TPMS

With all the acronyms out there it’s no wonder people have a difficult time keeping all of them straight.  Thankfully, TPMS is not brand new technology so there are a number of resources available (now including this blog) to better explain its importance.  Rather than re-invent the wheel, we found NHTSA (National Highway Safety Traffic Administration) and Schrader have done a fine job of illustrating this already, which is why the first part of this entry is going to use information each of them have published, respectively.

“As its name suggests, a Tire Pressure Monitoring System is more than a single part.  In fact, TPMS involves a valve and a sensor, and it’s also important to know that not all TPMS systems are created equal.  There are two kinds of TPMS technology – indirect and direct.”

Indirect TPMS:  approximates tire pressure indirectly by using data from the vehicle’s antilock brake system (ABS)

Direct TPMS:  provides a more accurate calculation of your tire pressure using data gathered directly from a sensor placed inside each tire

Source: 2011 Schrader International, Inc

Regardless of which TPMS technology your vehicle may have, if a tire is found to contain less than 75% its recommended air, an alert signal is illuminated on your vehicle’s dash.  The advantage, if it’s not already obvious, is with Direct TPMS that process happens much more effectively and rapidly.  Another thing to keep in mind is that Indirect TPMS cannot recognize when all four tires are low on pressure simultaneously, which often may be the case if the vehicle isn’t checked on a routine basis.

Flats, blowouts, skids, and longer stopping distances can all be the direct result of driving on under-inflated tires.  New laws required manufacturers to include a TPMS system in all cars and light trucks by 2008.  Obviously, all of this better technology will have an associated cost but the increased safety and effectiveness will far outweigh this small setback.  The costs are partially offset by savings in fuel and tire wear.  The net cost is estimated by the US Government to be between $25 and $100, but more importantly the cost of a life saved is somewhere between 3 to 9 million dollars.

Your safety has always been our primary concern.  In short, keeping your vehicles on the road and protecting your entire family is why we’re in this business.  We want all of you to be accident free, period.  We’ve traditionally provided things like tire rotations, snow tire mounting, and flat tire repairs at a very low cost.  In light of these new systems we’d like to educate and inform you on how some of these processes are now done differently.  Every time a tire is changed: taken off to fix a flat, a new tire installed, a snow tire mounted, etc; our service technician is going to have to deal with the TPMS system.  Even a simple tire rotation will require the monitor to be reprogrammed to the new location of each tire.  When a car battery is disconnected, the TPMS system will need to be reprogrammed.  TPMS sensor batteries will need to be changed and failed parts replaced.

The reason we even call your attention to this is twofold:  (1) update on regulated safety standards  (2) make all of you aware of differences in market value of specific services

Our ASE certified team has been thoroughly trained on various TPMS systems and updated tire-changing techniques.  All of this adds up to additional overhead cost to perform what was once a very inexpensive and routine service for you.  Please keep in mind these changes are due to government mandated safety equipment standards we must follow.  There may still be cases where this doesn’t change how we’ve done things for years, but for the most part shops like ours are now being forced to restructure some of these services.

Not unlike all our services, we’re committed to caring for your vehicle at a fair price and will discuss options should you be working with a limited budget.  These upgraded processes will help you avoid the most common types of vehicle failure, and possibly a catastrophic accident.

Albeit a touch outdated from an aesthetic standpoint, this video (courtesy of NHTSA) does a great job at breaking down these TPMS advances.  We believe you’ll better understand this to be another step in the right direction for vehicle manufacturers.

Click HERE for TPMS Made Simple by NHTSA

Related articles

• Those underinflated tires could kill you (bottomline.msnbc.msn.com)
• Keep Tires Inflated To Proper Pressure During Driving (forcedgreen.com)

George Supercedes Honest Abe

This change was made a few or more years ago but many of you may not have realized it.  You’ve probably heard of this technique using a penny and Abe Lincoln’s head instead. That measure gives you 2/32 of an inch – half the suggested amount.  Now, the industry has developed a more accurate method, and it just so happens it involves Abe’s buddy George.

