Are you serious? Michelin's been working on this since at least 2005. Check out the Tweel, and get back to us.

looks like it would be a good idea, but unless those tires bend or flex in, its gonna be a very stiff ride.

Actually, the way that pattern spreads, it wouldn't surprise me at all to hear that the ride is quite smooth. It just LOOKS like it was built for proper weight distribution and impact absorption.

1. When is the last time you changed a flat tire?
2. Have you ever ridden on solid tires?
3. No bling!

@trendy...

1: when was the last time you changed a flat due to a bullet hole, in the middle of a fire-fight... No need with a non-pneumatic tire.

2: it isn't a solid tire. You can see lots of open space, although in practical use, the sidewalls would probably cover the lattice support structure, to avoid getting packed with mud or debris.

the support structure is supposed to give a controlled flex suspension to the "tire and wheel" (as mentioned, "tweel" which has been under development for many years already), so it would not be a rough ride like a solid tire.

3: Bling makes you a target. For theives as a civilian, and snipers, or other attacking forces as a soldier.

The tire is the bling!

There's air in those tires. The holes are full of it :)

I've saw these being used on construction machines a few years back. If I remember, the main downside is the noise at highways speeds is excessive.

construction machines at highway speeds?

Seems like it would be a good idea. A bit on the ugly side, but then I imagine troops don't take time between bullets to wonder if their ride looks sweet or not!

I wonder how it does it snow, mud or sand?

The twheel by Michelin. This concept is not new. Its been around for years.

Look at the bolts on that thing! How long does it take to change that tire?

Its an 8 lug wheel. Pretty common with the larger size axles and vehicles. Look at your common Diesel powered Pickup trucks.

The many bolts to mount the rim to the tire is another story.

NASA used airless tires on the Mars rover back in 2003 I think. This sort of technology is way overdue for public consumption.

There's a Y in tyre you dumbasses. We should impose an English language tax so you over the pond wont massacre the Queen's English so much.

i hope you are kidding about the "tyre" comment... or you are butchering your own language...
Anyway i think that in the practical world that it would be a very good idea, only if the outer walls are lined by rubber or something due to the possible noise at high speeds

this is nothing new, bikes and (military vehicle) mule's have been doing it for years with solid cores. the problems they face however is slightly different than this concept. solid cores require the replacement of the entire wheel once the tire surface is eroded. from the look of this just the tire surface wears out its just a matter of replacing the tread and as much as it is probably bad for the "tire material" you could still drive on the honeycomb without the rubber between it and the road...

Of course, the police would have a problem with this. It would be impervious to their spike strips. I could see them lobbying against it.

brew: I agree with Meh, English spelling has tyre with a 'y'. Tire with an 'i' is what happens to you when you're getting sleepy...No butchering of language involved at all.
Makes much more sense. Go the Queen's English! :-)

I hear that the Queen's English was going the way of Latin. Pretty much a dead language except by a few holdouts.

Queen's English versus American English, seriously? News flash, languages change over time (unless you're French). English is an evolving language. Americans spell tire with an i, Brits spell with a lot of unnecessary u's.

The thing about spike traps is that the spikes stick into the tire and the whole thing gets caught in the wheel well as the wheel goes around, slowing down the vehicle, so they would still be effective. If nothing else, in lieu of spike traps, law enforcement could start using gun-fired GPS trackers that track the vehicle wherever in goes and are difficult to remove.

Hopefully they're planning on covering the openings of all those honeycomb holes. Otherwise they'll just fill up with dirt and mud. Those holes look like they'd be a pain in the @ss to clean out. And if you're driving in the rain, it's possible that water will collect in them (or at least try to) and throw off the balance.

ARE YOU SERIOUS when you said:
"I look forward to when these things are the standard on normal cars we see on the highways".
NEVER GONNA HAPPEN because of ONE WORD...
PROFIT!!
They could make a light bulb that lasts almost forever too.... NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!

there was a time when the 100 mile care was said "Never Gonna Happen" I look forward to the reduction in fuel use.

