Can Four Car Inner Tires Float a Sedan?
2 Answers
Theoretically, tires large enough could support a compact car, but there are no relevant experiments in real life, so there is no specific result. Composition of Tires: Tires are usually composed of three parts: the outer tire, inner tire, and flap. The inner layer of the tire body has a rubber layer with excellent air tightness and requires special rims. The structure of tires worldwide is developing towards tubeless, radial, flat (the ratio of tire section height to width is small), and lightweight designs. The Outer Tire: The outer tire is composed of the carcass, buffer layer (or belt layer), tread, sidewall, and bead. The cross-section of the outer tire can be divided into several separate areas: the crown area, shoulder area (tread slope), flex area (sidewall area), reinforcement area, and bead area.
I usually enjoy studying physics problems and find this topic quite interesting. The inner tubes in a car, when inflated, each have a volume of about 0.15 cubic meters, totaling 0.6 cubic meters for four. The density of water is 1000 kg per cubic meter, so they can only provide 600 kg of buoyancy. However, an average sedan weighs at least 1500 kg, far exceeding the buoyancy, so it definitely won't float. Unless it's an exceptionally lightweight vintage car, but even that isn't reliable. Inner tubes are originally designed for tire repairs, made of thin material that's prone to punctures and leaks. If you really want to float heavy objects, you'd need large pontoons or professional flotation equipment, like those commonly used on boats. Don't attempt this in reality—it's prone to accidents. I've seen experimental videos where floating a small car requires dozens of specially made tubes. For safety's sake, drive properly and avoid playing in the water.
