Everyone has their own opinion on what tires are best. Some are the best for normal highway driving, some are the best for when you go off-road, and some are the best for track days. But, have you ever asked if the traditional rubber tire and the metal wheel was the best way to roll? These crazy wheels videos show some alternatives, with entertaining results.
In no particular order, here are some pretty interesting wheel/tire alternatives!
Saw Blade Wheels
The first one comes from Finland. In the video above, YouTube channel Beyond the press takes their Subaru Legacy out on a frozen lake equipped with 2-foot wide 1/2-inch thick steel saw blade wheels. We promise that no one drowns in the video and it goes a lot better than you imagine, but I mean, the car is rolling on ice after all.
Octagon Wheels
Saw blade wheels are one thing, but what about another shape? Say octagon-shaped wheels? YouTube channel Mr. Indian Hacker did just that by equipping some octagon-shaped wooden wheels to a small sedan. A bit of a warning, the video isn’t in English, but you get the point of what is going on. Spoiler alert, an octagon might be just like a saw without the sharp danger level!
Horse & Buggy Wheels
The Dodge Challenger Hellcat might be the most American car ever made. A horse and buggy is one of the most tried and true transportation methods in the history of America. Putting them together is something unique that branches time and combines cultures. It’s just what YouTube channel WhistlinDiesel did when they strapped horse and buggy wheels to a Dodge Challenger Hellcat.
There is something that just makes you pause for a second when you see a 6-piston Brembo caliper peaking through a horse and buggy wheel!
Spring Wheels
Remember when Nike Shocks came out making you think you could simply bounce around the basketball court? I assume the same thought went through YouTube channel Garage 54‘s mind when he came up with this “bright” idea.
Your car’s suspension revolves around springs. If you have a good suspension system you should feel less of the road, right? So why not replace your tires with springs to feel even less of the bumps. We’re positive that isn’t how things work out, as you can see in the video above. You do get to feel even more of the road, and it does leave a “cool” footprint, however.
20-Foot Wheels
For this one YouTube channel WhistlinDiesel is back at it again. This time, they equipped their GMC Sierra with 20-foot tall wooden wheels. In the video you see the unique challenges involved with equipping such tall wheels. You cannot exactly jack up the truck that tall after all! They dig some trenches to fit the wheels in, then still have to jack up the truck to get it mounted up.
Duct Tape Tires
Duct tape is THE required item to have in every garage, professionals and weekend warriors alike. It is only fitting that in some characteristics, it maybe does a better job than rubber at being a tire.
In the video above, YouTuber Tyler Monagan gets together with his friends and wraps up some small wheels with a lot of duct tape, which are then fitted to some quad dirt bikes. You will see that it could be the future of drifting!
Reaper Wheels
WhistlinDiesel must have the market locked on crazy wheels/tires. For this video they equipped some “reaper wheels” on a Ford F350. Basically, really sharp and pointy metal spike balls. You can use them for tilling the land or the next Mad Max movie.
Airless Tires
Perhaps the biggest problem with conventional tires is they are susceptible to puncture. You can have normal consumer highway tires, some all-terrain tires, or even the most advanced rugged off-road tires made out of some Kevlar hybrid. Eventually, air will find its way to escape, but what if you eliminate that weak point by making a tire without air? That is exactly what some big-name tire brands like Bridgestone have begun to look into.
Crazy Wheels: Reinventing The Wheel
There are big-name companies trying to create the wheel of the future, while the internets everymen have found some unique ways to get their vehicles rolling. The future of the wheel and tire may be airless or may be…crazy wheels!?
There can be plenty of alternative options if you get creative, as these videos prove. If you put enough time and effort into it, you could quite literally “reinvent the wheel.” If these crazy wheels are good ideas or not, is something we will leave for you and history to decide.
