After a recent trip to the Nissan service department to the tune of $600, I want to know why tires have to be full of air? Why can't they be dense so they don't pop? Like really tiny honeycombs filled with air, so if one pops, you don't have to shell out $150 for a new one with rotation. In my mind it would be the LED of the tire world.
Ben says: They do make them. They're great for things like wheel barrels and dollies, but they're awful for car tires. Your tires are really the first part of your car's suspension. The air in your tires acts like a cushion. It's good at this because air compresses very well. Air can compress more than liquids or solids can, so it makes the best cushions. When you make the whole tire out of solid then it makes driving on a regular road feel like driving on railroad tracks. They make run-flat tires that don't lose their shape when they get punctured, but to do that they have to use much harder reinforced rubber and most people hate them because you can crack a tooth just by driving over a seam in the roadway.
