Eli5 Why do tires use air instead of solid rubber all the wsy?

Question

Wouldnt a solid rubber tire do the same job with no risk of punctures?

In: 296

Answer 1

Pneumatic tires are superior because they allow the rims to be much lighter, which cause the car to have better performance and use less gas, due to the gyroscopic effect. The reason is that when you go over a bump with a pneumatic tire, the compression is distributed over the entire rim, pushing down on the rim from all sides equally. For a solid tire, when you go over a bump, the entire force of that bump pushes down on the rim at that location, and will cause the rim, unless it is dramatically heavier, to fail.