Photo: Hankook
Tubeless tires, run-flat tires, super-skinny space-saver tires, it doesn’t matter - punctures are still the biggest problem with the donut-shaped bits of rubber used by that important part of our daily lives we refer to as the car. South Korean-based Hankook Tire is currently addressing this issue by - you’ve guessed it - testing non-pneumatic tires made from eco-friendly materials.
By testing, we do mean that. Hankook announced that it had completed ride and handling tests for what you can admire in the adjacent rendering - the Hankook iFlex NPT, with NPT standing for non-pneumatic tire. The iFlex remotely follows in the footsteps of the Michelin Tweel and Polaris Terrain Armor ATV wheels. However, Hankook may be up to greater things.
According to the tire manufacturer, research and development begun in 2011. To the present day, the company’s biggest aim was to develop the non-pneumatic tire into achieving practical benefits without cutting down on high-speed tire characteristics. For short, the Hankook iFlex it the culmination of four years of hard work with an emphasis on real-world driving scenarios.
Hankook is telling us that an “electric car equipped with iFlex tires reached 130 km/h (80.7 mph),” which is a good start for a tire technology that’s still regarded as sci-fi movie material. To boot, the company is adamant that a “uni-material” has been developed to make the Hankook iFlex happen, but the South Korean outfit doesn’t say a word that material’s composition.
It may be plastic, it may be natural or artificial rubber, it’s a mystery at the present moment. But Hankook does mention something about eco-friendly potential and recyclability. You can find out more about the Hankook iFlex NPT and how the company was able to cut manufacturing down to four steps (from eight) in the attached release.
According to the tire manufacturer, research and development begun in 2011. To the present day, the company’s biggest aim was to develop the non-pneumatic tire into achieving practical benefits without cutting down on high-speed tire characteristics. For short, the Hankook iFlex it the culmination of four years of hard work with an emphasis on real-world driving scenarios.
Hankook is telling us that an “electric car equipped with iFlex tires reached 130 km/h (80.7 mph),” which is a good start for a tire technology that’s still regarded as sci-fi movie material. To boot, the company is adamant that a “uni-material” has been developed to make the Hankook iFlex happen, but the South Korean outfit doesn’t say a word that material’s composition.
It may be plastic, it may be natural or artificial rubber, it’s a mystery at the present moment. But Hankook does mention something about eco-friendly potential and recyclability. You can find out more about the Hankook iFlex NPT and how the company was able to cut manufacturing down to four steps (from eight) in the attached release.
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