With National Tire Safety Week coming up next week, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, LLC, has produced a series of technical tips for tire care that have a direct impact on the effective operation of higher-level safety systems, from brakes to collision mitigation.
“If you think of the approach to safety system maintenance like a hierarchy, tire upkeep – much like the actual tires on a vehicle – is the foundation upon which other systems rest,” says Jon Intagliata, Bendix’s product manager for Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS). “Getting the best performance from drum brakes, air disc brakes, full-stability systems, and advanced driver assistance technologies requires tires that are in good shape and at the correct inflation pressure.”
National Tire Safety Week is scheduled for May 28 to June 3, 2017, and is sponsored annually by the Rubber Manufacturers Association to help raise awareness of tire care and maintenance issues.
Under Pressure
Bendix says maintaining the right tire inflation is critical for several reasons.
Because underinflated tires experience higher temperatures and greater stress, they present an increased risk of failure. Industry research has indicated that about 90 percent of tire blowouts can be traced to underinflation, and almost half of all emergency service road calls are tire-related. According to research by the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), underinflation by 20 percent results in a 30 percent reduction in tire life.
“Advanced safety technologies really do rely on maintenance of basic components like tires to ensure best performance on the road,” Intagliata says. “If you’ve invested in systems that help prevent or mitigate forward collisions, or that intervene through braking power to help prevent rollovers, the last thing you want is to reduce their effectiveness through something as easily preventable as poorly inflated tires.”
