Instead of filling them with air.
Would the ride not be as smooth?
Wouldn't it be more safe than risking blowups?
2007-02-08 05:50:09 · 11 answers · asked by albania22 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
No..the ride would be horrible. You would feel every little imperfection in the road. The air in the tire acts as a cushion against this. Plus...the expense would be enormous...they would wear out due to the friction.
2007-02-08 05:54:58 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Alot of good points already covered in answering this... but to add some more and explain a bit of the technicality. Tires are part of a car's unsprung weight. To maximize performance and ride quality, you want to maximize your ratio of sprung weight (what is riding on the suspension) to your unsprung weight (the parts of the car which are between the suspension and the road).
Going to a solid tire would dramatically increase the this weight, and cause a massive degradation in ride quality. From a performance standpoint it would be even worse... because not only are tires unsprung weight, but they are rotating mass. Your car's brakes would quickly be overtaxed trying to stop the wheels, and you would be suprised to find how unresponsive the car's power now seemed (ever wonder why racers might consider a 1lb weight different in a tire to be a massive advantage/disadvantage?).
Realistically, if you are talking about what is now a 20 pound tire, you would wind up with something between 100-200 pounds (times four... and probably a VERY conservative estimate). For a typical passenger car (figuring something about 3000lbs with 200hp), this would be equal roughly equal to knocking 40-60hp off of the engine! Every turn of the steering wheel would also have to move this added mass. Ever part of the car would suffer a 25%+ hit to basic performance.
Further, since the tires are solid, you would not be able to make adjustments based on the vehicles weight and weight balance, meaning the contact patch would be the same regardless of how well it fit a particular car. And this doesn't even get into the effects on gas milage (both the added weight, and a contact patch which cannot be optimized for either performance or mileage).
So, back to the original questions: in short, this isn't done because it isn't practical from a stand point of either usage or cost. As already mentioned, the ride would be dramatically worse. And while you would decrease the risk of blowout, you would dramatically increase the overall chance of a serious accident by decreasing available grip, decreasing braking ability, and taking away a substantial part of a car's manueverability.
2007-02-08 11:37:27 · answer #2 · answered by Paul S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Regular tires are filled with air for many reasons:
- Air works as a cushion to make the ride more comfortable. Solid rubber would make it impossible to ride in a regular vehicle.
- Price: the price would be 10 times higher for a set of tires due to the amount of material used.
- Efficiency: can you imagine how much would the weight be for each tire? The engines would have to have much more power, and you would spend double the gas as well.
- Also, friction would be way higher, meaning more wear and tear. The tires would wear in no time, and would crack in no time making them actually not safe at all.
On the other hand, many vehicles use solid rubber, like tractors and other construction vehicles. Those are meant to be used only to accommodate the extra weight and stress, and they are not meant to be used at speed higher than 20 or 30 MPH.
Also, many airplanes use solid rubber tires; again, this is done for their particular
2007-02-08 06:05:06 · answer #3 · answered by Dan D 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
My guess is that solid rubber tires wouldn't last as long when dealing with constant heat from extreme friction... Especially when in the Southern Summers.
Also, if the rubber begins to break away and peal, I can imagine an extremely bumpy ride until they are replaced.
ALSO, it will literally kill your shots because your will feel each and every bump, knot, and pothole in the street.
2007-02-08 05:57:21 · answer #4 · answered by se-ke 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
How Are Car Tires Made
2016-10-19 08:42:43 · answer #5 · answered by shiner 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can get you tired filled with a foam that hardens to prevent blowouts but this is used mainly on tractors and large equipment vehicles that go through a lot of wear and tear. the air in our tires provides a smoother ride and allows the tires to bend and flex when we do things such as turning. So yes in essence it would be safer but it isnt economical and isnt comfortable.
2007-02-08 06:01:15 · answer #6 · answered by ♥Courtney♥ 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They still are,on some horse drawn carts...they were in common use until 1888,when John Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre..
If Solid tyres were better,You'd think there would be some vehicles on the road using them?
2007-02-08 06:17:23 · answer #7 · answered by Devmeister 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Cost.
They do make them, but there are used mostly on heavy off road machinery.
Every bump is transmitted directly to the driver, and they are not rated for high speed use.
2007-02-08 06:34:32 · answer #8 · answered by oklatom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
solid rubber shreads easier and costs more to make. also then how would u get a blow out and have to pay to get ur car towed?
2007-02-08 08:01:05 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
tires were once solid and then the roads got so bad that inflated tires became the standard.
2007-02-08 06:01:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