CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa., June 13, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- An analysis of published reports shows that at least 26% of all vehicles, equipped with tire pressure monitoring systems, as mandated by Congress and beginning in 2003, will receive low-pressure alarms, says Grant Renier, Chairman of Cycloid. "Just wait until one of every four new car drivers start looking for road-side assistance or operating air pumps at service stations -- assuming that they take any action at all. We view this as a totally counter-productive, non-solution that will further compromise vehicle safety rather than improve it."
The CEOs of the world's tire manufacturers agree as stated in a letter to their automobile industry counterparts: "Since it is reasonable to assume that people will not check their air pressure until the alert is triggered, we believe more -- not fewer -- people will wind up facing the risk of tire failure due to severe underinflation. Furthermore, a tire that has a pressure drop to 30% below placard may sustain permanent damage, which cannot be remedied by simple re-inflation."
Cycloid Company, a manufacturer of the AutoPump, an automatic device that keeps tires properly inflated, analyzed published reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), University of Pittsburgh and others and found that "the results were disturbing, to say the least."
The results show that 26% of all passenger cars and 31% of light trucks (SUVs, minivans and pickups) have at least one tire that is 30% below placard pressure. Yet, this 30% underinflation point is where NHTSA requires tire monitoring systems in new cars to give alarms. If the tire executives are correct, one of every four vehicles manufactured, beginning in 2003, will face a greater risk of tire failure and permanent tire damage, not less.
"These regulations will not solve tire inflation problems," said Merv Carse, President of Cycloid Company. "Why not let AutoPump keep your tires properly inflated as you drive down the road, protect your tires' critical zones and keep your family safe and secure? Remember seatbelt alarms? All you had to do was fasten the seatbelt to turn it off. Who wants to go searching for an air pump station and get their hands dirty, just to make the alarm go away!
"If NHTSA were to tighten the low pressure alarm requirements to 20% below placard instead of 30%, approximately one of ever two new vehicles would receive alarms. That is approximately 13.5 million vehicles dealing with low pressure tire alarms by 2006!" concluded Carse.
Cycloid Company believes there is a better solution. For about the same cost of a tire pressure monitoring system, the company's self-contained automatic tire inflation and tire monitoring system, called AutoPump, can keep tires inflated all the time. In addition, Cycloid's Reactance software analyses data transmitted from the pump and identifies 'problem' tires, even while their pressure is being maintained and well before ride and handling problems develop. The device, powered by the rotation of the wheel, is the size of a hockey puck and is mounted under the centrally located wheel ornament with a direct airway through the wheel into the tire. In 1997, this technology was first validated and commercialized for the severe environment of the heavy duty trucking industry and has since been tested and validated by various automobile manufacturers.