The pneumatic tire or air-filled tire consists of a core filled with airtight sealed pressurized air. Normally, a reinforced steel belted tread or other materials, provides the contact area with the road and seals this inner core.
Since the air pressure inside the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure, the tire remains inflated even with a vehicles' weight resting on it. The air pressure within the tire provides resistance against forces which try 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 ever taken a ride in an old-fashioned carriage which had wooden wheels, you understand how big of a difference a set of pneumatic tires could make.
Surely, there are some disadvantages to pneumatic tires. Like for example in high-performance situations or highly dangerous applications, these tires can suffer a puncture and this would lead to a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds could lead to a dangerous car accident. Military planners need to take into consideration tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or firing of guns. A vehicle crew's worst nightmare is becoming trapped within a fire zone because of all of their tires becoming flat. Airless tires evidently don't suffer from these type of problems and thus, may be more suitable in certain applications.
The pneumatic tire may have problems as well with the variation in air pressure and tire performance. The lower pressure inside a tire may increase the comfort level and the traction. This is because of the fact that tires flatten slightly and more tread is placed in contact with the road. The air pressure in the tire works to maintain the "up and down" stiffness as well as maintain the lateral stiffness of the tire. Thus, reduced air pressure enables the sidewalls of the tires to flex. Unfortunately, this leads to poor handling. In an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
There are other problems with air pressure. Customers are notoriously unreliable when it comes to maintaining proper air pressure. Tires which have incorrect air pressure can lead to unsafe situations. It is important to note that pneumatic tires are susceptible to temperature changes also, that could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is vital to take into consideration the type of settings you will be needing your machine to operate in so that you can regularly check the tires and keep the machinery as safe as possible.