The tweel deforms to adapt to its environment

Michelin X® TWEEL™on Kubota vehicle

MICHELIN TWEEL: THE AIRLESS TYRE TECHNOLOGY



For years, traditional pneumatic tyres have been the only option for drivers seeking reliable and efficient mobility. However, with the introduction of the airless tyre, this has changed. The MICHELIN Tweel tyres represent a significant technological advancement in the tyre industry. Flatless tyres offer several advantages over traditional tyres and are compatible with a wide range of machines such as Commercial Mowers, Skid Steer Loaders (SSL) and other light construction equipment, Truck Mounted Forklifts (TMF), ATVs and UTVs, Golf and Utility Carts, and various military applications.

Airless tyre mounted on a greenspace maintenance vehicle KUBOTA

The Michelin TWEEL tyre in field

WHAT ARE AIRLESS TYRES?

Unlike traditional tyres, which are made of rubber and filled with compressed air, airless tyres use a special tread beam connected to a series of flexible spokes to support the weight of the vehicle from above.

This advancement made it possible to create a puncture-proof tyre that rides and drives like a pneumatic tyre rather than a solid tyre. The airless tyre Michelin is named: "TWEEL".



WHAT DOES “TWEEL” MEANS?

The term “TWEEL” is the specific name given to the Michelin airless tyre range. It is a portmanteau word which is composed of the English words “TYRE” and “WHEEL”. This concept was born in the Michelin research center in Greenville, South Carolina.

Edito tweel technology focus Help and Advice

HOW DO MICHELIN TWEEL TYRES WORK AND WHAT ARE THEY MADE OF?

Michelin Tweel Family of Products

MICHELIN TWEEL is a complete, single piece, wheel and airless radial tyre fitted assembly.

The key components of this innovative solution are:

  • Shear Beam with a tread optimised for long wear life in challenging conditions.

High impact resistance and flexible poly-resin spokes which carry weight in tension and absorb impacts, helping make the ride smoother, and provide an energy transfer that reduces tyre bounce.

  • A reinforced steel hub to attach the Tweel to the machine.

This technology provides a cushioning effect that absorbs shocks and vibrations. The shear beam and spokes are designed to be flexible and deformable, which allows them to conform to the contours of the ground and provide excellent traction, grip and stability.

There is no need for special equipment to mount the assembly. Moreover, once fitted, there is no air pressure to maintain.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF MICHELIN AIRLESS TYRES?

Airless tyres, also known as non-pneumatic tyres (NPT), have several benefits over traditional pneumatic and solid tyres. Here are some of the main advantages:

No air pressure to maintain thanks to Tweel

No maintenance

NO MAINTENANCE

The Michelin X® TWEEL™ airless radial tyre is one single unit, replacing the current tyre and wheel assembly. There is no need for complex mounting equipment and once they are bolted on, there is no air pressure to maintain.

Enjoy Maniability and stability thanks to tweel

Maniability and stability

COMFORT AND STABILITY

The unique energy transfer within the poly-resin spokes helps reduce the “bounce” associated with pneumatic tyres and the harshness of solids, while providing outstanding comfort and handling characteristics.

No more flat tires thanks to Tweel

No flat, no downtimes

NO FLAT, NO DOWNTIME

The MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ airless radial tyre is designed to perform like a pneumatic tyre, but without the inconvenience and downtime associated with flat tyres.

Reduce premature tyre wear thanks to Tweel

Long lasting tire

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TYRE

Airless tyres will allow you to reduce premature tyre failures due to, for example, an irreparable puncture, and increase tread life by 2-3 times pneumatics.

WHICH MACHINES ARE COMPATIBLE WITH THE MICHELIN TWEEL?

Our Michelin X® TWEEL™ can be fitted to your machines in the following five main segments. Moreover, the airless tyres are particularly efficient and recommended for use on rough terrain where you need to maintain grip to keep control, and not
worry about getting a tyre puncture.