There’s an easy way to tell when a tire’s worn to 4/32 of an inch. Just insert a quarter into the tread. Put it in upside down. If the tread doesn’t cover George Washington’s hairline, it’s time to replace your tires. With a Canadian quarter, the tread should cover the numbers in the year stamp.

When talking about stopping power, drivers tend to focus on brakes. But our tires are where the rubber meets the road. So having good brakes isn’t enough. Motorists have to have tires with enough traction to translate braking power into stopping power.

Let’s focus on stopping in wet conditions. In order for a tire to have good contact with the road, it has to move the water out of the way. If it can’t move the water, the tire will actually ride on top of a thin film of water.  That’s called hydroplaning.

At Community Automotive Repair we want our customers to know that if it’s really bad, you can actually spin out of control. At best, you won’t stop as fast.

So how does a tire move water? It has channels for water to flow through. Look at a tire and you’ll see channels: channels that run around the tire and channels that flow across the tire. They’re designed to direct water away from the tire so it can contact the road better.

And the deeper the channel, the more water it can move. A brand new tire has very deep channels and can easily move a lot of water. As the tire wears down, the channels become shallower and can move less water. When it wears down enough, it can seriously affect your ability to stop on wet roads.

So that’s why it’s so important for drivers to replace the tires on their vehicles when they get worn. Consumer Reports and other advocate groups call for a standard of 3/32 of an inch and they have the studies to prove it.

By comparison, you’ve probably seen the wear indicator that’s molded into tires. When tires are worn 3/32 of an inch, the tread wear bar is visible. So the recommended standard has twice the tread depth as a completely worn out tire.

And that little bit of additional tread makes a big difference. Stopping distances are cut dramatically on wet roads. A safe stop from expressway speeds with 4/32 of an inch of tread would result in a crash with worn out tires.

Of course, tires are a big ticket item for vehicle owners. Most of us want to get as many miles out of them as we can. But there’s a real safety trade-off. It’s your choice.

Give us a call today or send an e-mail if you have questions about what tires we recommend for your specific vehicle.  With multiple local partnerships, in addition to availability from Tire Rack direct, we have you covered.

April showers bring…

…May flowers, right?  Yes, we believe that’s the case.  But we’re going with the more obvious here: RAIN

Where there’s heavy rain, the right set of wiper blades can help keep visibility strong and prevent a potential traffic accident.  Most of us haven’t given much thought to wiper blades because they’re simply a necessity and we’re OK with what was on the vehicle when we bought it.  Does that describe you?  If so, that’s perfectly alright but you should still know your options.  Turns out there’s quite a bit more than the universal approach to wiper blade selection once you’ve selected the proper length for your specific vehicle.

Here are the most common variations on what’s available in today’s marketplace:

01. Standard – these are your run of the mill blades that resemble a coat hanger and are generally installed using a hook-shaped wiper arm fitting.

02. Flat – these blades do not feature a hanger-shaped frame, rather they have a tensioned metal strip that runs the length of each blade to form equal contact with your windshield.

03. Specific/OEM – these are blades that are designed specifically for your vehicle, direct from the manufacturer, and often cannot be found in retail outlets.

04. Refill – these cannot be used on the “flat” blades, but for conventional/standard, you can replace the rubber blade without replacing the frame. (*)

* this method should not be repeated several times consecutively or you run the risk of the blades malfunctioning

Most blades these days come with a wetnap cloth/solvent, which should be used prior to installation.  This compound helps revitalize the rubber since it can become dry and brittle over time (even while in packaging), and you’re more likely to maximize the effectiveness and productivity of your wiper blades this way.

Blades can be found for as little as $5 each or upwards of $100/pair.  Bosch blades have stood the test of time and although they are slightly more expensive than a typical Rain-X or Anco look-alike, they have proven to last and perform consistently.  Bosch carries several different styles to fit both your budget and preference.  We stock a wide variety of brands and options.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions (616.774.7048).