> I don't know how important the stiffness effect is for real tires, but I suspect they are sufficiently stiff that it matters a lot.
It's odd, because as I was reading your comment, I was thinking the exact opposite. I am considering the force it takes to squish a flat tire. A person can squish a (regular car's) flat tire with his/her hands.
My gut-check tells me that the stiffness of each tire can lift less than 10kg/20lbs... multiplied by 4, that still is not a huge contributor to the overall weight.
It's odd, because as I was reading your comment, I was thinking the exact opposite. I am considering the force it takes to squish a flat tire. A person can squish a (regular car's) flat tire with his/her hands.
My gut-check tells me that the stiffness of each tire can lift less than 10kg/20lbs... multiplied by 4, that still is not a huge contributor to the overall weight.