Interesting New Run-Flat Tire Design

[Tuckerfan]

Bizarrely, it’s on the John Birch Society’s website.

While building homes, Steinke first noticed polyurethane’s dynamic properties. Inspired to explore its potential uses, he entered the chemical industry. During the 1980s, he developed and patented polyurethane wheelchair tires, shoe insoles, ski boots, and other products. In 1995, he founded the American Tire Corporation (now “Amerityre"). It utilizes a remarkable polyurethane foam to make tires for bicycles, wheelchairs, golf carts, and garden equipment. Completely airless, these tires literally cannot go flat, even if pierced by an electric drill or bullet.

In 2000, a national controversy soared over fatal failures of tires on SUVs. The daughter of one of Steinke’s friends died in such an accident. He then turned his attention to inventing a polyurethane automobile tire — a goal that other tire manufacturers had previously pursued without success. In 2003, Steinke and Manual Chacon, head of Amerityre’s chemical development, developed a polyurethane polymer ideal for highway use.

If the specs quoted in the article are accurate, then it’s one heckuva good design.