The first Michelin airless tires hit the road

Tires can’t go flat without air either. Seems like a nice excuse from a trainee who forgot to put the valves in the rim, but in reality that’s Michelin’s biggest selling point. The tire farmer has been working on run-flat tires for some time, and last week the first cars with run-flat tires hit the road.

Michelin calls the tires Uptis, which stands for Unique Puncture Resistant Tire System. In fact, the tire that can not be deflated. Last week, France’s La Poste sent its first three delivery trucks on the road with Uptis tires. At the end of 2024, forty trucks should be driving around with Michelin run-flat tires.

Therefore, the tires do not have air, but rather a structure that takes over the damping effect. We expected the tire sidewall to only be open to the widths, but the chassis still seemed to be visible. We’re curious to see what it does with balance and damping when mud or snow gets into the tires.

Whose band?

Airless tires are mainly intended for light commercial vehicles and delivery services in particular. A flat tire costs a lot of money for these companies, and this way the fleet keeps moving further. In Singapore, fifty vans must run on run-flat tires by the end of this year.

With all the knowledge and data, Uptis belt is ready for production. It is not yet known if the band will come to the private market. There are also no known prices for what Michelin airless tires should cost.