How many times have we as installers and sellers of aftermarket products been faced with federal regulations and technologies that end up making our lives more difficult?

For years now, TPMS has been a thorn in most of our sides, mainly because of myopic NHTSA regulations designed to help automakers and not the general public, and nearsighted OE manufacturers who designed non-adaptive systems and clumsy relearn procedures.

I’m not going to beat that dead horse. I’m here to give you some ideas and opportunities on how to profit from TPMS using aftermarket systems that inherently have to be adaptive and consumer friendly.

First, a number of markets that I see are being overlooked or just plain ignored: utility, boat and RV trailers, motorhomes and towed vehicles, street rods, muscle cars, race cars, commercial, public transportation and heavy industrial.

Utility Trailers

You may recall the following image of a utility trailer from the June 2006 issue of Tire Review showing a mangled trailer with blown out tires lying in a field just off of a highway. I’m guessing that whatever was on this thing and the trailer itself was probably worth more than a few hundred dollars before the wreck.

Check your local phone book or watch for ads on TV promoting local trailer retailers. Look at how many of the big box retailers sell trailers and consider the number of potential customers that you could target.

Boat Trailers

This is a particularly prime market for TPMS systems due to their sporadic usage. They sit around for months, but when it’s time to play, little attention is paid to the tires, just hook it up and go. The total market potential in 2006 alone for this category was in excess of 350,000 units, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

RV Trailers and Motorhomes

As the baby boomers continue to enjoy retirement and working families look for more cost effective ways to spend vacation time with the family, look for this market segment to remain strong. The numbers speak for themselves.

According to Recreational Vehicle Industry Association research data, shipments of towable travel trailers for 2007 have ranged from 22,000 to 29,000 units per month. If you average about four tires per trailer, that’s 100,000 tires per month that could benefit from a TPMS system.

The image here is a travel trailer that blew a tire on the interstate just ahead of me. The guys using it were contractors for FEMA. They move from place to place, helping people rebuild their homes and lives. The tire ripped into the trailer and tore some wiring loose, as well. Repairs alone will be several hundred dollars and delay them from helping someone.

Add to the numbers above another 4,000 to 6,000 motorhomes with an average of six tires and you have a potential market for another 30,000 tires per month. Many motorhomes and coaches tow a light vehicle behind them.

Here’s over a half million dollars cruising down the road. How hard would it be to sell a system that would monitor both vehicles?

Streetrods & Muscle Cars

Here is a market that begs for TPMS.

I personally work on cars like the 1963 Nova SS, pictured to the right, to some that easily top $150,000 in value. Just last week, I worked with a customer who is finishing a ’35 Chevy three-window. The wheels alone were $325-$400 each. The rubber was another $150-$175 each. The TPMS to protect them both will be less than $350.

One avoided tire failure due to underinflation or a puncture literally pays for the entire system. That’s cheap insurance.

Big car shows like GoodGuys, National Street Rod Association and Back to the Fifties draw thousands of people, all are prime targets. Local car clubs, including racing clubs like SCCA or the Porsche Owners Club or BMW Club, are a huge potential because word-of-mouth advertising is so strong within these groups. Check to see if there is an event held in your area and consider buying a booth or sponsoring the event to promote your business and the available systems.

Commercial Vehicles and Buses

Every company and municipality on earth is concerned about gas prices and saving money, not to mention the added safety factor of avoiding a potential tire-related problem that could injure someone while the vehicle is operated on public roads.

You see the opportunities, now here are some of the companies that offer solutions for each of these markets.

The Systems

This product has a wide range of applications, from four-wheel passenger cars and light trucks to buses to heavy industrial and commercial vehicles. The system uses a valve cap sensor to transmit tire pressure. According to the company, it is the only system on the market developed to read up to 34 wheel positions. This system will monitor air pressure as low as 5 psi and up to 150 psi.

AirAwareT, developed by Schrader (schrader-bridgeport.com) is available for a four-tire system and an optional spare tire. It will detect low pressure at 25% or more. Two kits are available, one receiver is battery operated and the other is hard-wired.

SmarTire Systems (smartire.com) now focuses on commercial, recreational and bus applications. Marketed as SmartWave, the system monitors pressure and temperature.

It also offers a hand tool for maintenance personnel to prompt the sensors to record real time data used to indicate a potential high- or low-pressure condition.

Orange Electronic (orange-electronic.com) exploded onto the scene last year. We were the first to inform you that this system held unique potential and we were right. The company was awarded a total of five U.S. and International design and engineering awards at the 2006 SEMA show.

Their two-piece valve can accommodate angles from 12 to 45 degrees. On top of this, they have received acceptance in many sanctioned racing bodies around the world, as well as OE contracts.

If you are interested in knowing more about these products, I will be giving a presentation titled “Aftermarket TPMS Solutions to Common Problems” at the SEMA Show (10:45 a.m. on Oct. 31). Don’t miss this opportunity to learn – and earn – more.