon.
The bad news for law enforcement is that spike strips will not work on these.
Just think of the impact on existing technology:
A. no more air valves...
B. no more air compressors at gas stations...
C. no more repair kits...
D. no more flats...
 
 
These are actual pictures taken at the South Carolina plant of Michelin.
 
 
 
 
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Michelin Tweel 1

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/see-through-tyres.shtml

 

See Through Tyres - Radical New Tyre Design Photographs

Outline
Email claims that a series of attached photographs show a radical new airless car tyre design being developed by Michelin that will soon be on the market.

Brief Analysis
Such tyres do exist and have been dubbed "tweels". However, they are not new and Michelin has no immediate plans to release the tyres to consumers for use on normal vehicles. Development of the tyres over the last few years has focused on their suitability for use on low speed applications such as construction vehicles. Certainly, tyres based on the tweel concept may one day replace conventional tyres, but any such change is likely to be some years away.

Detailed analysis and references below example. 
Originally Posted by Bestworking:

Michelin Tweel 1

http://www.hoax-slayer.com/see-through-tyres.shtml

 

See Through Tyres - Radical New Tyre Design Photographs

Outline
Email claims that a series of attached photographs show a radical new airless car tyre design being developed by Michelin that will soon be on the market.

Brief Analysis
Such tyres do exist and have been dubbed "tweels". However, they are not new and Michelin has no immediate plans to release the tyres to consumers for use on normal vehicles. Development of the tyres over the last few years has focused on their suitability for use on low speed applications such as construction vehicles. Certainly, tyres based on the tweel concept may one day replace conventional tyres, but any such change is likely to be some years away.

Detailed analysis and references below example. 

Funny. When I first read the initial post I was imagining clear(see through) tires and how strange that would be.  

 

I see that is not the case now though. 

Still, these are some really intriguing tires. I can imagine over 50 MPH though they get a little shaky and bouncy. Also kinda neat that the they are both wheel and tire combined. 




Such tyres do exist, but they are not new nor are there any immediate plans to release them for use on normal road vehicles. In fact, the tyre - dubbed the "tweel" because the design combines the tyre and wheel into one unit - was first announced by Michelin back in 2005. A January 2005 CBS News article notes:

Bart Thompson and other engineers at Michelin are trying to reinvent the wheel with the Tweel. The tire and wheel are bonded and become one.

"You can see the shock-absorbing capability when I jump off this ramp here," said Thompson.

But the real headline is "no air" -- which means no flat tires ever again.

"It's like a guitar string," says Thompson. "It's tension tight."

But the article also notes that the tweel is still just a concept with regard to use on normal cars. Road testing reveals some flaws with the tyre. According to information about the tweel on HowStuffWorks.com, there are vibration problems when vehicles fitted with tweels are driven at more than 50 mph. The tweels also generate more heat than conventional tyres and they are excessively noisy when driven at speed. Moreover, because they are so radically different to conventional tyres, very major - and expensive - changes to the existing tyre manufacturing industry would need to be implemented. The tweel would also have a significant impact on the tyre servicing industry. The HowStuffWorks.com article notes:

Because of these flaws, Michelin is not planning to roll out the Tweel to consumers any time soon. "Radial tire technology will continue as the standard for a long time to come," said Michelin’s press release touting Tweel development. They are initially working on Tweel use in low-speed applications, such as on construction vehicles. The Tweel is perfect for such use because the high-speed vibration problems won’t come into play, and the ruggedness of the airless design will be a major advantage on a construction site. Michelin is also exploring military use of the Tweel.

A 2006 news item on the Michelin website provides more information about the potential use of the tweel on small, lightweight earthmover vehicles.

Thus, although such airless tyres may one day be standard equipment for our cars, it is unlikely that consumers will be able to buy and fit tweels to their vehicles for some years to come. 

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