Posted on 02/26/2009 6:41:12 AM PST by LeoOshkosh
When it comes to developing a tire that can take on tough terrain, such as exploring trails or crawling rocks, engineers at Goodyear say they “left no stone unturned” when developing the new Wrangler MT/R tire with Kevlar. Due to be available in March, it is the company’s first off-road tire built with DuPont’s Kevlar material for enhanced sidewall puncture resistance.
The use of Kevlar, which is reportedly pound-for-pound five times stronger than steel, brings superb sidewall cut- and puncture-resistance to an area of the tire that demands extra toughness when driving off-road, according to Melissa Montisano, Goodyear’s general manager for light truck tires.
That’s going to be one helluva an expensive tire.
>That’s going to be one helluva an expensive tire.
Yep... maybe Obama’s going to equip all of his Civil Subjugation Force’s vehicles with them and THAT’S why he needs all the money in the spending bills.
They’ve been making bicycle tires with Kevlar for quite some time.
I doubt that it's 'all of a sudden'. They've probably been developing this for years.
Also, if you read the article you'll see that the tire was specifically developed for off roading (rock crawling, mudding) to increase sidewall puncture resistance.
The hull of my boat is Kevlar-reinforced for the same reason. That said, a boating magazine two years ago tested various hull structures for resistance to ordnance, and the Kevlar-reinforced structure did very well. This will give me great comfort if I decide to go cruising in the Gulf of Aden or the Straits of Malacca.
Why "all of a sudden" would anyone want any kind of new invention?
iPod? HDTV? Pet rock?
And if you've ever driven anywhere in a ranch in Texas, you'd understand that mesquite thorns are designed by Lucifer to puncture tires.
Just because it's "kevlar" doesn't mean you have to jump to conclusions about being designed for gangs or assault weapons or whatever.
I remember a TV ad from several years ago where they showed a bullet being stopped in slow motion by a Kevlar sheet, advertising tires made with Kevlar. Nothing new here, except that someone finally decided to make an off road tire with it, or perhaps that specific company is touting its new offering.
Freep rule #27: “Anything new is possibly a conspiracy. Throw a wooden shoe at it.”
interco has one also. the vortrac i think.
Kevlar falls generally into the category of “aramid fiber”.
Goodyear was selling “aramid fiber” tires thirty years ago.
The only thing noteworthy about this is “What took so long?” for this particular application.
Kevlar was originally invented to replace the steel belt in tires.
For some reason, this reminds me of Rearden metal...
Sounds like an extension of the ‘run flat tires’ now on some vehicles. There is a niche market and someone will meet the demand.
Kevlar was being developed for the tire market however they perfected the "steel belt radial" before DuPont perfected Kevlar. I know this because I work with people who worked on the Kevlar project.
Also for Kevlar to be considered "Bullet Resistant", you need to have multiple layers of the fabric.
>Freep rule #27: “Anything new is possibly a conspiracy. Throw a wooden shoe at it.”
Rule #28: “Anything old is corrupt. Throw a monkey-wrench at it.”
Rule #29: “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they AREN’T out to get you.”
;)
the other problem like it's very distant cousin Nylon it has a affinity for water so any break or hole in the tire casing that exposes it to moisture is asking for trouble via moisture migration.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.