Can today's suspension technology eliminate the need for pneumatic tires?

Question

And thus eliminate changing a flat tire?

With a sufficiently absorbent suspension, could tires not be solid?

Answer 1

this could be interesting as a theoretical question, but practically it is irrelevant

we don't "need" pneumatic tires, they are just the best choice given all the cost and functional paramaters

the real question is, "can today's suspension tecnology using solid tires, provide a more economically competitive, more reliable, more comfortable ride"

flat tires are a failure mode
fancy suspension technology also has failure modes
if you could cut failures in half, for double the cost, would it be worth it?
what if you could cut failures 90%, but the ride was 50% bumpier

the answer is, NO, the reason we have the suspension tire systems we have is because that is the best value right now

there are engineers all over the world trying to get the upper hand in car technology by coming up with something better
when they get something enough better, cheaper, smoother, etc that it will help sell a car, it will be on cars in no time

Answer 2

Even though todays suspension technology is advanced enough to deliver superior ride quality in most vesicles there are limitations that it cannot surpass.
The pneumatic tire provides the vehicle the first line of defense against road irregularities. It's deformation begins the process of absorbing energy created in the vastly changing and challenging road/tire environment. Without a device like this, the suspension would have to work much harder in making your ride smooth.
Therefore to eliminate the tire we would need a comparable device that would deform enough to accommodate our, sometimes not so nice, roads. Think about how uncomfortable it is riding over rocky terrain on Rollerblades.
In addition the deformation aids in traction, braking, and helps to level out the car. I agree that a new technology should be nearing marketplace but, it has to be cost effective to a overtake an industry 100 years old.

Answer 3

Probably not any time soon. Your air filled tires are part of the suspension. The Tires themselves absorb bumbs in the road. Just like any air filled ball or ballon would

Answer 4

Lol, no; drive down any highway that's a few decades old, you'll see that even with suspension+pneumatics the ride can be quite jarring.

Answer 5

Sure, but it would prob be easier to fill the tire with something like a gel.

Answer 6

Michelin has done it; check out their web site.

Answer 7

Not until the hover car is made.