Tires

Hankook's R&D department has been working with biorobotics experts from Seoul National University and Harvard engineers on a weird transforming origami wheel project. These folding oddities can drastically alter their diameter and carry heavy loads.

Researchers at Rice University have developed a new process to convert old tires into graphene, which can then be used to make concrete. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, but the team says the resulting concrete is substantially stronger.

An advanced tire technology developed by NASA for use on planetary rovers could be coming to a bike lane near you, with startup the Smart Tire Company leveraging the technology to introduce an airless shape memory alloy tire for bicycles.

It was three years ago that we first heard about the reTyre system, which lets cyclists zip specialized tread "skins" on and off of a set of base tires. A new version is now on the market, which addresses some of the shortcomings of the original.

It's important to maintain the proper air pressure in your bike's tires. That's where SKS Germany's Airspy comes in, as it continuously monitors tire pressure, and lets you know if it's getting low.

Imagine getting a flat tire, and just smearing on a chemical that makes the rubber meld seamlessly back together. That’s the kind of breakthrough researchers are now reporting, with a new material made of waste products and easily recyclable itself.

According to the National University of Singapore (NUS), only 40 percent of old tires are recycled – the rest are either burned or thrown in landfills. Now, however, the university has developed a method of converting tire rubber into an aerogel.

In the Internet of Things age, everything will talk to everything else, and your car tires will be no different. Pirelli's new smart tires can feed information back to your car, other cars and V2X roadside infrastructure through 5G connectivity.

Michelin has teamed with General Motors to target a 2024 production goal for airless tires. The tires, called Uptis, will have several benefits over radial tubeless tires and will debut for testing on the Chevrolet Bolt electric car.

​If they really are to be considered "cars," flying cars will require at least two things: tires for driving on the road, and propellers for flying through the air. Goodyear has combined the two into one unit – or actually into four units – with its Aero concept.

​We're suckers for good concept tires, and it seems there's no shortage of ideas each year for what the future might look like where the rubber hits the road. These two Hankook concepts come to us from the Essen Motor Show, and they concentrate on autonomous comfort and racing downforce.

​Tubeless tires have become pretty much standard on mountain bikes, but they can be difficult to mount, and often end up leaking air. With that in mind, tire manufacturer Tannus is introducing a product that is claimed to give tubed tires some of the same qualities as their tubeless counterparts.