A pneumatic or air-filled tire is composed on an inner core that is filled with pressurized air and sealed airtight. Usually, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other materials, seals this inner core and provides the contact area with the road.
The tire will remain inflated with all the vehicle's weight resting on it, because the pressure of the air inside the tire is more than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air inside the tire provides resistance against forces that attempt to deform the tire. This gives the tire a slight degree of a cushioning effect when 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 precisely how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Pneumatic tires also come with disadvantages. High-performance situations or highly dangerous applications for example, these tires could suffer a puncture and this will lead to a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can lead to a dangerous car accident. Military planners must take into consideration tires getting blown out by shooting of guns or explosion shrapnel. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped within a fire zone due to all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these issues and thus, may be more suitable in some applications.
The pneumatic tire might have problems as well with the variation in air pressure and tire performance. The lower pressure in a tire may increase the comfort level and the traction. This is due to the fact that tires flatten slightly and more tread is placed in contact with the road. The pressure of the air inside of the tire works to maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire as well as maintain the "up and down" stiffness. Hence, reduced air pressure enables the sidewalls of the tires to flex. This results in poor handling unfortunately. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
There are other problems with air pressure. Customers are notoriously undependable when it comes to maintaining proper air pressure. Tires that have improper air pressure could result in unsafe situations. It is really essential to keep in mind that pneumatic tires are prone to temperature changes also, which can be responsible for changing the internal pressure of the tire. It is important to consider the type of environments you will be needing your machine to function in so that you could check the tires on a regular basis and keep the machinery as safe as possible.