Bridgestone Shows Off Tires You Never Have to Inflate

Maybe it’s time to move beyond those donut-shaped balloons that connect our cars to the road.

At the Paris Motor Show, Bridgestone showed off a second-generation prototype of its Air Free tire, which replaces conventional tires’ cushion of air with an array of shock-absorbing resin bands that resemble thick, angled spokes. The outside of the airless tire is coated with a replaceable tread made of a thin band of solid rubber.

Why mess with the proven design of tires? Of course, there’s no such thing as a flat tire, but the main reason is to improve recyclability compared with conventional tires, said Olivier Monbet, leader of Bridgestone’s technical department for France and Benelux.