Originally Posted by
Fredo76
Perhaps pneumatic compression works the same way with flexible tires - most of the energy is returned to the road...
Yes. Movement of air within a pneumatic tire costs very little energy. As long as the tire isn't overinflated (i.e. it's able to serve as suspension), the primary contributor to rolling resistance is the energy that gets lost from flex in the tread, casing, inner tube, etc. This can be improved by using materials or layups that produce less internal damping (i.e. less energy is converted to heat when you flex them), and by just flat-out using less material. This is the primary reason that racing tires typically have very lightweight construction, far moreso than direct benefits of weight savings.