Page 49 - 2018 Auto Show Guide
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Tires have undergone several seasons and different conditions what it calls Biolsoprene, a bio-
changes through the years with such as snow or sand. The based alternative to petroleum-
tubeless tires becoming prevalent structure of the tire can also based isoprene. The development
in the 1940s. Radial tires came on monitor road conditions and send will help reduce the tire and
the market a decade later and run- that information to the driver. rubber industry’s dependence on
flat tires are a recent addition. All products derived from oil.
the changes have made tires that Korean manufacturer, Hankook,
last longer, give better traction is working in a different way Two unique products they are
and reduce the amount of rubber using geometric construction working with are soybean oil and
being used. to create tires that never go flat rice husk waste.
because they aren’t filled with
However, tire technology is air. The non-pneumatic tires are Using soybean oil can potentially
undergoing a major radical comprised of three main features, increase tread life by 10 percent
change in the near future. the center frame, the geometric and greatly reduce petroleum-
inner core and the outer layer based oil products, according to
Today, several manufacturers with a rubber tread. The center the company.
are exploring airless tires that frame eliminates the need for
ride on a solid hub with flexible retrofitting existing vehicles Rice husk waste is usually headed
polyurethane spokes and an because it can be manufactured for landfills but the ash from
outer band of rubber tread. The to meet current measurements. burning the husks to produce
inner spokes absorb road forces electricity and become an
while driving, same as pneumatic In testing, the innovative iFlex environmentally friendly source
tires. tires have reached 80 miles for silica to be used in tires.
per hour without incident and
Michelin, one of the forerunners in withstood severe curves, braking But until some of these innovative
this technology says its “Tweels” and acceleration. future products actually reach
will last three times as long as a the marketplace, it’s still a good
traditional tire but use much less At Bridgestone, new technology idea to regularly check your tire
rubber because only the outer is based on a concept called pressure.
tread needs to be created or Contact Area Information Sensing
disposed of, not the entire tire. (CAIS). The future technology And, if you’ve forgotten the age-
collects data and evaluates road old axiom, you can test your tire
While some of its products are surface condition information in tread wear by sticking a penny
down the road, some versions of seven categories and transfers into the groove with Lincoln’s
the Tweels are being used now that information to the driver head upside down and facing
on commercial vehicles such as through an in-car display. This you. If you see all of Lincoln’s
bobcat loaders in low speed information can allow a driver to head, it’s time to replace your
applications. react quicker to changing road tires. And you might be able to
conditions, especially in colder replace them with tires that do
Michelin is also developing a climates where snow, ice and not require air in the near future.
tire concept it calls Vision. This especially black ice can be a
technology involves airless problem.
construction from renewable
sources that can be “recharged” For more than 130 years, tires
with 3D printing of the tread have primarily been made of
portion to adapt to different rubber. However, Goodyear is
driving conditions in different working with DuPont to develop
36 ANNUAL ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW 45
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