As TPMS Evolves, Technology Expands Into Commercial Segment
No federal mandate exists for TPMS in the trucking industry, but that hasn’t stopped TPMS manufacturers and marketers from keeping busy developing technology for over-the-road rigs and much larger equipment, such as earthmovers.Operational costs will be a driving factor for TPMS to blaze a trail into the above-10,000-pound vehicle markets. After all, it’s no secret
Make the Most of Your Space With Proper Tire Storage Solutions
To stack, or not to stack, that is the question. Unfortunately, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, while contemplating his future existence, didn’t give tire dealers insight into storage systems to help them free up floor space or streamline inventory appraisals. Hamlet’s soliloquy completely ignored the fact that dealers could sleep and, perchance, dream, but still needed to get
Balance Compounds Help Make Tires a Sound Investment
No-brainers are sometimes hard to recognize, but manufacturers of truck tire internal balancing materials believe they make a solid case for tire dealers and fleet owners to use their products. It’s no secret that a balanced tire is a happy tire. Additionally, commercial fleet operators seem pleased with performance reports for rigs outfitted with properly
Lawsuit Surfaces as Universal TPMS Sensor Offerings Grow
The automotive aftermarket has become crowded with universal TPMS sensors. The company laying claim to pioneering it all says it welcomes the competition, but wants a level playing field. For the last few years, "one-size-fits-all" sensors have been arriving by land and sea, carrying descriptions such as "programmable sensor systems" and "multi-vehicle protocol technology." Not
Lower Profiles, More Information Crowd Tire Sidewalls
"TMI!" Together, the initials once conjured up images of the 1979 nuclear reactor core meltdown on Three Mile Island near Harrisburg, Pa. Today, the letters are commonly used in casual and online conversations to exclaim "too much information!" when someone shares personal and sometimes unpleasant facts.The tire industry may want to adopt TMI as a
Tread Compounds and Elements Battle a Tire’s Enemy: Heat
Vital to a tire’s creation, it transforms polymers and additives into a resilient product able to withstand torturous miles of highway driving. Destructive to a tire’s lifecycle, it breaks down rubber compounds and affects vehicle handling. Heat. A tire can’t live without it, but can be destroyed by it.The typical vulcanization method for tire production
Tread Depth, Tire Safety and the Difference of 24 Cents
A head-to-head challenge in the tire industry currently involves two of the nation’s greatest presidents. The debate is over a mere 2/32nds of an inch, but safety is held as most important on both sides of the coin. Like the fate of the nation they led, it all rests on their heads. For decades, a
Changing TPMS Sensor Batteries
It’s time to charge up tire dealers’ customer education campaigns for TPMS sensor replacement as the life expectancies of batteries molded into sensors begin to run out. Mandated TPMS systems were phased in from 2006 to 2008, so some of these vehicles’ sensors have been in service for five years. Still older direct sensors can
Sipes Deserve Credit For Tire Traction
They grab, grope and grip but somehow don’t grasp drivers’ gratitude for contributing to a safe ride on roadways. Sipes, sometimes called kerfs, are the narrowest slits found on tread patterns and are often overlooked when customers compare one tire’s attributes to another. A tread’s aggressive radial and lateral slots, which are wider than sipes,
Dealers, Drivers Need to Think of TPMS in Winter Tire Changeovers
It hasn’t been a typical winter. Snowstorms have been relentless. A blizzard affected one’third of the U.S., dumping two feet of the white stuff on Chicago and New York City. Even the Super Bowl wasn’t spared, providing a dramatic scene of maintenance crews shoveling the Cowboys Stadium retractable dome. Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early spring
Wet Traction Relies on Where the Rubber Meets the Road
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Goodyear’s Aquatred, considered to be the industry’s breakthrough rain tire. After decades of industry attempts, that tire’s introduction finally elevated the importance of a tread pattern’s contribution to wet traction performance with its aqua channel design and accompanying water pump action.Rubber compound advancements have emerged alongside ongoing tread
Supercars and Super Tires: What’s in the DNA?
Think of "hot" or "cool" cars. The superlatives usually mean the same thing in the automotive vernacular and generate super-macho names like Porsche Carrera GT, Dodge Viper, Ferrari Italia and Bugatti Veyron.The monikers invoke images of bright colors streaking through mountain passes on the Autobahn and conjure dreams of one parked in a lucky American’s