As you can see from this video of Michelin engineers doing just about everything they can to bust the Tweel, it’s pretty durable.
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Tim Fulton, head of Tweel Technologies for Michelin, says the Tweel offers many advantages compared to air-filled, foam-filled or solid tires. “No-flat capability is the ultimate objective of tire manufacturing,” he says. “Many applications are very destructive to the tire—you have to fix the tire and you lose an hour or two fixing the tire. The operating costs add up.”
The Tweel is already garnering attention for its innovative solution. On April 26, the Michelin X-Tweel SSL received the Silver Award in the Transportation category at the 2013 Edison Awards.
According to Michelin, many of the other solutions currently available require some sort of compromise with respect to operator comfort and performance. The Tweel is designed to offer all the advantages, but with no compromise, says Jack Olney, marketing and sales for Michelin Tweel Technologies.
“There is a consistent footprint all the time with no extra movement, which eliminates a lot of the bounce,” he says. “There is no instantaneous failure like with an air-filled tire, and the Tweel can be retreaded.”
