Durallymax
New member
- Aug 5, 2012
- 341
- 0
Newer guy here, lurking a lot more lately as I build my collection of detailing and polishing supplies.
Figured I would share these on here as I have on other forums.
Many of you probably do not get too excited about tires, which I expect, but for those who do or just like a new thing this may be interesting. A lot of people have heard about Michelin's Tweel for quite some time now. They released it in 2005 after 10 years of R&D. However at that time it only came on some high end robots and such. Last fall was the first large commercial release of a Tweel product, the Skid Steer Loader X-Tweel.
I had actually never heard about the Tweel until I stumbled upon it last summer. I am a Michelin fan and run them on all of our tractors, semis, cars, and earth-moving equipment. Pickup trucks are the only thing that do not get them. They have provided us with the best performance and ROI. I became interested in the Tweel but was worried about the price.
The Tweel is simply a replacement for the Pneumatic tire. It's advantages to most people are slim. However the SSL market is the perfect area for this technology. SSL's encounter flats very often. It is a hassle to have to swap tires out to get the machine going while you repair the damaged tire. This happens sometimes daily on machines. SSL tire's are very behind in technology. Most SSL owners just look for the cheapest tire. Thus all SSL tires except for Michelin's Bibsteel are Bias ply. I also put a set of their Radial Bibsteels on another SSL and the difference in ride quality and traction is amazing. The issue with bias ply tires is that they are prone to punctures. Radials have steel plies that help resist the punctures where the Bias just let the object go right through. The bias tires also have poor wear and can have poor traction. Hopping/dancing while turning can also be another issue for them. The answer to these issues is a tire with no air.
Enter the solid/semi-solid/foam filled tires. These are all air free options. Solid tires are literally a solid chunk of rubber fused to a steel rim. These often have very deep tread and are run until no tread is left. The downside to these is the ride quality. Solid rubber does not ride well, it is very very rough and hard on the machines. Impact resistance is a big issue. Hitting a wall with a solid tire can result in broken axles and other stresses on the machines. For low speed tasks that do not require much traction (such as refuse) these do have their advantages. Even with the tread patterns available, traction suffers due to the solid design. Somewhere along the line somebody decided to put holes in the lower section of the solid rubber. The original reasoning was to provide a more even cure of the rubber, the result was a tire that provided some cushion versus the solid tire. The foam filled tire is essentially similar to the solid tire in regards to its ride quality but often has shorter tread life due to less tread to start with.
The Tweel answers to both worlds. It does not have any air to loose, yet it offers a substantial amount of cushioning. The Tweel uses a steel center hub with poly spokes attached to it. On the other end they attach to the shear band which has the tread on it as well. There is a much better description of why the Tweel works on their site. The poly spokes are rated for many years in direct UV exposure and can withstand both cold and hot temperatures. It is possible to operate the Tweel with many damaged spokes if needed.
The ride with the Tweel is noticibly different. You can tell it is not a pneumatic tire as it is slightly rougher, but it is much smoother than any of the other air free offerings out there. Traction is in between those two as well. Overall I think it offers a good compromise but is not fit for everyone.
When they get things fully up and running it sounds like they will have them priced just over 1k each. To put that into perspective a typical Bias SSL tire is $200-400. A Radial is $500-550, a solid/solidflex is $600-800. As you can see the Tweels are pricey and their direct competition should be compared to the solid/solidflex tires. The difference the Tweel has though is the ability to be recapped and put back into service. The cost of recapping varies from $150-$300.
In the end I think these will pay for themselves on this SSL. We have over 200hrs on them now and they are running and wearing great. After running their Bibsteels for 100hrs on one of the other SSL's I do not know if I would opt for the Tweel unless needed. The SSL they are on right now does need them due to its operating environment, however not all of ours would benefit I think.
I think it will be awhile before they make it to cars if ever. Currently noise and vibration are holding them back from high speed use.
Here is a link to their site for more info.
Welcome to Michelin Tweel Technologies, Skid Steer Tires, Flat Proof Skid Steer Tires, No Flat Skid Steer Tires, Long Life Skid Steer Tires, Puncture Proof Skid Steer Tires, Skid Steer Tires Without Air, Michelin Tweel
Here are a couple of videos showing the technology.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcdmH_hVWBY]Michelin's Revolutionary Airless Tires - YouTube[/video]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKWlhTGO6M]Michelin X-Tweel SSL Durability Test - YouTube[/video]
And here are two pictures of ours. The first is when they were new. The second is after 150hrs of use. I purposely made sure they did not get washed to show that they do not allow mud to accumulate and build up due to the constant flexing of the spokes.
