Tesla tires (out of main)

[Bet TSLA]

I am sure when they finally unveil it, they will announce amazing technical innovations, like this never-before seen marvelous new feature that is round in shape and helps the car roll on it smoothly on the road. They will call it: the iWheel (TM).

Mark my words!

Ha ha. I would love to see what Apple could come up with that does something to fix the horror that is the car to ground interface.

Tesla has still done nothing to innovate with regard to tires (or wheels for that matter). They are unquestionably the worst part of their cars. Tires produce the most pollution, they are the most expensive and constant maintenance item, they fail in obscure ways and at inconvenient times, render the vehicle undrivable, and often cannot be repaired. They don't adjust themselves to current conditions (e.g. ice/snow and race track require completely different tires from ordinary use). When they fail they can be a significant safety issue. They are often the limiting factor in performance and efficiency. They are difficult to reuse or recycle. And nobody knows what the best tire pressure is right now, and it's a pain to do adjust even if you did know. Plus, they're ugly and their color doesn't match the car.

In short, tires suck and Tesla hasn't done anything to fix that. So yeah, bad choice of thing to laugh about.

People would want Tesla cars far more if they had something that worked better than tires.

 

[scaesare]

Tesla has still done nothing to innovate with regard to tires (or wheels for that matter).

...SNIP...

In short, tires suck and Tesla hasn't done anything to fix that. So yeah, bad choice of thing to laugh about.

People would want Tesla cars far more if they had something that worked better than tires.

How do you know this?

Tesla has in fact hire engineers with focus on tires.

Do you know for a fact none of that has resulted in improved tires?

 

[Skryll]

How do you know this?

Tesla has in fact hired engineers with focus on tires.

Do you know for a fact none of that has resulted in improved tires?

Acoustic foam and low rolling resistance are incremental improvements, but I would love to see Tesla or somebody else to address the list of challenges listed above from a first principles standpoint.

 

[scaesare]

Acoustic foam and low rolling resistance are incremental improvements, but I would love to see Tesla or somebody else to address the list of challenges listed above from a first principles standpoint.

It appears that low rolling resistance tires also tend to reduce particulate. So do you know for a fact that was not part of the goals Tesla had in improving tire design for EV use?

 

[ZeApelido]

Tires still pollute by giving off small PM 2.5. Would be great if Tesla could somehow engineer tires that reduce this pollution.

 

[bkp_duke]

Talking about tires . . . must be a slow trading and TSLA news day.

 

[AZRI11]

Ha ha. I would love to see what Apple could come up with that does something to fix the horror that is the car to ground interface.

Tesla has still done nothing to innovate with regard to tires (or wheels for that matter). They are unquestionably the worst part of their cars. Tires produce the most pollution, they are the most expensive and constant maintenance item, they fail in obscure ways and at inconvenient times, render the vehicle undrivable, and often cannot be repaired. They don't adjust themselves to current conditions (e.g. ice/snow and race track require completely different tires from ordinary use). When they fail they can be a significant safety issue. They are often the limiting factor in performance and efficiency. They are difficult to reuse or recycle. And nobody knows what the best tire pressure is right now, and it's a pain to do adjust even if you did know. Plus, they're ugly and their color doesn't match the car.

In short, tires suck and Tesla hasn't done anything to fix that. So yeah, bad choice of thing to laugh about.

People would want Tesla cars far more if they had something that worked better than tires.

This is for the semi, but it could be used for any tesla with an air suspension US Patent Application for AUTOMATIC TIRE INFLATION SYSTEM WITH THRU-HUB AIR FEED Patent Application (Application #20180297423 issued October 18, 2018) - Justia Patents Search

 

[jerry33]

Tesla has still done nothing to innovate with regard to tires (or wheels for that matter). They are unquestionably the worst part of their cars. Tires produce the most pollution, they are the most expensive and constant maintenance item, they fail in obscure ways and at inconvenient times, render the vehicle undrivable, and often cannot be repaired. They don't adjust themselves to current conditions (e.g. ice/snow and race track require completely different tires from ordinary use). When they fail they can be a significant safety issue. They are often the limiting factor in performance and efficiency. They are difficult to reuse or recycle. And nobody knows what the best tire pressure is right now, and it's a pain to do adjust even if you did know. Plus, they're ugly and their color doesn't match the car.

Until the Stark gravitic reversion technology becomes available, tires are going to be tires.

 

[Bet TSLA]

Don't make the mistake of thinking that since tires are the weak link that they have not received enough development effort. Quite the opposite, actually.

