Now, Hankook has completed initial testing on its fifth-generation airless tire, dubbed the iFlex. The tires do not require any air pressure, instead relying on a new type of eco-friendly material (Hancook demurs when asked for details). Geometric shapes built into the material provide the bounce and springiness normally provided by air pressure. But, unlike the previous iFlex, this version's designed to mount onto a traditional rim, making it compatible with current vehicles.
Hankook ran the iFlex through a battery of tests to compare it to more conventional rubber, measuring durability, hardness, stability, slalom and speed, at up to 80 mph. The company says the tires matched conventional tires in terms of performance.
Anyone who got a flat from the epidemic of potholes this Spring or who is plagued by nails and other road debris that cause slow leaks will welcome this development. Naturally, the real question is whether it's spelled, "tire" or "tyre."
(Score: 5, Interesting) by xorsyst on Wednesday July 15 2015, @10:55AM
Naturally, the real question is whether it's spelled, "tire" or "tyre."
This is one of those occasions where having a different spelling is great - it makes web searches for new tyres not come back full of random US sites.
(Score: 3, Informative) by wonkey_monkey on Wednesday July 15 2015, @10:57AM
Ditto theatre tickets, aluminium, and, err, biscuits.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 15 2015, @01:36PM
Fanny?
(Score: 5, Funny) by c0lo on Wednesday July 15 2015, @12:17PM
Yeah, I'm tired of those sites... but never tyred by them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by el_oscuro on Thursday July 16 2015, @01:03AM
Do you guys have tyrerack.co.uk [tirerack.com] over on that side of the pond?
SoylentNews is Bacon! [nueskes.com]