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Lee Ann Obringer James Bond Hummers Military: How Self-Inflating Tires Work

Self-inflating tires automatically adjust air pressure to match driving conditions, improving safety and performance. Currently, these tires are mainly available for commercial and military vehicles, though some consumer vehicles like Hummers have them. The article will discuss self-inflating tire technologies and whether they may become available for regular passenger cars. Maintaining proper tire inflation is important as underinflated tires wear out faster, reduce gas mileage, and handle poorer, potentially unsafely.

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19 views2 pages

Lee Ann Obringer James Bond Hummers Military: How Self-Inflating Tires Work

Self-inflating tires automatically adjust air pressure to match driving conditions, improving safety and performance. Currently, these tires are mainly available for commercial and military vehicles, though some consumer vehicles like Hummers have them. The article will discuss self-inflating tire technologies and whether they may become available for regular passenger cars. Maintaining proper tire inflation is important as underinflated tires wear out faster, reduce gas mileage, and handle poorer, potentially unsafely.

Uploaded by

universalenathu
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How Self-inflating Tires Work

by Lee Ann Obringer


James Bond has them, Hummers have them, most truckers have them and
the military has had them for years. Self-inflating tires allow a vehicle to
adjust to the current terrain for ideal performance and safety in those
conditions.
Currently, lots of consumer vehicles are equipped with pressure-monitoring
systems, but there's no way for the driver to do anything about it without an
external air source. There are lots of self-inflating-tire systems on the
market, but most of them are only available for commercial and military
applications. The exception, of course, is the CTIS system on the Hummer.
In this article, we're going to learn about some of the tire-inflation systems
out there and see when there might be one on the market for us regular
people who drive regular cars.

Photo courtesy Goodyear


According to AAA, about 80 percent of the cars on the road are driving with
one or more tires underinflated. Tires lose air through normal driving
(especially after hitting pot holes or curbs), permeation and seasonal
changes in temperature. They can lose one or two psi (pounds per square
inch) each month in the winter and even more in the summer. And, you
can't tell if they're properly inflated just by looking at them. You have to use
a tire-pressure gauge. Not only is underinflation bad for your tires, but it's
also bad for your gas mileage, affects the way your car handles and is
generally unsafe.
When tires are underinflated, the tread wears more quickly. According to
Goodyear, this equates to 15 percent fewer miles you can drive on them for
every 20 percent that they're underinflated. Underinflated tires also
overheat more quickly than properly inflated tires, which causes more tire
damage. The faded areas below indicate areas of excessive tread wear.
Because tires are flexible, they flatten at the bottom when they roll. This
contact patch rebounds to its original shape once it is no longer in contact
with the ground. This rebound creates a wave of motion along with some
friction. When there is less air in the tire, that wave is larger and the friction
created is greater -- and friction creates heat. If enough heat is generated,
the rubber that holds the tire's cords together begin to melt and the tire
fails. SeeHow Tires Work to learn more.
Because of the extra resistance an underinflated tire has when it rolls, your
car's engine has to work harder. AAA statistics show that tires that are
underinflated by as little as 2 psi reduce fuel efficiency by 10 percent.
Over a year of driving, that can amount to several hundred dollars in
extra gas purchases.

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