High-speed electric scooters use either tubeless or pneumatic tires. There’s no hard rule, but your preference determines which electric scooter you’d get based on your tire requirements. Standardly, most high-speed electric scooters are likely to use pneumatic tires.
High-speed electric scooters best explain an adrenaline rush; they are super fast. A list of the fastest electric scooters in the world shows that some of them can go as fast as 120km/h.
The least e-scooter on the chart has a top speed of 80km/h. With these scooters, you can feel your acceleration in a few seconds (7-9 sec).
Electric scooters are designed for commuting from point A to B, not for an adrenaline rush!
Please note that every city has a speed regulation for electric scooters. You should check out your city’s regular. Also, ensure you’re driving safely.
As discussed earlier, there’s no hard rule; each manufacturer decides what’s good for their e-scooters. Two types of tires are used for electric scooters; pneumatic tires and solid tires.
Cast your mind to some of your toys as a child; they had tires made of plastic, right? That’s what a solid tire looks like, except it’s built with more intentionality for your riding needs this time. These tires are designed to achieve structural grit as opposed to air-pressure requirements.
Solid tires use rubber or solid polyurethane as filling material instead of air pressure. They are designed to be sturdy and puncture resistant. Solid tires are perfect for you if you do not have the patience for occasional maintenance or a flat tire. They require zero maintenance; until they are worn out, you’d not need to entertain the thought that you could wake up to a flat tire.
There are two types of solid tires; honeycomb/air pocket tires and filled solid tires. Honeycomb tires are designed to ensure they manage your weight perfectly. The external structure is also designed to provide as much grip as possible during rides. The air pockets of honeycomb tires provide more cushion and make them more lightweight than filled solid tires.
Solid tires do not have air pockets; they are filled with rubber, foam, or polymer. This makes them sturdy, stiff, and heavier than air pocket solid tires. Despite requiring zero maintenance, filled solid tires (as with all solid tires) would wear out over time depending on how they are used.
Pneumatic tires are common; if you have ever had or seen a bicycle, you have seen a pneumatic tire (tube pneumatic tires). There are two types of pneumatic tires; tube and tubeless. Tube pneumatic tires are common, and tubeless are now common in electric scooters.
Pneumatic tires are air-filled tires made from supple rubber they are filled with air. Tubeless tires fit tightly to the wheel of your electric scooter, with a valve protruding out of the wheel to fill them with air pressure from time to time.
Tube pneumatic tires have inner tubes where the valve is attached for air pressure. The external tire you see has a tube in it.
To fill tube pneumatic tires, you must pump hair to their inner tube. Tubeless tires have no tube; that’s why they fit tightly to the wheel to ensure air doesn’t escape. Tubeless tires are more expensive and are found on premium electric scooters.
Pneumatic tires are sturdy but require occasional maintenance. Compared to solid tires, they have better traction and ride quality. They are better suited for bumpy rides and wet conditions because of the air pressure and grip on the road.
Solid tires have poor ride quality because you’d feel the impact of a bumpy ride on your bike. Because pneumatic tires have air pressure, they provide a cushion (better than air pocket solid tires) for bump rides.
Pneumatic tubeless tires! Oops, I forgot that a few users complained that changing tubeless tires could be hard. A few times, they were forced to change the wheel and tires of their e-scooters rather than struggling with changing the tires. What’s your guess based on what you have read so far?
Pneumatic tires are the best; you choose tubeless or tube pneumatic tires depending on your preference. Solid tires are great, but we do not recommend solid tires for high-speed electric scooters.
There’s a phenomenon called popping wheels; your front tire spontaneously jerks (lifts off the ground) during rides. You sure would encounter this during bumpy rides with solid tires. If you have uneven weight distribution between front and rear tires, you will experience this too.
The difference is that pneumatic tires have cushions to reduce the impact when you land. On the other hand, Solid tires may land in a way that takes you off balance because they don’t have a cushion, and your e-scooter would take a hard hit.
Related: Different types of tires used in an electric scooter
Please note that it’s important to be able to discern generic issues and specific issues. Generic issues are common to a type of tire (or any part of an e-scooter). Still, specific issues are specific to a product.
So, a tubeless tire from some manufacturers may not be hard to change when your head reviews always check whether it’s a generic problem or specific to a product.
Choosing great tires isn’t all that makes up your ride experience. Overall the tire type is just one aspect of considerations you make before purchase. Ensure you check the tire’s width, diameter, and tread pattern.
The higher the diameter of your tire, the easier it is to maneuver obstacles. Wider tires are also more comfortable as they spread weight evenly during rides. The tread determines your grip on the road; ensure your tire surface has a pattern that provides grip in wet conditions.
Most premium scooters are designed for on, and off-road rides, but solid tires are good for on-road rides. If you take them off-road, the ride quality and experience deteriorate.
Again, pneumatic tires are best for high-speed electric scooters. They provide better cushion, and the ride quality is safe for electric scooters moving at high speed. If your e-scooter uses solid tires, you should watch your speed and use them more on-road than driving off-road. Maintaining pneumatic tires isn’t that difficult, occasionally check the air pressure and tires for any deterioration that needs maintenance.
We hope you’re content with the response. Good luck with your next purchase.
