Foam Filling Tires

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

WOULD FOAM FILLING TIRES BE BAD? I WAS TALKING TO OUR TIRE DEALER AND HE SAID THEY OFFER HIGH SPEED FOAM FILL FOR PERFORMANCE TIRES THAT CAN HANDLE IN EXCESS OF 180MPH, NEVER LOSE TIRE PRESSURE, AND ONLY ADDS 3-5 LBS PER TIRE. MY QUESTION IS FROMA PERFORMANCE STAND-POINT IS THIS WORTH IT? THE RIMS AND TIRES I HAVE ARE 10 LBS LIGHTER THAN STOCK FULLY INFLATED TO 44PSI BY ADDING 5 LBS WOULD FOAM FILLING BE WORTH IT?

Post by **SmithSR** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

How does heat dissipate?

Is the foam fill a hard compound?

What happens to deflection with a foam filled/solid tire?

How does a foam filled tire react when the vehicle load is suddenly shifted to two of the wheels? (braking or hard turn-in)Since the tire flexes less, the tread is in effect over-abused, and will wear out extremely fast, or cause sliding/skidding. Might as well air up your tires to 50psi and go ice skating with your car.

How do you change the worn out tire that is foam filled? With a sawzall!! Would you feel comfortable with a tire guy taking his sawzall to your custom wheels? I wouldn't.

Then it adds unsprung weight. Then, to find any benefit, you need a car that will travel in excess of 150mph and up to make use of the safety margin that the tire guy is basing his sales pitch on.

All in all, I say steer clear. But just for trivial purposes, could you ask your tire guy how he dismounts a foam filled tire after it has worn out?? I've tried to articulate above, but a foam filled tire cannot flex as intended, putting great fatigue on the tread blocks, causing extreme heat, wearing the tire out quickly. Then you have to buy new tires, and watch the tire guy cut off your old tires with a sawzall... or so I'm told. Too many unknowns...

Post by **Grant@tirerack** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

Do these guys have a website? I'd love to see this one in action!

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

WE FOAM FILL OUR TRUCK TIRES AT WORK, THEY DO FLEX LIKE AIR JUST WHEN PUNCTURED THEY DON'T DEFLATE. YOU DISMOUNT THESE TIRESLIKE ANY OTHER TIRE, THE FOAM DOESN'T SOLIDIFY. I HAVE WORKED WITH THESE GUY FOR THE PAST YEAR AND HE BROUGHT IT UP BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE WORTH WHILE. WE USE AM-PAC TIRE HERE IN ARIZONA.

BTW: IT ISN'T A SALES PITCH BECAUSE THEY WOULD DO IT FOR FREE, THEY JUST BROUGHT IT UP. I JUST DON'T WANT TO WASTE MY TIME.

Post by **Mayhem_J30** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

I don't know. I have a hard time believing that a tire that could probably not withstand 180mph+ can suddenly handle it with some foam sprayed in it.Go out and get those runflats that they use on vettes.

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

NO, THATS IF I USE A TIRE THAT CAN WITHSTAND IT. THE FOAM WILL HOLD UP INEXCESS OF 180MPH, SO IF I USE A TIRE RATED TO 145MPH THEN THE FOAM WILL HANDLE IT, BUT IS I USE A TIRE RATED TO 220MPH THE FOAM MAY OR MAY NOT HANDLE THOSE SPEEDS.

Website · Post by **s13sr20chris** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

i personally would want to see it on a racecar first. if the racers are not doing it, then it may not be good for us either. runflats were designed to be super stiff. just filling up a tire with foam is changing the operating conditions of the tire. thats something i would not trust myself to do. i could even see it for sustained high speeds or something, but nothing that involves hard cornering.

Post by **Xian** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

and you will change your tire pressure how...?

Post by **SmithSR** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

Excellent question!!

Which brings us back to my original post... how does the tire handle deflection? How does it cycle heat? Does a non-solid, yet non-liquid foam cause trouble for dismount/mount procedure?

Sounds like a salt flats, world land speed record type of scenario, more than a track car or a daily car need..

