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

There are tires that don’t require air, and yes they don’t risk punctures. But they lose the benefit of having less resistance to the ground and therefore cause more drag. More drag leads to less fuel efficiency. Pneumatic tires are also pretty cheap in the grand scheme of things and flats aren’t so common that you need to replace a tire so often. The US Army is trying to look into various designs that both save weight and don’t require air.