Tyres for UK golf courses

[johnberry]

Doug?

Am a retired UK marketing Chief from Lotus Cars here in Norfolk, UK.
Have a Seg. but want the new 180 Golf model as am a full time golfer.
I feel that the tyres (even the heavy duty ones) ARE FAR TOO NARROW and will result in the Segway being banned from most courses. They will cut up the terrain. The GT will do the same because they are too "knobbly"

Are there any other tyres that would be more suitable (wider and not too heavily treaded)for the "wetter" UK golf courses.

Please bear in mind that less than 5% of UK courses have any paths or buggy tracks.

JOHN BERRY

[Dragan]

John, have you actually tried the enhanced traction tires? I strongly suspect that you would be VERY pleasantly surprised at how well they work, and how unlikely they are to rip up anything, wet or dry. Certainly by orders of magnitude less likely than any golf cart to do so. You're really putting very little more in the way of pounds per sq. in. onto the turf with a segway and ET tires, than you would with a pull type golf cart for your clubs.
Just my opinion...
Wayne

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca

[Itsi Atkins]

try my dullie extensions. They will give you two normal tyres on each side. Check with Zorba for a review. The stainless steel adaptors are in production for the I and the P.
itsi atkins
www.segwaynyny.com

[cmonkey]

google search: arizona segway golf

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=38209

I did some measurements a while back, and the segway has about a 21sq in foot print. add about 100lbs to your weight (segway +bag, divide by 21 and you've probably got less pounds/sq inch than what your heel print would be. (assuming an average heel print size of about 4sq in.)

For myself I figured about 300lb for me and the seg (without golf bag... don't have the GT yet), that just under 15 lb/sq.in.
Me and my bag weigh in just under 235lbs.... and walking... that's just under 59 lb/sq.in every time my heel comes down.

With those numbers the segway is less damaging to a course than walking is.

If you're still apprehensive about a narrow tire track... you can always add Itsi's wheel extender and have a 4-wheeled Segway.


David S


I love my magic carpet!

[KSagal]

If the wheels do track the ground, (For real, not in theory), perhaps Itsi's dually mod is the answer.

See his threads for adding a second set of wheels (Two wheels on each side) and that would really reduce the weight on the tires...


Karl Ian Sagal

Each road you travel should be just a bit better for having had you pass.

[johnberry]

Thanks for the reply.
However. trolley tyres are WIDER than the Segway, Also dont forget the added weight of the passenger on the Seg'

quote:Originally posted by Dragan

John, have you actually tried the enhanced traction tires? I strongly suspect that you would be VERY pleasantly surprised at how well they work, and how unlikely they are to rip up anything, wet or dry. Certainly by orders of magnitude less likely than any golf cart to do so. You're really putting very little more in the way of pounds per sq. in. onto the turf with a segway and ET tires, than you would with a pull type golf cart for your clubs.
Just my opinion...
Wayne

Segway of Alberta - Calgary
www.mysegway.ca

[johnberry]

Thanks, will have a look.quote:Originally posted by Itsi Atkins

try my dullie extensions. They will give you two normal tyres on each side. Check with Zorba for a review. The stainless steel adaptors are in production for the I and the P.
itsi atkins
www.segwaynyny.com

[Sleepy]

John,
My SEG plays SegPolo on a grass field twice a month, and we don't damage the ground at all-- even with wet grass. You can see the tire marks where the grass is pressed down. But a day later, they're gone.
You have to look at the physics of the tire when looking at how much pressure they'll put on the grass. It's the tire pressure that makes a lot of difference. I think HT and GT recommended tire pressure is 15 psi. I'd be surprised if golf cart tires use lower pressure.
If you have twice the number of wheels in contact with the ground (like with Itsi's dullies), but they're all at 15psi, then the contact patch on the ground is still the same size (but different shape), since the pressure is the same. You're still putting 15psi of pressure on the grass, even though you have twice the number of wheels. It's just that the contact patch under each wheel is reduced by 50%. But the pressure on the grass is the same.

-Alex


-Alex

[KSagal]

Alex,

I am confused. If you discount the weight of the axle extensions and extra wheels, the following idea makes sense to me. Tell me where it fails...

If a seg and rider (100 and 200 pounds respectively) have a weight of 150 pounds per tire footprint at any given static moment, and for arguments sake we say that each tire at 15 pounds gives a static footprint of 2 square inches, then adding a second tire on each side, and all else being the same, would not the now 4 square inches be supporting the 150 pounds, and effectively bring the weight on the grass down to 37.5 pounds per square inch from the previous 75 pounds per square inch?

How could doubling the footprint not reduce the weight per square inch?



Karl Ian Sagal

Each road you travel should be just a bit better for having had you pass.

[Sleepy]

Hey Karl,
the assumption is incorrect that the footprint of each tire is the same if you double the number of tires. If you double the tires, the contact patch per tire is cut in half approximately.
Think of it this way: just take one tire, and imagine putting all of your weight on it-- imagine the contact patch. The tire compresses because of your weight on it.
Now simulate a second tire sharing the load... so let's say you only lean on the tire with half your weight. The tire doesn't compress as much. This decreases the contact patch because the tire isn't compressed as much. This smaller patch is what will be in contact with the ground if you double the number of tires.

Rubber sidewall stiffness also has some effect.

[johnberry]

Well, i've tried to find information on your wheel extensions. Logged on to your site, but so far can find nothing. My fault no doubt. Whet do I do?quote:Originally posted by johnberry

Thanks, will have a look.quote:Originally posted by Itsi Atkins

try my dullie extensions. They will give you two normal tyres on each side. Check with Zorba for a review. The stainless steel adaptors are in production for the I and the P.
itsi atkins
www.segwaynyny.com

[Zorba9]

Try emailing Itsi direct, his email is

[email protected]

A standard set of ETT's should work well on any golf course until the grass gets soaking wet. If you are a "large" guy then duallies might be the answear.

KOG

Zorba9.....

[yosgof]

Johnberry,

The demo movie at the Segway site shows a GT riding a Golf course without leaving any marks.

I presume it was filmed in the US. Is English grass different in any way?

- Yossi
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/3365119-lg.jpg

[gbrandwood]

Just wetter! ;)


-

To segue, or not to segue, that is the question.

[Stan671]

Hmmm ... I see merit in both Alex's and Karl's explanations of the difference in contact patch area and ground pressure with two tires and with four tires on a Segway HT.

I suspect that Karl is more right than Alex, though. Doubling the number of tires will probably reduce the ground patch area of the original two tires somewhat, but I don't think it cuts it in half. I beleive that there will be an overall increase in ground patch area and therefore lower ground pressure with four tires over two.

Just look at 18 wheel tractor-trailers. Isn't the point of all of those wheels to reduce the average psi that each tire puts on the roadway?

Stan Dobrowski

[cmonkey]

I measured the contact patch of my regular tires on concrete at 15psi. This was done by rolling through baby powder and measuring the width of the track. then I tipped the seg up and placed some paper under the tire. Without rolling the seg i placed my full weight on it and measured the length. The footprint for a seg at about 300lbs total for rider and seg, is about 21 sq in.

Because the tires are low pressure, adding two more tires and running them at weight will give you a much larger footprint.

I love my magic carpet!