[Shan2nu]

Intelligent Tyres

They tell you when they're feeling deflated....

By Julian Edgar


The USA's new Transportation, Recall, Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act requires that beginning with the 2004 model year, all new vehicles will have a system to alert the driver to low air pressure in one or more tyres. It is anticipated that other countries will soon enact similar legislation.

The reason for the legislation is clear - many people are driving cars with dangerously deflated tyres, blissfully unaware that there is anything wrong. During an inspection of more than 140,000 motor vehicles as part of the "Tyre Check 2000", the German Road Safety Council discovered that 37 percent of all cars inspected had faults with their tyres. Fifteen percent - that's 21,000 cars - had tyres with insufficient pressure.

In the US, the Rubber Manufacturers Association suggests that in 1999 there were 647 fatalities that involved "tyre related factors". In addition, they state, "the leading cause of tyre failure is under-inflation (which reduces tread life and generates excessive heat due to flexing)".


Read more

http://www.autospeed.com/cms/A_1267/article.html

Regards...
Shan2nu

[GrimReaper]

niice but nowadays ive seen that tyre-pressure monitoring system are available as options on all mercedes, BMW's etc. So its only a matter of time before they become a standard fitting

[ajmat]

You get them on Renaults

[rgowani]

Well They are suited to countries with Smooth Roads. They wont work at all in India cause of the Roads. Whenever there is a Bump or the Tyre runs in a Pothole it shows tht the air is LOW. In both my cars I have them Switched off as they cause a lot of Problems as they always show the "Warnig LOW AIR> PLEASE FILL" which really ANNOYS ME.

[Shan2nu]

Hey RGowani,
Don't you face problems with the kind of tyres your SL comes with. What about ground clearence?

Regards...
Shan2nu

[Rehaan]

One up on that is the hummer, which can inflate and deflate its own tires on command from the driver in the cabin!

RG, i would have never imagined the system would have such a high monitoring/refresh rate to freak out over potholes and bumps!.....wow.. thats crazy

cya

[toyota]

Yes this option of changing tyre pressure while driving is really amazing . Even if the tyre blows of in a hummer , still you can drive as there is a tubular rim inside the tyre.

Almost all the cars made by Infinity , Merc , BMW, Lexus have this tyre pressure monitoring systems.

[Shan2nu]

I think these systems need to be used in Indian more than any other country. How much do you think such a system would cost?

Regards...
Shan2nu

[toyota]

It would cost atlest 1000 USD more !

[Garipagol]

Originally Posted by toyota

It would cost atlest 1000 USD more !

They are not that expensive. A good after market set will cost you about 15/20K. I had one fitted in my Honda Accord - used it for three years without a hitch. Purchased it from Malaysia. The guy that bought the car from me later was very kicked about it. It is helpful if you are dutiful towards your tires. However they will last you for 5/6 years and after that you will have to change the valves as the batteries will run out unfortunately there is no way to conserve the batteries. BTW they are good for tubeless tires only.

If you buy a set you will get a Head Unit (to be powered by your accessory circuit in the car) with read out of the tire pressure & temperature. The read out will cycle through the tires one by one. In a nice head unit you will get a graphic (car with little tires, read out will correspond to the blinking tire).

You will also get five specially made air inlet valves which makes the system work. At the base of these valves is a curved housing which has a battery and a radio transmitter. The housing is curved to snugfit against the underside of the rim. So check that the set you buy will fit the rim size you use or your tyres will bleed air and you will keep getting warnings.

Have your head unit fitted by the electrical guy. Take your car to the tire guy. He will slice off the existing valve, activate the battery, thread the special valve through the eye, pump up the tire, balance it and put it back on.(X4). Each of the tires transmit their infirmation on a different radio frequency. You will have to "teach" the head unit to recognize your tires as it receives the (pressure/temp.) information from the valves . You can also set low pressure warning beeps/flashing etc. You are all set.

If you have a flat, be extra careful when fixing it so as not to damage the trasmitter.

TPMS has been made mandatory in the USA for certain types of vehicles - SUVs for example after the Ford Explorer incidents. Since high speed turns in India are rare we have not had many overturns. But it is a safety feature.

BTW not all Mercs sold in India have TPMS. I know the S has it. The E that I have has a tire pressure loss warning system. It will warn against a sudden and rapid pressure loss but will not tell you if your tires are under / over inflated.

Aah. That was a long post. Hope it helps.

Rgds