New tire/wheel design is long on concept, but do the numbers support it?
The old adage for cars is that engineers aren’t mechanics for if they were, they wouldn’t design their cars the way they do. Well, the same could be said of designers who aren’t engineers OR ). mechanics. Witness this ambitious wheel/tire design called the “Dynamically Augmenting Wheel System” (aka DAWS). The idea is interesting.
As a car takes a turn at speed, rather than losing its center of gravity due to inertia, the wheel itself is designed into eight segments to telescope laterally – thereby keeping the center of gravity where it is. The theory is that the wheel segments move on what is referred to as a liner bearing – located in the hub. This allows the wheel to shift the entire vehicle proportionally and resist inertia’s effects on pulling tires off the road.
Man. Can you imagine not only the cost of outfitting a car a set of these babies, but also of fixing them when they break? As my dad used to say … the more parts a design has, the greater the chance it has of breaking down. Whereas, a simple circlular tube design has little chance of catastrophic failure except for a tire blowout itself.
Still, it’s a cool idea that represents out of the box thinking.
Hat Tip – Yanko
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anon Says: March 12, 2009 at 12:15 am
I don’t think a rock will get you flying off the road, it will just detract from your ride comfort.
I’m still waiting on the tweel =P
Thursday Gadget Thumbs » Coolest Gadgets Says: March 12, 2009 at 1:35 am
[...] New tire/wheel design is long on concept, but do the numbers support it? [...]
F??K Says: March 20, 2009 at 3:09 am
what a fu*ker designXD
Ralph Says: May 7, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Good idea but to finiky for raod use ( dirt, speed temperature). A tyre and rim lenialy gided on it’s axle or sharf mounted, will do the same trick and can be keept clean and sturdy for road use.
Wheel Bearing Says: May 9, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Great Idea, but wouldn’t that be a really rough ride?
erick Says: August 5, 2010 at 3:02 pm
i understand the concept but the car would fly off the road. according to the design the segment on the pavement shifts to keep it from skidding of the road but as it rolls it resets and as the next segment comes it shifts that much more and the next and so on by the time you travel 20 ft. the car would have shifted 5Ft. you may as well be skidding.
Stacie Says: April 1, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Much like “reinventing the wheel” concept but will the segments, eight of them, reduce or add to the tires-to-pavement sound? I’m curious to try this out if it’s been produced and distributed.
Aubrey Ann Says: April 2, 2011 at 12:12 am
I agree its one of these out of the box thinking but as of the moment the traditional wheel is sufficient. Perhaps this wheel is design to prevent accidents when drivers turn at high speed? If so then I guess drivers should just be more careful and stay at the speed limit.
Alexia Says: April 7, 2011 at 7:00 am
Are these tires available in the market already. Please let me know when because I’m quite excited to fit these in my car. The only problem is if its breaks down, where do I take the wheel to have it fixed? I can’t imagine driving the highway and had a tire break down.
Kylie Says: April 10, 2011 at 6:29 am
What the 
Are these tires for real?
Vancouver Dodge Dealers Says: April 20, 2011 at 12:37 am
Quite unique but it looks like you might keep on retiring tires if this is the shape? Or is this is the rubber version of the chain that keeps war tanks rolling?
Edmonton Jeep Says: April 27, 2011 at 6:27 am
Cool idea but I also think this won’t work pretty good. I think this will might cause the ride to be bumpy. Simple is better than complicated as they say. This design just complicates things so I think we should just stick to the circular design of wheels. Just my opinion though.
Jewel Mitch Says: May 10, 2011 at 12:53 pm
If I were you, I would listen to what your dad said stick with the simple tires.
Jewel Mitch Says: May 10, 2011 at 12:55 pm
If I were you, I would listen to what your dad said — stick with the simple tires. 
FIAT dealer Says: May 17, 2011 at 7:10 am
It’s an interesting idea, but I’m not sure if it’ll work in the real world. The wheels are too much for for regular daily driving.
Mike Says: March 11, 2009 at 6:33 pm
So what happens when a rock gets lodged in between the tire plates and you go flying off the road in a techno blaze of glory?