Michelin airless tire, the Tweel, for turf care

Turf airless radial tire

MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ TURF

Airless Radial tyres for Commercial Mowers and other turf care machines

THE MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ : Airless tires for UTVs

UTV Airless Tires

MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ UTV

Airless Radial tyres for Side by Sides, Quads, and Military Equipment

Airless Radial Tires for Skid steers and light construction equipment

MICHELIN Tweel for light construction

MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ SSL

Airless Radial tyres for Skid Steer Loaders and light construction equipment

MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ for Golf Carts

MICHELIN X® TWEEL™: Golf Cart & Utility vehicles

MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ TURF

Tyres for Golf Cars & Utility Carts

Michelin airless tire for Truck Mounted Forklift

Tweel for Truck Mounted Forklifts

MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ TMF

Tyres for Truck Mounted Forklifts

DISCOVER A FEW MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ RANGES

Our different Tweel ranges are designed to adapt to your different needs, vehicles and machines such as skid steer, material handling vehicles, UTV, ... Discover some of our ranges:

NO AIR TYRES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

ARE AIRLESS TYRES GOOD?

Tweel tyres represent a significant technological progress in the tyre industry and have been performing successfully in the
market since 2012. This alternative to traditional tyre allows us to consider a more environmental friendly mobility, better
fuel efficiency, more durable tyre and especially no puncture tyres.

WHAT TO CHECK ON TYRES WITHOUT AIR ?

Airless tyres, also known as non-pneumatic tyres, are designed to eliminate the need for air pressure maintenance. However, like any other tyre, airless tyres still require some inspection to ensure proper performance and longevity. For example, tread wear, debris and dirt, vehicle alignment, load capacity, and storage.

ARE AIRLESS TYRES AVAILABLE FOR PASSENGER CARS?

MICHELIN has already developed a prototype for a no air tyre for passenger car and light truck: the MICHELIN UPTIS.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TWEEL AND UPTIS?

MICHELIN UPTIS (Unique Puncture-proof tyre System) and Michelin Tweel are both innovative tyre technologies developed by Michelin, but they are different in design and function.

MICHELIN UPTIS is an airless tyre designed for passenger cars and light trucks (on road vehicles) while MICHELIN Tweel is adapted to a wider range of off-road vehicles.

WHEN WILL MICHELIN AIRLESS TYRES BE AVAILABLE?

Our Michelin innovative technology, the Tweel, is available for sale on the market since 2012.

WHERE CAN I BUY TWEELS?

You can find our complete MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ product portfolio at our dealers.

WHAT IS POLY-RESIN?

This is not the same kind of polyurethane you normally find in the marketplace. Poly-resin is structural polyurethane. It is specifically formulated for this application.

ARE TWEEL AIRLESS RADIAL TYRES CURED LIKE RADIAL TYRES?

Michelin has adapted technical curing processes from its high performance tyres for use in the production of
MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ airless radial tyres. In addition, Michelin has developed proprietary casting, injecting, and bonding processes for MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ products.

HAS THE MICHELIN TWEEL AIRLESS RADIAL TYRE WON ANY AWARDS ?

Since 2012, the MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ Airless Radial tyre and its co-inventors have been presented with over 15 awards.

