Star Trek

Jan. 10, 2005. 06:32 AM

RICHARD DOLE/CNW
Revolutionary Tweel, introduced by Michelin at Detroit auto show.

Car tire heir has no ... air
U.S. regulators holding things up
Demand exceeds supply by long shot


TONY VAN ALPHEN
BUSINESS REPORTER

DETROITThey are trying to reinvent the wheel here.

In one of the many innovations sweeping the viciously competitive international auto industry these days, French-based tire giant Michelin introduced its revolutionary "Tweel" yesterday at the North American International Auto Show.

It's an integrated tire and wheel combination without one key ingredient: Air.

Michelin, the world's biggest tire maker, unveiled the new wheel  a combination of spokes and rubber  on an Audi after strong gains in development and testing on mobilized wheelchairs, all-terrain vehicles and construction loaders during the last few years.

"Major revolutions in mobility may come along only once in a hundred years," Terry Gettys, president of Michelin's research centre in the United States, told reporters. "But a new century has dawned and Tweel has proven its potential to transform mobility."

Despite making significant progress since the project started in 1997, officials say it will be 10 to 15 years before the Tweel finds its way on to cars and trucks.

The Tweel is a simple-looking hub-and-spoke design that replaces the need for air pressure while delivering performance previously only available on inflatable rubber or pneumatic tires. Flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock and rebound with ease.

Michelin also said the Tweel prototype on the Audi A4 is within 5 per cent of the rolling resistance and mass levels of current rubber tires. That can result in almost the same fuel economy for a car that currently rides on tires. The company also said it has increased vertical and lateral stiffness significantly, which makes the prototype better for riding comfort and unusually responsive in handling.

At the same time, officials say they continue to wrestle with the problem of reducing noise, which increases as the wheels turn at higher speeds.

The Tweel could mean the eventual replacement of the rubber tire, an auto fixture since the beginning of mass auto production almost a century ago. It would also eliminate flat tires, highway blowouts, and aid in balancing traction and comfort.

"It's extremely promising for a prototype," said Lynn Mann, Michelin's director of public relations.

Bart Thompson, Michelin's lead innovation engineer on the project, said it takes time before innovation takes hold in the auto industry, pointing to the invention of radial tires in the 1940s that didn't become common until the 1970s.

Michelin's commitment to the project shows that it is not a tire manufacturer but a "mobility company," he said in an interview. "Michelin pays me to come up with the next big thing in mobility."

The company is using this week's show to try to attract interest in the project from major manufacturers.

Meanwhile, manufacturers are revealing numerous other innovative products. For example, Delphi Corp., one of the world's biggest parts makers, is working with Comcast Corp., the largest cable company in the U.S., on a system that will let consumers wirelessly transfer digital video content to a rear-seat entertainment system.

General Motors also introduced two new hybrid gasoline-electric concept vehicles that will reduce fuel consumption significantly in the continuing shift by the industry away from the internal combustion engine.

Other automakers unveiled numerous concept vehicles that could eventually go into production, including the Jeep Gladiator and Hurricane trucks, Ford SynUS youth vehicle and Explorer Sport Trac pickup.

The Brampton-built Chrysler 300  which becomes the 300C when it's equipped with Chrysler's Hemi V-8 engine  collected its latest honour as 2004 North American Car of the Year. Ford's new Escape hybrid SUV garnered the award for North American Truck of the Year.

The last time entries from Detroit's Big Three won both car and truck of the year was 1996.

To be eligible, a vehicle must be substantially changed from the previous model or be a completely new vehicle.

The 300, whose unique look has captured buyers from the hip-hop set to baby boomers, already had claimed Motor Trend's 2005 Car of the Year award, among other honours since its April introduction.

"Chrysler has single-handedly reinvented the large, V-8-powered American sedan," said Matt DeLorenzo, Detroit editor of Road & Track magazine.

Dubbed "baby Bentley" because of its likeness to versions of the luxury English brand, the 300 beat out the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang.

The North American honours have been given annually since 1994 by a group of about 50 full-time automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada. They scrutinize each vehicle's design, safety, handling and innovations. The judges also consider driver satisfaction and value.

With files from Associated Press

no more flats and blowouts. it will also help to save lives.