The air-filled or pneumatic tire is composed of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Usually, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other type of materials, provides the contact area with the road and seals this inner core.
The tire would remain inflated with all the weight of the vehicle resting on it, because the air pressure within the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air in the tire gives resistance against forces which try to deform the tire. This gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect as the tire hits bumps in the road. If you have experienced taking a ride in an old-fashioned carriage which had wooden wheels, you know how big of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Pneumatic tires also come with drawbacks. Highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations for example, these tires can suffer a puncture and this would lead to a total failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a dangerous car crash. Military planners must take into consideration tires getting blown out by firing of guns or explosion shrapnel. The worst nightmare of a vehicle crew is becoming trapped within a fire zone due to all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires obviously don't suffer from these kind of issues and therefore, in certain applications, could be more suitable.
The pneumatic tire might have issues as well with the variation in tire performance and air pressure. The lower pressure inside a tire may increase the comfort level and the traction. This is because of the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is touching the road. The air pressure inside of the tire works to maintain the "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Therefore, reduced air pressure allows the tires' sidewalls to flex. Unfortunately, this results in poor handling. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
Air pressure factors into other problems too. When it comes to maintaining correct air pressure, consumers are notoriously unreliable. Incorrect air pressure inside tires could lead to very dangerous situations. It is vital to bear in mind that pneumatic tires are prone to temperature changes also, that could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is very important to take into consideration the kind of settings you will be requiring your machine to function in so that you could regularly inspect the tires and keep the machine as safe as possible.