  • A Silver Award in the Transportation category was awarded to the MICHELIN® X®TWEEL® SSL on April 26, 2013 by the 2013 Edison Awards. Of the 7,156 applications received, 131 finalists were selected by the Edison Awards Committee. The MICHELIN® X® TWEEL® was one of 42 winners, who represented 12 categories and symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison.
    • The MICHELIN® X®TWEEL® SSL was selected as one of the 2013 Contractors’ Top 50 New Products by readers of Equipment Today as one of the industry’s most innovative products for the year.
    • In January 2014, Equipment World named one of the “five game-changing” construction products of 2013 for their 2014 Innovations Awards. The MICHELIN® X® TWEEL® SSL was named as one of those five product winners.
    • Dr. Tim Rhyne, a senior research fellow with Michelin Americas Research and Development Corporation, was selected as a 2014 recipient by the editors at Engineering News-Record (ENR) as a top 25 Newsmakers of the year for his work on the revolutionary MICHELIN® TWEEL® airless radial tyre technology in April. The award recognizes individuals "with the passion, drive and courage to tackle the most difficult challenges and make our world a better place."
    • In June 2014, Michelin North America, Inc. received a Manufacturing Leadership Award in the Product Leadership category at the 2014 Manufacturing Leadership Awards for the MICHELIN® X® TWEEL® SSL by the Frost & Sullivan’s Manufacturing Leadership Council. The awards were presented in 11 categories and celebrate companies and individuals that are shaping the future of global manufacturing. They recognize outstanding projects undertaken and completed by manufacturing companies. According to the Manufacturing Leadership Community, the award winners distinguish themselves by “embracing breakthrough innovation and respond to customers with unmatched agility.” The Product Leadership award, one of the most competitive categories, recognises companies that have introduced disruptive new products that expand or open new markets. The award winner demonstrates the ability to generate new ideas that lead to pioneering new products that change and create markets.
    • In March 2015, Michelin Tweel Technologies received the John Deere “Innovation of the Year Award” for the MICHELIN® X® TWEEL® TURF. The award is presented to a select group of suppliers that have demonstrated innovation in a product or service they provide to John Deere. Award selections are based on four factors: creativity, feasibility, collaboration and bottom-line impact. John Deere created the supplier innovation awards in 2010 to promote innovation in the company's supply base and recognise suppliers that think creatively.
    • In October 2015, the MICHELIN® X® TWEEL® TURF™ received an Honourable Mention in the Automotive/Transportation category in the 2015 Create the Future Design Contest. Chosen from more than 1,150 new product ideas submitted from 60 countries, the 22 winners and honourable mentions were judged on innovation, manufacturability and marketability in seven categories. Launched in 2002 by the publishers of NASA Tech Briefs magazine to help stimulate and reward engineering innovation, the Create the Future Design Contest annual event has attracted more than 10,000 product design ideas from engineers, entrepreneurs, and students worldwide. More than 55 judges worldwide on the magazine’s editorial board of readers and contest sponsors reviewed the submissions in the Aerospace & Defence, Automotive/Transportation, Consumer Products, Electronics, Machinery/Automation/Robotics, Medical Products, and Sustainable Technologies categories.
WHERE AND WHEN MICHELIN TWEEL WAS INVENTED? AND BY WHOM?

It was over lunch in the late 1990s in Greenville S.C. that Dr. Tim Rhyne with fellow Michelin engineer and co-inventor Steve Cron had the idea of challenging pneumatic tyre technology and exploring new and revolutionary concepts for this essential component of mobility. Patents began to be issued on various aspects of the concept in 1999, 2000 and 2003.

WHEN DID MICHELIN INTRODUCE THE FIRST PROTOTYPE?

Over the following decade, the engineers worked diligently on various prototypes of the MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ Airless Radial tyre and, in 2005, the product was finally showcased at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Michigan on the iBOT wheelchair and Segway Concept Centaur Human Transporter. The commercial launch of the MICHELIN X® TWEEL™ SSL for skid steer loaders was in July 2012.

HOW LONG DO AIRLESS TYRES LAST?

High-performance compounds and an efficient contact patch designed to provide a long wear life that is 2-3 times that of a pneumatic tyre at equal tread depth.

CAN TWEEL BE REPAIRED (TORN SPOKE, ADHESION TO SHEAR BEAM)?

A technician can repair partially torn spokes by blunting the polyurethane crack tip to arrest further crack propagation,
and once repaired, this can potentially double the life of the torn or cut spoke.

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UPTIS: MICHELIN airless tires in La Poste vehicles

MICHELIN UPTIS prototype

UPTIS: MICHELIN airless tires in La Poste vehicles

MICHELIN UPTIS prototype

Are you looking for information on MICHELIN UPTIS prototype?
Are you looking for information on MICHELIN UPTIS prototype?

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