Why did car tires switch from inner tubes to a tubeless design? – Jalopnik

The wooden and metal wheels of 19th-century horse-drawn carriages began to evolve when American chemist Charles Goodyear created vulcanization, a process that made rubber stronger and more elastic. It didn’t take long for rubber to become more suitable for tire production, when Englishman Robert William Thomson invented the world’s first inflatable pneumatic tire from vulcanized rubber in 1845. It was too expensive for commercialization at the time, but that didn’t stop the first solid rubber tires from debuting on London’s taxis in 1881.

It was not until 1911 that Philip Strauss patented the first pneumatic car tires with air-filled inner tubes, heralding the birth of inner tubes. They kept the automotive world going for more than half a century, although early models of inner tubes were less than satisfactory. Sure, the inner tube’s air cushion made those tires more comfortable on the road than solid rubber, but they were so delicate and fragile that they punctured easily and made flat tires a common problem for anyone driving a motorized car.

Things began to evolve again when American engineer Frank Herzegh invented the world’s first tubeless tire in 1947 while working for BF Goodrich. In 1952, the company was granted patents for its invention, and the automotive world would never be the same. As roads improved and cars moved faster, inner tubes lost favor due to their tendency to puncture and overheat, which often led to the tires exploding and losing air pressure. From a safety aspect, inner tube tires were long gone, and tubeless tires gained more acceptance because they were lighter, more cost-effective, and easier to repair.

The introduction of tubeless tires solved most of the disadvantages inherent to tubeless tires. For starters, they leak air more slowly and dissipate heat more effectively because they’re mounted directly to the handlebars, making them less prone to overheating and blowouts. And because tubeless tires do not have an inner tube, they are lighter and help reduce the weight of the vehicle, resulting in better fuel economy and a more comfortable ride. Tubeless tires are not immune to flats, but they are easier to repair and you can even fix the flat yourself.

Technology has allowed tire manufacturers to move forward with run-flat tires with reinforced sidewalls, although their stiff ride quality, added weight and cost have made their true value to car owners questionable. Harvard’s materials research department has come up with a tear-resistant rubber material
that’s almost ten times as strong as vulcanized rubber, but we’ll have to wait and see if the innovation makes its way into modern cars anytime soon. While some may ponder the future of tires with an airless design like the solid rubber of yesteryear, tubeless tires will continue to rule until a more viable alternative offers greater comfort, better puncture resistance and safer performance on the road.