Goodyear is developing a KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) tyre for cars and motorcycles. The concept is simple - take the heat generated by the tyre as it is rolling down the road and convert it to energy. They have also figured out a way to capture the energy when a tyre deforms under load. The tyre company has mixed piezoelectric material into the compound and they also … [Read more...]
Cross-Ply & Radial Tyres
I originally wrote this article in 2008 for my podcast after I had found an old TV advertisement on YouTube showing the dangers of mixing cross-ply and radial tyres on the same axle. The result could be circular driving with ends swapping direction! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrRz_ItWWDw The tyre as we know it today came from the minds of two Scotsmen: John Boyd Dunlop … [Read more...]