These Freaky Omni-Capable Wheels Would Make Parallel Parking Stupidly Easy

This guy made a set of wheels with a 'magic' rolling surface that means they can move a car around on the spot. Imagine how easy this would make parallel parking!
Remote video URL

While the surfaces of these prototype rims - built by the uploader himself - seem to be slick and therefore useless for the road, he claims that they “can have the same build characteristics (siping, grooves, rubber compounds etc.) as regular tires”. What’s particularly interesting is the wheels are bolt-on items on a regular Toyota Echo which hasn’t needed to be modified to accept them.

It does seem like a cool concept, but we’d want to know exactly how much they weigh - you’d think the new rims would be on the heavy side, adding a hell of a lot of unsprung mass.

Creator William Liddiard calls these “proof of concept prototypes”, so it’ll be interesting to see how he develops the idea.

Via Reddit Videos

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Comments

Anonymous

and it gives a decent stanced look lol

06/30/2016 - 09:18 |
14 | 1
Marc Steenekamp

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Dat fitment doe

09/24/2016 - 04:07 |
0 | 0
Kalourd

“Glitch in the Matrix” Stance.

06/30/2016 - 09:22 |
0 | 8
The Jap Mini

As someone who was in robotics and used these as a scrap robot, these suck. They not only require 4 different motors to power each wheel, but require a special controller and 50/50 weight to function properly. They are a nice idea, however they are complete garbage for any actual use. So many flaws to benefit strafing.

06/30/2016 - 09:23 |
22 | 1

PROOF OF CONCEPT

06/30/2016 - 11:55 |
4 | 22
Anonymous

Fake drifting with these would be stupid easy

06/30/2016 - 09:24 |
17 | 1
Dude

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

You’d be able to tell your friends “Hey, look how slow I can go and hold a drift!” then creep around a corner.

07/01/2016 - 02:10 |
2 | 1

This is by 100% the better solution…

06/30/2016 - 10:47 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

can you do a burnout with it?

06/30/2016 - 09:32 |
2 | 1
TimelessWorks

The one flaw I immediately saw in the system is possible debris like little stones, sand, glass shards and so on sticking to the rubber, then being sucked into the mechanism, where it’s free to wreak havoc. Among other flaws, I wouldn’t ever expect this to be reliable. Plus, has anybody noticed that the footage is fast forwarded, yet it’s still painfully slow?

06/30/2016 - 09:38 |
106 | 5

PROOF OF CONCEPT

06/30/2016 - 11:55 |
29 | 6

i dont think they’ll do hard braking or turning.

06/30/2016 - 21:04 |
1 | 0
faisal3398 فيصل (Crown Vic)

In reply to by TimelessWorks

Why fix something that a wasn’t a problem to begin with

07/01/2016 - 18:02 |
3 | 0
Obiettivo5

decades spent making the perfect radial tyres…

06/30/2016 - 09:45 |
1 | 1
Anonymous

Will it drift?!

06/30/2016 - 09:50 |
5 | 1
Anonymous

or you could just learn how to parallel park

06/30/2016 - 09:52 |
82 | 1
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

What if the space available is literally too small to fit into?

06/30/2016 - 12:50 |
1 | 0
Mini Madness (Group B squad)(Furrysquad)

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

cough cough handbrake turns

07/01/2016 - 06:19 |
10 | 1