Polaris Borrowing Airless Tire Tech From Subsidiary, Putting it Into Production

Polaris, maker of powersports vehicles such as snowmobiles and ATVs, will put an airless tire onto a production vehicle by 2014. To recap, an "airless tire" is what's known as a non-pneumatic tire (NPT), meaning it has no captured, air-filled cavity to absorb impacts or cushion the tread. So what is Polaris doing in the tire business? Polaris's defense division recently acquired Resilient Technologies, a Wisconsin-based defense-tech firm that already had been working on airless tires for some time, and believes the time is right to put NPTs into consumers' hands. The concept of airless tires is not new, and big-name tire companies like Michelin and Bridgestone each have introduced their own take on the concept in the past few years, although neither has a tire on sale for anything outside of skid-steer construction equipment. Like the big guns' efforts, Resilient Technologies's non-pneumatic tire actually is a wheel and tire in one—a tweel, if you will. The honeycomb-like mesh of spokes are supported by a central, wheel-like hub, and extend outward to the tread. Unlike in a normal tire, in which the air-filled void between the tire and the wheel provides it with cushioning ability, the deflection in the Tweel's polymer spokes take car of impact absorption. One of the key advantages to the design—besides eliminating flats and reducing waste—is that it can offer decent vertical compliance but stiff lateral resistance. Think of it as combining the ride quality of a tire with a squishy, tall sidewall with the enhanced handling and grip afforded by a low-profile tire with a short, stiff sidewall that resists lateral deflection. As a bonus, the Polaris airless tire's defense roots mean it offers even more benefits, such as the ability to continue to operate even after being shot with a 0.50-caliber round or after the loss of up to 30 percent of its spokes. Gunfire resistance may not matter in the real world, but the ability to continue on after losing some spokes is useful. Comparison Test: 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon vs. 2012 Mercedes-Benz G550 Instrumented Test: 2011 Ford F-150 Raptor SuperCrew Instrumented Test: 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek 2.oi So how is it that Polaris, working with a small, Wisconsin-based defense firm is able to confidently say it will bring an NPT to market before giants like Michelin and Bridgestone? Well, for one thing, Polaris can say what it will—the proof will be in the pudding come 2014. Besides that, however, is that tires for a powersports vehicle have different requirements and hurdles to reaching production than tires for automobiles, like the ones Michelin and Bridgestone are focusing on. Cars bring higher speeds, higher loads, and a veritable ear-full of NVH issues. Something like an ATV, for example, is light, relatively slow, and NVH largely doesn't matter. Given the possibilities of this tech for cars, we look forward to seeing Polaris's tire reach production. from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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