Figured I would share these on here as I have on other forums.
Many of you probably do not get too excited about tires, which I expect, but for those who do or just like a new thing this may be interesting. A lot of people have heard about Michelin's Tweel for quite some time now. They released it in 2005 after 10 years of R&D. However at that time it only came on some high end robots and such. Last fall was the first large commercial release of a Tweel product, the Skid Steer Loader X-Tweel.
I had actually never heard about the Tweel until I stumbled upon it last summer. I am a Michelin fan and run them on all of our tractors, semis, cars, and earth-moving equipment. Pickup trucks are the only thing that do not get them. They have provided us with the best performance and ROI. I became interested in the Tweel but was worried about the price.
The Tweel is simply a replacement for the Pneumatic tire. It's advantages to most people are slim. However the SSL market is the perfect area for this technology. SSL's encounter flats very often. It is a hassle to have to swap tires out to get the machine going while you repair the damaged tire. This happens sometimes daily on machines. SSL tire's are very behind in technology. Most SSL owners just look for the cheapest tire. Thus all SSL tires except for Michelin's Bibsteel are Bias ply. I also put a set of their Radial Bibsteels on another SSL and the difference in ride quality and traction is amazing. The issue with bias ply tires is that they are prone to punctures. Radials have steel plies that help resist the punctures where the Bias just let the object go right through. The bias tires also have poor wear and can have poor traction. Hopping/dancing while turning can also be another issue for them. The answer to these issues is a tire with no air.
Enter the solid/semi-solid/foam filled tires. These are all air free options. Solid tires are literally a solid chunk of rubber fused to a steel rim. These often have very deep tread and are run until no tread is left. The downside to these is the ride quality. Solid rubber does not ride well, it is very very rough and hard on the machines. Impact resistance is a big issue. Hitting a wall with a solid tire can result in broken axles and other stresses on the machines. For low speed tasks that do not require much traction (such as refuse) these do have their advantages. Even with the tread patterns available, traction suffers due to the solid design. Somewhere along the line somebody decided to put holes in the lower section of the solid rubber. The original reasoning was to provide a more even cure of the rubber, the result was a tire that provided some cushion versus the solid tire. The foam filled tire is essentially similar to the solid tire in regards to its ride quality but often has shorter tread life due to less tread to start with.
The Tweel answers to both worlds. It does not have any air to loose, yet it offers a substantial amount of cushioning. The Tweel uses a steel center hub with poly spokes attached to it. On the other end they attach to the shear band which has the tread on it as well. There is a much better description of why the Tweel works on their site. The poly spokes are rated for many years in direct UV exposure and can withstand both cold and hot temperatures. It is possible to operate the Tweel with many damaged spokes if needed.
The ride with the Tweel is noticibly different. You can tell it is not a pneumatic tire as it is slightly rougher, but it is much smoother than any of the other air free offerings out there. Traction is in between those two as well. Overall I think it offers a good compromise but is not fit for everyone.
When they get things fully up and running it sounds like they will have them priced just over 1k each. To put that into perspective a typical Bias SSL tire is $200-400. A Radial is $500-550, a solid/solidflex is $600-800. As you can see the Tweels are pricey and their direct competition should be compared to the solid/solidflex tires. The difference the Tweel has though is the ability to be recapped and put back into service. The cost of recapping varies from $150-$300.
In the end I think these will pay for themselves on this SSL. We have over 200hrs on them now and they are running and wearing great. After running their Bibsteels for 100hrs on one of the other SSL's I do not know if I would opt for the Tweel unless needed. The SSL they are on right now does need them due to its operating environment, however not all of ours would benefit I think.
I think it will be awhile before they make it to cars if ever. Currently noise and vibration are holding them back from high speed use.
Here is a link to their site for more info.
Welcome to Michelin Tweel Technologies, Skid Steer Tires, Flat Proof Skid Steer Tires, No Flat Skid Steer Tires, Long Life Skid Steer Tires, Puncture Proof Skid Steer Tires, Skid Steer Tires Without Air, Michelin Tweel
Here are a couple of videos showing the technology.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcdmH_hVWBY]Michelin's Revolutionary Airless Tires - YouTube[/video]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRKWlhTGO6M]Michelin X-Tweel SSL Durability Test - YouTube[/video]
And here are two pictures of ours. The first is when they were new. The second is after 150hrs of use. I purposely made sure they did not get washed to show that they do not allow mud to accumulate and build up due to the constant flexing of the spokes.
