ⓌⒽⒶⓉ Will ⓉⒽⒺⓎ Think of Ⓝ€✘Ⓣ: Self-Inflatable Tires

Self-inflatable Tires

Well it's about time someone invented this!  This has got to be one of the best inventions of 2012!   Air pumps will be the thing of the past!  At least for the commercial vehicles... for now.



Tire-related costs are the single largest maintenance item for commercial vehicle fleet operators with more than 50 percent of all truck and trailer breakdowns involving a tire in some way. Goodyear's Air Maintenance Technology mechanism allows tires to maintain constant, optimum pressure without the use of external pumps, electronics and driver intervention.

Proper tire inflation can result in improved fuel economy, prolonged tread life and optimized tire performance.  



Goodyear's Air Maintenance Technology (AMT) system automatically keeps tires inflated to the optimum pressure without the need for any external pumps or electronics. Rather, all the system’s components are contained within the tire itself. The heart of the system is an internal regulator that detects when the air pressure drops below a pre-specified psi and then opens up to allow air from outside the tire into the pumping tube. Air is pushed through this tube to the inlet valve and ultimately into the tire cavity by the deformation of the tire as it rolls over the road.

Goodyear is initially aiming its AMT system at commercial vehicle fleet operators, citing 2008 figures from the American Trucking Association that more than half of all truck and trailer breakdowns for such operators involve a tire in some way, making tire-related costs the single largest maintenance item for fleet owners. The simple act of keeping tires properly inflated can cut costs by improving fuel economy and prolonging tread life.

Goodyear estimates that every 10 psi loss of tire inflation equates to a one percent loss in miles per gallon. Additionally, tires underinflated by 10 percent is estimated to decrease tread life by nine to 16 percent.

Estimated price: $200/tire

Source(s):  gizmag.com/, goodyear.com/, techlandtime.com/