Airless tires do not use compressed air to cushion blows and support the vehicle. Instead, polymeric spokes (potentially with varying material compositions for different surfaces and conditions) absorb the impact, meaning that there is no airlock caused by the compressed air pushing the bead of the tire into the wheel.
When there is damage – we’re pretty sure you can still do burnouts in a Mustang even if it has airless tires – the car can continue to drive safely, and when the tire needs replacing, the process could be even quicker and easier than it is today. It also means that choosing a new wheel design would not require the replacement of the wheel itself, but rather the airless tire which may be available with different spoke designs.
In a nutshell, this patent proposes yet another method of constructing airless tires, which suggests that the tech will soon become viable for the mass market. It’s just a matter of seeing whose approach to non-pneumatic tires is the best.