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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has mandated that by November 2003 all new cars and trucks sold in the United States be equipped with devices that monitor tire pressure.
Tire pressure sensors keep track of the correct air pressure and let you know with a warning light or similar signal that one or more tires has dropped below safe levels.
There are two kinds of tire pressure monitoring systems: indirect and direct. The indirect monitoring system uses wheel speed sensors on a vehicle's anti-lock brake system to keep track of each tire's rotation. An underinflated tire has a smaller radius and therefore spins faster than the other properly inflated tires. When the wheel speed sensors detect a faster rotation, it alerts the driver. This kind of system is affordable. The downside is that since the wheel speed sensors rely on the rotational speed of the wheels, they may not be able to detect slight changes. Also, if all four wheels lose pressure at similar rates, the indirect sensing system won't detect a problem.
Direct tire pressure monitoring systems rely on actual pressure sensors installed in all four tires. These can accurately measure the pressure in each tire and send the readings over airwaves to a wireless receiver mounted in the car. Drivers are alerted to the specific tire that needs attention. Direct tire-pressure sensors are more accurate, more informative and, you guessed it, more expensive. The cost may be $69 to $200 per car.
Self-Supporting Tires
Self-supporting tires, often known as "run-flat" tires, have a steel belt built in their sidewall that keeps them from collapsing even in a high-speed blowout. Michelin's "zero pressure" tire and Goodyear's "extended mobility technology" tire were first on the scene in the mid-1990s. The stiff construction of these tires is capable of temporarily carrying the weight of the vehicle even after the tire has lost all air pressure. The airless tire will continue to perform at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour for 50 miles or more, keeping a vehicle mobile so the driver can get to a safe place for repairs. The self-supporting design is so effective that a pressure monitoring system must be used to alert drivers when a tire is losing air. Without it, drivers may inadvertently put themselves at risk by driving beyond the safety limits of the run-flat tire.
At some point soon, tires requiring air may even be old-fashioned. The concept of molding solid tires out of foamy urethane is being explored.
Our forefathers marveled at Charles Goodyear's invention of the vulcanization process, which made automobile tires possible. This technology changed their lives and mobility in ways they could not have imagined. Similarly, children of the 21st century will find it hard to imagine the heart-pounding, panicked feeling of a blowout or the vulnerable experience of changing a tire on the side of the road.
Tire technology is on a roll. More sophisticated developments for our safety, convenience and comfort are just up the street.
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© Rocky Mountain Motorists Inc.