F A Q and R O I Super Air OBTIS

* R O I *

A 3 axle tire inflation system for your tractor $1299.99

ave 2-5% better fuel milage save $1000.00 - $1400.00 or MORE

time saved checking and filling tires 1/2 hr week at $15.00 - $20.00 hr $500.00 or more

road calls 99% eliminated $$$

increased tire life $300.00- 500.00

elimination of damage to truck by tire $$

not buying tires on the road $$

increased safety

this is a yearly per truck figure yearly maintaince on system $100.00 -$200.00 instead of costing you per year its PAYING YOU !

These figures are just as valid in Bus or R/V use as in a Comercial Vehicle

* F A Q *

1..Can I install the system MYSELF?

YES the system can be installed with BASIC HAND TOOLS 1/2, 9/16 , 5/8 3/4 11/8" wrenches ,a pliers ,screwdriver , utility knife and electric drill or drill press are all that are needed.

2.. If i get a flat ? will my other tires go flat too?

NO Its SPECIFICALY DESIGNED TO NOT ALLOW AIR TO LEAK OUT OF YOUR TIRES in case of DAMAGE TO THE SYSTEM (accident) by way of ONE WAY CHECK VALVES placed on the VALVE STEM !

3.. Does the air line hang out in the way?

No the air line can be no wider than the max width of the vehicle 102" actualy the buldge at the bottem of the tire sticks out more than the cover and air line

4.. will iI be stranded if I were to snag an air line ?

NO the check valve prevents air from coming out of the tire.

5..will I tear off an air line?

no Our system is rated to 300psi you would have to snag a steel post or hit concrete to do damage . we have not had any mishaps on road use in over 5 years of our system being in use in the USA or Canada other than involvement in an accident. while you may tear off a line while OFF/Road these occurances are RARE and repair is very easy. usualy less than 15 minutes

* * * Articles >> Fuel economy: Onboard tire monitoring and inflation systems

By Seth Skydel December 5, 2006 Fleet Equipment

Onboard tire monitoring and inflation systems Only 43.6 percent of all tires are inflated within five PSI of proper air pressure, according to a study by The Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) of American Trucking Associations in conjunction with nine of the country’s leading tire manufacturers. The study also indicated that 21.6 percent of all vehicles had at least one tire underinflated by 20 PSI or more.

Having tracked more than 35,000 tires on 4,700 trucks and tractors, 1,300 trailers and 1,500 motor coaches, the TMC study lends credence to the argument that proper tire pressure inflation is one of the most pressing concerns in the trucking industry. For most fleets, tires represent one of the largest costs, in many cases second only to fuel as an operating expense.

When tires are underinflated, costs rise from reduced fuel economy, premature wear and increased road calls. By some calculations, a tire that is underinflated can cut usable life by 25 percent or more and consume as much as 10 percent of a vehicle’s fuel efficiency. In addition, loss of inflation leading to a blowout can cause costly damage to other vehicle components.

For these reasons, fleets are increasingly focusing on maintaining proper tire inflation pressures on the road. In a growing number of operations, tire pressure monitoring and automatic inflation systems are being specified. These technologies, have been validated in a research project conducted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which sought to evaluate the potential benefits of tire pressure monitoring sensors and automatic inflation systems.

The FMCSA analysis strongly suggests that “the savings potential from tire pressure monitoring and automatic inflation systems could support the purchase price. If tire pressure monitoring and automatic inflation systems available for commercial vehicles could be installed for approximately $1,000 per tractor-trailer combination, return-on-investment periods for an average fleet would be between one and two years,” the report says. “Even for fleets with relatively good tire maintenance practices, fleets which would demonstrate a 25 percent reduction in total cost of improper inflation compared to average, the cost-effectiveness of tire monitoring and automatic inflation systems is still within return periods of less than three years.”

Recent advances in technology have made commercial vehicle automatic tire inflation pressure and monitoring systems more affordable. Now available from a number of suppliers, these solutions are increasingly being specified by fleets of all types and sizes.

