Why do car tires not need a tube or liquid sealant but bicycle tires do?
In: Engineering
The tubeless tire for bicycles probably doesn’t have an air impermeable inner liner or a very thin one. It was designed to be used with sealant (for self sealing) so probably relies on the sealant for air retention.
Air retention in a car tire comes from the inner liner, which is thin layer of halobutyl rubber cured onto the inside of the tire. Without it the tire wouldn’t be able to hold air for long periods of time. I suppose a car tire could also use sealant but it wouldn’t be practical as car tires deal with freezing, high heat and the requirement for balance.
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