
The American Research and development section of the French firm Michelin announced their new product,
the "tweel". The rim and the "tire" do not make more than one and does not appeal any more to the
standard inflating by the air. According to Michelin, the characteristics of this type of tire are
very encouragentes.
Beyond these first real-world applications, Michelin has additional projects for Tweel on construction
skidsteers and a variety of military vehicles. The most intriguing application may be Michelin's early
prototype Tweel fitment for passenger cars. The mobility company released video of promising Tweel performance
on an Audi A4.
Michelin has also found that it can tune Tweel performances independently of each other, which is a significant
change from conventional tires. This means that vertical stiffness (which primarily affects ride comfort) and
lateral stiffness (which affects handling and cornering) can both be optimized, pushing the performance envelope
in these applications and enabling new performances not possible for current inflated tires. Additionally, Michelin has
increased the lateral stiffness by a factor of five, making the prototype unusually responsive in its handling.