I am often asked what the difference is between an Amerityre flat free tire and flat free tires offered by our competitors. I find this question encouraging, as it indicates that this individual has already decided that a flat free tire is a better solution for their application than a pneumatic tire. The debate between flat free versus pneumatic is a separate argument. Often the points made against using a flat free tire are based on factors such as durability, ride performance, and overall quality. At Amerityre we have worked hard to develop a flat free tire that is based on superior technology when compared with our competitors of both pneumatic and flat free tires. I am going to discuss how Amerityre provides a tire solution that addresses the shortcomings of other flat free tires.
Over the years, the tire market has seen flat free tires made of solid rubber or open cell polyurethane foam. These tires had varying levels of quality, leading to a range of performance and ultimately unsatisfied end users. Amerityre developed a superior technology for its polyurethane foam tires. This proprietary formulation allows Amerityre to provide a closed cell foam tire, unlike our competitors. The easiest way to explain the difference between closed cell and open cell is to visualize a sponge, which is a structure made up of open cells. These open cells readily absorb water, just as open cell tires will absorb water. Amerityre’s closed cell tires do not absorb water, making them ideal in wet environments. The closed cell structure also provides a more uniform platform to support heavier loads than an equivalent weight open cell tire. On our website we have a short video, called The Water Absorption video, which demonstrates the difference between our closed cell foam tires and the open cell foam tire of competitors. I encourage anyone who has not seen this video to take a few minutes to look at this demonstration. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”.
Amerityre also has other advantages over flat free tire competitors. Amerityre’s manufacturing process is designed to ensure that all of its polyurethane foam tires are perfectly balanced, which provides superior comfort, ride and performance. A properly mounted Amerityre tire will roll true with less effort than the lower quality imported tires of our competitors. Amerityre offers wheels with a variety of bearing types and sizes, including oil impregnated bushings which are ideal for low speed, heavier load, applications. Our tires are built to last and provide superior performance for the life of your wheelbarrow, hand truck, golf cart, bicycle, lawn mower or other application where they are used. I regularly hear from satisfied customers who tell me their Amerityre tires have outlasted their wheelbarrows and hand trucks.
The biggest objection we hear about our tires has nothing to do with tire performance or quality. The majority of questions we receive relate to the price of the tire. It is true that many of our competitor’s tires are less expensive, but the reasons are easily explained. Our premium formulations require specific raw materials that are often more expensive. All of our tires are manufactured in the USA, at our facility in Boulder City, Nevada, and as a domestic manufacturer, Amerityre incurs some additional costs that foreign tire manufacturers do not. Despite a higher sales price to cover these costs, there is a strong case to support the position that Amerityre provides a better tire value to the consumer. I will cover the concept of value in more detail in my next blog entry.