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The Romans, the first to use the wheel effectively, used these on chariots. Then they used wheels on horse-buggies. It was a wooden rim, mounted on wooden spokes with a solid rubber trim on the outer circumference. The earliest cars used these wooden wheels till about 1905. If you see a tonga today, it uses the same wheel as used on horse-buggies hundreds of years ago. This rough-and-ready design evolved as the speed increased. The brothers Michelin, Andrea and Edourd are the pioneers of the modern wheel. They gave us the first air-filled tyre, the pneumatic tyre. It was used on a race car built by the Michelin brothers. The next step was a pneumatic tyre with a cross-ply construction for structural strength. The tube was just a bag which stored the air. This evolved into a radial tyre, completely round but with tube. Finally, the tubeless tyre came. It was the ultimate. The tyre was also the tube, it held air and was mounted directly on to the steel rim. Not content with inventing the best tyre and wheel, the latest offering from Michelin is the tweel. The word 'tweel' is a blend of tyre and wheel
It is a radical new-tyre design by Michelin. These next generation of tyres were shown recently at the Philadelphia Car Show after extensive testing for several years. What is so different about the tweel and why is it considered so revolutionary? Consider this, there is no tube, there is no tyre, there is no air. The entire tweel is a single-piece construction consisting of the tread mounted on a sheer band. And all this is supported by an intricate pattern of polyurethane which act as spokes and are deformable but will revert to their original shape after passing over an obstacle. So, imagine a wheel with no tyre, no tube, no air. Yet the tweel has all characteristics of a normal tyre like road holding, braking, cornering and load carrying. It promises a comfortable ride. No more irritating visits to the tyre-walla. Compressors, tyre gauges, valves, jacks, spare-wheel are all endangered species. Most important, no more punctures. You don't have to worry about being stranded on a dark road on night. The tweel has four components as opposed to 23 in today's tyre. This is bound to reduce costs. It will have three times the life of today's tyre and it can be retreaded, says Michelin. Michelin gave the world the pneumatic tyre, the radial tyre and now the tweel. In retrospect, it may be entirely possible that no single manufacturer has made such a contribution to the automotive industry and the safety of the motorists as Michelin. The tyre is the most important fitment on your car. It is also the most neglected. Keep in mind that what keeps you in Mother Earths snug hug is a good strong set of tyres. Michelin has really made its contribution to the motoring fraternity. Happy Motoring!
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