Tires: Tubeless tyres, tubeless tires, truck tires

Question
What are "tubeless" tyres. How do they work and how are they better than "tube" tyres. Are there any disadvantages of "tubeless" technology.

Thank you.

Answer
Atul,

Tires have to be inflated to work properly.  So each tire has to have something that contains the air.  This something has to be made of a material that is flexible, but does not allow for air leakage, or at least leaks very slowly.

Tires are made of materials that, while flexible, do not hold air very well.  But tubes are made of special type of rubbers that do hold air well.  But tubes can rub against things such as the rim and parts of the tire and can be worn away, which is why flaps are frequently used with tubes, especially in large tires such as truck tires.

Tubeless tires use the same material as in tubes, but it is applied to the inside of the tire becoming an integral part of the tire.  

The advantage is that there is less material used, so it costs less and there is less to go wrong - only 3 parts.

However, tubeless tires require that the rim be air tight and have a valve so the tire can be inflated (and deflated).  Also the wheels generally have a drop center to mount the tire, which decreases the amount of space available for brakes.  Plus repairs are a little more difficult.

Hope this helps.