Produde: They do make a lightbulb that lasts almost forever. 60 bucks will buy you an LED lighbulb lasting approximately 15 years.

The profit involved is that the company will forever get government kickbacks for being energy efficient and less waste on the environment. Just like with this tire. (tire - the queen doesn't represent me)

Every time you get a paycheck, you'll be making this or some other company a profit.

Hey, meh! There's an apostrophe in won't, if good spelling--and punctuation--is your wont.

Hey, meh! There's an apostrophe in won't, if good spelling--and punctuation--is your wont.

First off, the rubber tire (yes, that is the PROPER way to spell it) was invented by Michelin and that is how they spell it, so that should end that part of the conversation. Their invention, their spelling is all that matters. And while on the subject of things the Brits do wrong. The first automobile was invented by Mercedes Benz in Germany. They drive on the right side of the rode just as we do here in the US, so obviously since they did it first and we do it the same way they do in Germany you guys are the ones on the wrong side of the road.

Second, to the comments about light bulbs that last nearly forever. I believe he was talking about regular incandescent light bulbs that last somewhere around 25 years which were invented about 20 years ago, but were swept under by the normal manufacturers of light bulbs, not LED, not florescent.

Though if you want to talk about LED lights then keep this in mind, the LED as we know it has only been around about 20 years less then our standard light bulbs. That being said why has it taken us this long to realize they are a much better alternative to normal lighting?

Now, back to the topic at hand. The holes in the sides would be annoying on a civilian vehicle on the highway due to the noise, but as far as the military would care the mud and such that would get into it would not really matter as at most all it would do is add 15-20 pounds to each tire. They are not likely to ever be in a situation where they would be traveling at high enough speeds for the balance to be an issue from mud being in the holes so that matters little. As far as the weight of military vehicles, if they made the "rim" out of our more modern carbon fiber materials then they would have zero issues handling the weight of the vehicles, even on moderate bumps at highway speeds.

Run flat system already in place work better for combat situations. Highway speed on only vehicles that would use the wheel. Balance and noise are important to military. Waste of taxpayer money.

Civilian use: after market mod for idiots with too much money.

Spelling and punctuation are nothing as long as the idea gets across. what is this english class? Take lessons from poetry class the idea is important spelling is secondary unless trying to convey dual meaning

Light bulb: Go to the Edison Museum and see the incredible early prototype light bulb that still has not burned out. It has been shining for about 130 years now or since light bulbs were invented.

Tweel sidewalls won’t happen because the support structure gets very hot and needs the open airflow

Tweels, even if perfected will never be sold to the public because the herd will drive them till the rubber is all gone and then crash and sue Michelin for selling a tire that won’t stop you from driving on it after a normal tire would go flat.

Did it ever occur to you guys that tires do one other thing besides go flat? They wear away. Especially if they aren't aligned! I don't care what it's made out of, it will eventually wear away. Hence you have to replace them, and there is the comeback cash. That's what every 80,000 miles?

As Pascal is to .Net is the "Queen's English" to "US English". With power comes great responsibility. England like DOS has importance in historical artifacts, but it had its place and must be shelved like the 8-tracks and floppy disks. Brits can upgrade to the more powerful and popular Language Version, or hope like Apple to rise from the ashes and regain world influence.

I like - as soon as they can be fitted to my Audi the better.

I'd love to hear the whistling these wheels make when the vehicle is at speed. To understand what I am talking about, imagine the noise you hear when you blow across the top of a soda bottle ... times about 80... per tire.

how do you air down for jeeping in the snow and sand?

Both spellings are correct. Michelin did not invent the word which is over 500 years old. They just applied it to a new type of wheel covering. Refer: http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?l=t&p=13 It's funny and interesting how the British used to spell it with an i for about 200 years but went back to the original spelling about 200 years ago. Nostalgia was big in Victorian times.

if it ia flixible it will be grate & i would like to be informed about that after tests