An air-filled or pneumatic tire consists of an inner core which is sealed airtight and filled with pressurized air. Usually, a tread made with reinforced steel belting or other type of materials, provides the contact part 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 pressure of the air inside the tire is greater than atmospheric air pressure. The pressure of the air within the tire gives resistance against forces that attempt 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 ever taken a ride in an old-fashioned carriage which had wooden wheels, you know exactly how huge of a difference a set of pneumatic tires makes.
Surely, there are several drawbacks to pneumatic tires. Like for example in highly dangerous applications or high-performance situations, these tires could suffer a puncture and this would result in a complete failure. The consequence of a blowout at high speeds can result in a serious car crash. Military planners should consider tires getting blown out by explosion shrapnel or gunfire. 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 issues and therefore, might be more suitable in some applications.
The pneumatic tire may have issues as well with the variation in tire performance and air pressure. The lower pressure inside a tire may increase the traction and the comfort level. This is because of the fact that tires flatten a little and more tread is touching 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. Therefore, reduced air pressure enables the tires' sidewalls to flex. This leads to poor handling unfortunately. Within an airless tire, the stiffness in those two dimensions is independent.
Air pressure factors into other problems too. With regards to to maintaining proper air pressure, customers are notoriously undependable. Wrong air pressure inside tires could result in very dangerous situations. It is very vital to note that pneumatic tires are also prone to temperature changes, which could be responsible for changing the internal tire pressure. It is important to consider the type of environments you will be needing your machine to operate in so that you could regularly inspect the tires and keep the machinery as safe as possible.