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Tire pressure monitoring
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Users of tire pressure monitoring (TPMS) and automatic inflation systems are finding multiple benefits from the solutions, including improved fuel economy, according to industry experts. “TPMS improves tire inflation, which results in better fuel economy,” says Peggy Fisher, president of Tire Stamp. “Tests of systems at two fleets by FMCSA resulted in a 1.4% improvement in fuel efficiency.” Frank Sonzala, executive vice president at Pressure Systems International, which makes the Meritor Tire Inflation System by P.S.I., notes that fuel economy can drop by as much as 3% if tires are running at reduced air pressure. “One of the primary reasons a fleet should spec automatic tire inflation systems is because rolling resistance increases as tire pressure is reduced,” he says, “and that means poorer fuel economy.” Properly inflated tires can also experience longer tread life. By some estimates, every 10 psi of under-inflation causes tire tread to wear between 9% and 16% faster. Likewise, 10% over-inflation will cause 5% faster wear. “Tire pressure monitoring systems allow fleets to take early action with regard to tire problems before there is a safety or maintenance issue that has to be corrected,” says Alex Chmiel, director of truck tire marketing for Continental Tire the Americas, which introduced its
Proper inflation can improve fuel economy
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THESE WEB SITES: ADVANTAGE PRESSUREPRO http://advantagepressurepro.com BENDIX COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SYSTEMS www.Bendix.com CONTINENTAL TIRE THE AMERICAS www.Contipressurecheckusa.com DANA www.dana.com
HENDRICKSON TRAILER COMMERCIAL VEHICLE SYSTEMS www.hendrickson-intl.com PRESSURE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL www.psi-atis.com STEMCO www.batrf.com TIRE STAMP www.tirestamp.com
30 American Trucker/October 2013
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Alerts such as pressure and temperature data from inside the tire can be remotely transmitted for real-time viewing.
ContiPressureCheck system earlier this year. “In many cases, the cost of at least one service call per year can be avoided by maintaining tire inflation.” Matt Wilson, business unit director–controls at Hendrickson Trailer Commercial Vehicle Systems, says advanced TPMS can prevent over-inflation, which can occur when the outside temperature changes. The company’s TireMaxx PRO, an option on Intraax and Vantraax trailer suspension systems, monitors and inflates or deflates tires based on changing environmental conditions. Bob Montgomery, vice president-Intelligent Transportation Systems at Stemco, points out that while TPMS makes it simple to know when a tire is not inflated properly, the system should also make inflation information available to maintenance personnel. “Most of our customers have told us that the system has saved them road calls because it notified them that a tire was losing pressure.” The BatRF TPMS by Stemco uses RF-enabled sensors mounted on the outside of the tire. In addition to flashing a red LED when a tire is below a target pressure, the system can also show the last three low tire events stored in each sensor and transmit that data to an accessible database. ContiPressureCheck includes sensors that measure inflation and temperature in tires and a communications system that sends real-time data to an in-cab display. The reusable sensors are located inside a protective rubber container and are glued to the inner surface of the tire. SmarTire TPMS by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems provides real-time tire alerts such as pressure and temperature data through an integration with the manufacturer’s SafetyDirect system. Information can be viewed on an in-vehicle display or OEM dashboard, or by remotely using the SafetyDirect portal. The latest version of SmarTire for tractors automatically detects the SmarTire Trailer-Link TPMS, which wirelessly transmits information on trailer tires directly to the tractor. Tire Stamp’s TireVigil TPMS and TireVigil TPMS Trailer, which automatically connects to the tractor system, combine TPMS with vehicle tracking to provide remote diagnostics.
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