Yeah, but saying that people have tried hard and tires still suck means it's clearly a job for Kal-El(on).

You know exactly how pathetic "But they're improved!" sounds.

 

[Bet TSLA]

This is for the semi, but it could be used for any tesla with an air suspension US Patent Application for AUTOMATIC TIRE INFLATION SYSTEM WITH THRU-HUB AIR FEED Patent Application (Application #20180297423 issued October 18, 2018) - Justia Patents Search

Tires needing inflation is a bug. Automating it is not a feature. First principles!

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Tires needing inflation is a bug. Automating it is not a feature. First principles!

This would actually be huge for the Cybertruck and any off road variants Tesla comes out with in the future.

Anyone who fishes on the beach generally has to "air down" to abut 16-19psi in order to let their tires pancake and not create a rut in soft sand. Obviously creates the need to air back up once you leave the beach. I've spent many many annoying hours getting eaten alive by green heads waiting for my Jeep tires to re-inflate when I come off the beach.

Auto-inflate would be a godsend to Jeep and pickup people who drive on the beach.

 

[AZRI11]

Tires needing inflation is a bug. Automating it is not a feature. First principles!

For cybertruck. Offroad driving conditions require different levels of tire pressure. That would be more important than a "crab walk"

 

[Bet TSLA]

For cybertruck. Offroad driving conditions require different levels of tire pressure. That would be more important than a "crab walk"

Sure. But the fact that they perform better with different levels of inflation is yet another aspect of how bad the design is. A Cybertruck should be able to dance.

 

[JRP3]

Sure. But the fact that they perform better with different levels of inflation is yet another aspect of how bad the design is. A Cybertruck should be able to dance.

No, but it should be able to vary the air pressure on demand. That's a rational solution relatively easy to implement.

 

[StealthP3D]

Sure. But the fact that they perform better with different levels of inflation is yet another aspect of how bad the design is. A Cybertruck should be able to dance. E.g.

.

I don't think you can say something is a "bad" design unless you know of a better way to do it. Personally, I'm amazed how well tires work and I've pushed them past their limits on and off-road, snow, ice, mud and rocks so I know all about their limitations. But, yeah, if you know of a better way to do it, I'm all ears.

 

[wipster]

Sure. But the fact that they perform better with different levels of inflation is yet another aspect of how bad the design is. A Cybertruck should be able to dance.

While I voted funny on your post as I would love to see a CybrTruck dance, I think the ability for certain tires to be designed to perform better with different levels of inflation, especially controlled by the driver from inside the vehicle is evidence of how good the level of design is! Being able to control the amount of air pressure in a vehicles tires remotely is a huge improvement over anything introduced prior. I can't wait to see how it's done and if in fact it could be done while the vehicle is in motion!

 

[2daMoon]

While I voted funny on your post as I would love to see a CybrTruck dance, I think the ability for certain tires to be designed to perform better with different levels of inflation, especially controlled by the driver from inside the vehicle is evidence of how good the level of design is! Being able to control the amount of air pressure in a vehicles tires remotely is a huge improvement over anything introduced prior. I can't wait to see how it's done and if in fact it could be done while the vehicle is in motion!

FWIW, the original military HUMVEE had this ability to vary tire pressure in motion.

Looking forward to seeing this integrated into a Tesla's arsenal of computer-controlled variables for maximizing traction, tire life, and passenger comfort/safety.

 

[jerry33]

No, but it should be able to vary the air pressure on demand. That's a rational solution relatively easy to implement.

This is not as easy to do as you might think. First, tire pressures should only be adjusted cold (with certain exceptions such as a leaky tire). After the cold pressure adjustment, tires will gain pressure through ambient temperature rise and driving. This is fine, they're supposed to do that. Adjusting pressures on the fly is generally detrimental to the tires (exception: some off-road conditions). So the automatic pressure adjust would have to know a lot about when adjustments should be made.

 

[Mengy]

Tires needing inflation is a bug. Automating it is not a feature. First principles!

In all seriousness, I could see Musk revolutionizing the tire. Design some other compound which uses no petroleum products, does not require air, and wears very long term. With Tesla's manufacturing excellence they could take over the tire industry with such a product, LOL.

 

[jerry33]

FWIW, the original military HUMVEE had this ability to vary tire pressure in motion.

And as long as you had a motor pool to keep the system operational, it worked just fine. But really this was for off-road conditions. There's little to be gained in an on-road situation (and most of the time you want higher pressures). Track racing is different, but then if the tires last the duration of the race, that's fine.