Michelin set to mass-produce its airless radial tyre ‘Tweel’

Michelin has set up a new 135,000 sq ft plant at Greenville, South Carolina - one of its three global research hubs - to make its new airless radial tyres, labelled the X Tweel. This combines the tyre and wheel assembly into one solid unit and takes the air-filled tube out of the equation.

The components of the Tweel that remain common with the conventional tyre are the rigid hub at the centre and the shear beam. The difference lies in the method by which the two components are connected. Where regular wheels use metal or alloy spokes, the airless radial tyre uses polyurethane as material, which is "flexible and deformable", according to the company.

The point of course is that with the non-pneumatic Tweel, you can never have a flat tyre. Among other things, this saves space as the vehicle would not have to carry a 'spare' and a jack. Nor do you need to know how to change a tyre or dirty your hands.

The disadvantage seems to be that these tyres cannot be used in high-speed, high-performance cars.

Ralph Dimenna, head of Michelin Tweel Technologies, said, "The Tweel airless radial tyre enables Michelin to enter new markets and expand its reach in existing business segments within the low-speed application category. The industry is hungry for solutions contributing to productivity, safety and bottom lines. Serving our customers is at the centre of our strategy for success."

The company's research engineers have been working on the Tweel for a decade; it is finally ready for commercial release.

Michelin X Tweel was conceived at Michelin Americas Research Company in Greenville. Pete Selleck, Michelin North America chairman and the company's president says Tweel would satisfy a growing commercial market. This is Michelin's 10th manufacturing facility in South Carolina and its16th in the US. The new plant entails an investment of about $50 million.

The new plant gives Michelin a strong footing to increase production output of Tweel SSL skid-steer tires, and begin production of new Michelin X Tweel as original equipment for John Deere to equip its ZTRAKTM 900 Series line-up of zero-turn commercial mowers.

Tweel airless radial tyres is the industry's first commercialised airless radial solution further strengthening Michelin's next gen mobility prowess says Dimenna.