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

5lbs of foam rolling around in your tire would easily cause a vibration.

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

OK THESE TIRES DON'T NEED AIR BECAUSE THE FOAM AND AIR GO IN TOGETHER AND THEY NEVER LOSE PRESSURE EVEN UNDER PUNCTURE (THUS WHY WE USE THEM ON OUR TRUCKS), THESE DISMOUNT LIKE NORMAL AND INFLATE BY REMOVING THE VALVE AND FILLING, THESE TIRE BOUNCE LIKE A NORMAL TRUCK TIRE INFLATED TO 32PSI, AND I'VE HAD ONE OF OUR TRUCKS UPTO 75MPH WITH NO VIBRATIONS. THIS IS WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THESE I WAS HOPING FOR SOMEONE WITH ALITTLE MORE EXPERIENCE WITH THESE AND MAYBE TRIED THEM IN A HIGHSPEED SITUATION.

Post by **Nismo_Freak** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

PROJECTRB240SX wrote:OK THESE TIRES DON'T NEED AIR BECAUSE THE FOAM AND AIR GO IN TOGETHER AND THEY NEVER LOSE PRESSURE EVEN UNDER PUNCTURE (THUS WHY WE USE THEM ON OUR TRUCKS), THESE DISMOUNT LIKE NORMAL AND INFLATE BY REMOVING THE VALVE AND FILLING, THESE TIRE BOUNCE LIKE A NORMAL TRUCK TIRE INFLATED TO 32PSI, AND I'VE HAD ONE OF OUR TRUCKS UPTO 75MPH WITH NO VIBRATIONS. THIS IS WHAT I KNOW ABOUT THESE I WAS HOPING FOR SOMEONE WITH ALITTLE MORE EXPERIENCE WITH THESE AND MAYBE TRIED THEM IN A HIGHSPEED SITUATION.

Ask yourself this... do you see any normal racing teams using this to an advantage? If not then I wouldn't bother simply because racing teams use any and every advantage known to man to get ahead.

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

THEY SWAP TIRES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE ALSO, SO IT WOULDN'T BENEFIT THEM, THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PSI.

Post by **Grant@tirerack** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

PROJECTRB240SX wrote:THEY SWAP TIRES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE ALSO, SO IT WOULDN'T BENEFIT THEM, THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PSI.

Pressure adjustment is critical in racing setups.

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

BUT THOSE TIRES ARE ADJUSTED BEFORE THEY TOUCH THE CAR. THIS WOULD BE FOR STREET.

Post by **Grant@tirerack** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

The point Nismo-Freak was making (I think) was this: if the tire has a semi-solid foam inside the liner, how can the pressure be adjusted? The only times I have seen this used is on larger industrial and commercial tires, never in lower profile vehicle tires. The idea of self supporting or run flat tires is that the tire sidewall can support the car if the tire looses pressure. This would have to be a very solid foam to support the vehicle if the tire sidewall or tread is breached. If something that firm is filling a tire with a shorter sidewall ( tire on a passenger car) it would make it very difficult to break the bead and dismount the tire. It may work well in a tire with a much taller sidewall or split rims but it likely would not do well on a smaller tire. I may be wrong but that would be my take on it. That's probably why we have not seen this technology used in passenger tires. I'd be the first to admit it if I'm wrong but there you have it.

Post by **PROJECTRB240SX** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 10:46 am

OK THANK YOU. I'M GOING TO AVOID IT THEN, ALTHOUGH I MAY TRY IT ON MY STOCKERS JUST TO SEE. WE USE THIS ON OUR TRUCKS 1/2 TON UP BECAUSE OUR DRIVERS ABUSE THE CRAP OUT OF THEM AND LIKE TO OVER LOAD THE VEHICLE AND THESE TIRE HOLD TREAD LIFE PRETTY WELL UNDER HARSH CONDITIONS, I WAS JUST THINKING IT COULD DO SOME GOOD IN THE HIGH PERFORMANCE WORLD, BUT I'M PROBABLY WRONG.

Foam Filling Tires

Foam Filling Tires

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