Why Aren't Tires Made Of Solid Rubber Instead of Inflated Air?

Car tires are made of rubber, which is inflated using air. This means that without air the car tires will be flat and unusable.

The question is, why don't automobile manufacturers make tires from solid rubber? so that the tires have no dependence on the inflated air.

Let's find out the answer.

Tires inflated with air are known as pneumatic tires. These tires are used on all passenger cars, motorbikes and trucks.

But what you need to know, before pneumatic tires were widely used, car tires were made of solid rubber which didn't require air.



Solid rubber tire is made of 100% rubber without cavities. So it doesn't require maintenance. But why aren't solid rubber tires being used now?

In fact, solid rubber tires are still used but in certain vehicles. This is because solid tire and pneumatic tire have different properties.

1. Solid rubber tires

Solid rubber tires offer maintenance free. This means that when the tires are installed on a vehicle, you don't need to check in the future.

However, tires made of solid rubber do not absorb vibrations as well as pneumatic tires. This is because the solid construction of the tires makes the tires have no medium to absorb shocks.

So that the solid rubber tire is not suitable for use in passenger cars that prioritize comfort.

Apart from that, there are other disadvantages. Tires made of solid rubber have a higher weight than pneumatic tires. The higher weight will increase the engine load to run the vehicle.

So that if a solid rubber tire is used in a passenger car, the car accelerates slowly and wastes fuel.

From this, it can be concluded that solid rubber is not suitable for use in vehicles operating on the road.

However, solid rubber is still commonly found in workshop equipment such as forklifts. Forklifts operate in a workshop environment with a hazard on the line. The use of solid tire rubber can minimize maintenance costs.

Because even if the tires are punctured by sharp objects, they can still be used.

Another example, is children's toys. Such as car toys, kid bicycle.

2. Pneumatic tire

As many people know, almost all vehicles operating on the road use pneumatic tire.

Pneumatic tires have good characteristics in absorbing shocks. Because the air can be compressed. So that when the tire passes through a bumpy road, the shock will be absorbed by the air inside the tire.

In addition, the weight of the pneumatic tire is also light. So that it doesn't overload the engine.

However, as you know when a tire is stuck with a sharp object, it will become flat. When the tire is flat, the tire cannot be used because it will be dangerous if it forced.

Therefore, a pneumatic tire requires maintenance. Minimum, you can check tire pressure often.