Continuing just-auto's series of research snapshots - pulled from its automotive research platform, QUBE - Matthew Beecham reviews some technical trends in the tyres sector and rolls out a few facts to memorize and amaze your friends.
With automakers under pressure to produce more fuel-efficient cars, it is hardly surprising to see them eliminating the spare wheel, thereby shedding up to 30 pounds in one stroke. Indeed, a number of automakers now supply a tyre sealant and tyre-inflator pack instead of a full-size or temporary spare wheel (also known as space-saver tyre.) The sealant and compressed air are injected through the tyre valve but the result achieved will depend on the cause of the puncture and how far and fast the flat tyre has been driven on. In other words, tyre inflator kits only work on small punctures over short distances. A major blow-out cannot be repaired using an inflator kit.
One of the most significant innovations in tyre technology over the past decade or so has been the development of the run-flat tyre. Yet while run-flats have done a lot to improve vehicle safety, they still come with a relatively high price tag and are heavier than conventional tyres.
In the longer term, non-pneumatic (airless) tyre technology, which takes a completely different approach, is continuing to advance due to new design concepts and the utilisation of non-standard tyre industry polymers such as polyurethanes and thermo-plastic elastomers. This technology, due to its lighter weight construction and potentially lower material costs, could one day become available at a price that is reachable to all consumers.
Meanwhile, reducing road noise from tyres has been the subject of intense research over the years. With the gradual introduction of electric vehicles, the challenge for the tyre industry is to design a tyre that produces a comfortable level of noise for the environment without having a negative effect on the interior vehicle noise. Continental has introduced a new technology that it claims reduces tyre noise inside the cabin. The innovation features a coating bonded to the inside of the tread area after the actual tyre production process. This special layer of foam is claimed to have a strong damping effect on the sound waves caused by the rolling tyre, so that no matter what surface the vehicle is driving on, the noise level reaching the cabin is up to nine decibels lower.
To read more at: http://www.just-auto.com/analysis/review-of-tyre-trends_id160502.aspx
With automakers under pressure to produce more fuel-efficient cars, it is hardly surprising to see them eliminating the spare wheel, thereby shedding up to 30 pounds in one stroke. Indeed, a number of automakers now supply a tyre sealant and tyre-inflator pack instead of a full-size or temporary spare wheel (also known as space-saver tyre.) The sealant and compressed air are injected through the tyre valve but the result achieved will depend on the cause of the puncture and how far and fast the flat tyre has been driven on. In other words, tyre inflator kits only work on small punctures over short distances. A major blow-out cannot be repaired using an inflator kit.
One of the most significant innovations in tyre technology over the past decade or so has been the development of the run-flat tyre. Yet while run-flats have done a lot to improve vehicle safety, they still come with a relatively high price tag and are heavier than conventional tyres.
In the longer term, non-pneumatic (airless) tyre technology, which takes a completely different approach, is continuing to advance due to new design concepts and the utilisation of non-standard tyre industry polymers such as polyurethanes and thermo-plastic elastomers. This technology, due to its lighter weight construction and potentially lower material costs, could one day become available at a price that is reachable to all consumers.
Meanwhile, reducing road noise from tyres has been the subject of intense research over the years. With the gradual introduction of electric vehicles, the challenge for the tyre industry is to design a tyre that produces a comfortable level of noise for the environment without having a negative effect on the interior vehicle noise. Continental has introduced a new technology that it claims reduces tyre noise inside the cabin. The innovation features a coating bonded to the inside of the tread area after the actual tyre production process. This special layer of foam is claimed to have a strong damping effect on the sound waves caused by the rolling tyre, so that no matter what surface the vehicle is driving on, the noise level reaching the cabin is up to nine decibels lower.
To read more at: http://www.just-auto.com/analysis/review-of-tyre-trends_id160502.aspx
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