Getting Tires to Talk

Mike

Well-Known Member
Tires are the most difficult products without moving parts to design and manufacture, and they’re also among the most difficult aspects of commercial vehicle maintenance for fleets to manage. A new move to use sensors to create connected tires promises to make managing them mush easier in the near-future.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
Nate Panning, connected mobility services manager for Michelin Tire North America, said the tire supplier has been working with TMC to update recommended practice 247, which outlines the guidelines for tire radio frequency identification (RFID), in preparation for these new technologies.

Tire Pressure Management Systems (TPMS)
Tire pressure management systems (TPMS) use electronic sensors designed to withstand the hellish environment found inside a truck tire rolling down the highway. The sensors transmit data on critical operational factors, such as temperature, air pressure and vibration, via telematics to dealers, service providers and fleets.

Digital Tire Inspection Tools
Austin Crayne, business development manager for Goodyear Tire, said tire sensors constantly gather data and usually store it with a cloud-based system.

“If you start looking at all of the information coming in from inspection you can see where you have hotspots of specific serviceable issues or conditions that are identified with your tires,” he said. “So, these [telematics] programs do a really good job of pulling all that information together and allow them to have actionable insights and information that they can go focus on in and make changes to policies and programs.”

 
Ita unfortunate they assume managing tires is hard to begin with.

Even inflation.
Regular inspection.

Theres really not much more to it.

My oh my how did we ever get along without all this fantastic beeping blooping bullshit constantly going off in the cab?
 
Ita unfortunate they assume managing tires is hard to begin with.

Even inflation.
Regular inspection.

Theres really not much more to it.

My oh my how did we ever get along without all this fantastic beeping blooping bullshit constantly going off in the cab?

Plenty hard for a fleet. Watch a typical truck stop and see how many company drivers check their tires before they leave each day.
 
I don’t even check my tires daily past hitting them with an IR thermometer
Same. I gauge them weekly, by that I mean before I leave from home. Sometimes that is more than a week. What I find with good wheels and high end tires, I don't have to mess with the air pressure as there is virtually no air loss over time. That's been my experience for a while anyway.
 
Same. I gauge them weekly, by that I mean before I leave from home. Sometimes that is more than a week. What I find with good wheels and high end tires, I don't have to mess with the air pressure as there is virtually no air loss over time. That's been my experience for a while anyway.
Amazing what a temp reading on the shocks, bearings, tires and radiator tells you during the day.
 
Ita unfortunate they assume managing tires is hard to begin with.

Even inflation.
Regular inspection.

Theres really not much more to it.
The Crossfire idea does wonders for tire life in dual wheel applications.

But the tire guys hate them, they substantially increase service time. And they still require a driver to give enough of a crap to notice low/flat tires.

The self inflation systems on the trailers do pretty much the same job, but those aren't a viable option on the Tractor.
 
Amazing what a temp reading on the shocks, bearings, tires and radiator tells you during the day.
At the very least, greatly minimizes the risk of a costly roadside breakdown.
 
I have a small version of a baseball bat. Out of habit and because it's loading rack policy, I thump each tire in the morning, before loading during the day and when I'm unloading. I beat on them once again at the end of the day, because I hate to sit there and have air up a tire when I start the day. Especially when it's raining. I also gauge them once per week. It take little effort to get good mileage out of a set of tires.
 
The Crossfire idea does wonders for tire life in dual wheel applications.

But the tire guys hate them, they substantially increase service time. And they still require a driver to give enough of a crap to notice low/flat tires.

The self inflation systems on the trailers do pretty much the same job, but those aren't a viable option on the Tractor.
I don't remember if it's Crossfire or some other brand but a fellow driver said he gets a lot more life out of his drives with the air pressure evener outer thingy installed.
 
I had an inflation system installed on my trailer when I bought it. Never worked correctly. It gave me a false sense that things were correct. Upon manual checks after dealing with tire wear, I would see one tire at 100psi, and the one beside it below 80. I would replace the lines, see that things appeared to be good, then have things messed up again. this is a 2018 model Great Dane.

As of the last tire replacement, I ripped off all the lines to the tire inflation system and chose to manually keep an eye on them just like the tractor tires. This time, the tires are wearing perfectly, other than the outer wear due to the candy ass axles they have on them.
 
I'd have them on this truck but carhaul's duty cycle is so high they don't last long enough to get irregular wear.
I'd have them on my Mack but I'm still blaming my issues on them being recaps.

Maybe by the time I'm ready for all new tires and wheels I'll get the kit installed. Unless I'm absolutely strapped for cash, it's getting virgins.
 
Same. I gauge them weekly, by that I mean before I leave from home. Sometimes that is more than a week. What I find with good wheels and high end tires, I don't have to mess with the air pressure as there is virtually no air loss over time. That's been my experience for a while anyway.
I used to do that with a company truck. They provided us with a high quality gauge, so I assumed they wanted us to use it.
 

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