The air-filled or pneumatic tire consists of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Usually, a reinforced steel belted tread or other kind of materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact part with the road.
The tire will remain inflated with all the vehicle's weight resting on it, as the pressure of the air within the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The air pressure within the tire gives resistance against forces that attempt to deform the tire. When the tire hits bumps in the road, this gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect. If you have experienced taking a ride in an old-fashioned carriage which had wooden wheels, you know how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Surely, there are several disadvantages to pneumatic tires. For instance in high-performance situations or highly dangerous applications, these tires could suffer a puncture and this will lead to a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a serious car accident. Military planners must consider tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or firing of guns. The worst nightmare of a vehicle crew is becoming trapped within a fire zone due to all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these kind of issues and therefore, could be more suitable in some applications.
The pneumatic tire may have problems as well with the variation in air pressure and tire performance. The lower pressure inside a tire may increase the comfort level and the traction. This is due to the fact that tires flatten slightly and more tread is touching the road. The pressure of the air inside of the tire works to maintain the "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Thus, less air pressure allows the sidewalls of the tires to flex. This leads to poor handling unfortunately. Within an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
Air pressure factors into other problems also. With regards to to maintaining proper air pressure, consumers are notoriously unreliable. Improper air pressure in tires could result in very dangerous situations. It is very essential to note that pneumatic tires are also susceptible to temperature changes, that could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is important to consider the type of environments you would be needing your machine to function in so that you can frequently inspect the tires and keep the equipment as safe as possible.