Fleets and drivers will soon be able to deploy the fuel-economy and safety benefits of the SmarTire Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) by Bendix CVS on their trailers.
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC expects to release SmarTire TPMS for trailers in third quarter 2012 as an aftermarket retrofit kit. A typical kit would consist of eight wheel sensors, harnessing, and a wireless receiver. The company also intends to make SmarTire TPMS available to OE trailer manufacturers.
SmarTire technology continuously monitors pressure and temperature of each tire on a commercial vehicle to provide real-time tire status information to the driver or maintenance technician. When paired with the latest version of SmarTire for tractors, the SmarTire trailer system will wirelessly link with the trailer, displaying both truck and trailer tire information.
The SmarTire technology warns the driver of tire-related problems before they pose a safety hazard. The temperature compensation feature allows the system to provide earlier warnings of a tire problem. Particularly relevant for trailers, the high-temperature warning provides the driver with warning of a potential thermal issue, such as an overheated wheel-end due to a bearing or brake issue.
SmarTire's in-vehicle dash display provides information including actual tire pressure and temperature for each wheel location, along with a deviation value that shows the amount of over- or underinflation from each tire's cold inflation pressure. This deviation value provides the user a deviation from target pressure, regardless of tire temperature.
Tire underinflation by as little as 10% results in a 1.5% drop in fuel economy, which can increase fuel spending by up to $1,000 per year for a single truck. Underinflation by 20% results in a 30% reduction in tire life.
Access www.bendix.com for more information.