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"Like reaching the south pole or flying non-stop un-refueled around the world, a true run-flat tire seems an elusive last-great-goal to the world of wheeled transport.   Now Bridgestone has debuted a new concept tire towards that goal. Of course, in this age some sort of environmental tie-in is required with any advancement, and so Bridgestone is emphasizing the concept&amp;#039;s green qualities of reduced material and 100 percent recyclability. It&amp;#039;s part of a &amp;quot;cradle-to-cradle&amp;quot; recycling process, says Bridgestone.        Bridgestone Air-Free Tire Concept    Bridgestone&amp;#039;s non-pneumatic concept follows other pioneering efforts\u2014Michelin has, er, aired similar concepts previously. But Bridgestone&amp;#039;s Air-Free Concept tire seems to have advanced the idea with recyclable thermoplastic resin construction of its many internal spokes. It&amp;#039;s these spokes that give the tire its shape, strength and flexibility, while a more conventional outer sheath of rubber provides a traditional tread surface.   Load capacity may be limited at the moment; the Air-Free Concept is rated for just 150 kg (330 lbs) according to non-Bridgestone sources.        Bridgestone Air-Free Tire Concept    We wonder just how much noise and wind resistance an open sidewall design such as the Air-Free Concept generates. While opening the tire&amp;#039;s internal construction to view makes sense in the education-oriented Air-Free Concept, practicality says the internal spoke construction will be sealed by a veneer of sidewall rubber should such a tire construction reach the mainstream. Bridgestone says it might be, but isn&amp;#039;t talking about a timetable yet.   Seems the idea might have serious consequences for the aftermarket wheel business too. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/news/a17738/bridgestone-air-free-tire-concept/>