* * * news story from Truckinginfo.com

All Pressured Up: Automatic Tire Inflation Systems Offer Protection from Underinflation WoesAs I write each month on the latest advancements in tire development and improvements in technology to prolong tire life and reduce operating costs, one single theme remains front and center: the need to keep tires properly inflated.... Read the full story: http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=71889

* * * ATIS, TPMS field test results presented at TMC tire inflation roundtable

By CCJ Staff Published February, 23 2011

During the recent Technology and Maintenance Council Annual Meeting, Al Cohn, director of new market development and engineering support for Pressure Systems International, organized and moderated a roundtable discussion focusing on Tire Inflation Pressure Technologies as part of the S.2 Tire and Wheel Study Group. Presented at the session were results from a recent 12-month fleet field test conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to determine whether tire pressure monitoring systems and automatic tire inflation systems can influence tire maintenance intervals and practices and improve performance and safety. Chris Flanigan, FMCSA Office of Analysis, Research and Technology, commented on each of the hypotheses the agency aimed to prove or disprove with their field test that was based on data collected from two fleet operations by Sheetz and Gordon Food Services, both outfitted with the Meritor Tire Inflation System by PSI, Tire SafeGuard Monitoring System from HCI Corp. and Integrated Vehicle Tire Monitoring System from Wabco:

• Hypothesis 1: TPMS or ATIS use will increase the life of equipped tires. Comment: GFS tire wear data points toward increased tire life;

• Hypothesis 2: TPMS or ATIS use will improve fuel economy of equipped tractor-trailers. Comment: Fleets saw a 1.4 percent improvement in fuel economy;

• Hypothesis 3: TPMS or ATIS use will reduce road calls for damaged/flat tires of equipped tractor-trailers. Comment: Test fleets experience fewer road calls;

• Hypothesis 4: TPMS or ATIS correctly measures the tire pressure of equipped tractor-trailers.

• Hypothesis 5: TPMS or ATIS use will not introduce unscheduled maintenance that adversely affects day-to-day fleet operations. Comment: Technicians did not report altered work habits due to TPMS equipment.

“We organized the session because improper inflation is a significant contributing factor to the number one maintenance cost for fleets – tires.” Cohn says. Increasing government regulations with Compliance Safety and Accountability, the California Air Resources Board, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay, CAFÉ standards and the TREAD Act also are playing an important role, Cohn says.

* * * EXCERPTS from some recent on line discussions

1]About 3 weeks ago I was headed home for a much needed vacation. While headed west on I-90 in Chicago I rolled over a metal expansion joint between an overpass and the regular bed of the interstate. We do this hundreds of times per day with no issues, except this time the expansion joint was either loose, cracked, or bent. Understand that this is just a guess on my part. The only thing I noticed was an odd sound...not a blow out, pop or exploding sound...just odd. As I transitioned onto I-290 all was fine for about 1 mile when I heard a helicopter like noise. It was my front super single eating my Minimizer fender. Thankfully, I think I was at the only wide spot on Chicago's highway system and was able to pull over safely. What I found was both super singles on my left side drive axles blown, one Minimizer fender RUINED , and one with a crack that I could probably ignore, but wouldn't. The front was completely shredded and the rear was flat, but intact. what could be described as a nearly worst case scenario.

At 3AM, on Saturday, in Chicago I called a road service company with many franchises. They only had two used ss in 11R22.5 instead of the 22.5lp that I used. Obviously I took them, but they would need to be replaced as soon as I was back in Minnesota. Cost $600 The road call itself to move one lp ss to the rear axle (because I wasn't about to run with an 11R and a lp on the same axle), remove the ruined fender, remove the good fender from the front axle right side (because a used 11R won't fit under it), and finally, dismount the bad tires and mount the used tires. $450 I have to believe that had I blown one small tire that my fenders would have survived, but under the circumstances, two would need replacement. So between the cost of new, discounted Minimizer fenders and mounting them it totaled about $150 When back in Minnesota, my cost on two Michelin 22.5lp X-Ones was around $1700 plus mounting, $75 Now, down time didn't play a role in this ordeal because I was going on vacation. Total delay was around 5 hours in Chicago. If I were continuing to run, I would have nearly a full day into it. Total for this little adventure...around $2975

2]I lost a tire on the NY thruway I-87. The inside tire was bad also. cost me 1125.00 for 2 new tires brought out to me.

3] My driver called about 10 days ago and tells me he lost a drive. I have him call *****, about 10 miles back up the road and bring one out. $1450.00 later he is back up and running. Yea that was for one tire and service call.

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