 Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems: Simple But Critical Maintenance
Posted by carsandtrucks on Sunday, October 28 @ 16:39:12 EDT
The United States Goverment passed legislation that states all vehicles will be equipped
with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) by model year 2009. The manufacturers have
been installing the TPMS on some model lines since 2005. The system makes sense as tire
pressure is often neglected by vehicle operators. This is surprising because correcting
your tire pressure is a simple maintenance. Low tire pressure contributes to lower fuel
economy, but more importantly causes tire failure. If a tire is run low on air pressure
the sidewalls can not support the weight of the vehicle. This stretches the fabrics that
make up your tire. As a result the bond that holds all these fabrics together is
compromised and tire failure is likely. Studies show that one in 4 vehilces has too
little air pressure in the tires. This means that one in 4 vehilce operators is reducing
fuel economy, sacrificing handling, and risking injury due to an accident caused by tire
failure. This is why the legislature voted of mandatory TPMS. The
systems have senors
inside the air bladder of the tire. When tire pressure is reduced by a predetermined
amount the sensor sends a signal to a transmitor that will activate the warning light on
the dash board. If the light comes on in the vehicle you are driving, heed the warning
and have your tire pressure corrected. In most cases once the tire pressure is corrected
you simply drive the vehicle a few miles and the light will go out. I recommend you keep
a tire pressure guage in the glovebox of your vehicle and monitor you tire pressure at
the very least once per month. This simple maintenance check not only will save you money
it could save your life
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