Wheelchair Tire Tips

A quick overview of the basic types - solid, pneumatic, and inserts.

Tires influence the comfort of your ride and the amount of maintenance your wheelchair will need. Some riders also consider the choice of tires an important aesthetic consideration. Generally, wheelchair tires are made of a gray rubber designed not to leave scuff marks on floors. You are unlikely to find them in your local bicycle shop. Your choices range from pneumatic tires to solid rubber tires, with tires that attempt to offer the best of both in between.

Pneumatic tires have inflatable tubes in them like bicycle tires, so they offer a more cushioned ride and are better able to squeeze their way over obstacles. Like bicycle tires, they can be punctured by a tack or piece of glass picked up on the street. The risk of punctures is greater for power chair tires because the extra weight of the wheelchair against the pavement can help a sharp object pierce the rubber. Obviously, getting a flat tire means you might find yourself stranded someplace away from home, or need to go back for a repair riding on the deflated tire. Riding on a flat tire can cause damage to the rim of the wheel. Flats can be minimized by using heavy duty, thorn-resistant tubes or Kevlar tires. (Kevlar is a material used for bulletproof vests.)

The risk of punctures is greater for power chair tires because the extra weight of the wheelchair...

Pneumatic tires need replacement more often, since the depth of the rubber before reaching the fiber lining is thinner than a solid tire The rubber wears down from normal use, particularly the more shallow treads of most manual wheelchair tires. Knobby tires with a deeper tread are also available. They will last longer and provide better traction on unpaved surfaces, but are harder on the hands of manual wheelchair riders.

Solid rubber tires make for a rougher ride. You will feel each bump of the pavement, but your tires will never go flat. You might value the security of knowing you will not get a flat, like this power wheelchair user:

I found when I had air tires on my chair I would get flats an average of 2-3 times month. It happened at very inopportune times, like when I was alone, or on vacation. Switching to solid tires has been a godsend. Now I don't have to avoid that broken glass. I can go right through it.

A recent variation that is a compromise between pneumatic and solid rubber tires uses a rubber insert. The insert is placed inside a tire as an alternative to an inflatable tube. The tire doesn't need to be pumped up with air, so obviously can't go flat. Manual wheelchair riders will find that the resulting apparent tire pressure is softer, and that the chair won't roll as easily. The wheels will also lose momentum faster which means having to push more often. However, some power wheelchair users swear by rubber inserts.